"The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses..." Couldn't have agreed better with Hanna Rion. Gardens breathe life into a home, making it lively, green, and fresh. The myriad colors of flowers painted with the lush foliage gives a rich look and feel to a home. And who doesn't like to have a garden? So, if you have got a new home or an apartment for yourself and are wondering on how to set up your own garden, no worries. The following paragraphs will help you go about this task like an expert. Instructions to Grow a Garden in an Apartment Lou Erickson says, "Gardening requires lots of water, most of it in the form of perspiration..". So get ready to sweat it out for the beautiful garden that you are going to grow in your apartment. Here are some small garden ideas which can be tried out. Defining Garden Space If your apartment contains a yard or a patio, that space is more than enough to grow your dream garden. So first, make a calculation on the space that you would want to utilize for gardening. Since this space may be shared among other tenants, consult the concerned people and mark your space for your gardening activity. Also, gather the shared costs and labor required for the garden access. And yes, a very important point you need to consider here is the amount of sunlight that is accessible in the area you have marked. Plants need the perfect blend of sunlight and shade to flourish. Decide on Type of Garden Now, you have a choice here, whether you want a vegetable garden, or a flower garden or a combination of both. Because different plants grow in different climatic conditions. Corn needs a lot of space and is not recommended to be grown in small lots. Potatoes need deeper plots to shoot. So before you undertake the task of gardening, evaluate the depth of your garden and make sure there is no cement below the soil base. If your garden area is such that it receives limited sunlight, decide on vegetables that grow well in shaded areas. Setting up the Vegetable Garden Now the last thing in setting up your garden will be taking some advice from a local nursery who will guide you best on whether to choose seeds or potted plants for making a vegetable garden. If the space is limited, try potted plants, which is a better alternative. Growing vines (like Wisteria) is a very good idea for patio and backyard based apartments, and they are versatile garden plants which take little space, liven up the look and also fetch you some tasty fruits (of course, it depends on the choice of vine). For a container gardening, take any used containers/pots and make small holes at the bottom to help in soil drainage. One can also fill in with some rocks and perlite mixture. Plant your vegetables in these containers and keep it in such a location of the garden space, that it receives at least 5 hours of sunlight every day. Potted plants need more frequent fertilization. Use organic fertilizers (like kelp based fertilizers) once a fortnight and you will have the choice of picking up your yummy vegetables for lunch! Tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans will need trellises or poles for a proper growth. Other vegetables like eggplants, bell pepper, salad greens, herbs, cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts and carrots can grow in containers. Decorating with a Flower Garden And then there are flowers which can spice up your little garden by adding the charm factor to it. After all, a garden remains incomplete without flowers. And flower gardening is no rocket science. Most flowers can be grown in pots, by means of softwood cuttings and stem grafting techniques. But when you go for a flower garden, make sure that there is enough sunshine as sunlight is essential for sustaining plants. But before going for this idea, study about the different types of flowers that can grow in your region. Run a check on the soil needed. After collecting your facts, you can start off with hanging flower pots with the most beautiful flowers that will embellish your garden and apartment look. Some of the container gardening plants that can be grown in apartments are listed below.

• Strawberries
• Sugar baby watermelon
• Cherry tomatoes
• Small potatoes (Use trough type planting beds)
• Onions, chives, and garlic
• Lettuce
• Cabbage
• Kale
• Pineapples
• Broccoli and cauliflower
• Peppers, herbs and spices

Also go through this list of the flowering house plants that can be grown in apartments.

• Maidenhair Ferns
• Begonias
• Mint
• Swedish Ivy
• Moss Terrarium
• Tulips
• Blazing Star
• Tiger Lily
• Amaryllis

Instructions for Indoor Gardening Growing a garden indoors can be absolute fun. And cultivating a herb garden is the best indoor gardening means. The perfect spaces in your home for growing such mini gardens are your windowsills, where there will be fresh sunlight for the herbs to sustain. And the good news is that most herbs can be potted. While you grow these herbs, make sure that they get about 8 hours of sunlight every day. There is no better ingredient than the natural sunlight, which is vital for the photosynthesis process in plants. The only concern to be heeded to is temperature and humidity levels within the home. During winters, the temperature is cold and the atmosphere is dry with low levels of humidity. Misting at regular intervals and placing the potted herb in a tray of pebbles and water, will help in keeping the herbs hydrated. To avoid any pest invasion, swish the plant around occasionally with soap water to drive indoor plant bugs away. Although herbs take their own sweet time to grow indoors, they do flourish well with proper care. After all, herbs are such versatile members of the plant kingdom, which not only help on the culinary front, but also on medical grounds. One can also house beautiful indoor plants, which act as indoor air purifiers. Some of them are as listed below:

• Angel Ivy Ring Topiary
• Christmas Cactus
• Chamaedorea Palm
• Chinese Evergreen
• Moth Orchid
• Ponytail Palm
• Tropical Cambo Bonsai
• Cactus Combo Bonsai
• Herb Topiaries(like lavender, rosemary and serissa)
• Braided Fiscus Tree
• Peace Lilies
• Bromelaids
• Kalanchoe
• Bee Balm
• Hibiscus
• Anthurium
• African Violets
• Chrysanthemum

Most of this activity is centric around growing a garden in pots, which you might have realized by now. So go ahead, liven up your apartment with a little farm that gives you the tastiest vegetables, fruits, and herbs for your lunch and dinner, and also comes across as a natural aromatherapy for you, with the various flowers emitting a soothing fragrance! After all, "Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity..."―Lindley Karstens