The Urban Garden...Take Organic to the Next Level.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I love to eat fresh food especially organic fruits and veggies, but I hate the organic prices. So I decided to create a quick Urban Garden with a few of the main items to create a fresh garden salad, and spicy salsa.
The reason its called an urban garden is because its not on acres of land...its not even in a backyard...My urban garden is on my front porch:0). For those of us who live in condo's, apartments and urban settings space is of the essence and this is an great enhancement to limited space.

This project is not only easy to create, but its also easy on the wallet with lasting benefits. Total Cost including planter box, topsyturvy, plants, and fertilized soil was under $40.00!

  First have in mind what you would like for your garden to contain. Herbs, veggies, fruits, etc...you can either plant seeds or buy small plants its completely up to you. I prefer small plants with buds developing already, I like to see how the plant looks developed. This helps me properly space the plants reducing overcrowding in the planter as the plants develop and flower.  In the long wooden planter box I decided to plant:

•  gourmet lettuce
• cucumbers
• roma tomatoes
• cilantro
• banana peppers
• hot peppers

I also planted Stevia which is a natural sweetener plant in a separate clay pot and hanging in the Topsy Turvy are strawberries. 

I have never used the Topsy Turvey before so I do not know for sure how effective it will be with the strawberries yet. But I will update this blog later in the season and post updated pics of how the garden is flourishing.
 Keep in mind you do not want your garden to look unkept, it can become an eyesore and decrease property value. Here are a few gardening tips to help keep your garden not only fruitful, but also neat.

• #1 Used eye appealing planters for your garden. There are so many options as to how you can design your garden, you definitely don't have to use the planter block that I chose. Large flower pots work great as well, just be sure to arrange the plants so they grow in harmony.
• #2 Whatever planters you chose make sure there is a hole in the bottom of the pot for adequate water drainage. Over watering..or water not having a way to drain could lead to root rot of your plants
• #3 Use good soil and/or fertilizer..the quality of your dirt does matter. I personally use Miracle Grow soil and products to feed the garden. I am a busy busy on the go professional...and prefer to keep the garden as low maintenance as possible, meaning once I plant I only want to water it.lol. By using Miracle Grow all the other nutrients are in the soil...and I can just add a few drops to the water and they are healthy with minimal additional work.
• #4 Water your garden! Seems like a no brainer...but people actually do plant flowers and then don't water them until they are already falling over.lol. When you initially plant your garden water it throughly. Then water everyday for the first week if its very hot where you live. I live in Texas. If you reside in a cooler climate water every other day for the first week. This helps the plants root system to develop and grow in the dirt. Keeping it moist and soft with frequent waterings. Are the first week water once a week or as needed, again depending on your climate. Also water during the cooler times of morning or evening, not during the hottest times of the day.
• #5 Prune and harvest your garden:0)...This is the best part, but remember to actually pick your fruit so that more can grow. Also keep "bushy" plants pruned and trimmed.  
• #6 Keep the identification tag the plant came with, and use it to mark each plant in your garden. This way you always know how to properly care for each plant.
• #7 If you have plants that bear heavy fruit, such as tomatoes or peppers. Its easier on the plant to secure a stick or piece of bamboo to the plant with twist ties. This helps the plant from falling over and breaking due to the weight.

This is a Roma Tomatoe plant. I secure it to a bamboo stalk using twist ties. There are 8 small green tomatoe buds on it now:0)

Im hoping my green thumb doesn't fail me and I have great update pics to provide in a few months.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to subscribe!