Urban Farming: 10 Crops You Can Grow at Home

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If you think you can’t grow your own food because you live in the city, don’t have a yard or have a serious lack of space – prepare to have your mind blown. Thanks to container gardening, it’s possible for urbanites and apartment-dwellers to take part in the grow-your-own-food movement – even when space is at a premium. But gardening in containers goes way beyond cherry tomatoes and coffee cans filled with herbs. From a bountiful harvest of strawberries to guacamole-ready avocados, here are 10 surprising crops you can grow at home – no garden required!

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Potatoes

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Container size: 10-gallon container or potato grow bag

Ideal climate: The ideal temperature for potatoes is between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. On warmer days, be extra conscious about watering your potato plants to avoid over-drying the roots.

How to do it: Not all potato varieties are suitable for containers. So, choosing the right variety is important. Potato varieties suited for containers include All Blue, Yukon Gold, Fingerling and Red Pontiac, according to die-hard ‘tater lover and Growing Potatoes blogger Stacey.

Since your potatoes will grow underground, using a high-quality potting soil is also important. After planting, place your potato container in direct sunlight, and keep the container evenly watered until harvest.

Once the green tops of your potato plants reach 6 inches tall, you’ll need to “hill” your potatoes using soil, compost or clean straw. Add 3 to 4 inches of soil, compost or straw on top of your plants, leaving about 2/3 of the green tops exposed. Repeat as necessary as potato plants develop.