Imagine rising with the sun and tending to your crops, all to the beat of morning traffic.
While growing plants in a busy city might seem like an impossible task, there are plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables that can thrive in your urban space – no backyard required.
City dwellers are used to improvising, so they can make the most of their living situation. Even when you live in a big city, you can still live on a farm.
Herbs
Herbs are the easiest edible plants for apartment dwellers to harvest. Basil, rosemary, mint, ginger, cilantro and parsley are all viable options for foodies who don’t want to pay for spices at the store. Most require little effort, just a sunny spot on your window sill or fire escape and regular watering. Different herbs have different care requirements, so research what you need before you plant.
Microgreens
Microgreens are packed with healthy vitamins and can be used on a variety of dishes. They also happen to be incredibly easy to care for as well. Keep them in a shallow container and stash by a sunny spot, and you’ll be sprinkling microgreens on your salad in no time.
Garlic Greens
Garlic greens, similar to spring onions, thrive where garlic bulbs tend to fall short. A small, 4-inch pot and a discarded garlic clove is all you need to start growing at home.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes can thrive in the garden or in pots, wherever you can care for them best. Choose a 6-inch (or larger) pot that you can keep in a warm area that gets about 12 hours of light per day.
Lemons
Small lemon trees can be beautiful and fragrant additions to your home, as long your place gets tons of sunlight. Citrus can be temperamental, but rewarding if you know how to properly care for them. Most trees will need 8 to 12 hours of sunlight and moist air to thrive.
Salad Greens
Never waste money on big, expensive bunches of romaine and spinach that will rot in the fridge a day later again. Now you can easily grow exactly what you need by getting a few, tiny starter plants and keep them in warm, moist soil that gets plenty of light.
Mushrooms
Normally, apartment dwellers would cringe at the thought of finding fungi in their home. However, there are some delicious, flavorful varieties that can be easy to grow if you have a place to care for them.
Capsicum
Carrots
Carrots, like most root vegetables, make great additions to window boxes if you have a little room. In order to grow, carrots need a box about eight inches deep and wide, with holes for drainage.
Radishes
Radishes are healthy, perfect in salads and a quick harvest for busy apartment dwellers. Like many other root vegetables, they are relatively low maintenance as long as you give them a one gallon pot and the right amount of moisture to thrive in.
Oranges
For that daily dose of vitamin C that won’t take over your apartment, you can get an orange tree. Just like lemon trees, orange trees need tons of sun and a spacious pot, but their soil should be allowed to dry between waterings. You should also harvest their fruit as soon as they turn vibrant orange for the best flavor.
Green Beans
As long as you keep your beans stable and supported, they can be great plants to grow. Use at least an eight inch container and place in a spot that gets about eight hours of sunlights per day.
Scallions
Scallions are one of those special plants that you can buy once and never again. Chop off the green top for your dish, save the rest by placing the white bottoms in a small cup of water and place in a sunny windowsill. You should have new, edible greens in a couple days.
