Use These Apartment Gardening Tips to Pick Fresh Produce Anywhere

If you want the satisfaction of growing your own food and connecting with nature but think you can’t because you live in an apartment, there’s still hope. There are ways to successfully grow food in your apartment. We’ll cover the basic growing requirements, discuss the necessary gardening tools, and introduce you to plants that grow well in small spaces. Apartment gardening is doable with the right location, tools, and plants.

Planning a garden in any location, whether it’s a big backyard or a small balcony, works best if you first understand your location.

Most plants need at least 6 hours of sunlight each day. Therefore, a rooftop garden is often an excellent choice. However, any apartment balcony, front porch, small patio, or even a window has potential. To determine your best growing location, track the amount of sunlight your apartment garden space receives each day. Be aware that this amount can vary throughout the year based on the angle of the sun. 

If you find that your apartment garden space doesn’t get enough natural light, you can supplement it with grow lights. For each hour of sunlight that your plants need, you can provide 2 hours of artificial light. Next, you’ll want to see if this location is subject to extreme temperatures or wind. You can position your plants against a wall or use screens to protect plants from high winds and extreme temperatures if needed. 

After you’ve considered the location of your apartment garden, next you’ll need the right tools. Choosing suitable containers, soil, and watering cans is essential.

Whether indoors or on a balcony, you need something to hold the soil for growing plants. Containers will be your best friend in apartment gardening. You will need sturdy pots that drain well but don’t dry out too quickly. You may even need your pots to be on wheels so that you can move them throughout the day to be in the sunlight. However, considering your location, you will most likely need something lightweight. 

There are lots of ways to be creative with gardening containers. For example, hanging planters can increase your growing capacity while leaving space for a balcony lounge chair. Planting boxes attached to a railing can give you room to grow and improve the view. A window box full of flowers can attract bees and butterflies. Small planters that attach to indoor windows are another way to maximize the available sunlight. These work best with herbs and small plants. Increase your space with verticle gardening by using a trellis. Either go up a wall or use it for a privacy screen. 

Be creative. Can you vine a cucumber along the railing? How about some peas that climb up a trellis? Or hang some cherry tomatoes upside down? Remember to ensure that pots are securely fastened, and water doesn’t run off onto the neighbor below.

What kind of soil should you choose for an apartment garden? 

When planting in containers, it is important to use potting mix. This type of soil is lightweight and will drain better than regular garden soil. In addition, most plants will do well in a potting mix with a slow-release fertilizer.

Small outdoor containers can dry out quickly. A good watering can will make it easier to give your thirsty plants frequent drinks. Check your plants daily and water them as needed.  It is essential to keep the soil moist but not soggy. If the roots stay too wet, they will get root rot.