Planting a fire escape garden is my domestic project for 2010. I’ll explain my process step by step and document my hoped-for success on Metro Cheapo. Feel free to weigh in with advice or tips!
Step 1: Choosing the plants
Fire escapes, the only gardening space available to many an urban gardener, provide only a limited area for growing plants, so it’s important to choose your plants carefully. My criteria for planning my garden are a) what I like to eat, b) the growing conditions of my fire escape, and c) plants that are cheap to grow but expensive to buy at the grocery store–in that order.
My favorite veggies are tomatoes, hands down, so they were the first plants I chose. I also like peppers, lettuces and greens, beans and herbs. I’m not a huge fan of zucchini, summer squash, or eggplant.
Fortunately, my fire escape faces south, meaning that it gets several hours of bright sunlight every day–perfect for growing most vegetables. Bright sun means that water evaporates quickly, so I’ll need to monitor the moisture of the soil every day. I don’t have that much space, though, so I plan to plant about 5 large pots and 5 medium pots.
Now, the easiest part: what vegetables are expensive at the grocery store? According to my ongoing research, tomatoes typically cost $2 or more per pound, even in summer, and the quality varies from orange and mealy to juicy and flavorful. Red bell peppers (which are just ripe green peppers) often cost $2.49 or more, even when green peppers are a dollar less. Arugula and Swiss chard are both easy to grow but of varying quality and price at the store. Green beans are often cheap, but they grow so fast (and I have a ladder attached to the fire escape, making it perfect pole bean plant support) that I decided to go with them. Herbs like oregano and mint grow well in small pots and in bright sunlight.
Next, I went online to find seeds. I concentrated on varieties that are suited for container gardening, like dwarf tomato hybrids, and decided on the following, all from Burpee:
- “Patio princess” hybrid tomato ($5.25 per seed packet, 30 seeds)
- “California wonder” bell pepper ($2.95 per seed packet, 100 seeds)
- “Blue lake” pole beans ($2.95 per seed packet, 2 oz.)
I have arugula and Swiss chard seeds left over from last year, plus an oregano plant and a pot of mint.
More from Metro Cheapo’s Fire Escape Garden Guide
Step 1: Choosing Your Plants
Step 2: Setting Up the Nursery
Step 3: Taking Care of Seedlings
Step 4: Transplanting Seedlings
Step 5: Hardening Off
Step 6: Maintenance (coming soon)
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