Want to be an urban gardener? I bought the baby pool at a stoop sale in Park Slope for $5. If you’ve got roof top access or any other parch of land than this is absolutely the way to go. Usually a good pool will be six inches deep and three feet in diameter -- big enough to feel like a farmer, small enough for to water in a few seconds.You’re going to need to knock out some drainage holes. I set my pool on a palette and punched out some holes using a hammer. A steak knife would work as well. Make sure to clean it off before you slice into a T-bone with the mad spinach you’ll be serving out. I guess you could burn some holes in it with a lighter if you’re into that sort of thing as well.
Throw some compost in the bottom. That’s science talk for left overs, garbage. Throw in some green and brown stuff. Try to follow the 3-1 rule (3 parts brown “carbonaceous” to 1 part green “nitrogenous”). Don’t throw any meat in there, trust me.
Fill your pool with dirt and topsoil. Stretch your back out, wipe your brow and take a second to think.
Plant stuff you want to eat. Put tomato plants against the wall so they have something to start growing up and over. Put a big sun flower in the middle, maybe a stalk of corn. I got crazy and threw in some broccoli, spring onions, swiss chard, brussel sprouts, and herbs. Throw some beans in by the sunflower and they’ll grow up the stalk and spread nitrogen out everywhere. Marvel in the fact you have sowed the earth…
What will your neighbors think? It's a lot better eye candy than the alternative:
