I know that it may not be possible to grow everything you need.. but do you grow something which you can eat? I grow my spinach.. which i eat almost everyday, tomatoes and herbs.. I need fresh herbs in all my dishes? I have all of them on my small kitchen window of my second floor apartment home. What kind of food do you grow?
I have a small herb collection growing on my kitchen window sill that contains most of the herbs that I use while cooking. In the spring, I have two very large containers outside on my back deck that I grow salad plants in. One container has three different types of greens, radishes, carrots and one cherry tomato plant. The other one has cucumbers and another cherry tomato plant. I used to have a really large garden but due to age, I have had to cut back on the amount of work that I do in the garden. The containers still let me do some gardening but without all the work involved in do so.
I tried growing some tomatoes last year but it didn't go very well as my neighbours upstairs few their rubbish on it and the local cats used it as a toilet. But later on this year I'm going to try again since my neighbours have now moved, and I'm going to use some VERY harsh methods to keep the cats away.
Not sure what to tell you about the neighbor's rubbish but as far as the cats...lots of ground black pepper works really well. You sprinkle a good, fair amount on top of the dirt every day or every other day for a while and they won't be using your plant as toilet anymore.
My mom used crushed red pepper to keep cats away. She thought it worked well. It might be a little stronger than the black pepper. That's one of the reasons I don't really care for cats. My dog just ignores our garden. Our neighbors cats aren't to bad but we have fence up, and the dog does chase cats.
No, I don't grow my own food. I would love to grow my own food. I live in an apartment so it's not feasible. I don't even have a kitchen window to grow herbs. I will be moving soon and having the space for a garden is high on my list of features.
I grow a bunch of veggies I love to eat. In my backyard are usually string beans, squash, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, bitter melon, and a couple more every spring. Indoors I grow my own lime and herbs. Possum, cats, squirrels and raccoons are my usual obstacles. It's really not too bad but if you're going to have a garden, there will always be obstacles.
I have never grown my own food however my parents have a small garden in the backyard in which they grow tomatoes. I absolutely love the grown tomatoes because you can automatically tell how fresh and sweet they are. I feel that more families should start doing this because it not only saves money but it's a healthier and funner way of getting your groceries.
My neighbors cat used to play with my plants and break them.. I used a water gun to get him off those plants now he never comes anywhere near my herb garden or my balcony garden. Yeah there are always issues with growing, i have the mealy bug destroying my tomatoes. I just found a great organic product which seems to work effectively. I got this from the local horticultural research institution run by the government. I am happy that my problems are solved for the moment and I can enjoy my tomatoes in peace.
I'm only growing tomatoes now, but there's still a long way to go until they even go red If that goes well though, I may consider growing something else too.
Unfortunately I don't....though I really would love to. I want to start an herb garden and work my way up to vegetables and such.
I've been trying to grow more and more, but it's hard to find the time. I'm lucky, because I have a ton of space here that I can work with. I live in the city, but I have a huge backyard, so I've got plenty of room to do whatever I want. It's my dream to grown most of what I eat, I think it would be so satisfying to feed myself, and not require the grocery store.
Maddie, I would love to grow spinach! Do you have any tips for me about doing it successfully? My mom went out and got all these fruit trees and now she is talking about tomatoes so for now I am just sticking with garlic and onions and the perennial stuff I already have. I can just help tend my mom's stuff, and she has a lot more room than I do for growing.
I used to grow a garden every year and therefore, had a lot of our food that way. We also connected with a couple farmers that we would get a side of beef and a hog each year so that we had plenty of meat that way, too. I wish I still had access to all of those options.
Growing spinach is pretty easy.. I use cocopeat .. you could use perlite in a 8 -10 inch tray which is at least six inches deep. Wet it completely with water now make a small dent with your pinkie finger every two inches and put in a couple of seeds into the little holes. Now sprinkle some fine dust of compost .. a few mm's over the seeds. Wrap a cling film over it and keep it in a dark but warm place.. for five to seven days.. as the seeds sprout you can remove the wrap and keep it in a place where there is indirect sunlight...Just a sprinkling of water would do each day. It takes about a month for your spinach to be ready for harvest. I keep trays of spinach going all the time... I use a lot of spinach and would like it to be organic. The best thing about this is you could just cut the leaves and let the plant regrow until it goes to seed.. Remember that spinach seeds need to be fresh ( not older than six months) to sprout.
I have a garden where I grow some herbs. Also I have a small area devoted to vegetables, especially those that require easy care. The flavor of home-grown products is different, it is much more pleasant. Added to that special feeling, we can enjoy the view to grow our own vegetables, accompany them throughout the growth cycle and try the final result. Similarly, we make sure to avoid all the preservatives and pesticides used in the marketing of such products. We don't need much space, you don't need to live on a farm. In a small space, even on a balcony, we can build our little vegetable garden; you won't regret it.
Thank you for the reply. Although I'm not a cat person I would rather use something that would not be harmful to them or my dog so I think black pepper sprinkled liberally might be the way to go. The cats not only go to the toilet in my garden but they also like to sit on the fence and tease my dog!
Bloomatic, I have to agree with every word you say. Apart from the fact that I love gardening, I am so proud of growing my own food. The melons last year were our pride and joy , grown in a small container.. I had about ten pf them from a single vine. My concern is also the pesticides and chemicals that get into the food we buy from the stores. I love raw foods and what I grow in my container garden is eaten raw.
Since winter is arriving soon, I think the best plants to have on hand are, spinach, swiss chard, collards, kale and carrots. It's good to keep the garden going all year.
I wish! I sold my house and decided to rent to get to know the areas in our new city before buying again. The house we're in now is brand new and unfortunately, cheaply made. I had no idea this is how houses were made now! lol. The yard is not food garden capable; the soil is very shallow from what I've been told. It's so deceiving, the yard is lovely. I can't grow indoors either because of the animals, so I opt for the farmers in the area.
