The City Garden Starter Kit

1. Setup checklist

• Read your building / lease rules on planters, railings and water runoff.
• Map your light for one full sunny day (worksheet below).
• Estimate weight with the load calculator — heavy pots go near walls.
• Find your last spring frost date and open the Planting Calendar.
• Choose 5–8 crops with the Plant Finder.
• Buy containers with drainage holes, saucers and quality potting mix.
• Set up a watering routine: a can within reach, or a drip kit on a timer.
• Start a garden notebook: what you planted, when, and what happened.

2. Light-mapping worksheet

6+ hours of sun = full sun crops. 3–6 hours = greens, herbs, roots. Under 3 = mint, microgreens, ferns.

3. Shopping list

• Containers: 2 × 30 L (fruiting crops), 2 × troughs 60–80 cm (greens/herbs), 1 hanging basket
• Potting mix (calculate litres first)
• Slow-release fertiliser + liquid feed
• Seeds or seedlings for your chosen crops
• Stakes, trellis or strings for climbers
• Watering can or drip kit, saucers, a pair of snips

4. First-season crop plan

5. Weekly routine

• Daily (summer): finger-test soil, water deeply when dry.
• Weekly: harvest, pinch herbs, check leaf undersides for pests, rotate pots.
• Every 2 weeks: liquid-feed fruiting crops.
• Monthly: sow a new batch of quick greens.