I have a tiny garden on my apartment balcony – I’ve grown carrots and potatoes but my go-to plant gets the biggest yield
ONE apartment dweller didn't let her small space cramp her gardening style.
She was already seeing success with multiple fruits and vegetables on her tiny balcony, including one plant in particular.
Maria Pemberton (@mariapemberton1) showed just how she had attempted to grow potatoes.
After 15 days some noticeable growth was indeed taking place - but it was mostly only those potatoes that were planted in the middle of her pot that were making progress.
Once additional growth could be seen, she covered half of it in dirt.
All that was left to do was wait and see if it would continue to grow even more.
The good news was that there was indeed even more success - and that meant adding more dirt until it was almost completely covered.
It did see a little bit more of a growth spurt until it stabilized and eventually died.
Four potatoes altogether survived, including two regular sized and two mini ones.
She also showed how she grew carrots in a second video by transferring them from a container on her balcony floor to a larger pot.
This time, she had quite a lot of root vegetables to show for herself.
While some were a bit "questionable," others looked "so pretty."
Some of her fans offered up their own advice while she explained which of her go-to plants yielded the biggest results.
"Keep trying! I love that you’re using the space you have! Sometimes plants on the sides of my grow bags don’t grow as well either," said one follower.
"Definitely going to keep trying! I love to plant stuff - my tomato plant did very well in the grow bags, I’m planting them again!" she replied.
"Next time put less potatoes that way they don’t compete for space and they all grow. Whenever you see the leaves come out cover them again with dirt again," said one follower.
"Start them at a lower grow level," another watcher shared.
"A tip for next time - don't transfer them. Carrot seedlings are super fragile so it's best to directly sow them. But otherwise heck yes! It's amazing!" said one viewer.
"Yes! I learned that later - next time I will plant then directly in the bigger pot!" she acknowledged.
Still, others had questions for the gardener.
"Oh, I love this, what soil did you use and where did you get that bag?" asked one viewer.
Easy gardening tips to save money, maximize space, and repel pests
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- Banana peels, vinegar, and coffee grounds are often recommended as natural fertilizers.
- Dollar Tree sells four packs of seeds for $1.25.
- Try a vertical planter like Amazon's Mr. Stacky 5 Tier Stackable Planter, $35 to make more use of a small space.
- Use netting like the Garden Netting Pest Barrier, $8, from Amazon to keep away bugs that eat your vegetables.
- Try sacrificial planting to reduce the use of pesticides and keep pests away from your garden. Deliberately growing certain plants to attract agricultural pests can keep them away from the plants you want to protect. Examples include marigolds, lavender, catnip, and chives.
- For pesky weeds in your garden, the Grampa's Weeder - The Original Stand-Up Weed Puller Tool with Long Handles, $45, from Amazon is a helpful tool you can use without having to bend over.
"I used just normal potting mix and the bag I bought on Amazon - I think is a ten-gallon fabric grow bag," she responded.
According to Gardenary.com, indeterminate tomatoes are the easiest to grow as they will keep producing fruit in clusters over and over again until the first frost arrives.
These varieties include black cherry tomatoes, Juliet tomatoes, and sungold tomatoes.
