Apartment gardening for beginners: Why a lack of outdoor space (or planting skills) isn't necessarily a problem (2023)

FAQs

Can you make a garden in an apartment? ›

Even if you live in a tiny apartment, you should be able to grow plants. In addition to typical houseplants, certain herbs, fruits, and vegetables can thrive in an apartment garden. Start with just a few containers as you hone your gardening skills.

If you're really short on space, think height instead: plant climbing vines on a fence, consider ivy on posts over your doorway, or install a grapevine trellis to accent the side of your home. Plenty of plants are happy to grow up instead of out, so you can have some greenery without a traditional garden.

Succession planting is a key concept for small-space growers. If your goal is to have fresh produce all season long, space out your plantings by a couple of weeks rather than planting all at once. Succession planting works especially well for short-season vegetables like lettuce, radishes, and peas.

We recommend growing broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, climbing beans, root vegetables, lettuce, salad leaves, and potatoes. That's not to say you can't grow other veggies, but these seem to be the best and probably the easiest to grow in apartments.

Multiple studies have proven that indoor plants keep you healthier and happier, offering both psychological and physical health benefits that include: Improving your mood. Reducing fatigue. Lowering stress and anxiety.

Do houseplants attract bugs? Yes, having houseplants in your home or office can bring in bugs, & the humidity some plants require is an appealing environment to insects, as is the still air and standing water.

The Benefits of Houseplants

Not only do indoor plants enhance the overall appearance of a space, but studies show they boost moods, increase creativity, reduce stress, and eliminate air pollutants—making for a healthier, happier you. Indoor plants don't just look good—they can make us feel good, too.

How do you set up a garden in an apartment balcony? ›

Turn your balcony into a vertical garden.

Attach pots, shelves, or trellises to the walls; and if your balcony has a ceiling, add a few hooks for hanging plants. Cover the railings of your balcony with chicken wire to support climbing plants, or purchase plant hangers that can be attached to the top of a railing.

Garden style apartments are characterized by green space surrounding multiple smaller buildings, which are usually four floors or fewer. They're usually surrounded by expansive lawns, trees, shrubbery, and other plants, making them a popular choice for families and pet owners.

Nutrient Deficiencies

Overcrowded plants must compete with each other for soil nutrients, which can result in increased fertilizer needs. Soil contains a finite amount of nitrogen and other necessary plant nutrients. The more plants there are in a small space, the more quickly these nutrients are used up.

Grow vegetables vertically to save space in your garden beds. If you opt to grow a variety of vegetables, look for compact varieties and vining crops that can be trained to grow vertically on support structures. For example, pole beans take up less space than bush beans.

Tropical plants like monsteras, pothos, snake plants, anthuriums, and philodendrons are ideal for apartment gardening because they can tolerate shade conditions.

Try and keep your room temperature at 60 degrees F which will help them thrive. Your carrots will also need about 6 to 8 hours a day of sunlight, so make sure they're on your balcony, or at your window with the best light (if you don't have a balcony). You can use grow lights to help them along.

The easiest vegetables to grow from seed are those that require little intervention besides planting and watering. 'Many vegetables are easy to grow from seed,' says Turner. 'Lettuce, beans, cucumber, squash, radish, peas, pumpkins, arugula and okra would be what I'd consider the easiest.

Some plants simply take up more space. Artichokes, asparagus, and rhubarb are perennial plants that need to sit in the garden all season. Vining crops, like squash, cucumbers, and melons will need room to spread out or up.

What's a good house plant that doesn't need a lot of light? ›

Cast Iron Plant

This aptly named plant is pretty much black thumb proof, if you're looking for indoor plants that don't need a lot of sun (or a lot of TLC). (In fact, you have to keep it out of direct sunlight.) It can tolerate a bit of neglect—just keep the plant's soil moist to keep it thriving.

Some fast-growing indoor plants include Aloe Vera, Snake Plant, Lucky Bamboo, Jade Plant, Wandering Jew, Peace Lily, Spider Plant, Fiddle Leaf Fig, Maidenhair Fern, Chinese Money Plant, Pothos, Velvet Plant, Dumb Cane, and English Ivy.

The biggest problem with having too many plants emerges once they begin to deplete your finances. This could stem from having to purchase items such as grow lights, humidifiers, new pots, and even water filters for picky plants.

Indoor gardening relieves stress, boosts creativity, productivity, and focus, and promotes recovery. There's some evidence that houseplants may positively influence the air quality in your home as well. It's important to know which plants are toxic if you have children or pets in the home.

The short answer is: yes. But that doesn't mean you need to be worried about it. Plants are like people—they need food, water, and light to grow. And bugs are attracted to those same things, which means that insects visit your plants from time to time.

It is true that roaches often live in and lay eggs in some plants. Roaches tend to be attracted to the moisture, food, and shelter that some plants and soil provide. This especially goes for plants that require lots of water and shade.

Some people worry that plants in the bedroom will cause carbon dioxide (CO₂) poisoning, but this is an urban myth. It's true that when you turn off the light, the plant no longer has a source of energy, and so photosynthesis stops.

A Plant in the bedroom can absorb harmful gases through the pores in their leaves, filtering and cleaning the air you breathe every day. Not only do bedroom plants have many health benefits, but they also add a nice touch of decor and bright energy to any indoor space.

You are correct, plants do release carbon dioxide (CO2) at night, although they also release CO2 during the day. This is a part of the process of respiration!

Can you live without plants around you? ›

Without plants not only would we have no oxygen to breathe but we'd also have nothing to eat because all the animals that depend on plants would be gone. Without plants, life on Earth as we know it would be impossible because they provide food for humans, pets, and all wild animals.

Most houseplants need bright, but indirect light, like the kind found in an east-facing window. South and west windows work well, too, as long as the intense rays of the sun don't hit a plant's leaves directly, especially in the summer.

Previous spaceflight experiments have confirmed that, as long as the environment is controlled with the right hardware, seeds can germinate, the resulting seedlings can grow, and the mature plants can bloom and bear fruit in space. However, the degree of growth is a different matter.

Design in Rows

When you plant in rows, be sure to plant in a north-south direction. We also recommend placing the plants which will grow the tallest at the north end of the row, followed by medium height veggies and then the shortest ones at the south end.

Succession planting is a key concept for small-space growers. If your goal is to have fresh produce all season long, space out your plantings by a couple of weeks rather than planting all at once. Succession planting works especially well for short-season vegetables like lettuce, radishes, and peas.

Giant vegetables tend to grow in quick spurts, so they need lots of food. Slow acting organic fertilizers added at planting time will ensure that the food is there when the plant needs it. It will also make for healthier soil and fewer pest problems.

Some vegetables will be easier to grow indoors than others. For example, you will have easier luck with growing carrots, arugula, kale, scallions, tomatoes, ginger, and lettuce greens. These will grow year-round in an apartment without requiring a ton of space or the best lighting.

What vegetables can I grow in my apartment? ›

A garden-style apartment refers to a type of an apartment building, and is an outdoor-style (garden) complex that can be one, two, or three stories in height (low rise). The complex is also further characterized by garden-like settings – surrounded by lawns, trees, shrubbery, and gardens.

Grow Vertically

If you have limited garden space, get creative by planting vegetables that climb or vine, like pole beans. They take up less ground space than bush beans. We plant cucumbers at the base of a trellis and they climb up instead of hogging space in our garden bed.

Radishes, carrots, kale, Swiss chard, scallions, and onions are also reliable and low care vegetables. Plus, there are many herbs that are perfect for new gardeners or those with little time. I recommend chives, rosemary, thyme, and parsley.