Not having a suburban home with a verdant lawn is no reason to keep you from enjoying the healthful and rewarding hobby of gardening. Gardening is great exercise and a wonderful way to clear the mind. The fruits of your labors can be, well, fruits or delicious organic vegetables or beautiful flowers that brighten up the neighborhood.

But if your neighborhood is an urban one and your backyard is an alley, you may think there are no gardening opportunities available to you. Container gardening, however, is exactly what the doctor ordered to treat your green thumb. Container gardening can be practiced in even the most crowded and least lush environments.

Urban Gardening

A small porch or patio--even a balcony--are all great candidates for container gardening, the practice of gardening in self-contained vessels such as pots and window-boxes. Almost anything that can be grown in the ground can be grown in a soil-filled container, provided it is of suitable size. You can grow your own herbs and salad vegetables or even have a small citrus tree right on your back porch.

The same nutritional requirements apply to container gardening as apply to traditional gardening. Containers must be placed where they receive adequate sunlight and water, and allowance for drainage is a factor to consider, too. The right balance of fertilizer can work wonders as well. Check garden websites for tips and tricks that ensure that the things you grow in your containers are as beautiful and healthy as those grown in the ground.