A while back we got a question about how to grow an herb garden on a windowsill. We gave our advice and you guys chimed in and hopefully it set some gardens in motion. For more inspiration we found this interview with an apartment gardener in LA who clearly knows how to make the most of a small space:
Interview with an Apartment Gardener
The picture is a great example of how much you can do with a small space. Not only do you not need a whole yard in order to grow your favorite herbs and vegetables, all you really need is a windowsill. The blog Homegrown Evolution, which is local to LA btw, recently featured this gorgeous picture of Helen Kim's Windowsill Garden. She mainly grows herbs, but even then the garden is impressive. The response to the bounty possible in such a small space prompted an interview with the gardener herself. Some highlights include:
• Don't worry if you've never grown anything before, just hop in
• South facing windows are best
• mint and rosemary = kill-proof, so good to start with those
• Plants in windowsills help with privacy, even in apartments
Read the full interview including her most and least successful plants on Homegrown Evolution.
We keep basil and a dwarf meyer lemon tree on the porch along with our favorite succulents and it makes us happy tending to them, having fresh basil and seeing the lemons ripen. Do you have a windowsill garden or other small space garden?
Comments (7)
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I too have a meyer lemon on my balcony which - bless it - keeps trying to give me lemons; this will be the 3rd time this year! All my fault.
As for mint being "kill proof" I just threw away my latest attempt to grow it which, like all the rest, withered and died. I do indeed have a black thumb.
view ldevere's profile
rosemary, also, is not kill proof. i have done the un-doable and killed one. leave it to me!
view jln3681's profile
this is inspiring, thanks for sharing.
i have also killed a beautiful rosemary and bay leaf, they spent a wonderful summer outdoor last summer but did not survive indoor in the winter. of course they werent in a window sill garden, so maybe i will try again.
view sassydo's profile
I'm with you, jln3681. I have some peppermint that is miserable, but the rest of my herbs are thriving!
view jamiealyse's profile
I've killed rosemary, twice in two different ways. haha
Basil, in my opinion, is killproof. That crap never gives up the fight to live.
view Kimber's profile
kimber, basil is the only one I can't seem to keep going!
view laure's profile
Laure, I had gone out of town a few weeks ago and the rain really got to my window boxes...I figured they were goners, so I placed the boxes on the side of the house...they came back! And when I was originally transplanting the seedlings to a box, I tossed aside a few that didn't appear to make it/wilted...those lil buggers came back to life too! The funny thing is, I don't even use much basil. And I have it all over. Go figure!
I try to keep mine with moist soil, spray them with my water bottle once a day, and give them indirect but good light. They're in organic soil and I threw in a few nightcrawlers to help move the soil about. I don't know what the trick is, but they do seem to love being misted in the height of midday.
Good luck!
view Kimber's profile