apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

my favorite plant source:
Brooklyn Botanic Garden annual plant sale.
BBG.org

Quality plants at a reasonable price, huge selection, AND the money goes to support a public garden.
The members-only preview of the sale is well worth buying a membership to the garden. It's crowded, so go in a mood for gardening mayhem. I always have a great time . . .

Although if you only need a sweet basil and some tarragon, the farmer's markets are nice too.

I'm going to try growing basil in a pot on the windowsill. Might try a few other things like parsley and thyme too.

I have herbs going, but the chives isn't doing well. I think I'll replace it with something else we eat more of anyway... hmmm... maybe parsley?

I also plan to start doing sunflower sprouts on a second window shelf. Those will be fast-growing though.

I've toyed with hanging a strawberry plant and an upside down tomato plant as well. If the sprouts are well established in a month or so, maybe I'll try one of those for this year.

i have a small patio where my kitchen and living room doors open to the outside. I am growing tomatoes, parsley, a mix of lettuce, some catnip and 1 tiny asparagus plant. Also have a hydrangea I got for valentines. Have some yerba buena and cat grass inside for the fatties to play with.

I want to plant some romaine and maybe some kale. I figure I should plant the items I'm always buying and dumping because I don't eat them in time. Should try some garlic and transplanting some rosemary from my parents place.

Even if other people leave stuff out, fire escapes are supposed to be kept clear, and a fine can be issued.

Keep karma on your side and don't trip up yourself, your neighbor, your landlord or your hunky fireman in the event the unthinkable happens.

Plants on our windowsills are forbidden (7th floor apartment) but we're growing watercress, parsley, basil and mint in our kitchen (while some times taking them out on the windowsill so they get more sun, but under adult supervision ;)
Check our re-used pots here: http://www.wetakeiteasy.com/2009/02/were-growing-it/

Herbs in my windows all year, and I am looking at wheatgrass and maybe a lettuce box indoors. I have no outdoor space as I am in a basement, so thats about it. I might consider putting planters outdoors above the sunken windows to improve my view however. I can also imagine bell peppers growing decently in a sunny window indoors. I'm tempted to get a dwarf fruit tree for my living room, but I think I will wait for a bigger apartment.

I picked "windowsill", but it is actually my balcony. I don't really count it as "outdoor space" for gardening since there's no GROUND involved. It's still small containers.

we've got a green roof with ~500 sq feet of space, so we're able to harvest a LOT of food! This year we added a dwarf sweet cherry, concord grapes, hops, and kiwi. In my kitchen on top of the cabinets, I'm growing herbs (too little light in apartment during the winter) under plant lights. Amazingly, our electric bill has been lower since adding the lights.

I have a large balcony and will be attempting to turn it into a delicious fresh food source this spring and summer! I am seeding herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, peppermint, chives, rosemary) and cherry tomatoes and round carrots at the moment. I will also be growing lettuces (many different kinds) and beans and peas (the peas after the beans, as advised in Fresh Food from Small Spaces and maybe a berry bush. Wish me luck!

Fresh Food from Small Spaces"

Can you grow food in a mostly shady area? I'm going to try lettuce but I'm not sure if anything else will make it.

...although the herbs did fine last year.

Has anybody had success with partly shady veggies?

I have a small balcony of just 8 square metres. This Summer I have plans to grow all sorts of herbs, peas, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, sprouting brocolli, salad leaves, rocket lettuce, raspberries and blueberries in various containers.

If you are really stuck for space I recommend trying salad leaves and herbs. They need little light and are easy to grow in any sort of space you might have including window boxes or indoors.

You can see my plans here:
http://eightsquaremetres.blogspot.com/2009/03/balcony-garden-diagram-plan.html

bromeliad-

The best veggies for low light:
-leafy greens (good idea with lettuce)
-beans
-peas
-root vegetables (onions, potatoes, etc.)
-some berries (blackberries, some strawberries, huckleberries, some blueberries, etc.)

You might want to look into mushroom cultivation with low light as well. Homegrown oysters and shiitakes are awesome and less expensive!

I recommend "Fresh Food From Small Spaces" (as someone did above) and "The Urban Homestead" as references for growing food indoors.

I'm a member of two coves community garden in Astoria. I plan all kinds of exciting veggies on my 100sq ft! It is a great way to meet neighbors and swap veggies. I've grown grape tomatoes in a 3 gallon pot on my fire-escape with great success in the past, it is possible and you will feel very powerful!

I grow lots in containers. This is a great book to guide you on your way!

Check out Brooklyn Based's article on fire escape/stoop/window box gardening in the city!

Whoops here: http://brooklynbased.net/everything/fire-escape-of-dreams/

I live in a Philly row house where it's really common to have window boxes. So I've built 12" deep window boxes and all will be growing veggies.