Apartment Gardening

[sunflower]

A small lemon tree would be nice in an apartment. I think it takes a few years for them to give fruit, though, unless you buy a mature tree and they can be expensive. I've always wanted one but I have such a brown thumb I couldn't justify the expense. (Here's a weird piece of trivia-David Letterman sends people lemon trees all the time as gifts for birthdays, anniversaries and to guests he has irritated.)

Here's an article about growing a lemon tree indoors. They say they put theirs outside in the Spring and Summer but you don't have to. They will even grow fruit in the winter. http://www.thekitchn.com/indoor-meye...es-for-w-75146

[Michi0122]

Thanks jumpingRabbit. Sweet potatoes and rainbow chard sound like a great idea. I have done rainbow chard before and it grows very quickly. Sweet potatoes I have never grown before (or even seen grown) but from the online images they do look very pretty and if they are as easy to care for as most other tubers then they should be a good time investment.

[Jebediah]

Sorry to hear about the strawberry growing issues, I have amazing luck with them but I live in the northwest may as well be berry capital of the U.S.A. in the summer.

My strawberry's usually give me about 2-3 pints per plant per year. I use lilly miller time released 5-10-10 cheap potting soil and tupperware containers from dollar tree for strawberry planters. They are typically easy to grow but have some points... For one they actually prefer to be a bit crowded unlike many plants. Second be aware of water sitting on the leaves for too long or excess excess excess humidity. Powdery mildew is a common issue for the strawberry grower. Slugs aphids and earwigs are the three biggest strawberry pests I deal with but they can all be handled naturally without harsh pesticides. They like to be kept at an even moisture level, not muddy and never ever too dry. If you do not water properly the berries will swell and split (tomatoes and some other plants also do this if not watered properly.) Find strawberry's that grow well in your local climate, there are hundreds of varieties. And unless you are propagating always trim off the "runner's" they will hold back production severely if allowed to develop. Oh and by the way if you use a non-GMO strawberry (calm down hippy's GMO isn't always bad just a lot of the time) don't expect too much first year. Strawberry's are considered biennial or they complete there life span in a couple of years. So first year they will throw you some fruit but they will be more preoccupied with establishing a root network (another reason to crowd you strawberries so they don't have as long to go hunting for leg room.) then second year they produce so many berries you won't be able to eat them all without dietary consequence of the pepto bismol kind. One variety I love that produce a great harvest first year is "Berrie's Galore" I especially love the pink variation they are very attractive looking with pink flowers before the buds turn into fruit. They are GMO and they do NOT produce runner's though so they can be difficult to propagate.

Planting marigold's in a container with your patio/balcony veggie's or fruits will also help you out. Trust me more gardener's should grow marigolds, they attract bee's (which pollinate plenty of plants that need the pollen of their species counterpart to fruit such as apples) and ladybug's who LOVE to eat aphid's. And they are attractive looking, although some marigolds give off such a strong scent that it can leave those with a powerful sense of smell (such as myself) feeling a bit nauseous or dizzy. But all in all Marigold's are a great flower for almost any garden.

[eddypoe]

check this out - http://inhabitat.com/windowfarms-gro...n-this-winter/
there are quite a few similar setups floating around the web, and they can look good, even when made out of recycled materials.
Haven't gone this route yet, my wife already finds I have too many plants in the house - some edibles, some flowering plants, and I've focused on the de-polluting plants in the last couple years, those that clean your indoor air, actually take toluene, formaldehyde and a bunch of other carcinogenic or poisonous gases out of the air we all breathe and either store it or break it down. Here's a list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ltering_plants
good luck - it's a never-ending experiment.

[Judy]

Anyone ever hear of an "AeroGarden"? http://www.amazon.com/AeroGarden-210...=indoor+garden
I have wanted to try one of these ever since I found out about them. This would be a great way to grow in an apartment

---------- Post added at 01:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 AM ----------

also, this book about container gardening is free for Kindle (if you don't have Kindle get a FREE app for your computer or other device from Amazon!) today.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008MER644/?tag=dded-20

[quizno]

you can do that with a small grow light in a closet (be prepared for the inevitable governmental inspection from your hotspot though )

Just spotted this. As an fyi for other indoor gardeners you can use LED lighting to avoid any possibility of this. They are a bit more expensive and emit less total light but the wavelength is much more plant specific so it is an improvement overall. It also uses less electricity and creates less heat.

[nobody - closed]

The "little plant that could" died last week. I kept it alive (in my window) for about 3 months. That's a record for me. No idea where I went wrong this time, but I'm bummed.

I should name my apartment "The Place Where Green Things Come to Die."

[Saxon]

Are other states really getting their jimmies rustled over heat lamps? If you have a medical card, you can actually grow your own here in AZ