Urban farming is a trend that has been gaining momentum in the past few years. Urban farmers have taken advantage of empty lots and unused buildings, transforming them into farms that provide fresh food for residents.
The benefits of urban farming include reducing food miles, creating jobs and improving air quality.
Beyond its environmental benefits, urban farming also helps connect people with their local community through education programs and volunteer opportunities.
Here are 15 trends to watch as we enter 2023 and beyond:
1. A Farm On Every Rooftop
Green roofs are rooftop gardens that help reduce stormwater runoff and keep roofs in good condition. By adding vegetation to a roof, you can control the temperature and humidity of an indoor space while also increasing its aesthetic appeal.
Green roofs typically consist of layers of mediums such as soil or mulch, drainage layers like gravel or perlite, drainage pipes and plant containers.
The plants will eventually grow into a living layer that provides insulation for the building underneath it—and it looks pretty cool too!
The benefits of having a green roof include:
Energy savings from less heating/cooling needed inside the building since there is decreased heat transfer through materials like asphalt shingles (the black tar-painted material often seen on roofs).
2. Vertical Farming
Vertical farming is the practice of growing food crops indoors, on a vertical plane. This technique is often used to grow vegetables and herbs for local markets or restaurants in urban areas, but it’s also possible to use this method at home.
If you want to try your hand at vertical farming, there are plenty of small-scale options available:
If you have access to some space outdoors (a balcony or terrace), consider planters that can be placed on walls or fences. These will give you more control over temperature and light conditions than a traditional garden plot would allow for.
Another option is hydroponics—growing plants without soil—which allows even more control over temperature and light conditions as well as moisture levels inside the growing environment. This may sound complicated, but there are plenty of kits available that make it easy for anyone with basic DIY skills!
3. Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in water. It uses less water than soil-based farming, as well as making it possible to grow crops indoors and outdoors year-round. Hydroponic systems can be used to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers.
There are several different types of hydroponic systems:
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT). This method involves growing plants in long plastic channels filled with nutrient solution. The solution flows from one end of the channel to the other, providing nutrients for plants at regular intervals along its length.
NFT systems are ideal for growing lettuces or microgreens because they use only about half as much space per square foot compared to vertical farming methods like aeroponics (see below).
Aeroponics. In this type of system, roots hang down into an open tank where mist constantly sprays them with nutrients. While aeroponics is relatively easy to set up at home, it requires more technical know-how than some other methods; however its high yield potential makes it worthwhile if you’re willing to put in some research time beforehand!
4. Aquaponics
Aquaponics is a sustainable food production system that combines aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (soil-less plant cultivation).
It’s a closed system, where the fish and plants co-exist in an enclosed environment. This means you never have to leave your home or use any chemicals or pesticides for pest control. All this makes it one of the most efficient urban farmers’ methods of growing food.
Here are some benefits:
- Aquaponics uses 90% less water than soil farming
- You don’t need any electricity as it’s powered by solar energy or hydropower
- There are no chemicals used during this process so it’s eco-friendly
5. Aeroponics
Aeroponics is a way of growing plants without soil. Instead, the roots are grown in a nutrient solution and misted with water.
This makes it possible to grow food indoors year-round, even in regions that have harsh winters or hot summers. As such, aeroponic farmers can get two harvests per year instead of just one as compared to traditional farming methods.
Furthermore, because aeroponics requires less space than traditional soil-based farming, it is also more efficient at producing food while using fewer resources like water and energy (since no plowing or tilling takes place).
Aeroponic farms can be set up anywhere—even in apartments—so long as they have access to electricity and running water (which is usually provided by municipal utilities).
6. Growing Food Per Square Foot
Growing food in a small space can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible. You just need to be thoughtful about the space you have available and what types of plants will thrive there.
Here are some tips:
Calculate how much food you can grow per square foot. It’s important to know how much food you’ll have ready by Christmas Eve!
Maximize your growing area by planting in raised beds or containers. This gives you more control over how healthy your soil is, and makes it easier for you to water and harvest at any time of year (even if there isn’t snow on the ground).
7. Urban Beekeeping
Urban beekeeping is a great way to help the bees, who are dying in large numbers. Urban beekeeping doesn’t require much space or equipment and can be done on a small scale.
If you’re interested in starting urban beekeeping, we recommend that you check out this guide from The Guardian.
8. Urban Mushroom Cultivation
You may have heard that mushrooms are good for you—they’re low in fat, high in fiber and packed with vitamins.
Growing your own mushrooms is also a great way to save money on groceries and help reduce food waste by using the scraps from your kitchen.
The good news is that growing your own mushrooms isn’t as complicated as it sounds! They are easy to grow indoors or outdoors, can be grown in a variety of containers (including 1-gallon mason jars), and require very little maintenance once they get going.
Here’s how it works:
Get yourself some mushroom spawn (seeds) from an online retailer or local shop; these come pre-sterilized so they can be planted immediately
Drill holes into whatever container you want to use (mason jar lids work well); you’ll want roughly 6-8 holes per square inch of surface area 3) Fill up the container with water 4) Drop the spawn into each hole 5) Cover with cheesecloth or something similar 6) Place under indirect sunlight 7) Wait for about three days
9. Growing Food In Containers, Pots, Totes, Beds and Raised Beds
Even if you don’t have a yard, you can still grow your own food.
Grow in containers: If you have limited space, consider planting in containers on your balcony or patio. You can also use them on your windowsill as well!
Some options for edible plants include peppers and tomatoes, as long as they’re grown in the right size pot.
The larger plants need more soil than smaller ones to thrive properly so make sure that whatever container you choose will support its needs before purchasing one.
Grow in beds: If this isn’t an option because of space constraints like I mentioned above then think about growing vertically instead of horizontally by creating raised beds around your patio furniture!
This way everything has room while also keeping things tidy without having any excess dirt lying around where people might trip over it when moving around outside during parties/family gatherings etcetera ad infinitum ad nauseam (I’m sorry).
Here are some ideas for what kind of crops can be planted together within a raised bed depending on their size requirements: peas & radishes; carrots & lettuce; spinach & broccoli.”
10. Green Roofs and Walls
Green roofs and walls can provide a range of benefits for the local community. Green roofs reduce stormwater runoff, which is one way we can improve water quality in our cities. They also create habitat for wildlife, which supports biodiversity and helps to create more sustainable urban areas.
Green roofs also have a number of environmental benefits:They can help to cool down buildings by reducing heat loss from the roof surface, making them ideal in hot climates.
Some plants even produce compounds that reflect sunlight back into space, reducing temperatures further;
Plants absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), which is good news for climate change efforts!
Conclusion
Hopefully, these urban farming trends will help you and your family enjoy the holidays more. And if you want to get started on an urban farm of your own? Why not?
This is a great time of year to start small and build up from there. Whatever you do, remember that sustainability is key!
I’m Hellen James, and I’m an urban farmer and blogger. I’ve been growing food in my backyard for years, and I love sharing what I’ve learned with other people who want to start farming in their own yards.