How to Prepare Your Urban Garden in Spring

Spring is the time when the urban garden stops being a corner and starts producing again. By preparing the substrate, drainage, and supports now, you can avoid 70% of summer problems: fallen plants, competing weeds, and chaotic watering.

Cleaning and Containers

Empty old pots, remove roots, and wash with water. A dirty container carries fungi and mosquito eggs from the substrate. Choose pots from 11 to 25 L for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants; 5 to 7 L is enough for basil, lettuce, and herbs.

Ensure drainage holes and a layer of expanded clay at the bottom. In windy terraces, prioritize wide pots: the wind pulls more on a support than on a well-set root ball.

Substrate and Planting

Do not reuse exhausted soil as is. Mix coconut fiber with perlite and a bit of vermiculite: it retains water without waterlogging and aerates the roots. If starting from seed, use seed trays and transplant when there are 3-4 true leaves.

Sow lettuce, spinach, and radishes in succession every 15 days. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants wait until there are no more night frosts. A well-hydrated hydrogel in the pot reduces stress from the first heat.

Supports, Mesh, and Early Pests

Place bamboo or steel supports on the same day as transplanting, not when the plant is already bending. For tomatoes and beans, a 150-180 cm support prevents breakage in storms.

If the garden is in the ground or a large planter, install weed mesh now: later, with the crop grown, it’s a nightmare. Check for aphids on tender shoots and ants that tend them; an attractant gel at the edge of the bed cuts the colony without soaking the leaves.

What We Recommend at Control Garden

At Control Garden, you have substrate packs (expanded clay, perlite, and vermiculite), supports, weed mesh, seed trays, and ant gel to get your garden ready all at once.