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Home gardening goes beyond just growing your own vegetables, we give you the perfect reasons to start your own urban garden at home.
If you were waiting for a signal to set up your own urban garden, here it is!
In this post we will give you even more reasons to start growing your own vegetables from now on. We begin by pointing out that growing a vegetable garden at home involves many factors that have a positive impact on society, the economy, the environment and on health. For example, did you know that traditional agriculture occupies 70% of the fresh water consumed worldwide, or that conventional agricultural practices contribute to 73% of the world' s deforestation?
Growing your own vegetables provides freedom both in choosing the type of food you want to eat and how you grow it. We imagine that you have heard the expression " there is no place to eat like home", because this is exactly what is achieved with the self-sufficiency of vegetables. Since you can control first-hand factors such as: the type of fertilizer you use, amount of light, water, etc. You can achieve optimal crop yields. In addition, it promotes the consumption of healthy food and sustainable economy with no big repercussion on your pocket. If you want to join the green revolution, keep reading. Here we explain four types of home gardening and provide you with tips on how to create an urban vegetable garden.
First things first, why start growing an urban garden at home?
Among many other reasons, we would like to stress that gardening at home has social and economic benefits as well as multiple advantages over conventional agriculture. For starters, it reduces significantly the use of plastic bags or packaging. It also provides the following benefits and advantages:
Water efficiency: there is no need to use high volumes of water. There is a better control of water as the soil is usually held in closed containers, which prevents water seepage.
Km 0: once the product is harvested, there is no need to ship it, which keeps the CO2 footprint to a minimum, straight from your garden to the table!
Pesticide-free: another advantage of growing your own garden at home is that the plants are free of pesticides. In case of pests, you can use alternative ways to address them.
Promotes healthy habits: likewise, what is harvested at home is fresh and promotes healthy practices, food and nutrition awareness.
Fosters ties with the community: sharing the process of growing and cultivating vegetables in community increases the quality of social interactions. It is a very positive process to share and interact from a different point of view, fostering the exchange of experiences and dialogue.
Bring life to your balcony, terrace or roof
There are many types of urban gardens that differ in shapes and sizes. The most known are:
Vegetable gardening in pots: this is the most traditional way of growing at home. We leave the size, shape and depth of the pots to your free choice.
Hanging vegetable garden: it is ideal for ornamental or climbing plants such as strawberries. They are also very easy to assemble, you only need one or more pots that share the same base tied to be suspended from a ceiling or wall.
Grow table: the tables are usually 20cm deep and are installed at a perfect height to avoid strain, as they are usually set at a suitable level for working with soil in a comfortable way.
Smart hydroponic vertical garden: it sounds really fancy but it is actually the simplest one to use. It consists of a closed-loop water system in which the necessary minerals and nutrients circulate over and over so that they do not need any use of soil and you can save up to 90% of water! Of course, at Groots we are experts in this type of cultivation. Our passion for vertical farming has motivated us to create Boombi, a mini version of our farm. It is suitable for all types of public because it does not require extensive knowledge of growing plants because you can automate watering and lighting. Yes, you have read it right, it is suitable even for "brown thumbs" people!
Here are some tips to get started with your urban garden
One more advantage of the urban garden is that it does not require large spaces. You can choose the format you like best from the previous section, or even create your own.
All you need are pots, recycled containers, vertical containers or growing tables. From Groots we make a call to the DIY (Do it Yourself) concept. In this way, you can generate a closer bond with your garden and contribute to the circular economy by reusing materials that you keep at home and are in disuse. We remind you that the containers should have a hole to drain and avoid waterlogged soil.
Regarding the tools, gardening tools such as gloves, scissors, hoes, rakes, transplanter or a small shovel are needed.
It is also advisable to use organic fertilizer generated from compost in which coffee grounds, eggshells and banana skins can be added, as they improve the soil substrate. In addition, the use of fertilizers such as worm castings or coconut fiber provide the perfect cocktail of minerals for your vegetables to grow beautiful, tasty and rich in nutrients.
It is very important to observe the amount of light your garden will receive prior you start growing. If the space has a lot of sunlight during the day, you could plant vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, corn, pumpkins or aromatic plants such as rosemary and thyme. But if the garden is located in a shady place, it is advisable to sow aromatic plants such as
oregano, mint, or vegetables such as chard such as chard, spinach and arugula.
Growing plants can be done from seed or if you prefer with plantlets. Here is a secret... at Groots we supply seedlings that you can use to spice up your dishes or transplant them into your urban garden to keep them growing.
As for proper watering, it is advisable to water early in the morning or in the afternoon to avoid the sun in warm regions or during hot seasons. The amount of water and the frequency depends on the plant, always try not to flood the containers where it has been planted. It is not necessary to irrigate under pressure, instead it is advisable to use the traditional watering cans or automatic irrigation system.
Join de green revolution
Setting up vegetable gardens brings many benefits and advantages for the society and our well-being. And not only in our homes, they are also increasingly being integrated into the streets of our cities. For example, the Barcelona City Council has integrated into its initiatives the creation of urban gardens with the aim of making more conscious green spaces available to citizens.
Remember that it is in your hands to change the way we produce. Your home, today, can become an urban garden, your home can join the green revolution.
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