Garden in an apartment???

[orquidea]

I have a small balcony that gets lots of sunlight. With spring approaching, I was wondering if there are any types of herbs or produce that can grow well in a small area. The balcony itself is about 9' x 6'. My husband and I use a lot of cilantro (hmmm...maybe too much to try to grow!) and tomatoes. We also like various peppers. Any ideas? This will be a first for my husband and I, so we probably should not try to undertake anything too complex We don't even own a (living) houseplant.

[SeeAPenny]

Try some container gardening -- that sounds lovely. Tomatoes, peppers and herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley, sage, etc) can all be grown in pots with success. Salad fixings too -- lettuces, greens, etc. Even green beans (--as we found out last season when my son had a wonderful crop of green beans that he planted in a freestanding utility sink I had curb picked, dragged home, filled with dirt and set in a sunny spot on our driveway (out of sight from the street). He had a bumper crop right of beans there in that sink). Pots and containers can be freestanding on the balcony floor, while overhanging window boxes can possibly be hung over the railing (I've seen this in pictures anyway -- don't know if this would actually work with your particular balcony and railing). One thing -- dirt in containers can dry out quickly, especially if they don't have 'saucers' on the bottoms, so be prepared to possibly water a lot. Also, I personally have better luck with plants grown in ceramic or terra cotta pots, rather than plastic ones -- but I'm not exactly sure the reason. Perhaps the the natural material 'breathes' better ??? (allowing the dirt and roots to get more oxygen, or maintain even temperature -- I dunno...) Anyway, something to think about. I any event, good luck and enjoy your container garden!

[DivaJen]

I agree with SeeAPenny. If you grow tomatoes or bell peppers in containers, be sure to get big pots for them, so they have plenty of room to grow. I've had trouble with too-small pots before. Also, be mindful of watering regularly. You could do one big pot with salad greens and another one with various herbs. That would be nice!

[kashi]

I've had good success with basil. They love sun and need to be watered frequently. I find it easier to start out with small plants from the greenhouse rather than from seed...but that's just me. Good luck! What fun! I love plants....

[mjrube94]

I'd go with the herbs. They don't take a lot of space, you can grow a big variety, they freeze really well, and they're expensive (by me at least) out of season. Also, some of them (think chives) are perennial and will come back the following year, even if you leave them outside all winter. (I can't kill mine if I tried!).

[ggbwg]

I need to try to find items that don't get alot of sun. I rented a book once from the library called Container Gardening for Dummies, maybe check it out. It had some nice ideas in there. I am going to try to have a container garden this year. I am planting tomatos, peppers,lettuce, and cucumbers, onions. You can also plant corn but you really need the GIANT buckets for that. I never did do it, but it's all in that book that i mentioned.

[CRFSaver]

If I remember correctly one of the Jamie Oliver (Naked Chef) books gives directions on what grows well in pots so that even in the winter you can grow them inside.

[Bluezy]

Better Homes and Gardens Online

This online site for the magazine has free garden layouts for those with small dwellings or for patio gardens.

Hope this helps! Cheers!

Bluezy