Apartment Gardening

[Merelan]

Okay, this has nothing to do with sex. Gasp. I know. Merelan talking something other then sex?
But here it is. I live in an apartment, my last damn year here. I have a gorgeous porch with a full day of sun on it. I want a garden. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how and what to do. I asked at Chase Pitkins and Home Depot and they all looked at me like. There's the house plants. I have tried a couple gardening sites but all they have is the strawberry hanging pot and herbs. Not that I am not liking that idea but am looking for more. Well. There seems to be many gardeners here and I wondered if anyone had any suggestions or sites they could share.
Would like to grow flowers, herbs and vegetables. I know I am limited, but has anyone done this successfully? Or should I just wait till next year, when I have my house and huge lawn.

 

[nitengale]

don't wait!!

I love gardening in pots! I grow all kinds of flowers, herbs, and veggies in pots. I wish I could share some sites...I have been gardening so long, my knowledge comes from experience. I would think a simple search on gardening, or specifics to what you are into might help though. Sorry, I do wish I had some to share.

Important though to make sure you have the right size pot for what you want to grow. Is there something specific you are most interested in??

 

[CelestialBody]

I hate looking in the phone book...

 

[nitengale]

What doesn't Martha have on that damn website??

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[nitengale]

Give her time, give the bitch time.

This is so not like me to be bitchy. Martha means well.

 

[Merelan]

Ugghhh. I hate Martha.

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking of staring small, have too. Maybe some cherry tomatoes, a vine or two of beans, leeks, and then various flowers. I will check with a couple private nurseries around here and see what they have to say.
If it doesn't work I am heading over to nitengale's and raid hers.

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[Hecate]

Herbs!

You can always grow herbs in pots - and it is wonderfull to have a fresh crop of basilicum or chives or such at hand when cooking. I very much like peppermint too.
Besides those herbs, tomatoes are great to grow in pots, and it is even said they keep away the moskitoes, not sure if that is true though.

Something I like to grow in my pots on the balcony, as a "cover" that grows over the edge of the post eventually is what we call "fake incense". Not sure if that is even close to the right translation, but if you rub the leaves between your fingers it smells like the churchy stuff . since it grows low and has white edges around the pretty leaves it goes perfectly (imho anyway) with a center of lavender plants. Not only are they nice to look at, but the smell on a warm summer evening - mmmmhhhhhh ......

 

[*Lazer*]

God where do I start there are countless things you can grow. Tomatoes, morning glory, new guinea impatiens, salvia, asters, roses, herbs loveeeeeee the sun. Veggies will take a lot of watering to have a healthy crop but well worth the effort. Let me know if you want more suggestions and I will be happy to email you. Gingersnap@Lit

 

[dza]

wowers, i'm in the same boat merelan, a balcony with insane all day direct southern light. I just planted my flower boxes for the spring two weeks ago myself.

Hecate is dead on about herbs -- sage, chives (they flower purple and never die), mint all work real well - keep them really wet, i water in the morning and when i get back from work.

as for flowers - make sure you say full sun to the nursery folks -- gardenias, alysuum, pansies all work nicely, again keep 'em, real wet, and make sure you use prelite or rocks on the bottom of the planters to allow for drainage, but with full sun there wont be much.

Good luck

 

[Bonnie Wee Lassie]

Good question merelan!

I too was wondering the same thing for my balcony but I don't get sun until the evening and suggestions for that?

 

[dza]

impatience (sp?), marigolds, and petunias should do well in 1/2 light, just dont drown them, as for herbs, basil is a safe bet, though, lavender will work nicely too.

 

[RonG]

If you get that much sun, try a water container garden. You can get whiskey barrels and liners at any hardware store (Lowe's, Menard's if Xander doesn't burn them all down for that infernal theme song). Most of those places will sell water plants in a box or you can get them potted and enjoy lilies and all sorts of neat flowering plants like Lobelia, yarrow, water spearmint. For eating, water chestnuts will work. If you get a water lily, get a hardy one so you can leave it outdoors all winter. Tropical lilies require you to overwinter the bulbs.

If you toss in a goldfish or two, you can wipe out the mosquitoes that will lay their eggs in the water. The fish scarf down the larva so you have a nice bug-free porch. I built a pond right off of my deck and get to enjoy each summer without insects.

As far as terrestrial stuff goes, a lot of sunloving stuff gets large (celosia, black-eyed susans,etc.) Bee Balm is pretty nice as a perennial without getting too large.

 

[Svedish_Chef]

Gasp. I know. Merelan talking something other then sex?
But here it is. I live in an apartment, my last damn year here.

You live in an apartment and dont have sex????

Come live with me!

In reference to your plant thing... Pansies, and herbs "Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme..." and mint etc

 

[Starfish]

Ron G's Bee Balm suggestion rocks. It makes an excellent medicinal tea, for colds. It is my favorite herb, and comes in so many shades from purple to magenta....



www.hydrofarm.com

Now, don't think I mean, go there to buy....just to look at hydroponics. It is easy to do yourself in most any container, and the results are outstanding. I was just at our local store (3 hours away ) and I was blown away.

They offer ways to make your garden grow year round, inside and outside in summer.
I just would love not having to remember to water!

Aparantly you can now buy dwarf Blueberry bushes to grown on a patio or deck. Strange but neat.

Anyhow. Fertalizer is the key. Don't listen to people who tell you to use Miricle grow, or high sodium crap like that.

I recomend a blend of Bat guano, Iron supplement, and some peat. Then a guano, teabag once a month.

You need high phosphorous and potassium fertalizer and guano is the best.

Earth Juice brand organic fertalizer is good too.

The best additional growth enhancer is called Superthrive....yet it is hard to find. It is a B vitamin supplement and it has naturally occuring hormones....that stimulate lush growth.


I saw a neat, but temporarily messy project to make your own planters, for cheap and they look like the Old English, planting trophs.... Very cool.......

Here is how you do it...

Need:

Cardboard boxes that you want to be the size of your planters.
Box of black plastic trash bag.....tend to be thicker than white kind.
Large bucket
Bag of sand
Bag of peat
Bag of dry cement powder
Space

This process takes all day. So this may be quite impossible for many people. And you need the area to do it in, so Merlen, you may not be in luck here.....

Anyway, you filp your cardboard box upside down, and slit a trash bag to open up. Lay the bag over the box and let is lie out on it's own. Then gently form the bag over the sides, roughly folding the bag to conform to the box. Don't worry once you start adding the messy part, it'll lay right.

In the bucket mix a porportion of 1-1-2 parts sand-peat-cement...Add water, on cement package directions, and stir. If mixture seems too thin add more cement and peat. Once blended and thick, begin to glop it on top of the upside down, plastic covered box. smooth it over, and begin to add it to the sides, pileing it up, and using a cement spatula, begin to shape it and smooth it out. It should be thick. That way perennials may survive better throught the winter months. Keep the top flattened but the edges should be curved and smoothed. After you have allowed to set up a little, cut a drainage hole in the bottom of planter...Allow to dry for period needed, based on size, dryness of air, and approximate drying times, given in the cement instructions.

Once completely dry, flip over and pull out box. The plastic will come off, with usual ease and your done.....Well, except to fill with soil and plant..

[Edited by G.R. on 05-02-2001 at 11:25 PM]

 

[ericred50]

Growing things in pots is very rewarding, I a grow Bonsias, as my hobby, it keeps my mind clear of sex and this Literotca site.

 

[Merelan]

Sure it does Eric, anyone believe that? how's the new love anyway?

Thank you, all of you. I have some options now I hadn't considered before. Especially the hydroponics site, that is way too cool.
Cheffie, I liove in an apartment but yes, I have sex. Not enough sex mind you, but then I was always selfish that way. It is just that some people think that sex is all I think about. Well, ummm. Mostly yes. At least here it is. I mean, this is still a sex site isn't it? Or did I miss yet another meeting and memo.

Thanks Lazer... who I had to figure out who you were first, I may just take you up on your offer of help. I need to spend some time wandering a couple sites people sent.

Thanks again. Will let you know how things are going.

 

[Expertise]

Just a note on the herbs.

Use some big terra cotta pots (square type) that way you can bring them inside in the winter and have them year round.