URBAN GARDENS

By: Ana Corine Franco

Santa F de Bogot, the capital of

Colombia is one of the cities in South
America that struggles the most with air
pollution. The contamination is such that
between 1pm and 3pm in locations such
as Chapinero and Puente Aranda, the
temperature rises from 4 to 6 degrees
compared to other neighborhoods.
However, this is not the only issue that
affects the city. Many people have been
displaced from their homes and have
come to live in Bogot due to the
violence that strikes the country. As a
result, Bogot and unemployment in the
city is growing at a really fast rate.
However, one of the solutions that we
can give to these situations is the
creation of urban gardens.

WHAT IS URBAN GARDENING?

Urban gardening is a process that takes
place inside the cities in which people
plant different types of plants. There are
different types of urban gardening such
as indoor gardening, community
gardening and greenroofs amongst
others.
WHAT DO I NEED TO START
MY OWN URBAN GARDEN?
1. Design and Plan: Choose a
place at home that has the basic
conditions to plant such as light
and water. Decide which plants
you wish to plant and learn about
them to know their specific
needs and which plants you cant
plant next to them.

2. Learn: Some of the plants you

can grow on an urban garden in
Bogot are: strawberries,
peppermint, mint, celery, lettuce,
spinach, chard, coriander,
parsley, broccoli, beans,
pumpkin, cabbage, chili, potato,
corn, quinoa, onion, tomatoes,
blackberries, peas, kidney beans,
carrots and garlic amongst
others.

3. Light, water and air: Keep in

mind the direction in which you
grow your plants so that you
guarantee that all of them get
enough sunlight. Make sure you
have a functional irrigation
system and avoid strong air
currents.

4. Soil: Make sure you have a

good soil to grow your plants. It
must provide the plants with
 nutrients and it must hold water. One of the
recommendations is to mix compost with burned rice scale
and black soil to get a good result.

5. Crop Cycle: Learn about the time the plant needs to fully
grow so that you can decide where and when to plant
avoiding malformations in the plants.

Urban gardening could be looked at as one of the solutions Bogot

needs. Urban gardens provide a local source of food, purify soil
and air, help deal with the heating phenomenon of the cities and
bring people together. In Bogot, there are several community
gardens that have been created with the purpose of dealing with
poverty, violence and drug abuse and have resulted in the
creation of beautiful spaces in which people can enjoy the beauty
of life. Bogot is and will keep working on the creation of urban
gardens with the program Bogot Humana by the hand of the
Botanic Garden Jos Celestino Mutis. If you desire to learn more
about urban gardens you can visit the Botanic Garden web page
at http://www.jbb.gov.co