This is my first post since moving to Charlotte NC from Houston Texas. I’ve been here since the first of March. At my new place, there is very little space to garden. I’ve got a small terrace that faces east. While it receives the morning sun, it does not receive enough light for growing vegetables. I have had success with growing herbs in pots, and I believe I will be able to grow lettuce, kale, and arugula. With such little space…. what’s a gardener to do?
For me, it is enjoying what I can grow indoors. I have a large bank of windows facing east which floods my apartment with natural bright light in the mornings. I’ve selected a variety of indoor plants that are thriving here. These prefer relatively low humidity (my apartment ranges from 45-60%) and indirect medium to low light. Here is what I have so far: Ficus lyrata (Fiddle-leaf fig), Asplenium antiquum “Crissie” (Crissie Bird Nest), Asplenium nidus (Bird’s Nest fern), Asplenium antiquum ‘Victoria’ (Ruffled Bird’s Nest fern), Pellaea rotundifolia (Button fern).
In the photo below, notice the fern under the lamp. That lamp has a fluorescent bulb and it seems to be happy there. I do rotate the ferns around so they receive natural light as well.
This Crissie Bird Nest loves the bright light streaming in the east window in my office. Every few weeks I give these plants a bath in the sink with the hose sprayer. I believe it simulates rain and helps to keep the leaves clean. Dust blocks light and reduces the plant’s ability to photosynthesize.
Above a terrarium at the west window filled with moss and ferns. In the summer, that window gets filtered sunlight from a shade tree. The tree is deciduous so in the winter it is bare – allowing warmth and sunlight to stream inside.
Clay pots on the terrace with assorted herbs – rosemary, Italian parsley, Genovese basil, and English thyme.
There was even room for my old potting bench. In front of that is dill, mint, chives, and sage growing.
So, while I am living in an apartment now, the gardener in me is making the most of it.
Gardening with limited space, how are you coping?
Your new place looks really pretty! I love the wall color and your furnishings, and you have quite the indoor garden. Hope you’re enjoying Charlotte!
Thank you Pam. I miss my outdoor garden – but am making the best of it. Charlotte is wonderful. It is smaller than Houston, and much less congested. A slower pace of life. So far the weather has been very comfortable.
Spring was gorgeous, so many flowering trees… and tulips blooming everywhere. Looking forward to the fall color in autumn. I love the winding roads and hills here, similar to Austin in that regard.
One thing I have noticed… they butcher crape myrtles here just as they do in Houston. Ugly.