Are you starting a garden this spring? For the last several years, the only gardens we've been planting have been in containers. But growing food in containers shouldn't be a drawback; urban gardening in pots, containers, and windowboxes can yield quite a lot of food. Take a look at this gallery of ten different containers and good ideas for gardening in small spaces.
TOP ROW
• 1 NYC Garden from Flickr member Tashian. Is there a more perfect shot of a city garden happily thriving in the sun while the world rushes by underneath?
• 2 How to grow veggies in pots at Sunset. A great introduction to growing vegetables in pots. Also see their article on the best crops for pots.
• 3 Cauliflower! by Flickr member LollyKnit. Container gardening doesn't just mean tiny peppers and cherry tomatoes. How about a whole cauliflower?
• 4 An urban garden box by Flickr member Yozza. What a great container garden design! There is a deep box for larger vegetables to dig their roots deep, then smaller boxes for greens, and a top box with a trellis for climbing beans and tomatoes.
• 5 Easy-grow micro greens at Sunset. Another good guide to growing easy baby greens, which are often ready to eat in as little as ten days.
BOTTOM ROW
• 6 Baby kale inside by Flickr member briannaorg. This is an impressive little experiment. Brianna threw a few kale seeds into a bare 1" of dirt and less than a month later had enough baby kale for a salad. And this was indoors...in February! Never underestimate kale. You can see more about her indoor gardening projects at her blog.
• 7 Beautifying a concrete corner from Flickr member treefell. Look what a few flowers and herbs can do to an otherwise drab urban concrete alley.
• 8 Self-watering containers by Flickr member Sugar Pond. Step-by-step instructions on making a self-watering container out of a few inexpensive objects. Watering creates a lot of extra work with containers, since they can't draw up water from the earth, and they often have to be protected from rain that could flood them. Self-watering containers help them get water more naturally and with less work.
• 9 Scarlet runner beans growing UP by Flickr member Strata Chalup. When you have a small space, go up instead, and you'll be amazed at how much you can grow. If you have a sunny patio or deck, put up a trellis against one wall, or create an inexpensive version with nylon cord strung taut between screws or hooks in the floor and pergola.
• 10 Romaines on a deck by Flickr member liza31337. Leaf lettuces grow very quickly and in little space. If you succession plant, sowing seeds every week in a few different planters, you'll create a supply of greens that will be ready in a steady stream all summer. Greens like these are also good for sheltered decks or patios that don't get much sun, since lettuce doesn't like a lot of heat and will grow better during the summer in cool shade.
Do you have any plans for a container garden this summer?
Related: Kitchen Gallery: Living Plants in the Kitchen
Originally published April 29, 2008.
(Images: from Flickr member Tashian, licensed under Creative Commons; Thomas J. Story for Sunset; ; Flickr member Yozza licensed for use under Creative Commons; licensed for use under Creative Commons; Linda Lamb Peters for Sunset; Flickr member briannaorg licensed for use under Creative Commons; Flickr member licensed for use under Creative Commons; Flickr member Sugar Pond licensed for use under Creative Commons; Flickr member Strata Chalup licensed for use under Creative Commons; Flickr member liza31337 licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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these are absolutely inspirational--now i'm going to have to plant pattypan squashes. what a great idea!
gives me lots of hope for my container garden... we had our first salad on Earth Day: http://sustainablediet.blogspot.com/2009/04/earth-day.html
That picture makes me long for my old New York apartment, where the containers that inhabited my fire escape grew random seedlings that were blown in by the wind. And the Hatch Show Print schmatte on the fire escape in the picture taunts me, because I live in Nashville (home of Hatch) now, with no such space for a mini-garden. is that irony?
How illegal is that first garden on the fire escape?? That goes a little too far past "window sill" gardening for me. I might be paranoid, but fires do happen!
We're giving our porch container garden another go this year. Last year it was sabotaged by a ruthless squirrel.
Marie, I totally agree. Let's hope the fire escape isn't quite as crowded as it looks from that one photo. :/
We're lucky to have a loft on the highest floor with a skylight that provides a lot of light. We have purple / green basil, mint, jalapeno / habanero peppers, cherry / regular tomatoes and other spices growing inside our place so there's no need to worry about insects and animals. http://megramey.blogspot.com/2009/04/making-our-nest.html
Lettuces are great to grow indoors. I plan on starting a little lettuce container soon! These are all great for small spaces, but the unfortunate apartment dweller who doesn't even have a door to the outside still must garden indoors.
We literally just planted three pots of veggies on our porch. Carrots, cucumber and okra. Should be interesting :)
my seedlings are growing, but i started late, so they aren't ready for the big self watering containers outside yet. Redskin dwarf red pepper plants, snow peas, dwarf cherry tomatoes, and probably basil this year.
These are nice. I'm documenting my container garden adventure at http://the6x8garden.blogspot.com
So far, so good. The weather just needs to dry up (it's rained the last 4/5 days and supposed to rain the rest of the week) and warm up!
I grow a few herbs every summer and just planted mint and basil over the weekend. This year, I am using a 16-inch plastic window box tucked in an out-of-the-way corner of my fire escape (yes, I know it’s still not a great idea). In the past, I had one of those plastic caddies people typically use for cleaning supplies (Michael Graves for Target). It actually worked really well – I could grab it by the handle to drag it closer to the window sill and it was perfectly sized for my miniature sink (if I wanted to give the herbs a good soak). However, the caddy cracked while wintering on the fire escape and Target no longer sells the design.
http://bottomofthecrisper.blogspot.com/2009/04/summertime-in-city-urban-gardening.html
I just planted herbs in pots and a few pepper plants. Now, after seeing the pictures, I am also planning on some lettuce and microgreens. The great thing about container gardens on the balcony: insects and animals don't get to them as readily.
I have a balcony. This year I am expanding from flowers, a few herbs, and 1 tomato plant to more flowers, more herbs, several tomato plants, an eggplant & a bunch of chili peppers. A neighbor told me he had successfully grown runner beans (like the photo). I'm on the 12th floor, facing west, and we get a lot of wind. I invested in 3 "railing" boxes and a tomato frame this year. Clay pots (I have a bunch I brought back from living in Mexico a few years ago and am hanging on to them as long as I can).
I thought the planter boxes w/ trellis were inspirational.
Happy growing (and cooking), everyone.
Planting herbs is especially easy if you use a many tiered flower pot. Just plant a different kind of herb in each of the little ledges. They even have small ones that fit on your window - that's what I have! :)
Yes, I have one going in Tribeca!!! http://www.flickr.com/search/?s=int&w=58798532%40N00&q=tribeca plant&m=text
Help I have no balcony or patio. I need to plan an indoor container vegetable garden, I have 8 feet of windows facing south!
Thirding the "how legal is that fire escape garden" question. Because I was always told they weren't.
(Of course, the only access to the fire escape in my current apartment is my roommate's bedroom, and it wouldn't quite fly for me to be trooping in and out of his room all the time...)
91styale: check out http://www.windowfarms.org/
I've always been blown away by how fun growing things can be. Now in NYC without even a balcony, I'm limited to herb pots on window sills. But, even these make the house seem brighter and more inviting.
I'm loving all of those links as I'm trying to grow some veggies in containers myself.
Very inspirational! I have a decent sized balcony, on which I have planted some flowers, herbs and chard. But it faces north and every gardener tells me that veggies need full/most-day sun. Any hints for other foods that I could plant? The chard is doing okay, albeit growing slowly...and I am considering spinach or something else not so 'fruit' intensive'. The balcony gets a couple hours of sun in the morning and a couple in the evening.
thanks to my green-thumbed Sig-O we have an amazing balcony garden! succulents, herbs,, peppers, tomatoes, flowers... its really very lovely and so relaxing! which there was more space to put chairs and enjoy the "garden". can't wait to make homegrown salsa!
I love growing stuff and like most apartment dwellers I lack a garden. I have begun to hijack the flower bed and noone seems to have noticed! Www.Apartmentfarmer.wordpress.com
My balcony which is huge faces north so I have only a limited number of veggies I can grow. I also have a ongoing battle with squirrels that seem to know the exactly when I'm not home and help themselves. But I'm not giving up. This year I'll be using chicken wire to keep those varmints out.
Love, love, love articles like these. People need to know how much growing is possible in the city. I give urban homesteading and small-space growing tips like these on my blog (below), but one thing I'll add right now is this: make friends with your neighbors (and landlords!) If you're generous with the produce, they may occasionally let you use their space, too, and they'll be a little more understanding when some vines and things get out of control.
http://thealchemistblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/my-favoritest-stuffs-and-things-7-5-2011-and-giveaway-or-my-disturbing-gardening-soundtrack/
I've also seen hanging gardens..
herbs and veggies from what used to be a see thru, plastic postcard-wall ;-) .. just make some small holes in the sides.. the plants will find a way!
Or stack halve bottles and containers: http://containergardening.wordpress.com/
Please also check this inspiring work.. http://www.seedsforfood.org/
for when you eat veggies&fruits, you have a good chance of collecting loads of seeds welcome for loads of folks (think also: Greece with their current economical crisis)
Love, Seeds