6 Low-Maintenance Vegetables for Your Apartment Garden

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6 Low-Maintenance Vegetables for Your Apartment Garden

Staff Writer · Jul 30, 2009

Nothing comes close to the taste of home grown vegetables, and luckily there are several choices that are well suited for your apartment garden. Try out these handy tips for delicious easy-to-grow vegetables, despite dealing with limited space.

Vegetables for Your Balcony

1. Tomatoes – Tomatoes are perfect for balconies or other small spaces. One single plant can grow quite large and produce an impressive yield. Plant them in large pots and make sure they have plenty of sun. For best results, fertilize tomato plants with a rich compost and water them deeply every few days or so. There are a myriad of tasty tomato types for you to try out, from small grape-sized tomatoes to the colossal beefsteak variety.

2. Radishes – Radishes also grow well in small spaces. The popular cherry belle thrives in as little as 6-inches of soil and is able to reach full maturity in 4 to 6 weeks. Plant them in planters about 2-inches apart and keep them well watered. Stagger plantings to ensure you have fresh radishes all season long.

Vegetables for Indoors

3. Onions – Under the right circumstances, nearly all kinds of vegetables have the ability to be grown indoors, although some make it easier than others. Onions are great because they do well in shallow soil and several can be planted within a small space. Purchasing seedlings or bulbs is the best choice for growing onions as this will shorten their growing time significantly. Two appetizing varieties to try out are Walla Walla onions and Vidalia onions.

4. Lettuce – Lettuce grows well inside the house as long as it is kept cool, ideally under 70 degrees. Head lettuce, such as iceberg, romaine and green leaf, is ideal for growing indoors as it is easily contained in pots or planters. With lettuce you can harvest the outside leaves and leave the rest to continue growing. Like radishes, you can stagger plantings to have an even supply of lettuce all year long.

Vegetables for an Outdoor Garden

5. Carrots – Carrots are a great crop if you’re lucky enough to have a small outdoor space where you can grow vegetables in the ground. If you lack such a spot, carrots also do well in planters on a sunny balcony. You’ll want to provide them with a soil depth of at least a foot or so, or you may want to look for a carrot variety that grows to only 2 to 3 inches. Plant them in moist loose soil and consider using a compost fertilizer so that your carrots are crunchy and sweet.

6. Snow Peas – Because snow peas are harvested while they are still unripe, their growing cycle is shorter than the average pea, around 8 to 10 weeks. They like cool weather and if frost occurs they quickly recover once the temperature rises. To get a good-sized harvest you’ll want to sow at least four or more plants per person. Plant the seeds or seedlings about 4-inches apart and you won’t have to worry about transplanting them. As they mature, you may need to invest in a trellis for the vines to climb.

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