Useful tools and structure for Urban Gardening

Planting in containers comes with some challenges, but I found useful tools and a structure for urban gardening that have helped me get great results.

When I started growing vegetables in my balcony garden, I encountered some problems. Because we are growing in containers, the needs are slightly different from growing in the soil directly. Our extreme weather (too cold in winter and too hot in summer) makes it also challenging.

As I was looking for ways to solve these problems, I came across these handy tools and structure that made my job easier in my urban garden.

Soil Moisture Sensor Meter

One of the most common problems people have (including us) when planting in containers is the plant’s water intake. Last year we had problems with bugs and mushrooms, and even we had a few plants that didn’t survive. Our major mistake was overwatering.

In our urban gardening journey, we learned the importance of measuring the amount of water we provide to the plants to grow healthy.

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Containers keep the soil more moisture than growing directly in your yard. Also, if you cover the soil with straw, it will preserve the water even more.

To ensure that I’m adding the right amount of water, I use a Soil Moisture Sensor Meter. I try to keep the water level in the middle-low of the sensor and add water when it is close to the red zone.

This is especially important when you live in areas with extreme weather like us. In summer, plants need more water than in the spring or fall season.

Garden Marker

The most important moment for me to add a name tag was when I was planting my seeds.

How many of you have written your plant’s name on a tag, and the name comes off when you start watering them? It has happened to me more than once.

I sprayed water on my seeds every morning to keep them moist. By the time I had to transfer the seedling to a bigger container, the sign was almost unreadable.

Then, I found this Garden Marker; it is water-resistant and has a Uv filter that prevents the ink from fading with the sunlight. I have used it for four months now, and it has worked well.

Greenhouse

We live in an area where the weather can change from one minute to the next. Protecting our plants from weather changes with a greenhouse helps them grow fast and healthy without difficulties.

This greenhouse perfectly fits our balcony and allows us to create a vertical garden. This helps us add more plants to our urban garden with so little space.

Plants that we keep in the greenhouse in warm weather are beets, lettuce, and some veggies that won’t grow too tall or are in the process of growing.

The plants that we keep in the greenhouse during the winter season are carrots, onion, and garlic. These plants are super-hardy and can survive winter weather conditions with little protection.

We put on the cover of our greenhouse by the end of the fall and remove it by mid to end of the spring season.

Before buying a greenhouse for a small space, make sure to measure the area where you want to place it. This is the greenhouse we bought last year and works well in our first winter season, protecting our plants from hard weather Extra Wide Mini Greenhouses 4 Tier Portable.

I hope that these useful tools and structure for urban gardening help you in this planting season to grow all your vegetables. With a little creativity and these great tools, you can create your own space, no matter how small it may be.

For more Urban Gardening tips, go to How to Grow Vegetables in Containers!