Looking for some inspiration for a difficult space... - Garden Plants and Gardening Forum

raisedbywolves · 03-02-2008, 01:53 PM

Hello urban gardeners! I'm moving into a new apartment next week and finally have an opportunity to garden a bit so I just joined here in the hopes of getting some help making my new digs bloom.

At least, I hope so... Here is a bit of information on my apartment's oddest feature.Right smack dab in the middle, it's got this teeny tiny open space I guess you could generously call a courtyard, but it's really more of a light well. It's about 14m². The walls go up another 5 floors on all sides. My roommates and I want to use it as a place to hang out when the weather is nice, and I have the ambition to grow plants there. Basically, this is the situation:

- The courtyard will get about an hour of sun in high summer. Tops. The sun would have to be directly above it for any to hit the plants.

- It will be all container gardening.

- We are in Zone 8 according to the hardiness map - but it's one chilly, coastal, drizzly Zone 8!

- If anything edible can be grown in the courtyard, I will jump for joy!

and, uh...

- The last thing I successfully grew in a container was ornamental grass and daffodils

- I'm on a tight college kid budget.

I would appreciate any suggestions!

lspichkin · 03-02-2008, 07:11 PM

Here are some plants that I would look into for your particular growing conditions... all are very hardy and don't need a lot of light or maintenance!

Cast Iron Plant

Chinese Evergreen

African Violet

Philodendron

cia007 · 03-03-2008, 02:00 PM

I have successfully grown lettuce and nasturtiums on my back patio with limited sun in a cool climate....you might give those a try, and you can eat both!

Some herbs will survive as well in shade, like mints and chives. Not ideal growing conditions, but I've done it in the Pacific Northwest with some success!

raisedbywolves · 03-21-2008, 04:52 AM

Thank you for the tips!

I especially love the philodendrons and cast iron plant.

And I just know I'll have to give the lettuce a try, even if it's a long shot.

03-02-2008, 01:53 PM	#1
raisedbywolves Green Gardener Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hamburg, Germany Posts: 2	Looking for some inspiration for a difficult space... Hello urban gardeners! I'm moving into a new apartment next week and finally have an opportunity to garden a bit so I just joined here in the hopes of getting some help making my new digs bloom. At least, I hope so... Here is a bit of information on my apartment's oddest feature.Right smack dab in the middle, it's got this teeny tiny open space I guess you could generously call a courtyard, but it's really more of a light well. It's about 14m². The walls go up another 5 floors on all sides. My roommates and I want to use it as a place to hang out when the weather is nice, and I have the ambition to grow plants there. Basically, this is the situation: - The courtyard will get about an hour of sun in high summer. Tops. The sun would have to be directly above it for any to hit the plants. - It will be all container gardening. - We are in Zone 8 according to the hardiness map - but it's one chilly, coastal, drizzly Zone 8! - If anything edible can be grown in the courtyard, I will jump for joy! and, uh... - The last thing I successfully grew in a container was ornamental grass and daffodils - I'm on a tight college kid budget. I would appreciate any suggestions!

03-02-2008, 07:11 PM	#2
lspichkin Administrator Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: West Hollywood, CA Posts: 175 Images: 88	Here are some plants that I would look into for your particular growing conditions... all are very hardy and don't need a lot of light or maintenance! Cast Iron Plant Chinese Evergreen African Violet Philodendron Last edited by lspichkin; 03-02-2008 at 07:14 PM.

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03-03-2008, 02:00 PM	#3
cia007 Green Thumb Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Olympia, WA Posts: 48	I have successfully grown lettuce and nasturtiums on my back patio with limited sun in a cool climate....you might give those a try, and you can eat both! Some herbs will survive as well in shade, like mints and chives. Not ideal growing conditions, but I've done it in the Pacific Northwest with some success!

03-21-2008, 04:52 AM	#4
raisedbywolves Green Gardener Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hamburg, Germany Posts: 2	Thank you for the tips! I especially love the philodendrons and cast iron plant. And I just know I'll have to give the lettuce a try, even if it's a long shot.