Properly speaking, urban gardening means city gardening. However, anyone who now only thinks of allotment plots, balconies and towel-sized front gardens is thinking too narrowly. Urban gardening has the whole city in its sights. Every nook and cranny is being conquered by plant lovers and transformed into small and large oasis. Urban gardeners are making previously unused areas green, whether it’s a slab of land in front of your front door or an industrial wasteland, from your backyard to your rooftop.

Especially in the city, many surfaces are sealed, i.e., paved, tarred, or concreted. For the transformation into a green paradise, however, this substrate is not a problem. Urban gardening also works in planters. Whether old barrels or bathtubs, boxes and sacks or self-made raised beds made of wood: Anything that can hold plant substrate and allow water to drain off is permitted. One advantage of these mobile beds is that they can be quickly dismantled if the area is to be used for other purposes.

A special aspect of urban gardening is the community. Of course, you can also landscape your own patch of the city. But if you feel like it, you can join a community garden. Here, like-minded people meet to weed and rake, water, and dig, seed and plant. The harvest is shared among all the gardeners – and sometimes eaten together. What began in New York and Los Angeles in the 1970s has long since united enthusiastic amateur gardeners here in the UK, and around the world.

Where can you get involved in urban gardening?

• Community gardens often look for interested parties on bulletin boards, the Internet and via social media. Alternatively, the allotment garden is an attractive option.
• A paved garden can become a green oasis, with mobile beds that can be dismantled again if necessary. Zinc tubs, jute sacks and boxes made of wood or plastic can be planted without any problems. Important: Don’t forget drainage holes for the water!
• Planting bags that become vertical beds when hung on the wall can help transform balconies & smaller outdoor spaces. There is also room for flowerpots and herb boxes on open shelves. So, the balcony garden grows into another dimension.
• What about a flat roof? There is also room to grow here – but it is worth checking first with the landlord and/or a structural engineer to see what’s possible!