Urban gardening 101: 5 ideas for small spaces
What's the story
As African cities embrace urban gardening as a sustainable means to grow fresh food and beautify urban spaces, limited space and resources have led them to innovate cost-effective and efficient methods. From cutting down food expenses to contributing towards environmental sustainability, these methods have a lot to offer. Here, we take a look at five budget-friendly urban gardening techniques easily implementable in Africa's bustling cities.
Portable solution
Container gardening
Container gardening refers to growing plants in pots or containers, which is perfect for limited space like balconies or rooftops. This way, gardeners can easily control the quality of soil and moisture levels. Plus, you can also use recycled material like old buckets or plastic bottles as containers, further cutting costs. This is especially useful for those living in apartments without garden plots.
Space-saving technique
Vertical gardens
Vertical gardens also maximize limited space by allowing plants to grow upwards on walls or trellises. This method is perfect for urban areas with little ground space available. Vertical gardens can be created using pallets, hanging pots, or even fabric pockets attached to walls. They not only save space but also add aesthetic value to homes and public areas while providing fresh produce.
Soil-free cultivation
Hydroponics systems
Hydroponics essentially refers to growing plants without soil by using nutrient-rich water solutions instead. The technique works perfectly for urban settings where soil quality may be poor or contaminated. Despite initial setup costs sounding high, hydroponics systems can be built using affordable materials like PVC pipes and recycled containers. Making them accessible for budget-conscious gardeners.
Shared resources
Community gardens
Community gardens unite people to cultivate common plots of land within urban areas. These gardens promote social interaction while granting access to fresh produce at little cost. Participants pool in resources like seeds, tools, and knowledge, which helps cut down individual expenses by a large margin. Community gardens also promote a sense of community ownership and pride.
Utilizing unused spaces
Rooftop gardens
Rooftop gardens convert wasted rooftop spaces into productive green patches. They offer fresh vegetables and herbs, while enhancing air quality and insulation properties of buildings beneath them, at the same time. By using lightweight materials such as shallow trays filled with lightweight growing mediums, rooftop gardens provide an efficient solution for city dwellers looking forward to self-sufficiency.