Simple tricks for self-catering in the big city

Self-sufficiency - an environmentally friendly megatrend. We show how the concept also works for self-caterers on the balcony and in the city

Self-sufficient urban gardening for the balcony in the big city
Source & Copyright by Hornbach

Author: Katharina Healing

  • Start self-sufficiency in urban areas too
  • If you are self-sufficient, you can also create fruit and vegetable patches in your own home
  • Get started as a self-sufficient person with simple tips

From urban gardening to self-sufficiency

Self-catering can be found more and more, especially in cities. The idea that you can be self-sufficient even with a small balcony seems absurd at first - but it works! Even if the balcony does not face the south, the heat that the house wall stores can be quite sufficient. In addition, simple tricks ensure that there is little space for the cultivation of Fruits and vegetables is sufficient.

The first step towards self-sufficiency is creating an accurate plan. To do this, it makes sense to draw the outline and all other fixed elements of the balcony in order to then creatively integrate the beds. Once the plan is ready, there are several ways to grow plants. Whether bought or self-made raised bed, trellis on the balcony ceiling and house wall or simple flower pots and buckets - everything is possible.

In order to be able to decide which plants to grow on the balcony, it is important to consider which fruit, which herbs and which vegetables are eaten a lot at home. A list that distinguishes between “absolutely” and “I could do without” can help here. There is a large selection: potatoes, carrots, mini peppers, mint, wild garlic, parsley, but also apples and pears can grow on the balcony.

Simple tricks make self-sufficiency on the balcony possible

Once you have decided on self-sufficient plants, the next step is to provide good compost and good soil. There is a simple, sustainable trick to keep nutrient-rich water at hand: when washing up, simply put a large bowl or bucket in the sink that will collect the water (important without detergent!). This saves water, with the leftover food serving as natural fertilizer. In addition, the following five tips and information are helpful for successfully caring for yourself:

  1. Beds should never be empty, new ones can be planted immediately after the harvest.
  2. Small fruits such as cucumbers or tomatoes grow faster than large fruits.
  3. Salads grow particularly quickly and are still ready to be harvested just before winter.
  4. Sufficient irrigation and nutrient supply are essential.
  5. The more often it is harvested, the more fruits develop.

Environmental protection through self-sufficiency

Fine herbs directly from the balcony, salad from the garden or zucchini in the raised bed, that's not that difficult. Whether planted with seeds or a finished plant, anyone who has ever tried their own vegetables will never get back. Natural gardeners who specialize in the environment and pay attention to their ecological footprint also have the opportunity to compost. The biological waste from the household, such as banana peels or leaves, can be collected in a container and regularly dug up. The remaining nutrients that are still contained in the biological waste enrich the newly created earth. This is particularly suitable for useful or self-sufficient plants, since it contains no chemical substances.

Gardening thus becomes a sensible trend that is not only good for people, aspiring natural gardeners, but also for the environment.

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