Urban Gardens

Our porch garden!

Unfortunately I was pretty sick this weekend so I did not get to enjoy the nice weather as much as I would have liked. However, I felt a little better on Sunday so I was able to get out and plant more of my porch container garden. Now my garden is entering its third year and I am proud to say I have had a decent amount of success growing vegetables to eat. Beyond that, having a garden in the city really makes things look and feel nicer and really cuts down on the sometimes harsh streetscape (you really have to look no further than the million wires visible from my porch). However, my garden pales in comparison to other gardens in Somerville, Cambridge and Boston. In particular, in the South End on Washington St there is a large community garden plot that I always enjoy walking by (I'll post some pictures later).

Urban gardening is a fulfilling and easy way to improve the sustainability of any city. Not only are you sourcing some of your fruits and vegetables from your own backyard, cutting down on transportation emissions, but all of that greenery does more than improve the view. It also improves local air quality and can cut down on the 'heat island' effect that all of the concrete, etc of a city creates. In addition, plants and soil trap rainwater, preventing it from rushing into storm drains and carrying all of the pollutants of the street with it. If you live in a city and have access to outdoor space, get a green thumb and fill it up with as many plants as possible!

Petunias

Green Peppers

Cucumbers