How to Grow Food When you Have no Yard

2020 has been a wild ride! I'm a little bit behind in making videos for you, but...I thought it was about time for a life update.

I found myself in Puerto Rico through the earthquakes and COVID-19 Pandemic. While I'm a legal Puerto Rican citizen, I don't yet have a permanent home on the island. So, I've been renting Airbnb's, which has been awesome... So, when I rented a "garden house" in Rincón I was expecting it to have, well some kind of garden or growing area. Well, let's just say there isn't much of a garden to speak of... I had to get creative and find ways to grow food when you have no yard!

I made a few videos for y'all to share you how I started some veggie seeds...and maybe even a little guerilla gardening. Oh, and did I mention the iguanas? Stay tuned to see how I did despite these fun garden pests and lack of growing space!


Comments

  • Ferg
    Ferg Posts: 285 ✭✭✭

    @Marjory Wildcraft I hear iguanas are tasty...

    (do I need to use an emoticon there?)

    I've lived places where I had to grow on my patio, so I had someone make me a few triple planter hangers with very strong materials and hung them. cucumbers and herbs like this a lot. It's a cascading vertical garden (-: I've also had to grow on my roof, and on the garage roof. One things is, I only grow stuff I actually will eat. While zuchini is a great producer, I hate it. I've tried it a million and two ways and i still hate it. I love beans. Those things grow anywhere and are great producers as well (I do bush beans).

  • tomandcara
    tomandcara Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭

    microgreens are another option.

  • herbantherapy
    herbantherapy Posts: 453 ✭✭✭✭

    @Ferg cascading cucumbers sound amazing!!!

    I grow all my annual veggies in containers mostly for physical ease, but I find I have less moles when I’m not watering the ground! Plus I have better control of water and nutrients. I highly recommend containers even if you have space!!

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin

    Hi @Ferg Yes! I called David the Good, who is the tropics growing expert, and he told me iguanas are delicious. Sort of like a cross between shrimp and chicken? Very light and tasty. They are such magnificant creatures...

  • KimWilson
    KimWilson Posts: 197 ✭✭✭

    When all else fails, you can always grow things inside the house.

  • KimWilson
    KimWilson Posts: 197 ✭✭✭

    @Marjory Wildcraft I do have to say that it is so sustaining and affirming to have you post a few little seedlings. There are so many of us who simply stand in awe of what you have accomplished in the areas of gardening and sustainability and it is good to see that you still have such joy and enthusiasm for the baby seeds as they begin to grow.

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin

    awww thank you @KimWilson I always say, do what you can. I really enjoyed eating that small patch of radishes. Even if it wasn't much, it was something fresh and green and grown by me. So satisfying.

  • Ferg
    Ferg Posts: 285 ✭✭✭

    @herbantherapy when i have space, I build Amazing Grow Boxes. Once they are built, it is like chiropractic-free gardening (-: they are very high and produce a LOT with biointensive and polyculture techniques. I had to get used to daily bean picking LOL.


  • Ferg
    Ferg Posts: 285 ✭✭✭

    One thing to be careful of, and that is in some Central/South American countries, there are a few endangered species of iguana. Because... they are tasty.

  • AngelaOston
    AngelaOston Posts: 249 ✭✭✭

    Im doing James Fry’s Revolution Garden Method in the High mountain desert Its working well. Planning on setting up systems on my flat roof this winter for next spring. which will give me 2000sq ft of area to grow vines (squah, melons, cukes), beans, sunflower and micro grains ( quinoa and amaranth).


  • AngelaOston
    AngelaOston Posts: 249 ✭✭✭

    And then the latest is James Fry Revolution Garden system. This is working very even better than the other two. 

    started it in early june with straggly starts from lowes and i. Six weels became huge. 

    it also uses pee ponics in the nutrient pool that feeds the roots. 





    Sorry the middle photo is my potatoes in grow bags. Also going well 

    the top is the second week of june on the Revolution garden bed The bottom is the middle of july. About 5-6 weeks later.

  • AngelaOston
    AngelaOston Posts: 249 ✭✭✭

    I also have planters - that are working pretty well 




    they are mostly five gallon bucket with 5 gallon grow bags on top with a hole on the bottom of the grow bag with a hydroponic basket. - i covered the buckets with burlap sacks. So wouldnt look so weird on my porch. But you can see some of them dont have the burlap bag anymore.

  • jayealynn
    jayealynn Posts: 1 ✭✭✭

    Contemplating the Tiny Green Monster Machine stuff by James Fry. You mentioned being in the high desert. I am in AZ and struggling with my raised beds.

    Do you mind me asking where you are geographically?

    You did some modifications to James' system by way of containers. What kind of investment would I be looking at?

    Any down-sides to the revolution garden method you would be willing to share?

  • AngelaOston
    AngelaOston Posts: 249 ✭✭✭

    Im in Albuquerque NM. So we snow in winter. Cooler than you. Im happy with the system. I did it less expensive than some of his options. But followedthe principals. It working well. One of the beds i didnt put enough medium in the bottom and caused over watering. But that was my own error. Reread the system and realized what i did wrong. And took some work rectifying it. I like being able to do pee ponics with it. Which works great. And compost teas that all get delivered to the roots. And i like not watering it daily like my containers and small front area of wood chips. Definitely had increased growth from it.

  • AngelaOston
    AngelaOston Posts: 249 ✭✭✭

    I had two zucchini transplants in the same container. This one I planted in the rich compost under the wood chips. Seems to be doing pretty well for five weeks in. (This was mid july)

  • AngelaOston
    AngelaOston Posts: 249 ✭✭✭

    This is its twin from the transplant container. About 4-5 times its size. With one good size zucchini so far

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Welcome @jayealynn. Hopefully you can conquer your raised garden issues!

    @AngelaOston Thanks for sharing! Your plants look great!

  • Cornelius
    Cornelius Posts: 872 ✭✭✭✭

    I personally have a few exotic plants that I bring in over the winter. I have a dwarf banana and a Meyer lemon just to name a few. I can't wait for them to start producing. I think growing food plants in your house is great since if you do not have a greenhouse it can open your possibilities.