3 Steps to Start an Apartment Garden

Planting a self-sustaining garden can make financial sense as well as be a whole lot of fun! Imagine coming home to the smell of fresh herbs every day or walking onto your balcony to find fruits and vegetables to pick directly from the vine. Sound good doesn’t it? For most city dwellers the thought of a garden seems pretty farfetched but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Indoor VS Outdoor
Choosing your grow location can be a matter of choice but for most apartment residents your decision may be made for you. If you do have a choice of where to grow your garden, how do you decide? First, what do you use your outdoor space for? If you find yourself on the patio often you may not want to take up the space with foliage.
Believe it or not, your kitchen makes a perfect place to grow herbs. The indirect sunlight keeps moisture in without threats from cold snaps. You get an added benefit from your space smelling like fresh herbs! Once you’ve decided where your garden will be located it’s time to decide on what you will grow.

What to Plant?
Deciding what to plant may be determined by the space you have to work with. For example, if you live in a high rise building with minimal balcony or kitchen space you will want to grow vertically oriented plants. The plants should also be fast growing. Tomato plants are perfect for apartment gardens. They will grow vertically with help from a stint and you can start harvesting these everyday vegetables in just a few weeks.

What to Plant In?
Let’s say that you want to plant herbs in your apartment. Good thing it’s not very hard to grow these herbs right in your apartment kitchen. You can even plant a few different herbs in the same pot to save space. First you need a large plant pot and a tray to sit it on (catches water and debris). Make sure the pot is at least 5 gallons and has a hole in the bottom for drainage.

Next choose the herbs for the pot. It’s good to have a mixture of growing sizes and heights. Thyme grows closer to the ground while sage will grow taller. In a pot this size, you can get about 5 small herb plants in comfortably, although you will have to stay on top of pruning.

Lastly fill the pot with soil and plant those herbs! You will want to water them more regularly when first planted and keep them in direct sunlight. The goal here is to have their roots take hold and start growing. You can pull back on watering in a few weeks.

Growing an apartment garden can be a rewarding experience that produces a little bit of nature in your modern apartment. Just like finding the right roommate, creating a garden filled with all your favorite qualities is a personal choice. Start your grow today and have fresh food to add to your everyday meals.