GREEN VOICE VERVE

Urban Gardens

by Bria Zegarelli

March 18, 2025

Urban gardening is becoming a popular option for people who live in cities but who still want to have the same eco-friendly options as individuals who have more yard space or nearby public green spaces.

Types of Urban Gardens

Urban gardening always takes place in an urban environment but can take on many different forms, such as small, private, balcony gardens or large park gardens that are shared by the local community.

Typically, private urban gardens are made by individual residents who want to do some personal gardening in their free time and make the most of their outdoor space, so they use their balconies as a small garden area. There are also rooftop urban gardens where residents are each allowed a designated space.

The larger, public urban gardens on the other hand may have several different purposes, such as maintaining biodiversity and overall helping the local environment, educating locals about sustainability, increasing access to fresh foods (especially for cities farther away from any farming), engaging the community, and increasing community spaces. These public urban gardens can be owned by many different organizations, such as schools or businesses, who help ensure the gardens are properly maintained.

Benefits of Urban Gardens

Urban gardening is a great way to increase an individual’s or community’s engagement with an environmentally-friendly pastime in an urban space that may not naturally have as many of these opportunities.

However, gardening is also wonderful for one’s own physical and mental health, especially for people who live in urban apartment buildings and therefore may not have as many nearby nature-focused spaces where they can go to exercise or relax. For these individuals, urban gardening may be the perfect option since it can be compact, allows for time with nature in your own home, can be both indoors and outdoors, and allows a person to be relatively physically active through the maintenance of the plants, making it ideal for apartments.

How to get Started with Urban Gardening

If you’re interested in this type of idea for your apartment, consider the following ideas and tips so you can easily get started! 

1. You don’t need any extravagant layout. Even just a cluster of small plants inside your home can be considered an urban garden. Make it your own; there’s no wrong answer! Plus, starting off small is more likely to be successful in the long run because it allows you to gain experience and gradually figure out what you can manage. However, just because you can start off small does not mean an urban garden cannot handle bigger plants! Just work your way up to it if you are a beginner. 
2. Whether it’s on a balcony, roof, or inside near a window, make sure your plants have lots of sunlight and water. Research what plants are in season so you can make decisions on what plants may be better indoors vs. outdoors. Also research what plants are best for the pots you have and your local weather conditions.
3. Check out local organizations to see if there is already a community initiative for urban gardening near you! 
4. Get creative! Private urban gardens can be made from many different materials: hanging baskets, window boxes, mason jars, classic planting pots, etc. 
5. Consider collaborating with a neighbor on an urban garden to help gain experience and to engage with your local community! 
6. Consider planting fruits and vegetables that have a good balance of being easily maintainable (if you are a beginner) and being usable in your everyday cooking. 7. Planting vertically (like on shelves or plant climbers) can help save a lot of space. 8. You don’t necessarily have to use soil in order to garden – and if you’re working inside an apartment or on a balcony, it might even be more ideal not to have to worry about soil! Certain kinds of plants–such as various types of succulents–don’t need soil in order to grow and thrive. Also consider researching the hydroponic method, which is a planting method where you can grow plants in water as long as they have specific nutrients and conditions. You can also grow plants by cutting an existing plant right under the leaf and placing that in a container of water. These types of methods are perfect if you prefer to garden indoors.