Purpose of urban gardens

Ron Finley is a man on a mission . He want to save lives planting gardens and enticing young people to change their bladed weapons . He is not an idealist blind to the reality of life in the slums , on the contrary , grew into one of the most troubled urban areas of the United States and is part of a movement that promotes urban gardens as a change agent , especially in the slums .

Ron Finley is South Central Los Angeles neighborhood known for drugs and drive-by shootings . It has the highest mortality rate of all the city of Los Angeles , however the main murderer in the neighborhood is not the drug or the bullets . Instead, the most common causes of death in South Central are preventable health problems related to diet .

Obesity , diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are some of the consequences of living in a food desert , where it is easier to buy chips , alcohol and burgers spinach , apples and fish. The obesity rate in South Central is five times greater than that of Beverly Hills, a wealthy neighborhood just 15 miles away. Obesity contributes to many health problems including hypertension , stroke , orthopedic disorders , depression and diabetes. The problem has become so great that the phrase " fast food kills more people than the shootings from cars " has become a recurring theme in songs and other popular media.

tipes of urban gardens

TYPES OF URBAN GARDENS

Urban Gardens School .

An option to include environmental education increasingly seated within formal education in the curriculum of the students is the " Urban Garden School " , posing it as a school project that can benefit the alumni  of all levels . Much of the value of an initiative such as " Urban Garden School " is because it is an educational resource section, since its contents are designed to develop the capabilities of students beyond the area of science . The educational potential of this project are large, but their goals are clear :

• Environmental awareness , to avoid uprooting the students respect the land and its natural environment and promote closer attitudes of respect to the environment .

• The development of personal autonomy , having alumni to learn to cope in a new task for them.

• Socialization , because it requires teamwork to achieve a common goal.

• The acquisition of hygiene , health and body care related to physical exercise and good nutrition

• The enhancement of critical and analytical capacity through the implementation of the scientific method in exploring , collect data and consider and solve problems.

Therapeutic Urban Gardens .

The therapeutic Urban gardens on Aging are spaces created on site of senior centers that offer a playful alternative plan framed in active aging , and that the use of the therapeutic value of plants is very beneficial for improving the physical, psychological , cognitive and social users.

These urban gardens , fully adapted to the characteristics and needs of users in terms of their physical limitations , and the institution itself , as far as regards space and facilities , provide an opportunity to integrate the benefits of gardening and agriculture ecological everyday of the elderly , increasing their quality of life.

The orthotherapy, or horticultural use for therapeutic purposes , is widely recognized in other countries with respect to your application with the elderly people as the effects produced are very obvious and relevant :

• Combat depression often suffer from a feeling of abandonment and loneliness , creating in them a responsibility which increases their self-esteem and decrease the likelihood of certain diseases.

• Contact with nature stimulates your senses , improve motor function , work tolerance and personal autonomy .

• Encourage the expression of residual knowledge about the world of agriculture , thus working memory abilities and the elderly self .

Municipal Urban Gardens .

Most of the current population in most developed countries , live in urban areas, where the only contact is with the natural environment are municipal parks and gardens . These green areas represent urban living spaces, fulfilling important functions as pockets of nature in the urban environment.

Municipal Urban gardens are facing today as a new concept of green space where citizen participation is critical. Unlike the gardens and parks, landscaped and maintained by the municipal services , urban gardens are under the work and care of the users themselves, thus also acquire a value from the point of view.

We can say that municipal urban gardens are a tool that improves the environmental quality of cities and the quality of life of its citizens and this has been demonstrated in the various initiatives that are being developed in countries like United States , Britain , Germany and recently also in Spain .

Municipal Urban gardens are public or private land (in this case the City secondment ) that are prepared and managed by the local government for use as gardens , divided into small plots that are drawn from the population. The management of urban gardens and agricultural practices that are carried out should be guided by sustainability criteria , seeking the creation of a clean , facilitator of biodiversity and environmental quality improvement

Irrigation and fertilization

The risk of this type of farming systems is the longer we work to remove. If we choose to do it manually , you should use a watering can or a hose with very little pressure , they release virtually a small trickle of water . The amount we use will largely depend on the density of our culture , but we can take as a reference the table incorporates drainage to know when we are going through. The frequency of watering will be in relation to the time of year , if it is true that in the summer, intense heat , it should be done at least once a day . If you opt for a drip system should activate at least twice daily. In this sense we must monitor the evolution of the garden right to know whether or not it is lacking water .

Jose Maria Vallès recommended " plant substrates and organic fertilizers , as we believe that the quality of the vegetables is better and is more educational promote recycling ." Being located on a table, the urban garden requires a greater amount of nutrients that a crop made ​​directly in the ground. In spring it is advisable to add 10 kilos of vermicompost ( worm compost ) per square meter , and then every four months add another two kilos more .

With all these indications , it is difficult to put an excuse not to enjoy our own garden at home. The financial outlay is really low for production we can get, and we'll also save a few euros in the shopping cart. What's more , the quality of vegetables and vegetables has little to do with a market, and we can let them ripen in the garden until they are at their optimum .

How are the first steps

How are the first steps

When deciding on this culture system , we must be aware that not all terraces are appropriate for placement. In principle , it takes at least 5 or 6 hours of direct sunlight a day , with reference to the summer season . A southern orientation is also ideal for our garden in miniature. It is also advisable to have a tap nearby to facilitate irrigation work , very often when it gets hot . If you do not have a water supply nearby, you have the option to place a deposit of 25 or 50 liters on the terrace.

Tarpuna director admits that , at first, " many people do not have any experience and the questions are pretty basic : when to irrigate , how to pay , how much you can produce , etc". When someone first starts in the world of urban garden , always doubt about what's first to cultivate . Vallés , in this sense, is quite clear : " to urbanites , we are a little impatient , they should be grown quickly , such as radish or lettuce and , if you have little light and little space , cress , harvested in two weeks. "

The variety of vegetables that can grow in these tables is huge : eggplant , garlic , beets , onions , cucumbers , lettuce , spinach , tomatoes, etc. . The latter are certainly the protagonists of many urban gardens, although others such as lettuce or radish are easier to move forward . It's best to combine our different species growing table as Tarpuna founder says : "We recommend mixing many different plants and create small ' forest ' of vegetables ? . Course, we must realize that we can not mix all species at will.

URBAN GARDENS

URBAN GARDEN

This type of culture comes at the dawn of agriculture during the Neolithic Revolution planting practices of women , who planted seeds around the cave or shelter where they lived , which developed and invented a safer economy mode as crop plants allowing to save much of the harvest for times of scarcity.

More recently , the practice of home gardens was for the urban home gardens on the outskirts of the city. The houses of the landlord class in the United States in the nineteenth century (eg , Mount Vernon , home of George Washington ) had a fairly large garden which became known as The Kitchen Garden ( kitchen garden ) .

In Boston , in 2008 , a few people decided to ' transplant ' the essence of the fields anywhere in the city. In 2009 , they had already installed about 100 arable beds, a kind of pots , with different shapes and sizes, that can be installed where you least expect it and are used for auto- supply their own vegetables and vegetables throughout the year. In 2010 , they had doubled the number of customers and began to spread to other cities . Currently they have installed more than 350 arable beds and provide support and advice to individuals, schools , shops and restaurants of Eastern Massachusetts SUPPLY reducing costs and serving incredible vegetables from decks, patios , gardens and alleys where there is some sun light. The interesting thing is in the knowledge network and establishing local collaboration environment to organic farming and all its components.

Often the purpose of these gardens , encouraged by government agencies and NGOs , is not to supply a significant amount feed, but rather to promote a diversification of eating habits and food quality .

In the organic garden organic techniques are often applied , avoiding the use of biocides (herbicides , insecticides , miticides , etc. ) , creating an ecosystem that is supported by the diversity of crops , rotation thereof and organic fertilizer.

Urban agriculture provides a framework in which the family , neighbors , or affinity groups can learn to observe and facilitate natural processes (planting, growing , care, flower - breeding , grafting , harvesting , pruning , maintenance , food processing, replanting ) . In addition to productive purposes , has an educational content and reconstructive , helps to strengthen the integration and teamwork and regain self-esteem , as well as promote healthy eating habits . It tends to achieve a continuous production system which provides labor and expertise throughout the year and get fresh vegetables , fruits and herbs for daily intake .

Urban gardens often are called orchards holiday or weekends. It is the case of those orchards that are far from the population and are after building a vacation home or villa . The villa is understood in Spain and some central European countries is a second home in which almost always develops some agricultural activity as pastime .