Gardens For Small Apartments in San Antonio
“Why can’t I grow tomatoes in San Antonio?”
No garden is complete without home grown tomatoes. But many Texan gardeners complain about how difficult it is to grow a nice crop. One common reason is that all the gardening books (and even the tag on the tomato plants) tell you to plant tomatoes in full sun. In many places of the United States this works, but if you live in Texas, full sun can actually burn your plants during the sweltering summer months. This is also true for other plants and herbs including bell peppers and basil.
It’s for this reason growing a vegetable garden in a controlled environment has its advantages. If you have a patio or balcony, potted vegetable plants work great because you can move them around and control the balance of sunlight and shade. (Keep in mind that for San Antonio, “full sun” may actually mean “partial sun”.) Make sure your indoor pots have a drain hole, and then use the recommended mixture of garden soil and plant fertilizer to ensure a healthy growth.
Many vegetables and just about any herb can be grown in a single pot. Some of the easiest vegetables to grow in apartment patio containers are; tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, pole beans and lettuce. If you want to include some fruit, strawberries, and even some fruit trees will grow well in a large pot on your patio.
“What if I have no room on my small apartment patio for all those pots?”
Lucky for you hanging upside down plants are all the rage! They take up no floor space and are easy to install as long as you a strong hook or pole to hang them on. You have probably seen the popular Topsy Turvy tomato planters advertised on TV. But a regular 5 gallon bucket works great too! Drill a 2-ich hole in the bucket, insert your seedling through the hole (upside down), and then fill the bucket with soil and fertilizer. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers grow really well upside down, as they are not as prone to damage from rodents and pests.
“What if my small apartment patio gets no sunlight?”
If your apartment is in San Antonio and you get no sunlight you may be a Texas rarity. However, anything is possible, and that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy fresh home grown vegetables anyway. Modern technology has made it possible to grow fresh herbs and vegetables all year round -rain or shine. Self-contained lighting and watering systems like the Areogarden may be the solution you are looking for. They take up minimal space and are practically fool proof. Just set the Areogarden on your kitchen counter, plug it in and watch the plants grow.
No matter what kind of space you currently live in or how uncooperative the weather may be in San Antonio, you can join the popular grass roots trend of growing your own organic fruits, herbs and vegetables. Not only is it economical (most of the time) but it’s generally a lot healthier and tastier too.
About the Author
A.J Lentini is an avid amateur gardener. She has had some success with container gardening, upside down gardening, and hydroponic gardening with the Areogarden. April writes for http://San-antonio.apartmentguide.com
Organic Living Club - Hour 1, Part 1 (3/31/08)
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