Sensible Trivia for Affordable Urban Gardening By Dr. Jannie Carter, Extension Assistant Director

The rewards of urban gardening are far beyond the bounties of fruits and vegetables. Gardening promotes beautiful community scenery, neighborly interactions, exercise, and other leisurely recreation for young and old alike. Moreover, growing our own fruits and vegetables result in fewer purchases and imports from other locations. When we purchase goods locally, we also reduce the cost of food and fuel that are bonuses people can appreciate in a declining economy. In spite of the work required to keep gardens properly planted and weeded and the minor aches and pains that come with such labor, we generally perceive gardening as a relaxing experience that brings us closer to nature. Sharing the fruits of our labor and exchanging gardening tips have contributed to the nourishment of body and soul for many during difficult economic times. So in keeping with the spirit of budget-friendly gardening, here are a few affordable insights for urban gardeners just in time for spring planting.

Urban gardeners should think small because their space is generally very limited. Think about plants that grow in small spaces or in containers. For the fashionable, shabby chic is a gardening technique. Buy used and salvaged containers that are cracked or imperfect. Chipped urns and wide-mouth castaways are affordable finds at thrift stores, discount marts, and yard sales. Start with good soil to give your plants a fighting chance. A soil sample will give you facts on how to prepare your planting area. Your local county Extension office can assist with a soil test for a minimal fee.

Choosing the right plants can be fun and provide an opportunity for you to explore your creative side. A must for urban gardening is to plant for beauty and function. Design your rows or place your plants considering height, width, color, location, and potential growth. If you are using containers, an added benefit is they can be placed in small awkward locations or in places where you probably never thought of growing a garden. Container gardens make pretty accents on your deck or patio, along walkways or steps, and amidst flower gardens and shrubbery.

Cucumbers, summer squash, peppers, herbs, and tomatoes are great plants for small gardens that yield quick and fruitful harvests. As a word of caution, suburbanites should beware; natural wildlife take-a-liking to lush garden greens. But it's hard to go wrong with tomatoes. Whether grown in containers or in large or small garden plots, there is a tomato to fit the bill and the menu. Fresh tomatoes add zest to so many recipes from soups to salsas and they can be preserved easily for use in those favorite family dishes when they are no longer in season. Extension's online publications at www.aces.edu provide resources on how to properly store tomatoes. Americans grow more than 1,000 varieties of this fruit (yes, tomatoes are classified as fruits) and yes, there is a Mortgage Lifter variety. The gardener that created the breed in the 1940s used profits from the sale of the tomato seedlings to pay off his mortgage and thus the name stuck.

And what makes your garden grow? You can start from seeds or you can go with seedlings. Seeds saved from the best crops of your favorite plants grown in earlier gardens or from seeds shared by a neighbor help ensure good quality yields. But remember, seeds saved from hybrid plants will unnecessarily produce the same kinds of fruit or vegetables as the plants from which you took the seeds.

So, if you are a city mouse who has contemplated taking the gardening plunge, 2009 is a good year to begin. And, you'll get in your recommended daily sunlight to boost your vitamin D level. Don't forget to apply sunscreen and wear a hat on your gardening ventures!

Michael, N. (2008, March). Tomatoes bought my house: The unbelievable story of Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter tomato. TomatoCasual. Retrieved March 11, 2009.

Vitamin D. (2009, April 29). In Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 10, 2009.

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