Urban Gardening - Fondulac District Library

Think you can’t grow your own food in the city? Think again! Learn about different aspects of urban gardening and what it has to offer you. There are many benefits to gardening, and it doesn’t have to be reserved for people with huge tracts of land and loads of equipment. There are also many ways to go about it, and we will explore different small space gardening techniques for anyone, anywhere. If you have more questions, there are resources at the library available for checkout!

Why

Why bother growing your own food these days? Many people choose to for many different reasons.

Save $$
Have control over pesticides
Landscaping adds both beauty and value to your home.
As a hobby: Gardening is fun!

How

There are also many ways to go about growing your own food with minimal or no yard space!

Space Savers:

Square foot gardening

Container gardening

Straw bale gardening

Vertical gardening

Don’t have your own space to garden? Try community gardening!

Square Foot Gardening

This method was popularized in the ‘80s by Mel Bartholomew. It is still a very popular method, and its plant spacing techniques are utilized in other small space gardening methods.

Great for raised beds.
There are fewer weeds to deal with if you use the soil mix recommended in the book.
The basic premise: don’t waste space on unnecessary rows.
Incorporates vertical gardening for vining plants to save even more space.
Mel encourages a staggered harvest, meaning you plant only a small number of plants, harvest, and then start over. This way your harvest is diverse and doesn’t come all at once.

Square foot gardens tend to be 3×3 or 4×4, but they can be as big or small as you want as long as you can easily reach the center from the outside perimeter.

Build your box and fill it with Mel’s Mix*

1/3 peat moss

1/3 vermiculite

1/3 compost

* Some have said they had great success with just topsoil and compost. Do what’s best for you!

Plant your seeds/plants based on their need for space between each other, but ignore row spacing.

Container Gardening

This small space gardening method has already been used for years for floral décor.

You can grow vegetables and fruits too, even small trees!

It’s very useful for people without much or any yard space.

Things to keep in mind:

Proper drainage is crucial for container plants.
Fertilizer:
- Potted plants need fertilizer because they will use up the provided nutrients in the pot.
- Specifics on how much fertilizer to use and how often will vary from plant to plant.
- Lean toward under-fertilizing rather than over-fertilizing.
- Slow release fertilizer is a good option.
- Use compost as part of your potting soil mix.
Purchase dwarf or bush varieties of seeds or plants, which are made specifically for containers.

Straw Bale Gardening

Practically speaking, this is another form of container gardening.

Advantages:

If you have poor soil or no access to soil, this method will allow you to grow plants without it.
Height of the bales act as a raised bed, which means less bending over to access your plants. Also a great height for people in wheelchairs.
No weeds!

How to get started:

Condition your bale of straw.

Add fertilizer and water to your bale for two weeks prior to planting. This conditions your bale and begins the process of decomposition.
For a specific conditioning schedule, see the book Straw Bale Gardens by Joel Karsten (starts on page 58).

Plant your bale. Some potting soil may be added.

If the interior of your bale is still hot from conditioning (above 105°), wait a few days to plant live plants. Seeds are ok.

Make sure your straw bale doesn’t dry out!

Vertical Gardening

This method saves ground space by growing up instead of out.

Great for people who have trouble bending over.

Some vertical gardening methods involve container gardening as well.

Some plants are easier to adapt to the vertical lifestyle, such as vining plants.

Herbs and small leafy greens do well, as do more flexible plants as opposed to more rigid and woody plants.

As with mixing any kinds of plants together, keep compatibility in mind (need for sun, soil type, agreeability between plants, etc.)

Community Gardens

For people who don’t have space or resources of their own, this is a great option.

Community gardens come in all shapes and sizes and serve different functions. One main aspect throughout: a group of like minded people spending time and effort gardening together.

Examples: School gardens as part of a curriculum, church gardens as a means of outreach, neighborhood gardens as a way for neighbors to spend time together and grow food for themselves or their families.

Local Community Gardens:

St. Ann’s Garden of Hope

Part of OSF’s outreach mission.

1414 W. Antoinette St

Renaissance Park Community Garden

622 W Main St, Peoria

Forrest Hill Organic Community Garden

Garden is adjacent to the Forrest Hill Methodist Church, and applications can be found at the church office.

706 E Forrest Hill Ave, Peoria, (309) 685-6243

Crittenton Center

Open to the community for people who need food.

442 West John Gwynn Jr. Ave, Peoria, (309) 674-0105

EP!C Harvest

Provides adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities the opportunity to be involved with their garden and market stand. They partner with many local restaurants and grocery stores. For more information, call Marc Britton @ (309) 689-3706.