With a rooftop farm supplying a majority of the menu items every week, Uncommon Ground makes incorporating a garden into restaurant operations look easy. This week we went to Dave Snyder, Organic Roof Top Farm Director at Uncommon Ground, to get some advice for beginning gardeners.

Tips for getting the most out of your urban garden
By Stephanie Somers

Jon and Monique Tunney are two savvy urbanites that know how to make the most of their garden in the city. Their condo has a west-facing back porch that’s great for sunsets, but also growing plants. For the past nine years they have grown everything from heirloom tomatoes to banana peppers to swiss chard. And pick any herb; they’ve grown it! They shared with us some of the things they’ve learned over the years.

Replant to maximize your crop

The Tunneys say that they typically grow more than they need on purpose. Why? Consider letting some plants go to seed and you can replant them for a second time. So even if you have a small space, you may get two harvests in one year, yielding more food. Also, consider saving some of the seeds for planting next year. They have gotten so good at it that they don’t even need to purchase seeds in the spring!

Beauty and function unite

You love hanging out on your porch, not just growing things on it. So you might be thinking, “Can I plant my urban garden and still have room for some colorful flowers to look at?” Yes! While you can always mix in a pot of flowers here and there, consider planting flowers and vegetables together in the same pot. Beautiful and functional!

Summer labor, Winter reward

Did you know all this work in the summer can make a cold Chicago winter seem brighter? One of the Tunneys’ favorite herbs to plant is Stevia, a natural sweetener with no calories and no carbs. Save some of your Stevia and mint at the end of the summer. Then crush the dried leaves together to use as a loose tea. That should keep you warm all winter long and dreaming of next summer’s harvest.

This week our urban gardening tip comes from Ryan Beck, head gardener of the Jane Addams Hull House farm located on UIC's loop campus. This is the fourth season for the garden and he says that he has biodiversity to thank!

Biodiversity emulates natural gardens and helps maintain the balance of life within the garden. Native prairie plants and a buzzing bee hive create a unique ecosystem that allows the plants to grow and thrive. Companion planting also helps create biodiversity. In this way, Ryan is able to grow larger crops since the plants can feed off of each others nutrients.

Garlic plants at the Hull-House farm

His tip to us was to trim the new growth on your plants. This helps produce more fruit by tricking the plant into thinking it’s dying so in turn, it wants to produce as much fruit as it can.

Make sure to check back on Monday for our interview with UrbanEater!