Vegetables in the city - about urban gardening & co
It's the end of June and, admittedly, the gardening pros are already in the middle of the gardening year and are already harvesting their first crops. But even for the late-comers among us, it's not too late to get to grips with vegetables and the like. Here are a few ideas on how you can make your life greener.
Off to the raised beds at Radicchio Radicale
You can garden in several places in Munich, including Grünspitz, Mucca Community Gardens and o'pflanzt is! From July, a new spot will be added, namely Sugar Moutain in Obersendling. Where there is still a lot of concrete, there will soon be lots of self-built raised beds with the greenest possible flowers - radical radicchio, so to speak. The collective behind the urban gardening project attaches great importance to sustainability when building the raised beds and only uses materials for its garden that it receives as donations or that would otherwise end up in the bin. So if you still have chairs, sun loungers or decorative items such as colorful pennants lying around in the cellar: take them to Obersendling. We've heard that an old bathtub would also find happy takers here.
The Radicchio Radicale is not "just" a place to dig in the soil, but rather a community of plant friends who support each other and exchange tips. Or even take over watering for each other on hot days. Incidentally, co-working is also planned in the garden, and the site is to be provided with stable internet. And of course, a community also thrives on shared events, which is why the creators of Radicchio Radicale are planning to offer events such as permaculture seminars, wine tastings, design sprints and panel discussions.
A few more facts: If you now say, sounds good, I might want to join, then sign up for the waiting list and you will receive all the relevant information by e-mail. A 2 square meter bed including soil, plants and watering is available at Radicchio Radicale for 30 euros a month. You can also turn it into a friendship project and share a bed with up to 5 people. Then it's everyone's turn to water. The garden should be ready to go at the beginning of July - just the right time to put a few radicchio plants in the ground.
© Bavarian Ministry of Agriculture
Get inspiration in the urban gardening show garden
In the middle of the city between Ludwigstraße and Galeriestraße, you can currently discover an urban gardening show garden. The garden has been located in front of the Bavarian Ministry of Agriculture since May. On the one hand, it was created as a showpiece. On the other hand, you can also take part in free guided tours that will introduce you to the topic of urban gardening. The show garden also impressively demonstrates that gardening in the city doesn't just involve raised or box beds, but can also include vertical beds, plant towers or mini greenhouses. So if you're interested in the topic or you're in the corner anyway, drop by this small but beautiful show garden. The visit is free of charge.
Turning the balcony into a kitchen garden
Of course, you don't have to be part of a community garden, you can also use your green fingers on your own balcony (if you have one). You can not only beautify it with geraniums, but also use it as a small kitchen garden. Of course, it always depends on how much sun it gets. You can get helpful tips and lots of inspiration for a green balcony from the Insta channel theurbangardeness, for example. Karin shows here what she plants on her 3 square meter balcony and gives specific tips - for example on plant care. If you want to "greenify" your balcony by sowing wildflowers for butterflies and bees, you should take a look at this Insta account.
If you don't have a balcony but would still like to "grow" your own vegetables, why not try regrowing? The idea here is to give new life to vegetable waste. This works really well with leeks or romaine lettuce, for example. You can find out exactly how to regrow vegetables here.
© Markus Spiske / Unsplash
Out onto the field
If you're really serious about growing vegetables, then you really need to get out into the fields. Plots for self-cultivation are of course - like almost everything in this city - highly coveted and therefore in short supply. But sometimes you can get lucky. At Sonnengarten in Soll, (partial) plots become available from time to time, so just send an e-mail and keep your fingers crossed. Ackerhelden 's rental gardens are already fully booked for this year, but you can put your name on the waiting list for next year. It's also worth taking a look at the Offer & Search section of Urbane Gärten München from time to time. The requests usually outweigh the offers here, but you never know. You need a bit of luck not only for the harvest, but also for the right plot.