Will Cook - Urban Gardening: How To Grow Food In Any City Apartment Or Yard No Matter How Small

U RBAN G ARDENING

H OW T O G ROW F OOD I N A NY C ITY A PARTMENT O R Y ARD N O M ATTER H OW S MALL

W ILL C OOK

All Rights Reserved Authentic Health Coaching, 2012

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W HY Y OU S HOULD R EAD T HIS B OOK

I believe every person on this planet deserves access to fresh, local, organic food straight from the farm. The only problem is over 82% of Americans live in a city! So how do you start a farm in an urban environment?

That's why I wrote this book! To show how you or anyone with a little interest in gardening can start a garden in any city, anywhere on this planet and enjoy fresh, organic food, flowers and the fun of gardening.

You could be just months away from a harvest of delicious, fresh organic food from your urban garden!

If you live in a city and have always wanted a garden, this book will help you regardless of your living situation. Whether you have a tiny yard or no yard, a small balcony or no balcony, a rooftop or no rooftop, we'll be tackling all the obstacles that stop most urbanites from growing the garden of their dreams.

T HERE A RE N O L IMITATIONS

No matter where you live on this amazing planet, you too can grow your own fresh food right at home in any city, anywhere, all year round! Want to grow your own fresh food like this?

All it takes is a little inspiration combined with the information in this book and you can soon be harvesting your own amazing food right at home whether you live in an apartment or only have a tiny 3 ft by 4 ft yard.

The truth is we need people like you people who care about growing fresh, organic amazing food right at home without relying on big agribusiness. We need to take back control of our food supply and food systems.

T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

I NTRODUCTION

Urban gardening is a term thats been growing in popularity all across the world, especially in developed countries like the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and others. The days of needing an acre of land to plant food and herbs are long gone. Today, its all about gardening in whatever space that you have. So if all youve got is a small backyard or even a patio, putting it to use the best way you know how is all thats needed.

In this book, you will learn about urban gardening methods that can be used for different varieties of properties. As some gardeners say, if youve got a square foot of space, you have enough to grow! In an urban garden, youll be able to grow pretty much anything that space will allow, including fruits, herbs and vegetables.

After you read this book, hopefully you will take the initiative to join the movement of urban gardening that is spreading rapidly across our wonderful planet!

C HAPTER 1. W HY G ROW A N U RBAN G ARDEN?

Whether youre looking to save money, enjoy picking fresh produce from your own garden or to prepare yourself for an economic or agricultural collapse, urban gardening is an excellent choice. No matter where you live in a neighborhood or in a condo in the heart of the city you can enjoy the fruits of urban gardening labor.

Some people have to live in the city although they are country gals or guys at heart. But this shouldnt take you away from your desire to create a beautiful garden! Then there are others who are just learning about gardening but have yet to really delve into it because of limitations of city life.

You may have seen empty spaces in the city being transformed into gardens by community members or even rooftops being made into gorgeous green havens. You too can be a part of urban gardening and it doesnt have to be hard or expensive. I think youll be surprised at how easy it is. And I know youre going to love your urban garden!

Before you know it, you could have a mini garden that gives you enough ingredients or veggies to last you through the warm months. If you so choose, you can even use growing methods that will allow you to produce food all year long, growing indoors in the winter months if necessary.

Overall, if you live in a building or a house that has a small yard (or no yard!) you dont have to be left out of the world of gardening. You too can save money and enjoy fresh food for you and your family!

G ROW Y OUR O WN F RESH, L OCAL, O RGANIC AND S AFE F OOD

Every month on the news we hear about a new outbreak of e. coli in spinach or food poisoning or contamination or the dangers of GMO crops

I believe food should be safe, delicious, healthy and available to everyone! But the only way were going to get back to a healthy, safe, sustainable food supply is to take back control over our land and grow it ourselves. Just over a hundred years ago, over 90% of Americans lived on farmland. Today, only 2% do!

Over 82% of Americans live in cities! What if we turned our cities back into farmland, growing healthy, delicious, fresh organic food for everyone to enjoy? We can do it with the help of people like you!

G ROWING H EALTHIER C OMMUNITIES

Urban gardening isnt just a great way to grow fresh, healthy food its also a great way to build communities, connect with others and change the world one person at a time. Studies have shown that communities that garden have less crime and residents have less stress and live healthier, longer lives. What if you started a community garden in your city that changed your neighborhood forever, even if you moved away once it started?

What if you could grow a garden that would turn into a legacy and change the lives of future generations? Im telling you its possible!

M AKE Y OUR C ITY M ORE B EAUTIFUL

Another huge benefit of urban gardening is that it makes your city more beautiful. Imagine if every abandoned alley and yard in your city was filled with a gorgeous garden, blossoming with ripe tomatoes, watermelons, squash, cucumbers, peppers, kale, bok choy, fennel, dill, lettuce and fresh flowers! Would you feel better about where you live?

C HAPTER 2. C HOOSING A S ITE F OR Y OUR U RBAN G ARDEN

The first step to growing is to choose your gardening site. What kind of spaces do you have to work with?

Depending on the type of building you live in and the available space around it, you might be able to grow a lot or a little. You can find space inside of your home and outside. The types of plants you want to grow should also be taken into consideration some plants grow better outdoors while others flourish inside where they can be nurtured.

U SING Y OUR B ALCONY OR P ATIO FOR U RBAN G ARDENING

If you have a balcony, patio or even a deck outside your home, you can use the outside perimeter (or even the middle space, depending on how often you use it as a sitting space) to build your urban garden. You can use containers to plant your vegetation and hang them on shelves on the walls or place them on the floor in neat rows. To make watering them easier, you can place the containers on top of tables. Some even build a shelf or pole over the railing so that they can hang additional plants.

You can also use your balcony to set up a vertical garden or vertical aeroponics system to grow 20-30 food plants or more in a small space.

P LANTING ON THE R OOFTOP

If allowed, you can use the roof space of your building to grow a garden. Make sure to ask the buildings superintendent before pursuing this so that you wont get into trouble!

You can designate a certain amount of square footage to your urban garden. It would be great if you could even use the entire rooftop. Try to get other tenants in the building to join you and enjoy the benefits of the garden. This will even make the work easier since you will have others pitching in to help you.