For the past 6 years I’ve been living in apartments. Until now, I’ve only tried to garden a few flowering plants- but not consumable ones. I’ve recently learned how easy it is to get a reasonable harvest of veggies and herbs on a windowsill or porch. It will be important for me to learn how to produce my own food for two reasons:

To Save Money (now and later) Learning New Life Skills and creating the opportunity for Sustainability

Gardening is key to sustainability. It’s a venture I’ve never tried before. I don’t have much space, but could still potentially grow a variety of veggies, herbs, and fruits on my 3rd floor porch. It’s early springtime, so this is a great time to start. I have a few plastic pots, but a may build a window box like this simple one at hgtv. I also may be extra frugal and recycle 32-128 oz aluminum cans as planting pots. A major disadvantage is my production will be limited due to the size of my porch.

A major advantage, however, is after some initial setup costs (~ $100 for dirt, seeds, and pots) everything I do will be more or less free. The seeds will last a very long time as there will be hundreds. Buying hundreds more will only cost a few dollars. There may be some fertilizer costs along the way that I need to add into the total costs of my garden. On the whole, I expect it will save me tons of money in the long run.

I am going to grow (links to seeds in titles) and perhaps some herbs:

Tomatoes Tomatoes are awesome! I use them for all sorts foods and sauces I make at home.

Chilies (Hot Peppers) and regular Peppers Peppers are excellent because when diced and saute’d, they can add a ton of flavour as well as a satisfying crunch. Chile and other hot peppers bring in the spice. >:)

Onions I use onions is pretty much every thing I cook, I think I will prioritize this!

Potatoes Hearty and filling- a staple crop! This may be best to grow in the less sunny months. It’s also super cheap to grow!

Spinach Spinach is awesome lettuce. It has everything lettuce has plus way more nutrients. It’s expensive to buy, but cheap to grow!

Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, and Blueberries Berries are much more expensive compared to veggies and other fruits…. but they are also more expensive to buy. In the long run, it will still be far cheaper. And I can make a ton of smoothies.



If the weather is good, I will start this weekend! Wish me luck!