Living in the city can be challenging for aspiring and veteran gardeners. Limited space makes having a spacious garden, like those seen in fancy gardening magazines, nearly impossible. Fortunately, though, that does not mean that successfully having a garden in the city is impossible, but you have to go about it the right way, and make use of what little space you have.

The first thing to be aware of is space. How much do you have, how much sun does it get and is it exposed to the elements? You may only have a windowsill above the kitchen sink. That isn’t going to be enough for a zucchini patch, but you can fill it with a few pots of herbs. If you have a space like a sheltered porch that doesn’t get a lot of sunlight (six hours or more a day), then you’re limited to plants that tolerate a shady environment such as lettuce, arugula, and peas or beans.

How much space you have also dictates what size pots you can have, which can sometimes affect plants. Tomato plants need larger pots (five-gallon buckets with holes drilled in the bottom to let water out work well) to accommodate them, while herbs and flowers usually do OK in smaller pots. Smaller pots also work well for strong-tasting herbs that you won’t want a lot of at a time. Some good plants for small pots include lemon balm, arugula, mint, and strawberries (only one plant per pot).

To start a container garden, you really only need a few things; pots, soil, and some kind of low-level fertilizer (many potting soils come with fertilizer already mixed in with the soil). Plants will stretch out roots as they grow, so picking pots that are a bit bigger than the intended size of the plant is a good idea.

Pots need potting soil. Potting soil comes both with and without fertilizer mixed in. While there is nothing wrong with fertilized potting soil, some plants have different needs than others. Try buying plain potting soil, and adding fertilizer to it to suit each plant’s needs.

As you may remember from your elementary science class, all living things need water. Make sure your plants are getting an adequate amount of water, but be wary of overwatering, too. A good test to see if a potted plant has enough water is to stick your index finger into the soil, and if the soil is still damp an inch or so down, your plant has plenty of water.

Think Outside The Box

You do not need to limit yourself to pots bought from the local garden center for your container garden. Just about any container that can have drainage holes drilled into it can be used. Consider using wooden fruit crates or recycled cans from your kitchen, or even plastic milk crates, but remember to line them with a cocoa fiber liner first so the dirt doesn’t all escape.

Edible Pretties

Some flowers can be both beautiful and delicious additions to your garden. Make sure to do your research before eating any flower or plant you’re not sure about – a quick internet search should be able to tell you what to eat and what to stay away from – but here’s a short list to get you started: Pansies/Johnny-Jump-Ups, Nasturtiums, Bee Balm, Roses, and Violets.

Other Resources

The book, “Apartment Gardening,” by Amy Pennington.

www.yougrowgirl.com

http://www.containergardening.about.com