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Garden Gate:  Apartment gardening  |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 08:09:09 AM
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So, I'm bound and determined to have some kind of garden this year. My apartment has lots of south-facing windows with wide sills, but only a tiny "back porch" (really the bottom of a fire escape). I guess I'm spoiled; I grew up in a house with a large yard, and Mom usually had a pretty big garden. This condensed stuff unsettles me!
What kinds of things should I try? I want to have fresh herbs at the windows; would one of those "window greenhouses" with strawberries work, perhaps, too? Also, the Mister could live on tomatoes so I'm already planning a large pot of them out back. I should have just enough room for one square-foot garden (a technique I have not used before).
I guess what I'm asking is, how the heck do you garden in the middle of a city?? 
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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22angel
True Blue Farmgirl
498 Posts
Pam
Manitoba
Canada
498 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 11:43:08 AM
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I was thinking the same thing - except that I'm on the north side! And my balcony is 5 feet wide by 10 feet across (approximately). So I got to thinking the other day that I could plant peas in a hanging basket off the side....and that's as far as I got! lol
Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself.
"When I grow up, I want to be dirt." seen on a box through construction in Wyoming 2010 |
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edlund33
True Blue Farmgirl
1507 Posts
Marilyn
Renton
WA
USA
1507 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 3:11:37 PM
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Alyce, there is a great book on this subject called Fresh Food From Small Spaces by R.J. Ruppenthal. He has lots of ideas for growing herbs, vegetables, fruits, etc in small places like apartments and condominiums. I've used some of his ideas on a few projects I've designed at work and my clients have been happy with the results.
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
http://blueskyanddaisies.blogspot.com
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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FarmDream
True Blue Farmgirl
1085 Posts
Julie
TX
USA
1085 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2012 : 4:04:01 PM
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I just watched a Youtube video on regrowing celery. Cut the bottom off a 2 liter soda bottle. Cut the bottom inch or 2 off your celery. Place toothpicks in the celery end to balance it over the soda bottle bottom. Fill the soda bottle bottom with water and some nutrients. They used MiracleGro but I think a natural fertilizer would work well. So your celery end should be sitting immersed in the water. It showed a week and half later it started to regrow. Green onions can be regrown in a glass of water. We had a potato box when we lived in an apartment. Not a single inch went to waste. We lived on the ground floor so our garden went vertical up to the floor of the balcony above us. You could try the hanging tomato plants too.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2012 : 08:16:30 AM
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Pam, that's a great idea! It would look pretty, too.
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2012 : 08:17:35 AM
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Marilyn, thank you! I am going to have to find that one! Come to think of it, I think I saw it at a store here in town.
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2012 : 08:19:10 AM
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Thank you Julie, those are all brilliant ideas! Um...what is a "potato box?" I'm used to growing potatoes in a jar or the ground.
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2012 : 08:48:48 AM
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Tomato's, onion tops, parsley, potato's, etc... and maybe put small flowers like marigolds to keep the bugs out. Works for me.
Good luck.
Malry
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2012 : 09:53:39 AM
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Hm, that's half my grocery-shopping in one reply; I like your idea! :D Also, the marigolds would pretty up the place, too. Thanks!
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl
898 Posts
Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2012 : 10:54:34 AM
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I saw some really neat idea's on Pinterest! Have you looked there for gardening ideas? I'm going to use a stack of tires for my potatoes this year as last year they didn't grow well in the ground and my husband is a mechanic so I got that covered :) Although tires wouldn't work for an apartment. I'm going to try the idea I saw on Pinterest of growing my salad stuff and a few herbs in old gutter gardens along a wall. Since we rent a house I can't mount the gutters on the wall but I'm thinking about using ladders... Not sure yet, still brainstorming and combing through Pinterest :)
Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee. ~Author Unknown
http://countryrenaissance.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowersAndHoney |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2012 : 12:23:57 PM
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I have not heard of Pinterest...what is it? Those both sound like nifty ideas!
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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LuckyMommyof5
True Blue Farmgirl
500 Posts
Suzanne
OH
USA
500 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2012 : 1:45:10 PM
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This post takes me back - I did the same sort of brainstorming and creative thinking back when I had my first apartment at 23 (13 years ago!) The problem-solving was fun, but I did have the advantage of having a wide balcony with tons of sun exposure and a double hung sliding door (to allow tons of light in for other plants). I have a yard and raised bed now, but I'm still always looking for ways to fit more in.
I remember I had great success with Patio Princess and Balcony tomatoes. I also something new in the Burpee catalog this year - something called Peas in a Pot. It seems to be a pea plant bred to grow in containers and reach a height of only around 10". I think I might get those for some containers on my front step. They just look intriguing.
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
Edited by - LuckyMommyof5 on Jan 18 2012 1:47:09 PM |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 19 2012 : 12:00:29 PM
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Heh, I'm 35. I've only recently gotten into gardening though, and then I made the move to the Big City...yeeeah. Bad timing. I'll look for those varieties you suggested, thanks!
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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LuckyMommyof5
True Blue Farmgirl
500 Posts
Suzanne
OH
USA
500 Posts |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 12:14:53 PM
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Alyce - every challenge (such as your apartment location combined with a new love of gardening) can be seen as a wonderful opportunity to use your creativity. You'll be amazed at what you can grow in a limited amount of space. You'll do great!
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl
898 Posts
Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 1:57:17 PM
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Oh, an idea that I'm actually going to use is those over the door shoe holders, well you put potting soil in them and plant in them! I'm going to do that for my herb garden this year :) Maybe I will get more than just weeds and actually get herbs this time around! :) Oh and Pinterest is kind of like online brainstorming and you can have as many folders on your page and repin ideas and stuff you like that you find online or other people have pinned. Its pretty neat. I'm hooked on it and found so many good ideas from it.
Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee. ~Author Unknown
http://countryrenaissance.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowersAndHoney |
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22angel
True Blue Farmgirl
498 Posts
Pam
Manitoba
Canada
498 Posts |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 4:26:44 PM
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I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes, but I am tempted to make some salsa, so I may grow some veg for that. And if I get organized enough, I may be able to help my cousin grow her garden. Of course, I still want peas...I'm going to have to make a better attempt at actually getting things in progress this year! My indoor plants don't do so well - I'm not sure why :s. It's rather upsetting. I do have aloe vera plants that are doing alright, but my "pretty flowers" are dying, and I don't know why. Unless they don't like town water, which is a possibility....maybe I'll have to go melt some snow :p.
Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself.
"When I grow up, I want to be dirt." seen on a box through construction in Wyoming 2010 |
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FarmDream
True Blue Farmgirl
1085 Posts
Julie
TX
USA
1085 Posts |
Posted - Jan 20 2012 : 5:25:15 PM
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A potato box was just a planter we made and planted potatoes in. There's also lots of things you can grow inside that don't need pollination, like lettuce.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
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minismith
Farmgirl in Training
41 Posts
Nancy
Moscow
TN
USA
41 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2012 : 8:17:42 PM
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I've grown potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and snow peas in laundry baskets lined with gardeners cloth. Nothing tastes better than home-grown potatoes and they make a great patio plant! The peas made a lovely "tower" and were quite lush.
I've written about it on my garden blog, Savory Jardin, which is accessible through my website below.
Nancy
Naturalized Farmgirl
Live a Savory Life!
http://www.liveasavorylife.com |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2012 : 11:57:18 AM
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Suzanne, thanks for the vote of confidence!
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2012 : 11:58:28 AM
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Krystle, that is a brilliant idea. Now if I can just convince the Mister to leave a door in place so I can hang one up! (He gets claustrophobic, so he takes down doors to "open the place up a bit.")
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2012 : 11:59:59 AM
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Pam, I tend to have the same luck with flowers.  My mother once told me not to worry; no woman in our family can grow flowers until after menopause. Since she and my grandmother both had massive "green thumbs" later in life, I expect my later years to be very flowery. 
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2012 : 12:00:55 PM
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Julie, that's brilliant! I never even thought of lettuce! *facepalm*
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2012 : 12:01:37 PM
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Thank you Nancy, I will take a look! I am now craving potatoes, for what it's worth....
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2012 : 1:32:04 PM
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Your fire escape (if it's a real one) might come with rules about keeping it clear in case of emergency, so check into that. If you can, though, think 3-dimensionally to obtain surfaces for growing. You can plant upside-down tomatos, trailing thyme and other nice herbs for cooking in hanging baskets. You can bring those in for a good soak if watering them outside would inconvenience downstairs neighbors. Window boxes attach easily to railings, leaving more "floor" space for heavy pots containing larger plants -- maybe rosemary with nasturiums around the base or whatever your little heart desires. Again, though, think of ow watering out there will translate to the folks below you. It's possible to put big pots on large enough trays to catch water overflow without waterlogging the roots. Pebbles under the pot will help with that.
Don't forget plants that you can train to grow up strings either inside out outside. Sweet potato vines can be very pretty. I'm not sure how pole beans would do inside, but why not give them a try, too?
I love Krystle's shoe-holder idea. How do you handle drainage, I wonder?
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GirlwithHook
True Blue Farmgirl
922 Posts
Alyce
Madison
WI
USA
922 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2012 : 07:36:00 AM
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It's real enough, and that's a very good point. (It really bothers my vertigo anyway, so maybe I'll just skip that one!) I hadn't thought of training the vines upward...gosh, why didn't I get into gardening sooner? Thank you for the great ideas!
A hook, a book, and a good cup of coffee.... |
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Garden Gate: Apartment gardening |
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Apartment gardening
