Gifts for the Urban Gardener

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Looking for gift ideas for a gardener growing on an apartment balcony or other small space? Here are some ideas for products they may find useful.

Grow Bags

Grow bags are a great alternative to heavy terra cotta pots. These flexible containers come in a variety of shapes and sizes to meet just about any space requirements. Grow bags flatten for easy storage when not in use. The bags themselves are lightweight and usually have handles for moving or lifting.

Although some grow bags are made from plastic, these tend to get brittle and only last a season. The better option is to get fabric bags from a non-woven man-made fiber, similar to landscape fabric.

Fabric grow bags allow the plant roots breath and promotes air pruning of the roots which prevent the roots circling in the bottom of the pot. The fabric containers also provide good drainage and can help prevent root rot.

Although some people don’t care for the look of fabric grow bags, there is plenty of variety out there to please most any eye. Most commonly, the fabric bags are black or green but if you look around you can find bags in various colors like red, blue, white, purple and more. There are individual pots, large divided containers and vertical hanging ones as well.

Small Composter

Yes, even in the city gardeners can make their own compost to fertilize their garden. Some of these compact composting systems can even be used indoors. Bokashi type compost systems can be used indoors and can digest meat, dairy and other materials not usually added to compost. Bokashi is an anaerobic process and uses a probiotic booster. Usually done in a container about the size of a 5 gallon bucket that can fit under the kitchen sink if needed. Try this system from All Seasons or the sleeker looking one from Exaco Trading. Remember to get the inoculant needed.

Vermicomposting is another excellent option for making great compost in a small space. Practically odorless you can keep your worms indoors with you all year around.

Many systems start small with a few trays and can be added to as needed. Include a gift certificate for the worms!

Vertical Planter System

Growing in small spaces like balconies means that going up is easier than going out. For more information about vertical planter systems, please see this post.

There are free standing stacking systems that can hold a lot of plants like those made by GreenStalk and Garden Tower. You can also look at wall mounted designs and other free standing vertical systems.

Don’t forget that balcony railings count for vertical space as well. There are grow bags and planters designed to fit over railings. While fabric grow bags easily adjust to different size railings, some plastic planters are adjustable but others are not. Also consider hanging pots which can be hung on railings, fences or lathe. Finally, hanging baskets, “upside down” planters and standard plant hangers are also good options for using vertical space.

Freestanding options shouldn’t be an issue but remember some urban gardeners cannot add hooks or screw anchors into walls.

Indoor Growing

Not enough sunlight on that little balcony? Try growing completely indoors.

The AeroGarden systems are very popular indoor growing options. These hydroponic planters with an overhead grow light allow indoor vegetable and herb production all year around. The new AeroGarden Bounty even is wi-fi enabled and lets Alexa help you keep the system going.

If the gardener you are buying for prefers to grow in soil, there are a variety of full spectrum lights available to promote indoor growth. Some are systems have timers to simulate the natural world. There are also freestanding, adjustable lights as well as hanging lights.

Mini Greenhouse

A mini greenhouse will take up very little of the precious space available to the urban gardener while still allowing for season extension and a plant nursery for seed starting.

A small four or five shelf system with a plastic cover can be a temporary greenhouse for use indoors or out. Designed to be temporary structures, most mini greenhouses of this design can be easily dismantled and stored when not needed. Clear PVC covers keep your seedlings toasty warm in the spring and have a zippered door for easy access and watering. Usually about 30 inches wide and 19 inches deep and around 63 inches tall, a few models are just a bit larger.

Moving up in size (and space required) there are walk in versions of portable greenhouses as well. Similar in construction and design to the shelf systems but providing 8 or so shelves plus some additional space. Big enough that the gardener can enjoy working in the warmth of the greenhouse as well. Sizes vary but plan on these walk in mini greenhouse to take up around five feet by five feet of space when assembled.

Small pop-up greenhouses can be handy as well and are very easy to store when not in use. Some models are so small that they would only cover a handful of plants or a couple seedling trays but others provide a bit more room.

Garden Tool Organizer

City gardeners rarely need a rake or a shovel but they still need garden tools and somewhere to keep them. Consider an organizer bag, with or without tools, a bucket organizer, or small stand.

Watering Aids

Growing in cities, on a balcony or patio may present problems getting water to your plants. Plants grown in containers often need more water that plants in the ground and that can pose difficulties if there is no water source near the plants. Its not very likely that an outdoor water spigot will be found on every apartment balcony.

First to consider is the classic watering can. Metal or plastic, look for one sized large enough to carry plenty of water but not so large as to cause difficulty carrying or storing. Consider getting one with a narrow spout instead of a rain type head, don’t want to be watering the neighbor’s balcony too. Also, a narrow spout makes it easy to fill self watering containers and spikes.

Squeeze water out of this bottle to reach hanging plants.

There are many slow release watering options as well. Pretty glass globes, decorative spikes and spikes that attach to water bottles.

Another option is a garden hose that attaches to a kitchen sink faucet. This type of hose can be used for watering indoor plants and is usually long enough to reach to an outside balcony as well. Consider adding in an adapter for the faucet as well for faster, easier attachment.

All-in-One

The all in one Vegepod. This is a raised bed planter has a self-watering container with attached greenhouse/pest screen. The Vegepod is available in three sizes to meet various needs.