Urban Farming: How To Grow Fresh produce In The City

It is your wish to grow your own fresh produce but you don’t have time neither space for that? What about if I tell you that your wish is about to become a reality – with urban planter boxes.

Designed for urban spaces and city slickers, these planter boxes can feature wheels at the bottom part and can even come with a self-watering system. Mobile planter boxes allow you to move them to where the sun is and also move them out of the way for entertaining and cleaning while self-watering planter boxes ensure your fruit and vegetables receive the necessary amount of water in case you are too busy with your active schedule.

Both mobile planter boxes and self-watering planters allow you to grow virtually any kind of produce. And because these boxes usually feature a contemporary design aesthetic and durable construction, they represent the ideal choice for balconies, decks, courtyards and patios.

If you don’t have any experience in growing vegetables in the city, here are few tips to help you succeed.

• Selecting An Urban Planter Box

As a rule of thumb, choose as large a planter as possible. That is because small planters dry out more quickly and require daily watering. Self-watering urban planter boxes extend the time between watering.

The depth of the planter is another import factor. Plants with deep root systems will be unhealthy and stunted if they don’t have the proper space. Again, the deeper the planter, the larger the reservoir of moist soil will be and that means less often you will need to water. Self-watering planters are an exception since moisture are provided by a water reservoir under the planter area.

• Choosing A Place For Your Urban Planter Box

Most vegetables need five to six hours of sunlight per day. Herbs and salad green can often do well with less sun exposure. Peppers, tomatoes and other sun-lovers will enjoy as much as they can get. If your balcony is short on sun, you may consider mobile planter boxes so you can move them during the day or even later in the season as the angle of the sun changes.

• Soil

Do not fill your planter with soil from bagged topsoil. Instead, use a ‘soilless’ combination that will hold moisture and resist compaction.

• Water

Vegetables need a consistent supply of water to grow healthy. Inconsistent moisture can lead a lot of problems such as poor root development, blossom drop, insect problems, leaf curling, and others. The most effective way to ensure your plants always receive a consistent supply of water is to use a self-watering planter.