03 JAN 2022
starting a garden in a flat
Ask any flat or apartment dweller what they most miss about living several storeys up (no matter how luxurious the development) and they’re likely to answer, their own garden. No wonder. On hot summer’s days, enjoying your garden by taking in the view stretched out on a lounger or simply pottering around planting and pruning is an integral part of the British way of life. Cooped up in an apartment block in the so-called concrete jungle can seem quite sterile by comparison. However, starting a garden in a flat is a lot easier and more enjoyable than you might think. Here are a few top tips on letting Mother Nature transform your high-rise living space.
Let’s start with the plants themselves. You can choose whatever ratio of herbs, vegetables, fruit or houseplants takes your fancy. The mix and quantity depend on the space available and whether you have a balcony or not. With the right care, you can grow just about any plant in a container. And thanks our For Peat’s Sake coir compost which is light, clean and easily delivered by post, you can give your plants the professionals’ choice substrate in which to grow.
HERBS These are some of the easiest to get your hands on and grow. Available as seeds from garden centres or in pots from the shelves of most supermarkets, herbs add real taste and flavour to your cooking. Pick the least fussy such as basil, mint, oregano and thyme to get started and see what works best. Plant them in pots with good drainage and be careful not to over-water. Herbs love sunlight so place the pots as close to your brightest window as you can.
HOUSEPLANTS Where to start? There are so many to choose from. Our recommendation is that you buy with your eye. Pick the ones that suit your aesthetic and make sure that you follow the care instructions. Our top choices this month for growing in For Peat’s Sake are the virtually indestructible trailing vine, Pothos, the fluffy Asparagus Fern and the wonderfully named and weirdly twisted Albuca Frizzle Sizzle! Get planting!
FRUIT + VEG Plant some strawberries in a window box. Not only are they a great talking point and very Instagrammable, they’ll be delicious too. Keep them moist but don’t over-water. Talking of Instagram, where better to show off a dwarf lemon tree to your friends? Believe it or not, these beauties are really easy to grow indoors if you keep them in sunlight. You can even record their history from planting to fruiting and share it with your followers (who’ll soon be sneaking out to buy one for themselves). Well, they aren’t called followers for nothing. If you’re a salad lover, happy days! Lettuce, spinach and rocket have shallow roots and grow quickly indoors. Just make sure you water them regularly. Tomatoes too – get yourself as large a pot as you can, keep your room warm and you’ll soon be adding those to your salad. Chili peppers thrive indoors. Plant both sweet and hot peppers in a container around 8 inches deep and keep them in constant daylight.