Growing a Garden in your Apartment

Growing a Garden in your Apartment

 

Just because you live in an apartment doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy growing a beautiful garden.

Benefits of Growing a garden

Save Money- the cost of food is continuously increasing; save some money by growing and eating your own vegetables and herbs.

Healthier Lifestyle- The saying you are what you eat comes to mind here. You will be consuming your own fresh and organic vegetables. Unlike most store-bought vegetables that have pesticides and chemicals.

Help Neighbours- there will be times your garden blooms a bunch of vegetables at the same time and will be able to give some to your neighbours, friends, and family.

Adds Beautiful Décor- plants and herbs add wonderful greenery and a homey feeling to your space.

Family Time- you can get your children involved. They can help plant, water, and watch the plants grow!

How to get started

You will need to grab some supplies if you don’t have them already like planters/containers, soil, and a watering can are a must. If you plan on hanging some around the apartment, you will need some rope and hooks.

 

Where to plant?

Balcony  
Balconies and patios are awesome spaces to start your garden, and they serve as beautiful décor!

Fire escape
Containers and pots can go right on the landing and stairs. Be sure to secure the containers to avoid them from falling or having someone accidentally knock them over. Also, make sure to leave room for walking in case there is a need to escape from a fire!

Walls/railings
hang pots, containers, or bottles filled with soil and sprouts on handrails and other nearby railings. Or use structures like a wall-mounted shoe rack or get creative and build your own.  

Vertical garden
Vertical gardens are a trendy new design in home gardening. These are typically created from old pallets and up cycled/repurposed materials. You can make your own or buy vertical gardening kits.

Windowsill
You can find or build windowsill boxes or containers to utilize all the space below your window.

Front, back, or side of the building
You will need to speak to your landlord about this one, but you could ask to start a garden in the front, back, or side yards of the building.

Keep in mind the temperature, humidity, and light access for your plants.

 

What to plant?

Here are some beginner plant ideas:

Herbs

Tropical plants

Cacti

Succulents

Avocado

Tomatoes

Bell peppers

Radishes

Cucumber

Zucchini

Green beans

Radishes

Kale

Scallions

Carrots

 

Tips

Create watering schedule
Most houseplants prefer to be watered once a week. Succulents, snake plants, and cacti can be watered once a week. Set a reminder on your phone or calendar, so you don’t forget. If the leaves are yellow, you may be overwatering. If the soil is dry and leaves are drying out it’s a sign of underwatering.

Check soil

Growing plants in containers require better soil drainage than regular in-ground gardening. So, you should use dirt from your backyard. As your plants use the nutrients from the potting soil, you will need to increase nutrients by adding compost or organic fertilizer to the soil.

Start small
If you are new to indoor plants, stick to one or two plants at a time. It will take you some time to learn what watering and light conditions work for your plants.

Plants die. It’s okay
Some plants can live long indoors, remember that an apartment isn’t a natural habitat so don’t fret if your plant dies. Learn and keep going!