Easy Steps To Growing A Small-Space Garden

By Lindsay Probasco on June 12, 2014

This article is brought to you by the Uloop Housing search service. Ready to make the move off campus? Search through the Uloop housing listings to find your next apartment, condo, town home, or house for rent.

image via: http://womenpla.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Green-Vegetable-Garden.jpg

After struggling through the confines of dorm room life and the cafeteria food that just never quite seemed right, moving out to a house or into an apartment during college is a blessing. However, with this change surely comes new responsibilities and costs that you might not even realize exist yet. Say goodbye to all your beer money because keeping up with a home is a lot of work.

Oh no! How will you ever make it without your parents??

Fear not. There are plenty of ways to save money when living on your own, some of which might even force you to have some fun in the process. You’ll become a savvy shopper, take much shorter showers and domesticate yourself to avoid impending starvation. Don’t worry too much. According to Maslow, we as humans will instinctively try and satiate our physiological needs before all else. Let’s hope those instincts kick in before you’re staring at an empty, frozen bag of what was once pizza rolls.

Cooking for yourself particularly requires more than minimalist efforts, to say the least. A cost-efficient grocery list, a well planned trip to the store and a little training in the kitchen will be of great use to you.

One way to accomplish saving money and improving domestic skills at the same time is by growing your own vegetable garden.

How to Grow a Garden

In order to get the most out of your mini garden and have successful vegetables grow, you must first ask yourself a few questions.

1. Where can I fit this garden?

Could you put it on your porch? A patio? Maybe even a balcony. The easiest place is somewhere with enough room for different sized planters, but considering college campus apartments aren’t so roomy, there are other ways to grow a garden. Depending on what your restrictions are, see if you can mount wall planters. A fire escape is also a good spot to place some, if you can get away with it.

2. Will it have adequate nutrients?

You have to make sure the area gets enough sunlight and will be remembered to get tended to. Plants, like humans, have basic needs that include light, warmth, water and food. Vegetable plants with leaves and roots like lettuce, carrots, peas and kale can handle shade a lot better than fruit bearing plants.

Bell peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and squash all need to be in the sun most of the time in order to properly grow. Tending to your soil frequently will help the plants get the food they need to grow. You will need to give the plants 1-2 inches of water per week, if not exposed to rain.

3. What vegetables do I want to grow?

What kinds of vegetables do you want to see yourself growing and wouldn’t mind having around? Check out a few Pinterest recipes you’re interested in trying and see what ingredients are needed. Start with the vegetables you know you like for sure and then experiment with other ones after you feel comfortable.

4. Is this the right season to grow them?

Some plants will only grow in certain temperatures and seasons. If you really want tomatoes and your school doesn’t see the sun very much, then you might want to reconsider. Perennial vegetables are always a good option since they produce food more than once and will save you money in the end. Artichokes and asparagus are lofty goals, but if you’re up for the challenge then go for it!

5, Will I actually eat it enough?

Be sure you can eat what your plant is capable of growing. Unless you plan on passing everything out to friends, there’s nothing worse than having to throw away veggies. The point is to save money by home-growing them.

6.How do I arrange them?

Carrots can be spread out evenly among the soil but tomato plants need to have around three feet in between each plant. Beans and peas need to be about an inch apart each. Squash require a lot of space and cucumbers need room, as well. If you can, purchase a trellis and grow upward against a wall.

Once you have determined where and what you’re planting, you need to fully commit to growing. If not, your plants will not be successful. Some require more maintenance than others so keep that in mind. Growing vegetables at home will eventually save you a lot of money if you’re a big veggie eater like me. Test at least one plant out and see how you like it! Not only is it worth the effort, but nutritious and fun to do.

Get your roommates to help and make it a project you can be proud of when all is said and done.

Happy gardening!

image via: http://www.smallgardentiller.org/wp-content/uploads/_vegetable-garden.jpg

Make your next move easy by finding a place to live near campus using the Uloop Housing search service full of students needing Roommates and Sublets or people ready to rent you a great Apartment or House.

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