Ok. I’m going to do a thread on growing stuff and so on for people like me: in an apartment with no balcony or green space. Because I haven’t seen much about this but I do a lot, so here’s my stuff

First off: my little seedlings are strong and hale since I have a supply of the world’s finest fertilizer right under my kitchen sink. This little blue box holds a colony of worms

This model is discontinued, but a tray-style worm bin like this is very accessible. If you can’t find that, get a plastic shoebox and punch holes in the lid

Worms can be ordered online; a quarter-pound is suitable to start an apartment colony. They eat fruit and veg scraps (except for citrus which they don’t care for), paper towels, ground-up eggshells, wine corks, pretty much anything from a plant

Tip: freeze your scraps overnight before feeding your worms to reduce the possibility of fruit flies! I mix worm castings at one part to two parts potting soil for starting seeds

SEEDS: if you’re in an apartment you probably don’t have much space. And if you’re like me, you have a small monster who wants to eat any plants it sees

Herbs are an obvious and easy choice. I’m in the process of starting herbs from seed; http://geturbanleaf.com  has some great starter collections

I’m also working on tricks to rig hanging baskets; our ceiling is cement and we can’t drill into it. Current plan is to suspend a curtain rod horizontally a few inches from the top of a window and hang these https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01BWO558O?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Also looking at diy macrame guides for making holders out of cut up t-shirts. The bonus here is that you don’t need special flower pots for them; you can use whatever is at hand. Goldfish bowl, empty cans, whatever

You probably don’t have options for light; we have three windows and they all face west. You will do fine

Anyway, there are loads of threads to tell you about starting seeds; these are tricks to keep them away from the cat! Pruning is essential in small containers. If you prune more than you use, lay your herbs flat and freeze them. They may darken in color but are fine

If you have space and NOT a cat, plants that do well in containers are salad greens, tomatoes, squash, peppers

I have not—and this will shock many of you—begun growing mushrooms at home yet, but there are loads of grow-in-box kits. If you want more variety and challenge, many small farms sell pre-inoculated logs or kits https://www.etsy.com/shop/SnoValleyMushrooms?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=95972809

They’re mushrooms so light is not a worry. I have no kitchen windows so I really ought to get on this

Anyway: it’s not possible to really be self-sufficient in an apartment space, but there are steps you can take to help that will pay off in the end! And annoy your cat

Update to this thread: >:)