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You can grow food in just about anything: a plot of land, your yard, a cheap pot, a baby pool, or a grow bag. It is easy and affordable, and urban gardening is one of the healthiest ways to eat.
This method is not limited to outdoors. You can grow food indoors year-round by applying the proper techniques. Awareness about the benefits of urban gardening is expanding, and people are finding that urban gardens are not only practical but a rewarding pathway to better health.
Why Try Urban Gardening?
Urban gardening is fairly easy and comes naturally once an individual is willing to try it. It is fascinating to discover how much general knowledge an individual has in this space just from engaging in the general life experience.
For example, the average person has seen a garden or understands the basic formula: plant, water and watch it grow.
Gardening is a delightful and therapeutic experience. So much tranquility comes from smelling the fresh morning or evening air and being engulfed by nature. A sense of stillness, peace, and serenity is felt while admiring your garden in the early morning or evening.
So many aromas heighten our existence in this space when herbs and other foliage are planted.
For many, the joy of urban gardening provides a spiritual connection and a way of feeling more in tune with the creator. It can be seen as a way of giving thanks for the land’s vegetation as an individual joyfully works and admires a magnificent aspect of the earth’s creation.
There is also a sense of eagerness when you first see the beginning sprout of vegetation you have prepared and planted. It is exciting to water your garden each day and notice how overnight the produce is getting bigger, fuller and changing into its natural state.
How to Get Started With Urban Gardening
Although urban gardening is simple and for everyone, if you are looking for a great place to start and direction, there may be gardening classes in your area, such as Indianapolis’s Kheprw Institute’s program, “Growin’ Good in the Hood,” which teaches organic urban gardening for all interested in learning. This urban gardening program was established out of an emergent need.
Eight years ago, the local grocery store in a low-income neighborhood suddenly went out of business, creating a catastrophe.
“They put a notice on the door, and all of the people in the community were suffering behind that,” explains La’Kiyah Muhammad, garden coordinator for Growin’ Good in the Hood.
Since Kheprw Institute is a solution-based organization, the leaders got together and discovered a solution based on their motto of self-sustainability and self-sufficiency and decided to create their own garden and came up with a plan to teach the community urban gardening skills.
Although a class is one way to learn and experience community closeness, Muhammad explains an additional pathway. “We are in an age of information. I call it YouTube University. Everything we want to know is at our fingertips. You can just [go to] YouTube and type in ‘urban gardening, how do I get started’ and you will find what you need.”
When it comes to supplies, a few gardening tools, soil, and seeds are a great way to go, and there is no need to spend money on expensive items. Go with something simple and within your budget, such as what Muhammad suggests:
- A shovel
- A rake
- A trowel
- Seeds or seedlings
- Planter boxes
- Organic soil
She adds, “You don’t need a lot. You can even get some pots to grow in or mesh bags from Amazon; they are called grow bags. They are very affordable. You can start your garden for under $100.”
However, there is one significant caution, therefore, please be aware. Muhammad explains, “Do not grow in the ground of your home unless you have had your soil tested. If you have lead in your soil, it is best for you to grow in containers where the lead does not have access to leach into your food.”
Many areas have organizations that offer free soil testing and a brief internet search can list those testing locations.
RELATED: Best Ways to Garden Year Round for Fresh Produce
The Need for Urban Gardening
Urban gardening is essential in areas across the United States that are deemed as food deserts. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food deserts refer to areas across the nation that are low-income and have limited access to healthy foods.
This issue is so pressing that in 2008, a farm bill was passed in order to track these areas. The USDA’s Economic Research Service can provide more information and maps.
We live in a different world since the pandemic and the ability of knowing how to grow your own foods ensures that if another similar tragedy occurs, you are able to make sure you and your family are taken care of.
Even Oprah enjoys having her own garden. In her book, “What I Know for Sure,” she talks about how her gardening interest turned into a passion, and she gets “ridiculously happy at the sight of the purple radicchio.” She further explains the value of having access to freshly grown food.
Like Oprah and many others, there is no denying the benefits of eating from your own land. Urban gardening is a way for everyone, including the underprivileged, to not only eat without ever going hungry but to eat the best kinds of foods. This is undeniably a safer method of consumption because you know what is being used and applied in your own space.
To get started, be sure to first have your soil tested if you plan to plant in your yard and that everything 100% organic for the best outcomes.
One way is to look at labeling and find OMRI-branded products (products approved for organic use). Once you have done this and gathered your supplies, go for it. And in the words of Muhammad, “Don’t give up. You can do it.”
