How to Grow Vegetables on Your Apartment Deck

You can grow many kinds of vegetables on your apartment deck.

A lot of space isn't needed to plant a garden. You can grow your own vegetables even though you live in an apartment building. If you have a deck or balcony and a few containers, a productive garden is close at hand. As long as the deck area has a good amount of sun, you will be all set. Once you decide on the type of vegetables you want to grow, the only other decision is whether you want to plant seeds, actual plants or both.

Things You'll Need

• Seeds or plants, or both
• Container
• Potting soil or compost, peat moss and perlite
• Water
• Stakes or trellis
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Find and set up containers to use as planters, unless you already have planters built into the deck. If you don't, almost anything works to use as a container, from 5-gallon buckets to a water heater cut in half. Just make sure you have drainage holes at the bottom of the planter or container you decide to use.

2. Fill the containers with potting soil. You can buy already mixed potting soil or make your own by mixing equal amounts of compost, peat moss and perlite.

3. Dig a hole into the soil and plant your already growing vegetable plants. If you are going to plant seeds, make a furrow with your trowel into the soil. Follow label directions on how deep to plant the seeds. A general rule of thumb is to cover the seed with soil that is twice the size of the seed you are planting. If you bury the seeds too deep, they will not germinate.

4. Water the vegetable plants thoroughly. If you planted seeds, gently water the soil with a mist sprayer until the seeds germinate. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy wet or the seeds will rot.

5. Water the soil when the soil dries out. Gardening on your deck is the same as growing a garden in the ground but you will have to water the soil more often because it has a tendency to dry out faster in containers.

6. If your plants grow over a foot high, add stakes to help support them. You can add a trellis behind the planters so climbing vines have a place to grow. Tie the stems loosely onto the stakes or trellis with string or twine.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you choose containers that will be deep enough to contain the root mass. For example, radishes will not need a container as deep as one tomato plants will need.

• Remember to fertilize your vegetable plants. Read and follow label directions.

References

• Agriculture Guide: How to Grow Vegetables at Your Apartment
• Oh My Apartment Apartment Ratings: Growing Vegetables in Your Apartment
• Stretcher.com: Apartment Grown Tomatoes
• Gomestic.com: Growing Vegetables on a Balcony
• Oh My Apartment Apartment Ratings: Tips for Starting an Apartment Garden