Balcony farming for a city dweller
Posted by allahyokdinyalan@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 39 comments
I consider myself pretty much ready for any kind of disaster at this point. I live in a huge city, right at the center and I am an emergency medicine doctor. I have a disaster relief/IFAK bag of 14 kgs that can last two people for at least two weeks outside with items for any nuclear/earthquake/civil unrest/war/riot scenario.
That is all good and well but there is also the possibility that after initial disaster, supply lines may break but I can retain access to my apartment. I keep a good supply of grains, legumes, dried meats, root veggies, nuts, oil(several kgs of each) and some wine, tomato paste, spices, and salt at all times. Assuming there would be water, what can I grow in my balcony that could enhance my meals/life?
I know that it could attract unwanted attention but I think it is better to have some fresh produce. I have an area of ~2x2 meters (~7x7 feet) with rails on the sides. Tomatoes, basil, parsley, green onions are some of my ideas. I would appreciate all advice on this.
Other-Formal-2319@reddit
I don’t have any advice, I just came here to say I legitimately read this entire post as “baloney” farming about 5 times before I realized
janice142@reddit
Frankly, I believe that you're thinking too big. You need smaller and faster options. A few years back I discovered microgreens and that changed my life. Seriously! I can have my own salads every day in minimal space, using few resources.
Here's the series I wrote way back when. https://janice142.com/Articles/MicrogreensAboardSeaweed.html
This, along with growing lentil sprouts, means I can have rabbit food at will, continuously, with little need of fresh water. Frankly, water is a problem in off-grid situations. My setup is unobtrusive.
I have grown tomatoes in hanging baskets. However, that took a lot of room. For the tomatoes, I purchased the rapid grow boxes at Dollar (and 50 cents) Tree. Starting one box every two months keeps one golf ball sized tomato ripening almost every day. They require a lot of water though.
Good luck.
allahyokdinyalan@reddit (OP)
How often can I get a yield from microgreens?
janice142@reddit
Every 4 days. Broccoli sometimes takes a day longer. Basically, with 2 dozen soap dishes, I have enough for myself and to share with a neighbor. The microgreens along with lentils keep me in produce year round.
At this point I only buy cucumbers and zucchini on occasion from the grocery store.
I grow inside. Because I have limited storage space I find this doable.
Lentils are not to be forgotten. To rehydrate takes a few hours. They can be added to tunafish with mayonnaise for a tuna salad. I use a 50/50 mix. These are the cheap (dollar per pound) lentils found in the Spanish section of the grocery store. Lentils in the American section cost more.
I also sprout lentils. Those lentil sprouts get added to tuna or crabmeat for a salad. Again, a 50/50 mix. My neighbor adds lentil sprouts to macroni (and egg or tuna) salad regularly. Past the 3 to 4 day mark however, lentil sprouts get leggy. The flavor changes. Definitely taste test to find your preference.
Sprouting and growing microgreens are worth trying just from self-sufficiency standpoint. I find them both practical. They easy to start and stop as life intrudes on my time availability.
allahyokdinyalan@reddit (OP)
Thank you for all the information. Do you have any additional sources you would suggest?
janice142@reddit
When I was first starting, I watched Khang Starr videos on YouTube. I like that he is a regular guy, using inexpensive solutions. He's not going to say buy X, Y and Z. Instead, he reuses take-out food containers. He uses dirt. Later he does add fertilizers and such. I've not done that as I don't do dirt.
Anyway, start with him. He's good. I adapted for my situation, i.e. a boater, back then primarily off-grid, with limited money. Check his information out first.
Additionally, that behind-the-scenes tour of Disney World's hydroponics lab was eye-opening. Disney grows all the salads they serve in their restaurants right on the premises. Plus the tilapia too. It's quite amazing.
I wanted that ability for myself. Also, I watched videos from the companies that sell microgreen seeds. Then I tested for myself. There.were a lot of "good ideas" I tried that were abject failures. 😃 So between Khang Starr and Disney, plus reading everything I could find, I created the system I employ.
Definitely try now versus later. Once you get going, you can expand and grow other microgreens and sprouts. It's fun, and the entrance to try is quite inexpensive.
XilodonZ@reddit
Excellent plan, you can focus on high-calorie dense crops like potatoes and beans. Also prioritize fast-growing greens like kale and spinach for vital nutrients. Your existing list is perfect for flavor and variety.
allahyokdinyalan@reddit (OP)
Kale and spinach is often a little to soiled for my effort. Maybe cabbage is a better option or a smaller brassica
ArcaneLuxian@reddit
Id look into a hydroponic tower or a green stalk. They take up a smaller space and you c an load them up with plants. Also look into what you can hang off your railing. There are planters made specifically for railings. They're perfect for herbs or medicinal flowers or plants.
TwoFarNorth@reddit
Experienced balcony gardener here. What direction does your balcony face? Does it get a lot of sun or is it shaded out by other buildings or the shape of your building?
allahyokdinyalan@reddit (OP)
It faces north and west, I live in the northern hemisphere. Its pretty open with the closest building ~30m away and not much higher than my balcony. Climate is pretty moderate, feb-march is coldest and there hasnt been much snow recently. Summers are hot and humid with full springs and falls. I want to do this all year around.
TwoFarNorth@reddit
That should work nicely. First of all, watering a balcony full of veggies can be a pain in the butt, especially in the summer when it gets hot. For example, I sometimes had to water my tomatoes twice a day. So choosing the right containers will be crucial. I like the earthbox systems for balcony gardening, and I continue to use them now that I have a house and in-ground garden. I like lots of things about those systems, but the big reservoir for bottom watering and the mulch covers really help reduce watering in the hottest months.
I found the higher you're up, the windier it gets. When I lived on the 5th floor I had lots of knocked over pots from wind. So securing your plants can be essential, especially as plants like tomatoes get top heavy. Selecting a determinate tomato variety will be critical, patio varieties are even better.
You may not have as many pollinators find your plants on a city balcony, so you'll want to learn techniques for pollinating tomatoes, peppers, etc, to ensure a good harvest (its easy). And plan to fertilize often, as veggies go through nutrients in containers a lot faster than you'd think.
Plants like greens of all kinds, beets/radish/turnips, brassicas, herbs will be great for a busy doc as they don't require pollination and are pretty low maintenance. Many greens do well tucked into the darker corners, like your north facing area.
For winter months, you'll want to chose seed varieties with shorter dates to maturity. Although your winter climate may be mild, the sunlight is simply not there for plants that take a long time to mature. Radish, turnip, tatsoi, bok choy, arugula, mizuna, lettuce, early maturing cabbage, spinach, kale, beets, green onions and peas are part of my fall garden. I'm in zone 5b so growing these under cover.
I also set up a grow tent indoors for winter overwintering of citrus and some tender perennials and plan to power it with a solar generator in the event of power loss. I just potted up a bunch of greens for my grow racks, too. These could be moved to window ledges in the event of power loss.
allahyokdinyalan@reddit (OP)
I dont think I will have the time or effort for hand pollination. It might be better to opt for herbs and beets for a bit to get the basics. I am on second floor so wind shouldn’t be a problem but I was wondering if birds would be a problem. There are a lot of seagulls and pigeons where I live, I don’t want them messing or pooping around.
Also, for a hypothetical scenario where I use 20L buckets for a start, how often would I need to replace/fertilize the soil? My family has a garden but they only ever use fertilizer every so often. Logistics of plant cultivation not on open ground is foreign to me.
TwoFarNorth@reddit
A breeze may be enough to fertilize your tomatoes, if you choose to grow them. Herbs and beets are a great place to start. I love how low maintenance beets are and you can even eat the baby greens.
At the height of the growing season, you might need to fertilize every couple of weeks for a good harvest for maturing plants in 20L containers. I admit I'm not so good with fertilizing my potted veggies and herbs and I still get a decent harvest. But if I was growing for survival, I would definitely stay on top of fertilization to maximize food production.
I never had a problem with birds when balcony gardening, but didn't have a big local population of pigeons and gulls to content with!
TwoFarNorth@reddit
I don't think I fully answered your question about fertilizing and replacing soil. I stupidly replaced soil every growing season while I had balcony gardens, not realizing how easy it is to amend the soil and use it every growing season. Getting a bunch of heavy soil into your apartment is a hassle. Learn from me and buy the soil once and then just buy amendments like fertilizer, earthworm casings, etc!
allahyokdinyalan@reddit (OP)
So the basic idea comes down to using the soil as a substrate which would hold all the necessary minerals and water and provide substance for roots, right?
Casiarius@reddit
I recommend walking onions, aka tree onions. They are perennial and they clone themselves so you never need to worry about tiny seeds. They never get very big so they like containers.
Radishes are great in containers. You can start them very early in the spring and they can be ready to harvest in just a few weeks. You can start off with radishes in the spring and then plant something else in the pot after you harvest the radishes.
If you have room for a small trellis, peas work great in containers and these too can be started early in the spring. Peas don't like heat and you will typically replace them with something after one crop.
With a trellis and lots of sun you can also grow small squash or cucumbers. There's a cucumber that's the size of an olive and looks like a tiny watermelon called a Mexican Sour Gherkin aka cucamelon or mouse melon.
Top Hat Blueberries are a dwarf variety, and mine are happy in 15-gallon pots.
It would be helpful to know your hardiness zone and facing. Though, balconies can be their own strange micro-climate depending on how well the building holds heat and how the wind flows around it. If your balcony is windy it can dry out your plants, so I recommend large self-watering planters with an internal reservior. Alternately, use the biggest plastic pot you can find a saucer for. The saucer will help control runoff from watering so that your downstairs neighbors don't complain, and you can fill up the saucer on hot days to provide extra water.
For lots of information about growing all sorts of food plants in containers, I recommend The Bountiful Container by McGee and Stuckey.
allahyokdinyalan@reddit (OP)
I live in a moderate climate, similar to New York but summers and winters are milder and very humid all the time. Is it better to grow herbs and greens for summer and root veggies for winter?
Casiarius@reddit
I would grow everything possible in every available space. Most herbs remain small and you can grow them on sunny window sills even in winter. Look around for a book on winter gardening, preferably one for your region, and you may be surprised at all the things you can grow all winter with a bit of protection. I've had kale that never seemed to understand it was winter and just kept producing all year.
silasmoeckel@reddit
Be realistic your either living in the hospital or gone until the worst of things are over.
allahyokdinyalan@reddit (OP)
I would not be able to make it to where I work if main routes are blocked.
silasmoeckel@reddit
Are you so sure? We routinely get hospital staff to the facility in emergencies. I would expect your first responders will do similar and frankly if that's nonexistent the city isn't someplace you want to be.
allahyokdinyalan@reddit (OP)
Happened several times where I live, they bring in staff from neighbouring regions due to logistical and administrative impotence
Led_Zeppole_73@reddit
Square foot method container gardening, on the southern face. Works great for me.
juancarlospaco@reddit
Mushrooms, aloe vera, spirulina, mealworms, yeast, tilapia, quails.
henicorina@reddit
You think OP should start a fish farm on a 2 sq m apartment balcony??
juancarlospaco@reddit
Yes, he did not mention limitations on tall structures, I've seen nice vertical setups, including a metal base to distribute weight.
henicorina@reddit
Have you ever lived in a multistory apartment building?
juancarlospaco@reddit
Yes, some places have strict rules, some places dont, I've seen metal-extended balconies using discarded welded train rails etc.
henicorina@reddit
That sounds insanely dangerous and frankly stupid. A series of tanks large enough to grow 1 lb fish would weigh thousands of pounds. The whole concept of prepping is to make your life SAFER not damage the structural integrity of your apartment building.
kitchofski88@reddit
You can get a mod plant that is tomatoes up top and potatoes below. Great space saver. Also, grow peppers for spice.
maimauw867@reddit
Do not forget to do a loadbearing analysis. Most balconies are not make storing heavy stuff like soil.
ItsSadButtDrew@reddit
you could grow greens. kale, bok choy, spinach etc. high nutrient and as high yield as you are going to get in small space. these are also cold hardy and can be harvested young and kept going.
henicorina@reddit
You can grow herbs in a space that size but that won’t do anything to help you in an emergency situation.
booksandrats@reddit
Idk what kinda zone you're living in but lettuce, cukes, peppers ad herbs are pretty easy to get going in containers. Shout out to /r/containergardening
One_Dragonfruit_7556@reddit
You could do bucket potatoes
Ryan_e3p@reddit
I'll give the same advice I gave someone else here. Copy/paste below:
Even a single week in a condo with no power is going to be troublesome; multiple weeks without power in a condo is going to be very difficult and dangerous, and I would highly recommend leaving after a few days to a relative's or friend's house. Here are the logistical issues if you choose to stay:
Keeping power going multiple days is going to take a lot more than 5kw of capacity and 800W of panels included with that. It simply doesn't have enough capacity to power what you need for more than a day, let alone two or more days to account for periods of cloudiness. In ideal circumstances where it was sunny, that 800W of panels is going to take almost 7 hours of ideal sun (sun high up in the sky) to charge while the generator is not being used, and depending on where you are, with winter coming there is going to be as little as 4-5 hours of peak sun to charge (so the generator won't be getting a full charge in a single day). You can add one more 200W panel to it to max out the solar input to 1000W, but don't forget, if you plan on using it 24/7, it will increase the hours needed to fully charge (since it will be using a lot of the immediately generated and not using it to charge the battery).
Even if you eat what food that you can from the fridge and cook what you can from the freezer and just let it go dead to keep the energy for heated blankets and cooking food, once it loses power and defrosts the fridge is going to become a health hazard after a week with mold growth. Compound this with sanitary conditions deteriorating from lack of readily available hot water for washing and bathing, and everyone in there can get really, really sick really fast. This is on top of pipes in the apartment freezing over (which you can't prevent unless you heat the entire unit & whatever pipes feeding into it), leading to additional mold issues in the walls if they burst/leak. Then there are other problems caused by that, like the pipes freezing no longer allowing you to flush the toilet, then having to deal with bodily waste, as well as not having any water for washing or preparing food. All these problems need to be considered, and we haven't even touched upon the human threat, where people near you are going to smell bread baking and food being prepared, see your solar panels charging your power bank, and decide to take what you have by force if need be. An outage lasting a day, people can tolerate. 2-3 days is uncomfortable but doable and can plan for. Once it gets to be a week without, people will get desperate for help. 2+ weeks in, people will resort to more unruly measures to stay warm, eat, and get some level of comfort back.
Unfortunately, evacuating would be the safest and most ideal plan, especially with children involved.
Wandering_Oz@reddit
You think if shtf you’re going to be just cool chilling in your apartment? Lol
allahyokdinyalan@reddit (OP)
For an earthquake scenario, if my house doesn’t get damaged, what would you have me do? Ofc I will go back and live in my apartment.