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#74 Bedroom Herb & Vegetable Garden

posted by Catherine Marshall on April 6, 2009, in postcode 2026

I live in a one bedroom unit in Bondi. I want to grow my own herbs and some of my own vegetables but I don't have a courtyard or balcony. The experiment is to see if an indoor garden can survive and flourish in a bedroom at the back of a building because if we can do it ANYONE CAN!

Here is a link to the the 4 layer Stacking Garden my mum sent me from Productive Gardens http://www.productivegardens.com.au/

Here is a list of what I have planted

  • Cherry Tomoatoes
  • Silverbeet
  • Basil
  • Oregano
  • Four types of lettuce
  • Coriander
  • Thyme
  • Parsley
  • Chives
  • Chocolate Mint

I'm also going to pot some rosemary and Chillies but they didn't fit in the stacker garden.

The Spot

The sunniest place in the house is this bay window in the bedroom. I had to buy a big doormat with a rubber bottom in case there is leakage.

Potting the plants

We separated some of the plants and potted them in different pockets in case some don't survive.

The bigger picture

This photo gives an indication of the size of the setup

The Final Setup

The doormat I chose has made it easy to rotate the pots so that each pocket gets sunlight. I will rotate it daily. I will also be watering daily. The garden has a trickle down system so most of the water will go in the top pot. It's also important to sponge out any water left in the bottom tray as this water becomes toxic for plants if left to soak.

3 Months later

3 months later and there have been big losses and small wins. I watered the plants and was careful but many were lost due to the lack of sunlight.

 

I moved the stacker into the sunroom, which is actually our tiny walk in wardrobe / home office. I put it in the window bay - the sunniest place in the unit.

 

It definitely doesn't look as good but the parsley and the broccolini (my dark horse) are flourishing. The basil is still kicking too. The tomoatoes had to go because their height didn't fit in the new spot. everything else perished, but I did get some lovely herbs for a couple of months.

I'll try and load a picture tomorrow.

If you want to try this at home:

  • Sunlight MUST be able to reach the bottom stackers!
  • Try one plant per stacker balcony
  • Plant small plants
  • Stick your finger in the soil to check the dampness before you water it
  • Make sure you soak up any excess water from the tray
  • Sunlight Sunlight Sunlight

Comments (9)

This is absolutely fantastic, not only great to have a real herb garden without a garden but it also looks awsome! I am going to have a look at a similar system myself. The bedroom must smell like a dream with all these fresh herbs growing.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Fieke

Fieke Geerts 6 April 2009 at 19:02
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I'm so totally impressed.  I'm getting one.  So inspiring.  I'm telling the world. Thanks for this great idea....    

Jess Roche 6 April 2009 at 22:29
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I just ordered mine.  I'm going to put it on a lazy susan so i can rotate it with easy. Yeah! I'm excited.  

Jess Roche 6 April 2009 at 23:03
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Catherine this is such a creative, useful and energising idea.

Not only will you get fresh organic herbs to use in your cooking but the extra oxygen it is providing for your bedroom I'm sure this will also add to a better night sleep.

Very interesting, I think you are going to start something big!

 

Ingrid Faucher 7 April 2009 at 09:30
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Hello,

I just found this site - great initiative. I am about to move in to an apartment in Sydney and really want some herbs, so I will be using catherine's example. Great Idea guys x

mads allen 7 April 2009 at 11:03
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Picture of user Catherine Marshall

http://lifeonthebalcony.com/ another helpful site from Mads Majella

Catherine Marshall 7 April 2009 at 14:59
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Picture of user vaike neeme

ooh i LOVE this! i live half the time with my bf in a studio apartment too  - i'm going to get us one!

Vaike Neeme 15 April 2009 at 13:49
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How is the garden coming along Catherine?

cwilson 5 May 2009 at 17:40
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Picture of user niftycorp

brilliant... it's beautiful!

and tell me more about this chocolate mint... sounds like it's halfway to being it's own dessert.

Annette Loudon 9 May 2009 at 21:05
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