Building and Using a Garden Condo

Many people who would like a garden are discouraged by a lack of outdoor space. They never get the benefits of having fresh fruits and vegetables, because they think there is no other way to do it. The truth is, there are many ways to grow vegetables indoors. One great idea is a Garden Condo.

Garden Condos can be placed anywhere there is available sunshine in your home. I placed mine in a full length window. But even without any sunshine, you can still grow with a Garden Condo. Two long fluorescent shop lights can be hung on the top by a small chain. Which can be adjusted to lift or lower, according to the height of the plant. I use the fluorescent lighting on the top shelf for seedlings that are sprouting. As well as the light from the full length window for the plants on the lower shelves.

These Garden Condos can be purchased for up to $400.00. However, we opted to make one out of scrap pieces of wood. Our structure stands six foot tall, but smaller ones are fine, depending on how many plants are needed, and how much area you have. I have the three separate shelves for my plants.

On the first shelves I keep the littler plants, and sprouting seedlings, as well as smaller herbs. This keeps the little plants close to the fluorescent lighting. On the middle and bottom shelves are the bigger, heartier plants that are close to being harvested. I also have the top of the Condo to put my house plants on. Spider plants or small flowers look exceptional, as long as they do not take up too much light from the other plants.

Always water all your indoor plants frequently. Also keep holes in the bottom of any planters or containers used for water drainage.

Whether you opt to buy an indoor Garden Condo or build one yourself, you should consider putting an extra barrier between your plants and any indoor pets. I have four cats who love getting into plants. So my husband built in vertical pieces of wood around the Condo. When placed against the window, all the plants still receive the best light, while at the same time the animals can never get in. We also placed wheels under the Condo. This is a great idea for homes with wooden floors, that can be easily damaged with scratches.

Garden Condos are a pleasing way to grow fresh vegetables without any outdoor space. While at the same time, saving money on fresh, organic produce.