Liven up your yard with urban gardening

Urban gardening is a new term being tossed about in the gardening world. But what does it really mean?




Urban gardening encourages homeowners and condo and apartment dwellers to look at their space in new ways that go beyond decorative plantings and a shade tree or two.

Here's how you can apply urban gardening to your yard:

> Is your backyard covered in turf grass with a few shrubs by the house? Why not transform an area of turf into an edible garden? Now you'll have fresh vegetables and fruits to enjoy throughout the summer and to share with family and friends. The back patio probably has room for containers of herbs so the family chef can pick fresh herbs for dinner.

> Once you begin to appreciate fresh vegetables and herbs, you'll want fresh eggs. Even small backyards have space for a few chickens. A chicken coop should have 3 to 4 square feet per adult bird. It's good to add a run so they can get outside. A movable run is a great option so you can move the chickens to the vegetable garden after harvesting the veggies.

>A backyard corner is the perfect spot for a compost bin to toss weeds you've pulled from the veggie bed, prunings from your new plantings and kitchen scraps from cooking with your fresh vegetables, herbs and eggs. In the fall, work your home-brewed compost into your edible garden to replenish the soil.

> After planting your own food, you can plant for urban wildlife. Imagine sitting on your patio, listening to chickens cluck, eating fresh strawberries and watching birds, butterflies and bees partaking of the feast you've provided. Birds gather berries from shrubs, pluck insects and seeds from flowers and hummingbirds drink sweet nectar. Butterflies and bees stop to visit flowers. Remember, bees are great pollinators and without them you couldn't grow all those fruits and veggies. By choosing primarily native plants, your garden will support native wildlife.

> With the backyard thriving with food for you and your family and for wildlife, what about the front yard? How much turf do you use in the front? If the answer is not much, then turn the front yard into a stunning ornamental garden. Mixed borders of small trees, shrubs and flowering plants are very attractive, and with the right plant selection, are beautiful in all seasons. If you choose to plant mostly native and adapted dryland plants, your garden will use less water than turf grass and will support native wildlife.

> We haven't forgotten condo and apartment dwellers. No yard? Don't worry - many edible plants grow happily in containers. A few containers of well-chosen plants will bring hummingbirds and butterflies to your patio or balcony. You also can consider renting a community garden plot.