Gardening is a great hobby, but it can seem intimidating if you’re short on space. After all, what’s the point of starting a kitchen garden when you only have room for a few pots? The good news: You can still maintain an awesome kitchen garden in even the smallest available space. Whether that means your terrace or balcony, your south-facing window ledge, or just an empty corner of your kitchen countertop, there are plenty of ways to get started growing your own food in any space.
Following are some of the best ways to start a small kitchen garden:
1. Find the Sunniest Spot in Your Home (Or the Sunniest Spot Your Landlord Will Allow)
Once you’ve decided to start your kitchen garden, the next step is to find a space for it. You want to choose a place that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight per day and is protected from cold winds, hot sun, and extreme temperatures. The best spot in your home may not be obvious, but if you look around, you’ll find one!
- If possible, place your garden where it can be seen from inside the house or apartment so that everyone can enjoy its bounty.
- If there are no windows facing south or southwest in your apartment or home and there’s no way to add them (and even if there’s room), consider placing the garden near an exterior wall so that it receives morning sun first thing in the day. This will help warm up your little plot before other plants become exposed to full sun later in the morning.
If you have a small home and there’s a lot of extra furniture and things getting wasted on your balcony or backyard from rain and winds, the best option would be to put them in the self-storage units. There are many kinds of self-storage units, and you can choose the right one according to your requirements. This way, you can make space for your brand new small kitchen garden.
2. Research Which Fruits and Veggies Are Easiest To Grow, and Pick a Plant That Works With Your Lifestyle
Once you’ve decided that growing your own food is the right choice for you, it’s time to pick a plant. Pick one that works with your lifestyle and experience level:
- If you have limited space, try something like strawberries or tomatoes—these plants don’t need a lot of room and will still produce plenty of fruit.
- If you’re brand new to gardening, maybe try an herb like basil or mint because they’re easy to grow and will help add flavor to dishes without requiring much effort on your part.
- Consider what kind of fruits and veggies are in season when looking at plants as well; this will ensure that they aren’t too expensive or hard to find at local farmers markets/grocery stores (or even better if they were grown in your own garden!)
The best thing about growing fruits in your kitchen garden is that you can make fresh cupcakes and fruit tarts. For example, you can use your freshly grown kitchen garden strawberries to make strawberry cupcakes. All you need are all-purpose flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and a handful of strawberries. And yes, don’t forget to sift your flour – there are lots of benefits of sifting when cooking.
3. Choose a Planter
Once you have an idea of what kind of harvest you’d like to grow, it’s time to choose a planter. Planters come in various shapes and sizes and can be made from a variety of materials, so it’s important to make sure the planter you choose will fit your space.
· Choose a Planter that is the Right Size for Your Space
If you’re growing only herbs or flowers in pots, choose small containers that can fit on a windowsill or other small areas. However, if there isn’t much room in your kitchen or apartment, but you still want fresh produce from your garden, consider planting some lettuce in hanging baskets (these are also great if you live in an apartment building). These baskets take up very little room but provide plenty of vegetables.
· Choose a Planter that is the Right Height for Your Space
A tall planter might look good when placed outside on display; however, indoors can be challenging to manage as they’ll require extra circulation and light at least 6 inches above soil level. If this sounds like something that would work for you, go ahead and go for it! But if not, we recommend finding something shorter instead.
4. Add Potting Mix or Garden Soil
The next step is to add the potting mix or garden soil. Both are nutrient-rich substrates that will provide your plants with moisture and nutrients for growth, so it’s important to choose one of these two options if you’re going to be starting a small kitchen garden. If you don’t have either, there are a few other things you can use:
- Soil from your yard (not likely as it’s likely not appropriate for growing plants)
- Mulch from around trees and shrubs (more likely but still not ideal)
- Peat moss (even more likely and dries out quickly)
Combine equal parts peat moss or vermiculite with organic compost or well-rotted manure to make your own potting mix. To make your own garden soil, combine equal parts topsoil, composted manure, or animal waste products such as bone meal or blood meal, sand, and finely ground bone meal (if available).
5. Sow Seeds or Transfer Seedlings
Once done with all the steps above, you can begin sowing seeds or transplanting seedlings. You can use a seed tray, a seedling flat, and even a seedling plug tray if you have one lying around. If you’re new to gardening, though, we recommend using soil-based pots because they’re easier to handle than plastic and offer more drainage than other materials (which helps prevent root rot).
Ensure that when sowing the seeds, you do so in a potting mix with good drainage properties; otherwise, the soil will become waterlogged, and your plants won’t get enough oxygen.
6. Water, Water, Water! Then Keep Watering and Wait For Your Harvest
The most important part of gardening is watering. If you forget to water your plants, they will die! A lot of people don’t realize this, but everyone who has ever tried to grow something knows that keeping the soil moist is vital for healthy growth.
When it comes to watering, there are several options depending on how much time you want to invest and how much money you’re willing to spend (or not). You can use a hose with a sprinkler attachment, or just plain old buckets of water poured over each plant individually. Whatever method works best for you will be fine as long as the plants receive enough moisture in order for them to thrive.
This is really all there is to it! Watering may seem like a tedious task at first glance, but once you get into the habit of doing it regularly, it becomes second nature and easy enough so that even kids can do it without breaking too many dishes while trying not to fall down onto their head.
You Can Have a Flourishing Kitchen Garden in Any Space – Even in a Single Pot
If you’re looking for a way to grow your own food and save money, gardening is one of the best ways to do it. But if you live in an apartment, don’t think that means you can’t grow your own veggies.
In fact, growing food in small spaces has never been so popular – and with good reason: it’s incredibly satisfying and rewarding. And although there may not be much outdoor space available at your apartment or condo complex (or no outdoor space at all), don’t worry: there are many different ways to incorporate home-grown produce into your life.
Conclusion
Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying your own home-grown tomatoes, cucumbers, or herbs. More importantly, the pride and sense of accomplishment from growing your own food will bring a smile to your face.
