Gone are the days when only those with a giant square of land complete with neatly ploughed rows and engine-powered machinery, grew their own food crops. The days of needing an acre of land to plant food and herbs are long gone. Today, it`s all about gardening in whatever space that you have. So, if all you`ve got is a small backyard or even a patio, putting it to good usage in the best way you know, is all that`s needed. As some gardeners say, if you`ve got a square foot of space, you have enough to grow. In an urban garden, you`ll be able to grow pretty much anything that space will allow including; fruits, herbs and vegetables.
Why Urban Farming?
Urban farming isn`t just a great way to grow fresh healthy food, it`s also a great way to build communities and connect with others. Empty spaces in the city can be transformed into gardens by community members or even rooftops being made into gorgeous green havens. You too can be a part of urban farming, you could have a mini garden that gives you enough ingredients or veggies to last you through the cold & warm months. If you live in a building or a house that has a small yard (or no yard) you don`t have to be left out of the world of urban farming. You too can enjoy fresh food for you and your family. If you so choose, you can even use growing methods that will allow you to produce food all year long, growing indoors in the winter months if necessary.
Whether you`re looking to save up money or you enjoy picking fresh produce, urban farming is an excellent choice. Ironically, what people normally consider as limitations in growing fresh produce in towns and cities, one can turn them into useful opportunity to explore and go on an adventure of practising urban farming. Urban farming is indeed a miracle in concrete jungles and is worth being practiced. If you want to be able to provide more food for your family or grow beautiful flowers, you can use urban farming to your benefit. The great thing about urban farming is that the methods, require little maintenance. All it takes is time and dedication before you get to see your fresh produce. If you have children and family, try to get them involved. The more people are there to help you maintain the garden, the better. This will put less stress on your shoulders and will give everyone a learning lesson in agriculture.
Steps to go about, with urban farming
Choosing a site for your urban farming
The first step to growing is to choose your gardening site. What kind of spaces do you have to work with? Depending on the type of building or location you live in and the available space around it, you might be able to grow a lot or a little. You can find space inside of your home and outside. The types of plant you want to grow should also be taken into account – some plants grow better outdoors while others flourish inside where they can be nurtured. As a result; to practice urban farming, you can grow your plant using your balcony or patio, planting on the rooftop, using your yard, growing indoors or you can team up with others to buy a plot of land. Based on the plants that you are going to grow, choose a site that has plenty of light or shade because some plants thrive well when exposed to more light while others flourish in shaded areas. However, to a certain extend all plants needs some degrees of light.
Choosing the right type of plants
Once you identify your site, now it`s time to select the type of plants you want to grow. Do you want to grow edible plants that you can enjoy with your family? Do you want to grow plants to help clean and purify the air you breathe or do you want to grow some herbs? This second step is mainly to identify, the purpose of why you want to practice urban farming. For some people, they want to consume fresh produce and for others, they just want a brief decorational sighting.
What methods can one use, to practice urban farming?
There are a variety of practices through which we can grow plants, even when there is little spacing. One can consider vertical vegetable farming, hydroponics and aeroponics. The easiest ways to garden indoors are to use containers, an aeroponics system, window garden system or a wall garden.
Commitment and patience
Once you have covered the above steps, you can start practising urban farming. It is going to require some commitments and patience. If it happens that your urban farming practices succumb to failure in your first, second, third, fourth and perhaps even in your fifth try or experimentation; just be patience with yourself and with it. You can acquire inputs or advice from an expert to assist you, so that your practice of urban farming can be a success.
Plenty of people are beginning to embrace urban farming, and for good reason. Gardening is good for you both physically and mentally, plus it offers optimal control over what you feed yourself and your family. No matter how much space there is, your garden can produce plenty of food (even if only supplemental) for you and your family if you`re willing to let your mind wander up instead of out.
For Free basic guidelines on more precise methods to practice urban farming, request them at: info@namfarmers.com.na
Some precepts in this article were adapted from Urban Gardening: How to grow food in any city apartment or yard no matter how small.