Yes, you can have a garden while living in an apartment. Here's how.
Apartments and condominiums are popping out of the ground faster than crabgrass spreading through our yard. One projection expects approximately 6,000 new units just this year alone.
Driving around one particularly beautiful new community I wondered, “What do people with a gardener’s soul do when there’s no soil to till?” I remembered a reader’s comment sometime back that this column never addresses balcony gardens. What can he plant in his high-rise apartment?
Evidence that many people share this gentleman’s desire for an indoor jungle is the resurgence of interest in house plants.
But what if a simple palm in a sunny corner isn’t enough? What if you want a veritable garden on your 27th-floor balcony? Where do you start?
Getting started: How much sun is available at your apartment?
You start just as every gardener starts: by understanding your environment. Does the balcony get soft morning light or scorching midday and afternoon sun? Your goal is to select the right plant for your place and the kind and amount of sunlight is essential to your success.
Most plants need six to eight hours of uninterrupted sunlight each day. Some vegetables may prefer more. There are lots of beautiful shade plants that want no sunlight but need a bright location. The grower's tag will provide that information and more. From my experience, don’t throw out the tag. You’ll inevitably need it the day after you’ve thrown it away.
Choosing the right plant container
Just about anything can be used as a plant container, from a used yogurt cup to a bucket to a worn-out wheelbarrow. Clearly, usable containers come in all sizes, shapes and materials, and each has its advantages.
Clay or terra cotta pots are attractive and traditional. They are porous and allow for air and moisture to pass through the walls. Until you know your plants’ needs, plan to water these daily if not more.
Plastic, glazed and cement pots are non-porous and maintain temperature and water at a more constant level. But sometimes they are heavy and hard to move as you try to find the right place.
Metal planters are durable but can get hot and will need more watering.
Whichever one you choose, it’s critical that they have adequate drainage holes. Very few plants like to live in a bog with constantly wet feet. If there’s no hole, a household drill with the appropriate bit will do the job.
Make sure the pot is deep enough to accommodate the roots. The plant will need enough soil volume to accommodate a growing and expanding root system as the plant matures.
What you should know about watering your container plants
Just as critical is the water source. Plants in containers dry out faster than those grown in-ground. Jacksonville’s hot, dry spells and lots of sun may mean your plants will need watering daily or even twice a day. The best and most reliable method to determine if the plant needs water is to just stick your finger in the top inch of the soil. If it’s dry or barely damp, water until water runs out of drainage holes. This ensures water reaches all the roots. Keep in mind, too, that more plants die of overwatering than underwatering. Too much water can suffocate the roots or cause rot.
There are also innovative self-watering containers available. Sometimes a little pricey, the DIY plans for a homemade version can be found on the internet. They are sometimes complicated and need to be used with care, to avoid problems with either underwatering, overwatering or inconsistent watering.
If you have access to a faucet, consider investing in a micro-irrigation kit with timer. They will in time save pricey plants by providing regular watering, save water because the water goes directly to the roots and not the leaves, and, as important as these two reasons, save your back and the associated doctor’s bill.
(Only a little more preparation and then we’ll actually plant something.)
Now you have the site, the pot and the soil. It’s time to select a healthy plant.
How to select the right plant for your container garden
Thoroughly inspect your future blue-ribbon winner before purchasing it. You’re about to take this pampered and nurtured prize and subject it to the real world. You will know a healthy plant when you see it. But just in case there are doubts, look for signs of pests or disease like holes in leaves, black spots and the like. Check for insects hiding under the leaves. Make sure the foliage isn’t wilted and the roots are not coming out of the bottom of the part.
The soil you use should meet the needs of the plant you’ve chosen for your balcony Eden. In general, a good potting mix should be dense enough to support the plant; hold nutrients well; allow for air exchange and water flow while retaining moisture; and be free of pathogens and weed seeds. Many excellent brands are available at nurseries and big box stores. Or you can make your own mix. UF’s publication “Homemade Potting Mix” (https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn-and-garden/homemade-potting-mix/) offers “recipes” to accommodate many different plants.
The potting media should be moist but not wet before using. Pre-moistened potting mix makes watering-in newly potted plants more effective.
When potting a plant, the crown (where the stems join the root) must not be buried or exposed above the media. Planting too deeply can smother the plant’s growing point, which can kill the crown. Planting too shallowly exposes roots to the air’s drying effects.
Allow sufficient space between the top of the potting mix and the top of the pot to allow for good watering.
As with all things horticultural, there is no one-size-fits-all. Herbs have different needs than corn. As attractive as it sounds, ferns don’t always do well planted next to roses. And on and on. That’s why you’ll want to read UF’s “Container Gardens for Outdoors Spaces” (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP326), “Growing Fruit Crops in Containers” (https://ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG243) and “Herbs and Spices in the Florida Garden” (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/VH020/CIR570).
And an interesting factoid as a closing aside: bees, wasps and other pollinators can fly to incredibly high altitudes. A scientific study found that some bumblebees can fly as high as 29,000 feet. No need to worry about pollinators flying 378 feet to a 27th-floor balcony. Plant it and they will come.
Paula Weatherby is a Master Gardener Volunteer with the Duval County Extension Service and the University of Florida/IFAS. For gardening questions, call the Duval County Extension Office at (904) 255-7450 from 9 a.m. to noon and 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and ask for a Master Gardener Volunteer.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: How to have a garden while living in an apartment or condo
