Plan Your Perfect Urban Garden

Soils, Textures & Why Leafy Greens Love Them

Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, and Swiss chard thrive in well-draining, nutrient-rich soils. Understanding textures—a balance of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter—lets you tune moisture retention, root breathability, and nutrient availability.

Quick Soil Guide

• Sandy: Fast draining, warms quickly, low water retention — add compost for nutrients.
• Loamy: The garden champion — balanced drainage and nutrition, ideal for most leafy greens.
• Silty: Smooth texture, holds moisture; can compact — break up with organic matter.
• Clayey: Heavy, nutrient-dense but poorly-draining — amend with sand + compost for roots.
• Compost-rich: Organic power — feeds microbes and plants, great blended into any base soil.

Design Tips for Urban Spaces

Use containers, vertical shelves, and raised beds. Plan for rotation: harvest outer leaves first. This planner helps visualize spacing, soil choices, and sunlight so you can micro-manage small spaces into leafy havens.