How to make a garden inside an apartment

Who has never wanted to escape to nature to escape the stress of the city routine? We know that getting away from the routine is difficult, but nothing stops you from bringing a little bit of nature into your home, even if you live in an apartment and building your own garden!

Being a plant parent is an increasingly common alternative for those who cannot have a pet. They bring more life to any space, look great as decoration, can serve as company for those who live alone and even therapy for those who need it - not to mention that they are a healthy way to distract yourself without leaving home.

Starting a garden can seem like a challenge, especially for those who don't have any experience in caring for plants. But we can assure you that it's much easier than it seems, especially with some tips from those who have tried and succeeded. Of course, you shouldn't start with a giant vertical garden taking up an entire wall! Start slowly and gradually expand your private jungle as you gain confidence. That's why we've put together 5 tips for you if you're thinking about starting your own garden at home:

What to know before you start

First, you need to consider your lifestyle and know how much free time you have to take care of your plants. They stay still and require less work than pets, but that doesn't mean you won't need to make time in your schedule to take care of them.

If you don't have much time, choose more hardy plants, which require little care. Species such as succulents, cacti and other slow-growing foliage are ideal for beginners.

But if you have time to dedicate to your garden in your apartment, feel free to venture out: from herbs, flowers, orchids, violets, vegetables and even carnivorous plants. It is important to remember that each of them has specific preferences and demands, so look for information on how to grow each one.

An important point when choosing how to set up your garden in an apartment is to select which plant(s) you are going to adopt. To do this, you need to know the lighting conditions of the environment where you intend to keep your plants. Each one has a specific sunlight requirement – ​​in apartments, we are not always able to provide exactly what a species needs. But don’t worry, we will return to this topic throughout the text.

What tools will I need for my garden inside my apartment?

Pots and soil, basically.

As for soil, you can find organic soil at flower shops or supermarkets, which will meet almost all your needs. You will also need fertilizer, the most common is Nitrogen, Sodium and Potassium (NPK 10-10-10) and it works well with most plants – but if you are really excited about your plants, you can make an organic compost bin at home.

A valuable tip is self-watering pots, which are a great help for those who spend a lot of time away from home and live alone , as you won't have to worry about watering them every day. Don't forget the saucers and to put sand in them to prevent dengue mosquitoes from nesting in them.

There are gardening tool kits, with shovels, rakes and pruning shears – but for those who want to save money, a spoon and common scissors are enough to make your garden inside the apartment.

Light conditions:

As we said, evaluating the lighting conditions of the environment is essential when choosing plants .

Typically, species are subdivided into three categories: shade-loving species (which survive only with indirect lighting and can suffer burns if exposed to direct sunlight), semi-shaded species (which adapt to receiving direct sunlight for a period of the day, around four hours) and sun-loving species, which only survive with long hours of direct light.

Full Sun Plants:

These are those that need 3 or more hours of sunlight daily.

• Seasonings (parsley, chives, basil, rosemary)

• Teas (mint, chamomile, boldo, etc.)

• Flowers in general

• Succulents and Cacti

Half Shade Plants:

These are those that do not tolerate very shady or very sunny environments, they are ideal for indoor or shaded environments.

• Orchids in general

• Delicate foliage (ferns, maidenhair ferns, maidenhair fern, Adam's rib)

Shade Plants:

Those plants that are naturally grown in environments with little sunlight.

• Decorative foliage (aglaonema, peace lily, syngonium, snake plant).

The first steps towards your garden inside your apartment

First of all, take it easy! One of the best things about having plants is that they teach you to be patient and respect their timing – so don’t put too much hope into your plants. It’s normal to make a few mistakes at first, but don’t let that get you down: the best way to learn is to roll up your sleeves and experiment to see what works best for you. Before you start, imagine how you’re going to create a garden in your home: assess the space, see which areas receive sunlight at which times of the day, and go to the florist with some ideas in mind. Each species has specific needs, so Google is your friend when it comes to finding out the peculiarities of each one.

A valuable tip for those who are starting a garden in their apartment is to avoid small pots: they may seem easier to manage, but the chances of you forgetting to take care of them are much higher. Furthermore, the more delicate they are, the more care they require: plants with larger roots have a better chance of recovering if you make a mistake. On the other hand, cacti and succulents take up little space and are very tolerant for beginners, and are also an excellent option for first-time gardeners.

What are the most common pests in an apartment garden?

As if all the work involved in setting up and caring for your garden wasn’t enough, there are pests that can destroy all your hard work in just a few days. But don’t be alarmed, this is all natural: if you keep a positive outlook, garden pests are indicators that something is wrong with the way you are caring for your plants.

Pests are more common during the warmer months of the year, when most animals reproduce – so here’s another reason to pay extra attention to your garden during spring/summer. The most common pests are:

Cochineal:

This type of pest usually appears in groups and always seeks the hard part of the plant, that is, they are usually on the stems or trunks – this happens because this type of pest likes to suck the hardest parts of the plant. They are usually white and kind of slimy, sometimes they also have little brown warts.

Aphid:

Aphids on plants can be yellow, green or black, and as in the previous case, they can also appear in groups. They look like small beetles, and usually do not have a shell, but they do have visible eyes and legs. Unlike mealybugs, which prefer the hardest parts of the plant, aphids are considered pests on plant leaves, but they can also appear on buds, petals and buds.

Leaf-cutter ants:

Leaf-cutter ants are typical of larger gardens. They are usually black or red and larger than sugar ants, so they are able to pluck a plant more quickly. Identifying them can be more difficult, as they are nocturnal – but you can still tell if your garden has been attacked by them, as this type of ant leaves geometric shapes on the edges of the leaves. To avoid leaf-cutter ants, always add organic matter to the soil, as this type of pest indicates that the soil is very compacted and poor in minerals.

Of course, these are just a few – there are many others. But prevention is the easiest way to avoid these problems: don't leave your plants weakened – insects and pests usually attack plants when they are weakened, whether due to excessive heat or humidity, a lack of nutrients in the soil or poor ventilation. So, to keep pests away, the first step is to take good care of your plants, so that they can naturally defend themselves from external attacks.

Learn to read the signs in your garden inside your apartment

It is important to keep in mind that there are no general rules for caring for plants – you need to learn to understand the signs that they are giving and how to deal with each of them.

For example, the amount of water a plant needs is never fixed. It varies according to the temperature of the season — in hot weather, more water is needed; in cold weather, less. Therefore, the right thing to do is to feel the soil in the pot, check if it is dry, and then know whether it needs water or not. Some plants like a little water every day, while others prefer to go a few days without it.

If a plant is wilting, has spotted leaves or is growing too much, it's no wonder. When something isn't right, it shows it — and it's important to understand what the problem is. It usually has to do with a lack or excess of water or light: it's very common for plants to dry out due to lack of care, but they can also die from drowning or sunburn.

If the leaves of the entire plant are wilted, it is probably due to a lack of water – and if they are all drying out, it is due to a lack of water and too much sun. Watering should be done in the morning or late afternoon, to prevent the leaves from cooking in the sun: some species really like water on their leaves, but this can be fatal for others – it is worth researching on a case-by-case basis.

Yellow spots are usually an indication of excess fertilizer: ideally, you should fertilize the pots once every one or two months, placing the fertilizer as far away from the roots of the plants as possible. Fertilizers usually come with instructions on the quantity and how to apply them, so pay attention!

Finally, it is normal for the lower leaves to dry out and fall off. You should remove these leaves when you prune – but be careful not to disturb the plants too much! Learning to respect the timing of each plant is one of the hardest parts of gardening; over-handling is usually more harmful than not pruning at all. Don’t be too hasty!

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