The urban gardener

If you don’t have the luxury of a multi-bed garden set-up — complete with hot house and potting sheds — you’re certainly not alone. But even those with the smallest of square footage can let their green fingers flourish and experience the delight of eating freshly harvested herbs and vegetables from their own balcony or backyard.

Before you hit the nursery and start buying up large, you need a plan. Planning is key to any successful garden project, but it’s especially critical when working with limited space.

CHOOSING A SPOT

The first thing to consider is the sun in relation to your garden. Where is it and how long is it there for?

Gardening experts generally consider there to be three classes of light: Full sun, part-sun and shady.

Chances are if you live anywhere in the greater Auckland area, your garden will not be exposed to full sun. Buildings, fences and trees all cast shadows, that block out the sun for at least part of the day.

Unless your balcony or garden is basking in sunshine for more than six hours a day, it’s considered part-sun. Under four hours and it is shady. Under two hours and most plants will struggle to survive.

CHOOSING YOUR CONTAINER

If you already have a vegetable patch or planter box, you’re good to go. But those with more limited options don’t need to spend a fortune to get growing. Old buckets or ice cream containers make excellent growing receptacles — as long as they are properly prepped.

Just like sunlight, drainage is essential. Any container needs a hole to provide drainage — ideally on the side, approximately 2cm from the bottom. Drainage is essential to stop roots from rotting in the case of over-watering. Line the bottom of the planter with old an old T-shirt or similar fabric to absorb any excess water and stop soil spilling out of the holes. If you have easy access to gravel or loose rocks, line the bottom of the bucket with those first, before adding your old T-shirt and soil.

CHOOSING YOUR PLANTS

This may sound obvious but if you have limited space, don’t waste it growing plants you don’t want to eat. Choose herbs and plants that will compliment your cooking and add value to your kitchen.

If you love a curry, coriander and chilli should be top of your list. More into pizza and pasta? Get that basil bush growing. Salad lover? Tom Thumb lettuces are small and compact, perfect for container growing.

If you’re not an experienced gardener, it’s best to opt for seedlings. Plus, most seed packets will be seriously surplus to requirement if you’re only trying to grow a couple of tomatoes.

Avoid root vegetables like carrots and potatoes, which take up far too much space and only harvest once a year.

FEED YOUR PLANTS

If you’re working in a small space and using smaller containers to grow your veges, you’ll need to double-down on the maintenance. All plants need regular feeding and watering but especially those grown in containers.

Different types of plants have different water requirements, so if you are limited to container gardening it’s best to keep varieties separate, or you risk over or under-watering one or more of your plants.

IF IN DOUBT…

Grow mint. You just can’t kill the stuff.