Re: Growing your own produce while living in an aparment

[lioness]

Hello everyone I'm new here. I just started Raw Foods like 3 weeks ago. I have a question: I want to grow at least some of the foods on my balcony. I live in an apartment and I want to know if anyone else has ventured to grow produce on their balcony and what I would need to do that. I can't keep dishing out $200 + dollars a week for 2 people to eat. Plus, I wanted to grow foods on my balcony for convenience and as a way to keep cost on food low. If anyone has any suggestions or books, website etc. that I can look on please let me know. Thanks. :)

[spicyfull]

Basically you need a Pot, Potting Soil and seed. Tomatoes are wonderful to plant in pots. I would get a DEEP pot rather than wide, if you are going to plant one plant. I would take off ALL the leaves only leaving a small amount at the top thus planting it DEEP. Tomatoes love ROOTS and Sun. I would also add a STICK for support at the time of planting.

I would buy the Plants in cartons because you will only need a few, so get the ones you LOVE and experiment. As long as there is NO "Associations" telling you WHAT to do. You can POT on the Balcony and Hang them from the Ceiling of the Balcony.

YOU CAN DO IT, you have SUN, AIR and WATER........LET'S GET THIS GARDEN GROWING..........

[Revvell]

There was a thread here not too long ago about this. Put "Earthbox" in the search engine here, maybe it will come up.

I know plenty of people with yards who plant in pots, me being one. When I had my apartment I not only used 3 Earthboxes, but I had them going down my steps since I was the only one using them.

I had tomatoes, cukes, um, hmmmm, well, lots of veggies. Just know, cucumbers will take over!!!

Revvell

[lioness]

Thanks for the response. I looked that thread up and see what I can do. I really need to get this "garden" going.

[tanishamarshall]

Great Thread. I'd like to start growing my own as well. I thought about buying a small green house for my apartment.. I have seen some online, they are small and have lighting at the top...

[lioness]

Great Thread. I'd like to start growing my own as well. I thought about buying a small green house for my apartment.. I have seen some online, they are small and have lighting at the top...
Really docsharp? What websites did you find them on? Could you post them? Thanks.

[snufkin]

I recently just started an INDOOR veggie/herb garden. So far so good. I have grown tomatoes indoors before with success. I grow them indoors because my apartment building only has one common balcony and people smoke out there. so phoo to that!!!

i found youtube a great resource :)

Container Gardening on You Tube (http://youtube.com/results?search_query=container+gardening&search_type=)

[pamparred]

I went shopping yesterday for plants. Bought tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cantaloupes, sugar baby melons, swiss chard, red bell peppers, hot peppers, some herbs and I forget what else. I go crazy at nurseries. Some I am planting in pots and next weekend I am picking up some earth boxes. I have an empty dining room and living room. With just two of us, we spend most of our time in the den. So I am turning the two empty rooms into my indoor garden. In the summer I will have the plants on my deck, but I live above 8500 ft so I have a very short growing season. Also, all of nature would be eating from my garden, I have elk, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, birds and the occasional bobcat wandering through my property, so no gardens. I also grow microgreens and will be starting leafy greens, lettuce, spinach, etc. They can be grown in window boxes indoors or on patios. This batch of microgreens did not come out to well, first time. Misunderstood the directions and planted way too much in the little containers. Good luck on your gardens!

[pamparred]

In searching youtube about container gardening, I came across this site. It shows you how to build your own earth boxes for under $10.00 which is far more cost effective than buying the real earth boxes. Makes it nice and affordable for those who are on a budget or just don't want to spend the money. Once you get on site, scroll down the page and on the rigt hand side, you will see "Share on Facebook" click on that and it will take you to a 37 page booklet on how to build earth boxes and a few other self watering containers. Hope that helps someone. Am off to Wal Mart to buy my containers. Happy Gardening everyone! :)

http://www.homegrownevolution.com/

[FloridaPatty]

Do you have more of a title to locate it?

[pamparred]

I followed this web from Snufkin
Container Gardening on You Tube The video I watched was by SurviveLA. When I went to their site, I was redirected to the site I posted in my last msg

http://www.homegrownevolution.com/

The video on You Tube doesn't show the home made earth boxes, just a self watering container. Hope that clarifies things for you.

[Lady Green Jeans]

Glad to hear so many were succesfull with tomatoes. I, sadly, was not. Did have luck with vining things like beans and peas. Great lettuces,too.

Maybe consider inside gardening as in sprouting, too. That is one of my favorites and a 'no fail' as whatever I start sprouting is so enjoyable and healthy in salads, wraps, pizza toppings, or thrown into spicy Thai-type dishes.

Best of luck--may your thumb be green!

[ltcartwright]

FloridaPatty, I was able to save the document to *.pdf, I'm new here so I don't know if I can link it here or maybe I'll have to send the file to you via IM or email. Let me know!

pamparred & lioness, thank you for the post and the link! You saved me a few hundred dollars, I just went to the nursery looking for things to start my apartment garden, and I almost spent a ton of money. Now I'm able to get the supplies I need to start. I'm thinking lettuces, onions, tomatoes, garlic and corn (pretty big list for a first-timer, eh!?!). I haven't decided on fruits yet, but I'll see what other apartment gardeners are suggesting.

Thank you everyone else for the awesome tips!!

[FloridaPatty]

FloridaPatty, I was able to save the document to *.pdf, I'm new here so I don't know if I can link it here or maybe I'll have to send the file to you via IM or email. Let me know!
!

I had gotten a document from the internet that showed how to make a homemade earthbox. Is that the document you're talking about? I was looking for a video!

[LynieD]

Fantastic thread! I'm moving into an apartment next week and have been wondering if there is any way I can start growing my own food. I definitely intend to work on sprouting....but this thread opened my eyes to new possibilities!

An indoor greenhouse--who knew there was such a thing? I'm definitely going to check with my landlady and see if I can take over a corner of the common basement...

[islesgirl]

Hi! I thought you might be interested in this. My husband saw this on TV and did it this morning himself with one of my old plastic 10lb dishwasher detergent pails. You can google "growing tomatoes upside down" and then click on "Retiree turns tomato growing topsy-turvy". It is the neatest idea and I can't wait to have my own tomatoes. A first for me in 27 years! We are having fun gardening together.:)

[RawDrop]

I gotta tell you, there are so many things that are good about growing at home.

1. You know what is going into your vegetables.... You can make sure that you are growing organic. (Check the compost and any fertilizer to make sure.)

2. You can compost all your veggies trimmings to use in the future.

3. The more you can grow at home, the less trips you make to the grocery. Meaning you save money on petrol/gas, which is better for your pocketbook. You use less gas which is better and the environment.

4. Having plants growing in the house is better for humans. You produce CO2 which helps the plants, they produce oxygen which is better for us.

5. It is incredibly rewarding and fun to have your kids join in with you. It helps reinforce healthier eating habits.

6. Less money for the grocery store, means more power to the little person, which makes me very happy. I get so depressed over our modern corporate society that seems to look over the little person all the time.

My partner and I started this growing our own this spring. We have crazily growing tomatoes (sp?) that have just about taken over, cucumbers, zuchini/cougette, beetroot, potatoes (sp?) and carrots. I am adding parsnips, broccili, cauliflower, 6 different varieties of lettuce, sweet corn, onions, leeks and sweet pots. I am going to have to come up with a few different ideas for perserving the veg when we start harvesting. I just love the idea of fresh toms everyday though. I can't wait!!!!

[NoGMO!]

what size garden would produce enough food for one person to live on?

[acjazz28]

what size garden would produce enough food for one person to live on?

I guess it depends on what you want to eat and how much of it you want. Tomatoes, squashes/cukes, and peppers produce quite a bit of produce, so one plant of each can put out enough produce for you and and few of your neighbors if cared for properly. Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, collards, etc can be cut a few leaves at a time and grow again for later...for one person, I'd think three plants each could give you lots of salads and wraps for the spring and fall (these plants don't grow well in the heat of summer, but the collards and spinach could do very well in a light frost.) If you have a shaded area that gets some sun in the morning and shade for the rest of the day, you might be able to pull off a heat resistant lettuce variety like salad bowl (green and red leaf lettuces).

Carrots, beets, radishes, garlic and onions can grow well in containers...an added benefit is that you can also use the green garlic and onion shoots above ground as well as the beet greens for food too. One seed of each produces one plant (I believe), so you'd have to decide how many you want.

If you like potatoes, they can give you lots of bang for the buck. One piece of a sprouting potato can give you a whole bunch of potatoes in return, and they can be grown in a large container.

Hope this helps a little bit...

acjazz28 :D

[threedogs]

I recently just started an INDOOR veggie/herb garden. So far so good. I have grown tomatoes indoors before with success. I grow them indoors because my apartment building only has one common balcony and people smoke out there. so phoo to that!!!

i found youtube a great resource :)

Container Gardening on You Tube (http://youtube.com/results?search_query=container+gardening&search_type=)

I will go through the YouTube videos when I can (thanks for posting the link), but I was wondering how you are setting this up indoors - especially lighting.

I'm in an apartment, and although it's a two family house w/a bit of a yard, that's used for all the doggies (mine & theirs)... there really isn't anywhere but indoors for me.

I really, really want to try (growing and drinking) wheatgrass, too, even though I have no way - yet - to juice it. But if I could grow my own greens - and some teeny munching tomatoes.. mmm... I'd be one very happy pooch. I have the space to do it, too!

Lynne

[NoGMO!]

thanks acjazz. not enough room space is my main issue with indoor plants, even for containers, but I'm taking notes for when I have more room.

I could put quite a few containers up and down my outside staircase, but I'm told that the deer will eat them right away. hmmm.

What keeps the deer out of your plants?

[acjazz28]

Well, since I live in a 2nd floor apartment with a balcony, I don't come into much contact with deer, rabbits or other creatures of the sort. lol! :D Right now I'm growing veggies and herbs for therapeutic reasons (it's so calming!), although if I wanted to get really serious, I probably supplement what I'm growing with other things like sprouts (in fact, I'm starting another clay saucer and two jars of sprouts as we speak--and I'm soaking some black beans and chickpeas that I might sprout later too.) Since your space is so limited, probably something like an Aerogarden might be your best bet in growing stuff like tomatoes and herbs. My Mom was encouraging me to get one, but knowing me, I'd want to grow more than tomatoes, strawberries and herbs (there's a way to do it, I've read, but it's kinda involved...)

Here's some pics of my balcony garden so you can see what space I have available...


acjazz28

[threedogs]

Hey, acjazz28 - that's lovely!

I have a porch - but there is absolutely no sun at all. :(
Of course, I love the shade, (and rain, too) so my home is perfect for me - but not for growing veggies.

I decided to just grow a few plants to start, just some that can fit in my kitchen. We have a teeny tot who visits a few days a week, and he'll be certain to get into anything beyond that.

[acjazz28]

Aw...thank you! :D Right now I'm growing patio tomatoes, santa fe grand peppers, lemon balm, lime mint, wheatgrass, and various flowers (celosias, pink zinnias and blue salvias). I get morning and early afternoon sun (facing east), so that helps out a lot...

You don't have to have a lot of sun to grow veggies...you could grow sprouts easy...get some jars, cheesecloth and rubber bands and you can grow sprout salads in no time flat...


acjazz28 :)

[threedogs]

Aw...thank you! :D Right now I'm growing patio tomatoes, santa fe grand peppers, lemon balm, lime mint, wheatgrass, and various flowers (celosias, pink zinnias and blue salvias). I get morning and early afternoon sun (facing east), so that helps out a lot...

You don't have to have a lot of sun to grow veggies...you could grow sprouts easy...get some jars, cheesecloth and rubber bands and you can grow sprout salads in no time flat...


acjazz28 :)

That sounds awesome! I used to garden when I had my own house - found that arugula would even grow through the snow, here in Massachusetts.

I do think I'll research shade plants, and just get few for the porch. I really miss gardening.

I've done sprouts - will do some more after my fast, since they are a great, inexpensive way to get some food (oh, I am so hungry right now!) Since I don't have any money to buy food right now & need to make due w/what I've got - fasting is a great idea all around for me right now.

[apb1172]

Great thread! I though I would bump it for spring!

ETA: I found this link for http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Watering-Plant-Container-out-of-a-2-liter-bot/?ALLSTEPS soda bottle gardening for those who don't have a lot of balcony space.

[oceanluv]

how heavy are those earthboxes?? I have to clear everything off my patio (apt. rules) whenever there is a hurricane in the area, so would have to bring them into my living room. Right now just have pots and window type boxes. they get heavy enough.