So I moved recently from a really cool house with yard and garden to an apartment. I was sad to go but the rent was killing me, as well as paying water, trash and triple electricty to heat the place to mildly above freezing (old house, drafts, no insulation, etc).
In my new place, I have the heater set at a certain temp, every morning I open the blinds to let as much sun as possible in, I try to use as little water as I can.... etc.
some things I have questions about or just want to vent about:
I have a small patio that gets most of the day's sun. I would like to grow as mush produce as I can this summer. Which plants would do well in medium pots? Pots must be smaller than a half oak barrel, like half to 1/4 the size, as they need to sit high on a shelf to get as much sun as possible.
I also really want to have some sort of clothesline set up. My drying rack is not all the great and I cannot exactly dry much laundry on it. Is there anyone out there with some ideas on how to set up something different that is taller to get the sun? (my patio has like a 4 foot wall, maybe taller that blocks all sun from getting in)
recycling. we have dumpsters for everything here and wow, is it hard to just toss it all! We don't drink anythign in aluminum cans or glass bottles and drink bottled water (plastic) very seldomly. We don't drink milk in plastic jugs and eat very little canned food. We don't get a daily newspaper, or even a weekly one. I use my garbage disposal for most compostable food scraps (I hate doing that but dont have room for a huge composter on my tiny patio).
I would love any advice on how to deal with these things! Thank you!!
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Becky,
SUPER DUPER single mama to my 2 lovely ladies!
patchouli wearin, dirt lovin, tree huggin, tiedye makin, tofu eatin, belly dancin, festival goin, vegetable growin, tea drinkin, hippy stinkin!
just a couple of thoughts~greens grow really well in pots. you'll need to fertilize every week. you can grow mixed greens, swiss chard, kale, spinach...herbs of course parsley, mint, cilantro, garlic chives. you can also grow sprouts!
I would say sting a clothesline across your living room up high. it will take advantage of the heat up near the ceiling...but this is assuming you have a step stool. it does not sound practical to be putting one on your patio.
usually there are recylcing drop off points in the town...call the local waste company and ask them.
copmost~if you want to look into a worm composter. very efficient and I believe you can put them under your kitchen sink. they use them in japan
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"If you only believe what you see, then you are limited to what's on the surface. If you only believe what you see, then why do you pay your electric bill?" Dr. Wayne Dyer
When I lived in an apartment I rented a space at a community garden - any chance you have access to one? In addition, I had a window box that I grew herbs in and I had a couple of pots on the deck where I had greens and a cherry tomato plant (Sungold - my fave and such a great producer I always have one of those!)- things I used daily. Strawberries do pretty well in pots too and they are so yummy! Actually those terra cotta strawberry pots work pretty well for herbs too ( though they might be a bit heavy to get up high). Onions and garlic can be easily grown in pots, but with limited space I think I'd skip those since they are inexpensive to buy - even organic. You could grow cucumbers up a trellis in a pot. Leeks. Hot peppers are pretty small plants and produce a lot but you'd really have to get them to that sun!
As far as the worms go, some folks at my former workplace built a wood worm composting box that could also function as a bench . I never did get my own going - still haven't and now I have my own yard! Maybe this year...
Oh yeah - pots dry out really fast so you'll have to water often!
Good luck! I always tried to view it as a challenge instead of getting bummed about my lack of yard. There are some container gardening books out there as well!!
As far as the worms go, some folks at my former workplace built a wood worm composting box that could also function as a bench . I never did get my own going - still haven't and now I have my own yard! Maybe this year...
Oh, God. Now I have a vision of sitting there, minding my own business, and a worm comes crawling out of a crack. 'Scuze me while I back slowly out of this thread.......!!
When I lived in an apartment I rented a space at a community garden - any chance you have access to one? In addition, I had a window box that I grew herbs in and I had a couple of pots on the deck where I had greens and a cherry tomato plant (Sungold - my fave and such a great producer I always have one of those!)- things I used daily. Strawberries do pretty well in pots too and they are so yummy! Actually those terra cotta strawberry pots work pretty well for herbs too ( though they might be a bit heavy to get up high). Onions and garlic can be easily grown in pots, but with limited space I think I'd skip those since they are inexpensive to buy - even organic. You could grow cucumbers up a trellis in a pot. Leeks. Hot peppers are pretty small plants and produce a lot but you'd really have to get them to that sun!
As far as the worms go, some folks at my former workplace built a wood worm composting box that could also function as a bench . I never did get my own going - still haven't and now I have my own yard! Maybe this year...
Oh yeah - pots dry out really fast so you'll have to water often!
Good luck! I always tried to view it as a challenge instead of getting bummed about my lack of yard. There are some container gardening books out there as well!!
what incredibly cool ideas! ok-so how do you fertilize plants in pots? that is my burning question. my strawberry plants are just growing beautifully in a strawberry pot. i should post a pic.
Murali~omgoodness you crack me up!
ok, so scratch off the list of bday presents for ChantingMama..."bucket o live worms"...darn...
great ideas ladies! I am fairly relieved that I no longer am responsible for a difficult yard to deal with, just wish I had a TAD more sun on my patio....
I plan on building or somehow getting a shelf as tall as the wall of the patio since we are not allowed to set things ON the patio ledge itself, and perhaps I can get something sturdy enough to hold a strawberry pot.....oooh fresh berries are DA BOMB!!
Tawnya, your memory lives on in your children.
'Scuze me while I back slowly out of this thread.......!!
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