It seems everyone has a green thumb, but where can city-dwelling gardeners find their patch of paradise? How does Orlando rank for urban gardening?
To mark April as Lawn and Garden Month, LawnStarter ranked 2022’s Best Cities for Urban Gardening, looking for cities with easy access to gardening space and supplies, an ideal climate, and a local gardening community. Orlando did not make the top 10 cities. But out of 196 ranked locations, the City Beautiful did crack the top 20, coming in at #19.
What exactly is urban gardening? Think empty parking lot-turned-communal veggie plot, rooftop container garden, or vertical plant wall — and sharing your bounty. This global movement is as much about growing food as it is about cultivating community.
Miami was the only Florida city to crack the top 10 list from LawnStarter, which include:
2022’s Best Cities for Urban Gardening
1 – St. Louis, Missouri
2. Cincinnati, Ohio
3. Atlanta, Georgia
4. Macon, Georgia
5. Salt Lake City, Utah
6. Miami, Florida
7. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
8. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
9. Augusta, Georgia
10. Salem, Oregon
“There are many options for city dwellers with a small patio or balcony or no exterior space to grow some flowering plants, vegetables, small fruits, and herbs,” said Kathy Kelley, Ph.D., Professor of Horticultural Marketing and Business Management at Penn State College of Agriculture. “Containers work for outdoor and indoor gardening, but there are many planters that will fit over outdoor balcony railings if there is a lack of floor space. There are lightweight containers that attach to glass for indoor gardening that can be used to grow microgreens, herbs, and small houseplants. Hanging baskets will also work for areas with limited floor space. Additionally, several small hydroponic systems are available that only require homeowners to plug the unit in to an electrical socket, fill it with water, add fertilizer every other week, insert seed pods, and wait for flowers to bloom or plants to be ready for harvest.”
The full LawnStarter ranking and analysis can be found here.
