Urban Jungle: Tips for your Garden
The quarter acre dream has long since given way to the 300 square metre plot of subdivided soil. But you don’t need to possess a large space to have a garden – or gardens – all of your own. There are plenty of ways to incorporate an urban jungle into your life no matter how micro your city plot is.
Whether it’s a balcony, rooftop, windowsill or a small strip of under-utilised space along a fence line, planter boxes or hanging gardens can make the most of any urban space. In fact, these clever options can make use of land that is essentially unusable in any other way.
So why not take your green thumbs to one of these clever options, after all, as they say, good things come in small packages.
Raising the bar
Raised gardens are a great option, with their custom-made versatility enabling you to fit any size or shape – fill that under-utilised space along the front of the garage or fence line or you could even try window boxes.
But it’s not just versatility these raised gardens offer, as they enable you to counteract poor soil conditions and there are generally herbs, flowers and vegetables available to meet the conditions no matter where your raised gardens may be – whether it’s sheltered, low-light, or hot and bright.
Vertically challenged
If ground space is at a premium, why not lift the garden up from the ground and get a little vertically challenged? Yes, we’re talking about a hanging option. You can hang store-bought or custom-made planters on the fence, or even on an under-utilised external wall on the house itself.
Food for thought
Edible hanging vegetable or herb gardens are increasingly popular in our urban spaces. Just ensure the space has plenty of sunlight and at least some degree of protection from the elements. Wooden pallets are an easily accessible option. Just line the bottom of each rung with weed mat, fill with potting mix and you’re away laughing.
Hang ups
Perhaps you could make a metal framework to hang planters from, attach with string or rope to existing structures such as a carport, or these can be hung from hooks in entranceways or porches. There are hanging planter grids on the market, that you attach small pots to. They can be great ways to bring life to empty spaces, such as an empty fence or external wall.
Contain it
Or why not re-use containers – anything from plastic-lined wooden crates, old car tires, plastic buckets, trash cans and wooden pallets to polypropylene bags or small-scale hydroponic systems. There are plenty of ways to utilise containers of some description to house your plants and, with the popularity of upcycled items, it’s a great way to add some cool cred to your abode.
