Urban gardening – the modern alternative to impersonal city life

January 5, 2022 Adam

According to the statistics, more and more people worldwide live in large cities. This tendency has its good sides, of course, such as better work opportunities, sports activities and a lively cultural life. However, sociologists say that people more often suffer from a lack of social contact and the growing impersonality of city life. This has a negative effect on the physical and mental health of big city children. For this reason, but also for others, an alternative has emerged and this is called Urban Gardening. Modern-minded people want to jointly cultivate already neglected small areas in the middle of the city and transform small wastelands on the outskirts into small green oases. The main goal of this initiative is actually self-sufficiency with fresh food. But working outdoors among like-minded people has other important pluses. But first things first. In this article, we reveal where exactly the urban gardening trend comes from and what it means. Stay tuned!

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Maybe urban gardening would be something for you too?

Where does urban gardening come from and what does it mean?

In good German, urban gardening means precisely urban gardening or urban gardening. This trend in modern gardening has its roots around 40 years ago. A social movement emerged in New York in the 1970s. The residents of the metropolis organized the so-called Community Gardens and wanted to beautify empty wastelands. They also protested against the poor living conditions and the limited range of food. Immigrants and locals wanted to work and cultivate the free areas in the middle of the big city together. They saw this as a source of food for themselves and their families in need. The social and intercultural contacts of all those involved in urban gardening were also particularly important.

Where the urban gardening trend has already spread, there are no more empty spaces in the big city, but also on the outskirts.

A definitive protest reaction against those in power is also the guerrilla gardening movement, where guerrilla comes from Spanish and means “little war”. This is about unauthorized, in most cases not allowed, greening of fallow land. In the meantime the guerrilla movement has turned into urban gardening, but the goal is to use fallow land for self-sufficiency. This trend also came to Europe in the 1990s and quickly spread and developed. Here in Germany, for example, we speak of “intercultural gardens”. Basically it’s the same concept of urban gardening – people of different origins and ages come together to garden. Fresh food is grown there – from a wide variety of vegetables and fruit to culinary herbs – and interpersonal exchange is encouraged. You have like-minded people around you and you can talk freely about horticulture and various social and political issues. That puts a little strain on the body, but frees the mind!

People of different origins and ages work together in the garden and are happy.

Friends and friends are happy about the good harvest.

Which plants are grown and cared for in Urban Gardening?

When we talk about urban gardening, the size of the area to be worked and the quality of the soil are also important in urban gardening. In such fallow land, the soil is rarely rich in nutrients. On the contrary, it is often poor in nutrients, loamy or sandy. But it can be improved! Before you plant seedlings, you still need to assess the natural conditions (sun / shade, moisture / dryness) well and only then get started. Various types of vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, radishes and carrots are suitable for urban gardening. You can still grow potatoes, pumpkins, zucchini and rhubarb there. Hardly to speak of the types of fruit – strawberries and raspberries grow alongside blackberries and blueberries. In between you could grow fragrant culinary herbs such as parsley, dill, coriander, rosemary and the like. You then have these within reach and use them to decorate salads or season tasty dishes.

You have everything you need in front of the window.

And different culinary herbs grow within reach.

You can also keep your favorite plants in pots or containers.

Where can you grow all of that? Now comes the logical question, doesn’t it? Experts recommend that in addition to the classic garden beds, small containers and pots in urban gardening, raised beds and herb spirals are also used. These save space and are ideal for use in a limited area. At the same time, they can be used to grow different plants and in this way secure a diversity in urban gardening. The raised beds also have one plus point – you don’t have to bend down while gardening. This avoids back pain and makes working in the garden more relaxed.

Vertical green walls improve the microclimate in the city.

Urban Gardening vertikale grüne Wände verbessern das Mikroklima in der Stadt

And bring more color into the picture!

The vertical arrangement is a very practical idea.

Just like a raised bed.

Urban Gardening mit Netz für die Gurken arbeiten und entspannen

A vertical arrangement of pots and containers with herbs should also be considered. With it you can even green an entire house wall and enjoy more fresh air.

As you can see, the latest trend in gardening has a number of advantages. You have to decide for yourself which of these are suitable for you. We just want to emphasize that urban gardening continues to grow in popularity. So it is useful to be well informed about it.