Photo from apartmenttherapy.com

It is easy to feel dismayed when you would like to plant a fruit, vegetable, or herb garden of your own, and you simply don’t have a yard in which to do it. Don’t feel like you’re alone here; there are literally millions of people who are urban dwellers and in the same situation as you!

All is not lost when it comes to growing your own food. In fact, far from it. You have several terrific options for planting food in a barely-there space, whatever that space may be!

Gutter Gardening

We just adore the idea of sowing, tending and harvesting a gutter garden. Gutters mounted on the side of your house maximize the heat from your home, help to keep your crops out of the reach of wildlife, and are inexpensive as well as practical. We think they look really cool, too! Check out the one that is pictured to the left. We found this photo at Apartment Therapy, and learned that this particular garden was planted by Suzanne Forsling of Juneau, Alaska. Another great gutter garden discovery can be found on Fern Richardson’s Life on the Balcony blog. Awesome!

Here are some tips to remember when planting your gutter garden:

1. Mount the gutters on the side of your house that receives sunlight.
2. Drill holes in the bottom of the gutters in order to allow water drainage.
3. Each time you water, water with a discerning hand. You do not want excessive moisture to get trapped between gutter and your siding.
4. If you can’t drill into your siding to mount the gutters, try hanging them from chains. In this photo, the gutters have been painted copper and hung at various heights to create a sort of privacy screen, such as this one this is pictured on the left below.

Photos from left: MarthaStewart.com & LifeontheBalcony.com

Recycled Objects Garden

Photo: Real Simple

If you are all about going green, then a garden planted in objects from around your house is the perfect option for you. And using recycled objects isn’t just about being trendy. It’s about saving money, and showing that you care enough about the environment to re-use things instead of pitching them into a landfill.

To the right is one of our very favorite ideas, and we found it in Real Simple, where they used some old Crocs as hanging planters. We think this is the perfect idea- they already have holes for drainage and the sturdy plastic will hold up well when filled with soil.

Don’t have any old Crocs collecting dust in your closet? Try out some of these other planting ideas using objects from around your house:

1. Try turning an old spaghetti colander and a wire hanger into a hanging basket. These create an especially cool impact when hung in groups of 3 or more. For a hanging colander, try planting strawberries, cherry tomatoes, peas, or beans. Any plant that usually grows vertically and needs to be staked up can also grow hanging down.
2. An old shoe holder makes a terrific herb planter, with each herb in a different shoe pocket. You may also wish to try planting leaf lettuce in a shoe pocket. Before you plant, pour water into a pocket to check the drainage. You can find other helpful tips for a vertical garden in a shoe holder here at Instructables.
3. Try using objects from your kitchen to create a container garden. Old Tupperware, mugs, mixing bowls, and coffee cans all make great planters. Just make sure to either drill holes in the bottom, or add a layer of gravel at the bottom of each planter to allow for water drainage. Check out this Do It Yourself article for 5 household objects you can re-use to create a container garden for your balcony, porch, or deck.

Window Boxes

Flickr photo: stephadamo

There are many types of vegetables and herbs that lend themselves well to window box gardens. Consider crops that take up a relatively small amount of space, such as radishes and herbs such as cilantro, basil and dill. Browse through more Botanical Interests’ organic and heirloom seed varieties to find the herbs and veggies that make your mouth water.

You don’t have to go out and drop a pretty penny on window boxes, either. You can do it yourself! Take a look at this article from Marigold Lane on how to construct your own window boxes.

Here are a few tips for maintaining a successful window box garden:

1. Plant vegetables together that have the same sun requirements. For example, tomato, cucumber, and chives will all grow well together since they all are warm season crops and have similar sun requirements. Chives grow exceptionally well on a sunny windowsill!
2. Before you paint your windowboxes, consider that dark colors tend to attract and absorb more heat. You may therefore wish to stick with light colored paint.
3. Again, you’ll need to make sure that the planter has adequate water drainage. Consider this before deciding where to place your windowboxes. You probably do not want to let your plants drain out onto the balcony of the person who lives on the floor below you!