Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I live in the city in an apartment with an east facing balcony. I want to set up an edible garden for my own veggies as I cant seem to get through a CSA box before it goes bad, and this way I know I can get only stuff I like. Not to mention the paleo/diy aspect of it. So the question is, do you garden, what do you grown, and what type of planters and general set up do you have?

I'm in Seattle so it still cold and crappy out so i have a couple of weeks to figure out my design. So I wanna get some ideas and get my creative juices flowing.

flag	asked Mar 13 2011 at 19:58 wheelhouse 4,309●1●5●13

wood · Accepted Answer · 2011-03-19 19:43:16Z UTC

Loved this idea when I read about it awhile ago. I can't put too much stuff on my balcony/fire escape or else the landlord makes me get rid of it because it blocks the the ladder:( Now I have a space in the community garden, but still love this idea for sprouting or growing convenient get 'em anytime greens.

Inside window gardens article and video

http://tinyurl.com/48skgkc

Karen · Answer 2 · 2011-03-14 13:57:05Z UTC

How many hours of sunlight do you get on your balcony? That will largely determine what you can grow. Greens of various kinds should do well down to even as low as 4 to 6 hours of light, and fast growing greens like lettuce, spinach and arugula will give you the most return on your space and time. They are small enough to do well in window boxes or scavenged nursery containers.

You can call your local county extension office for more advise on what would do well in your area. http://extension.wsu.edu/locations/Pages/default.aspx

The Quilt · Answer 3 · 2011-03-13 20:24:58Z UTC

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Me I would never have an outdoor garden in a city. Sound like a great way to collect toxins in one growing plant and then ingest it? I'll pass. The environmental toxins in a city like NYC would be nightmarish.

answered Mar 13 2011 at 20:24

The Quilt
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	i agree, plants will soak up a lot of toxins, but seattle is quite a bit cleaner than NYC!!!! – Seth Mar 13 2011 at 21:01
	Also, I may have misstated it a little. While I am in the city limits, I am not in a high rise downtown or anything. The part of town I am in is somewhat suburban. – wheelhouse Mar 13 2011 at 21:44
	I wonder about the scientific evidence of toxin absorption in urban gardening outdoors. I seem to remember an experiment with mushrooms being grown on top of a toxic oil spill (test patch) and not only did they soak up the spill (and the toxins presumably) there were no toxins left on the site and the mushrooms that grew there were also free of toxins. Plants are mysterious and powerful. It'll be great when we know more of what they can do. – wood Mar 19 2011 at 22:38
	I live literally above the West Side Highway near the George Washington Bridge in NYC. I have a feeling even conventionally grown veg from distant lands would be far healthier than what I could grow here!!!But I dream of having a little garden in a less trafficked area. I think I would still do an above-ground container to avoid contact with soil that may previously be contaminated. – Suzanna Mar 20 2011 at 17:06

Veriria · Answer 4 · 2011-03-29 13:33:25Z UTC

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Along these lines, I'm looking to start a garden INSIDE my house. If anyone has any [good] links to websites, or advice of their own, I think we'd all appreciate that as well.

answered Mar 29 2011 at 13:33

Veriria
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James · Answer 5 · 2011-03-29 13:41:14Z UTC

I'm planning on starting one this year. I've picked up an Earthbox off Amazon. The sun's still not quite there yet for my backyard though. A couple more weeks, then I'll get things together. I'm looking at getting some peppers and radishes. Not sure if I'll go for other greens/herbs yet. I figure it'll be a supplement to regular veggies from the store (which have gotten quite expensive). At the very least, a learning experience.

Apartment dwellers - do you have a balcony garden?

5 Answers