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If you want to start a vegetable garden (or any garden) but don’t have the space or a yard, consider a small space garden!
How do you even think about gardening when you live in an apartment like me? Not only do youn’t have a yard, but you are living in cramped quarters.
Yahoo! Voices has some fantastic advice on apartment gardening.
They say you can grow various fruits, vegetables, and plants if you have a porch or a balcony that gets sunlight.
From wrought iron window box planters to hanging baskets, there are plenty of options for bringing your garden indoors and into a small outdoor space.
Just remember to check with your landlord before making any changes to the exterior of your apartment.
Using containers to garden is easy, movable, and can be accomplished in tiny spaces.
Save containers, such as coffee cans, to plant your vegetables (place the lid on the bottom to prevent rust stains).
Water jugs with the top cut-off, deep bowls, plastic nursery planters, flower pots, empty milk jugs, etc.
Check out some spring window box ideas.
Put holes in the bottom of your containers so the water will have a way to drain out.
You can also use self-watering containers with reservoirs that hold enough water to keep the soil moist without constant attention.
Outdoor containers, particularly those in full sun, dry out quickly on hot days and may need watering more than once a day in the heat of summer.
With a self-watering container, you don’t have to arrange your life around a watering schedule.
Use the entire porch area, not just the outer edges. Arrange the pots in rows, allowing enough room for you to stand between them.
Railings can be used as trellises for taller climbing plants.
If you grow trailing plants such as melons or cucumbers, they can also be trellised to save room, and the fruits will grow just fine if they are hanging.
Table of Contents
Some Examples of Fruits and Vegetables you can Grow in Small Space Gardening
Fruits & Vegetables You Can Grow In a Small Space:
- Sugar baby watermelon
- Any small squash or melon
- Cucumbers
- Beans
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes and cherry tomatoes
- Small potatoes
- Carrots
- Onions, chives and garlic
- Herbs and spices
- Pineapples
- Peppers
- Lettuce, cabbage and kale
- Broccoli and cauliflower
Because your space will be limited, you want to choose plants that will grow well in your area.
Also, make sure that you place the plants in the correct areas on the porch or balcony so that the plants that need sun are in the sun and the plants that need shade are in the shade.
Protect Your Garden from Birds
To keep birds away, you can hang old CDs from a string. The more you have, the better.
Hanging CDs will twist and flash, effectively scaring birds away.
Placing rubber snakes around your plants will also keep the birds away.
Move them every few days, though, or the birds will realize they are unreal.
You can also garden successfully indoors if you don’t have access to a porch or balcony.
Reserve bright windowsills for flowering plants that need lots of sun.
Plants with bright or variegated foliage, such as polka dot plants and croton, develop the best color near a bright window but out of direct light.
Peace lilies and cast iron plants are noted for their ability to thrive in dim corners and recesses of your apartment.
Filling your indoor space with plants creates a relaxing environment and helps purify the air.
Peace lilies, pothos, and English ivy are among the easiest plants to grow.
NASA studies have shown that they filter toxins such as ammonia, formaldehyde, and benzene from the air.
Other good plants that improve air quality include date palms, rubber plants, and weeping figs. (Source: Gardening Know How)
Kitchen Herb Garden
Another option for apartment dwellers is to plant a kitchen windowsill herb garden.
You can buy kits at the garden center, which include a long, narrow tray that fits neatly on the windowsill, pots, soil, and seeds.
Or choose a single specimen plant, such as a rosemary trained into a basket or topiary shape, and enjoy that on your windowsill, snipping off bits for culinary use.
Herbs that do well on bright, sunny windowsills include basil, rosemary, chives, and dill.
You can also take advantage of an unused kitchen cabinet to plant mushrooms. Dim rooms are a mushroom’s best friend. They also love damp, cool spots and don’t get much light.
So, a kitchen cabinet is ideal if you have one, though not necessary. If you’re new to growing mushrooms, it is suggested that you use king mushroom spawn bags, which make growing mushrooms fun and easy and don’t require an advanced DIY project.
Tips for Starting an Indoor Apartment Garden
- Choose midget, bush, or dwarf varieties of fruits and vegetables. These plants thrive in small containers and retain their miniature shapes, making them perfect for those balcony gardens.
- Be sure you have adequate light. Sometimes, apartments have just a small alley between buildings, and neighboring buildings can block the light to your balcony. If you need supplemental light, try growing plants inside using grow lights.
- If you want to try some heirloom or exotic varieties that can only be grown from seed, organize a seed swap with other apartment-dwelling gardeners. Share seeds and plants. You may just meet some new gardening friends and grow some interesting plants.
- Purchase a book on Indoor Gardening, Container Gardening, and, if you’re gardening outdoors, what to do for specific pests and how to get rid of them.
Do you have any tips or tricks for small-space gardening ?! I’d LOVE to hear them !!
Read these related articles How To Get Your Kids Gardening, How to Get Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables and DIY Shade and Sun Planter.
