Low Light Gardening + No Space Garden Alternatives.

Whenever I share my passion for living green and growing your own food / plants, I hear a common problem: “I would love to grow food / plants / herbs, but I have no space and no light!”

While most edibles and plants adore natural light for a minimum of 6 hours a day, there’s plenty of beauties you can practice your green thumb with despite the absence of space or lighting. But before we jump into the list of what to grow, let’s first tackle the issue of spacing.

farm fresh vegetables / from: belongwithwildflowers.com

No Space Gardening

Stop worrying about how little space you have; turn up your creative juices and let the ideas flow! There are endless options to grow food, herbs, and plants indoors with little-to-no spacing:

• Purchase a windowsill planter

• Create upside-down planters out of coffee cans
• Use teacups or coffee mugs as small planters
• Hang towel rods or a shelf on the wall for planting
• Hang baskets or bowls to create a vertical garden space
• Purchase or create an indoor vertical greenhouse

• Take advantage of poles and railings within your home
• Use a hanging shoe organizer as a vertical garden
• Turn your wine / soda crates into miniature raised beds
• Create a hanging mason jar garden (or leave the jars on a counter)
• Make DIY grow bags
• Turn your old water + soda bottles into planters
• Use your old ladder as a multi-tier garden



You can also read about my first experience with container gardening + thoughts on what grows well.

Low Light Gardening

Now that we’ve side-stepped the issue of little-to-no space for your garden, light is the next hurdle. In low light situations, you may not be able to grow an entire vegetable + fruit garden, but there are still plenty options to grow edibles or add plants to your home.

low light gardening guide / from: belongwithwildflowers.com

What have you successfully grown indoors?
What tips do you have for no space + low light gardening?

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  • http://www.adventuresofbugandboo.com/ TheAdventuresofBugandBoo

    I can’t wait to see what space I have at whatever house we buy when we move!! Growing my own veg is a goal of the next 1,000 days ;) Great tips – thanks!!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Such a great goal!! I am so excited for you, and it sounds like you’ll be growing your garden back in the states :)

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Such a great goal!! I am so excited for you, and it sounds like you’ll be growing your garden back in the states :)

  • http://www.tgrworzels.blogspot.com/ Ray Turner

    Low light gardening is not a problem I have encountered, but I still enjoyed reading the advice in your blog. Thanks for posting it…!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Thank you, Ray! I have several readers who live in urban areas (or in impoverished areas) + don’t always have the best access to natural lighting. Thought a few tips would be helpful. Glad you enjoyed the post!

  • http://www.tgrworzels.blogspot.com/ Ray Turner

    Low light gardening is not a problem I have encountered, but I still enjoyed reading the advice in your blog. Thanks for posting it…!

  • http://www.kellydelvalle.net Kelly del Valle

    Oh man, I recently saw a freakin adorable indoor planter on Pinterest, made out of (what else) old shipping pallets. I can’t wait to try this!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Kelly, I literally stumbled across the same thing right after I hit ‘publish’ on this post! There are so, so many good ideas out there for space-friendly gardening. If you make the pallet, you should definitely take pics + share them on your blog :)

  • http://www.embergrey.com Ember Grey.

    Well you know how much I’M loving this post! ;) Thank you!! I will be researching the links you included this weekend :)

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Emily, you were one of the ladies I had in mind while writing this! On my last gardening post, you + a few other ladies mentioned that you wanted to grow your own flowers/herbs/etc., but had these light / space issues. I hope it was helpful! :)

  • http://www.embergrey.com/ Emily @ Ember Grey.

    Well you know how much I’M loving this post! ;) Thank you!! I will be researching the links you included this weekend :)

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Emily, you were one of the ladies I had in mind while writing this! On my last gardening post, you + a few other ladies mentioned that you wanted to grow your own flowers/herbs/etc., but had these light / space issues. I hope it was helpful! :)

  • http://www.initforlove.net/blog Finley

    these are great ideas for low light as our courtyard suffers with not a lot of sunlight and love your small planter ideas!!! have managed to grow some of these but our next problem is POSSUMS! My goodness. If you had an idea or natural remedy for that I’d love it! Apart from buying chicken wire for fencing everything I can’t think of anything……..!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      So glad you liked the post, Finley! And my oh my… possums?! One of my friends recently had a problem with these garden thieves as well. I actually had sent this link to my friend for the same issue, and she said she had some luck with molasses: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/homemade-natural-possum-repellent-48897.html

      I’ll keep my eyes peeled for other homemade repellents for the possums! :)

  • http://hellohive.blogspot.com Sarah McConnell

    Having kids killed my green thumb, haha. I’d love to get started again one day when they’re a little less maintenance! I love using homegrown herbs. Love the hanging mason jar idea!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      I can only imagine how difficult it would be to grow food + herbs, along with raising your kids! Homegrown herbs are so lovely to have about + use in recipes, I feel like they smell 100x better than anything found in a store. So glad you liked the post!

  • Karen @ away for the weekend

    These are some great tips. I’ve been wanting to garden for a while, but have a very shady yard. Low light gardening is something I really need to do some more research on! Thanks!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      I’m glad you enjoyed the tips, Karen! Hopefully there’s something on the low light / shady gardening list that you can grow :)

  • Karen @ away for the weekend

    These are some great tips. I’ve been wanting to garden for a while, but have a very shady yard. Low light gardening is something I really need to do some more research on! Thanks!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      I’m glad you enjoyed the tips, Karen! Hopefully there’s something on the low light / shady gardening list that you can grow :)

  • http://praylivecreate.com Kim Fernando

    I love it! I’m seriously inching closer to growing something everyday. It’s been a dream of mine for ages. I had green onions and basil in my kitchen for a bit, but I killed them. I think the window box planter would work best for us with herbs or something small.

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      I say: take the plunge! Even if nothing comes from growing something, the process + experience is filled with joy, hope + faith. I think you’ll really love it :) By starting out small you can find your comfort zone with gardening, then grow from there!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Oh gosh, it looks so perfect! I’ve been drooling over this information since you sent it to me, trying to figure out a way to get to Austin! My brain wheels are still churning :)

  • http://praylivecreate.com Kim Fernando

    I love it! I’m seriously inching closer to growing something everyday. It’s been a dream of mine for ages. I had green onions and basil in my kitchen for a bit, but I killed them. I think the window box planter would work best for us with herbs or something small.

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      I say: take the plunge! Even if nothing comes from growing something, the process + experience is filled with joy, hope + faith. I think you’ll really love it :) By starting out small you can find your comfort zone with gardening, then grow from there!

  • http://jenniferkellandperry.wordpress.com Jennifer

    For a while now, I’ve wanted to start an indoor herb garden, say, on a windowsill. Any pointers, Caitlin?

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      A windowsill is a great place to start a little herb garden! For tips, I would say to place the garden on the sunniest windowsill possible, don’t over or under water (if you have a planter or some container with good drainage this won’t be a problem), and have fun in the process! Some windowsill herbs I’ve grown have been fabulous, and others have never really taken flight. Part of the fun is the process + seeing what works well. You can also do a quick Google search to find out what herbs grow best in your region — those herbs will have a better chance of flourishing on the windowsill! If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to send them my way :)

      • http://jenniferkellandperry.wordpress.com Jennifer

        Thanks, Caitlin! I’ll let you know later how it came along.

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      A windowsill is a great place to start a little herb garden! For tips, I would say to place the garden on the sunniest windowsill possible, don’t over or under water (if you have a planter or some container with good drainage this won’t be a problem), and have fun in the process! Some windowsill herbs I’ve grown have been fabulous, and others have never really taken flight. Part of the fun is the process + seeing what works well. You can also do a quick Google search to find out what herbs grow best in your region — those herbs will have a better chance of flourishing on the windowsill! If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to send them my way :)

  • http://www.thewinestain.com/ Ashley

    Did you write this post for me? I think so. I have no excuses now!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Hahaha, I can’t confirm or deny it, but you MAY have been one of the people I had in mind while writing this post :) I hope the tips are helpful!

  • http://www.thewinestain.com/ Ashley

    Did you write this post for me? I think so. I have no excuses now!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Hahaha, I can’t confirm or deny it, but you MAY have been one of the people I had in mind while writing this post :) I hope the tips are helpful!

  • Sarah | For the Love of Chow

    Great post! My garden is STRUGGLING this year at the new house. I know its 70% the soil that I got was not great quality so I’ll be amending for days when I plant my fall garden, but the shade is a bit wonky because it’s by a fence with some large shrubs. I’ll have to get busy with growing some of these this fall :-)

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Thanks, Sarah! Ugh… soil. It really can be the biggest downfall for a garden. Have you added any compost to your soil? I would try adding some + that might perk your garden up a bit. You could also try using some fertilizer if you haven’t already — it’s more for the plant than the soil, but it could do the job! I use an organic fertilizer that is fish emulsion. It smells terrible, but it gives my plants the boost they need despite having so-so soil.

      Good luck with the rest of the summer crops + the upcoming fall ones :) I bet each year that you plant at your new home, it’ll get better + better!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Thanks, Sarah! Ugh… soil. It really can be the biggest downfall for a garden. Have you added any compost to your soil? I would try adding some + that might perk your garden up a bit. You could also try using some fertilizer if you haven’t already — it’s more for the plant than the soil, but it could do the job! I use an organic fertilizer that is fish emulsion. It smells terrible, but it gives my plants the boost they need despite having so-so soil.

      Good luck with the rest of the summer crops + the upcoming fall ones :) I bet each year that you plant at your new home, it’ll get better + better!

  • thesimplylivingblog

    Caitlin I had a bought a basil plant last week to keep in my apartment but it started wilting and I have no idea how to bring it back to life! I tried putting it out on our balcony because I thought it needed more light but that only wilted it more. Any suggestions for how to save it??

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      So glad you reached out to me! I’ve battled with basil on + off for a few years. Your problem sounds like it could be a few things:

      1) Is your basil rootbound? This happens when a plant outgrows the container it’s in. The plant will start to wilt. You can slide the basil plant out of the container + check. (If it’s rootbound it will look something along the lines of this: http://virginialandscaping.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/ruutballin-1.jpg // if that’s the problem, just put it in a bigger container + it should come back.
      2) Are you over-or-under watering your basil? Basil tends to be a big drinker + loves lots of water, especially if it’s getting the 6+ hours of sunlight a day. Sometimes even if the top of the soil looks wet, it could still be dry inside. You can always stick a finger halfway into the container to see if it needs more water.
      3) Is the basil plant big or flowering? Depending on the size it could produce flowers — and that’s not something you want. If there are any blooms or flowers on your plant, prune them off. That could help as well.

      I hope one of these ideas is helpful! If not, let me know a bit more information + I’ll try to help you save that basil :)

      • thesimplylivingblog

        Oh my gosh thanks for the help Caitlin! I think my water and sun ratios may have been off, too much sun and not enough water. I tried giving it some more water like you said and the leaves are already less droopy! :)

        • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

          Good luck, girl! Let me know if I can help any other way :)

        • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

          Good luck, girl! Let me know if I can help any other way :)

  • thesimplylivingblog

    Caitlin I had a bought a basil plant last week to keep in my apartment but it started wilting and I have no idea how to bring it back to life! I tried putting it out on our balcony because I thought it needed more light but that only wilted it more. Any suggestions for how to save it??

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      So glad you reached out to me! I’ve battled with basil on + off for a few years. Your problem sounds like it could be a few things:

      1) Is your basil rootbound? This happens when a plant outgrows the container it’s in. The plant will start to wilt. You can slide the basil plant out of the container + check. (If it’s rootbound it will look something along the lines of this: http://virginialandscaping.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/ruutballin-1.jpg // if that’s the problem, just put it in a bigger container + it should come back.
      2) Are you over-or-under watering your basil? Basil tends to be a big drinker + loves lots of water, especially if it’s getting the 6+ hours of sunlight a day. Sometimes even if the top of the soil looks wet, it could still be dry inside. You can always stick a finger halfway into the container to see if it needs more water.
      3) Is the basil plant big or flowering? Depending on the size it could produce flowers — and that’s not something you want. If there are any blooms or flowers on your plant, prune them off. That could help as well.

      I hope one of these ideas is helpful! If not, let me know a bit more information + I’ll try to help you save that basil :)

  • http://www.therandomwritings.com/ Rachel G

    Space has never been an issue for us yet (although we’ll be in a totally different situation when we move), so the only plants I’ve had indoors have been herbs. Angel has taken a strategy of planting random edibles in different spots all over our yard. If you know where to look, there’s green onions, cilantro, and mint out there…at one point there was potatoes, too.

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      I like Angel’s approach to gardening! At least then you never have to worry about things growing over one another… and it’s kind of like a treasure hunt to find the goods :)

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      I like Angel’s approach to gardening! At least then you never have to worry about things growing over one another… and it’s kind of like a treasure hunt to find the goods :)

  • http://northernambitions.com Ursula

    this is so helpful! I only started gardening this year and it’s been such a struggle because it’s so hard to know what to plant where depending on our house conditions (light and space). Thanks for the tips!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Hi Ursula! Thanks so much for stopping by :) So glad you enjoyed the post + the tips were helpful.

      PS – Your blog is beautiful!

  • http://northernambitions.com/ Ursula

    this is so helpful! I only started gardening this year and it’s been such a struggle because it’s so hard to know what to plant where depending on our house conditions (light and space). Thanks for the tips!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Hi Ursula! Thanks so much for stopping by :) So glad you enjoyed the post + the tips were helpful.

      PS – Your blog is beautiful!

  • Sarah | For the Love of Chow

    P.S. https://www.jbgorganic.com/blog/2014/07/a-call-to-action/

    I feel like this program was made for you!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Oh gosh, it looks so perfect! I’ve been drooling over this information since you sent it to me, trying to figure out a way to get to Austin! My brain wheels are still churning :)

  • http://www.apartment-wife.com/ jennifer prod

    what a wonderful line-up of ways to bring the garden into a tiny space (like my apartment). definitely going to check out some of these tips and tricks (maybe start with the teacup planting!)

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      So glad the tips were helpful, Jennifer! The teacup planters are just too cute + are a great place to start with planting :)

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      So glad the tips were helpful, Jennifer! The teacup planters are just too cute + are a great place to start with planting :)

  • http://www.littlebigharvest.blogspot.com Andrea @Little Big Harvest

    Ooh, great ideas! That mason jar project is so adorable…I may just have to try it!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Isn’t it just too cute? I loved that mason jar idea!

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Isn’t it just too cute? I loved that mason jar idea!

  • labhuffine

    These are wonderful ideas for an apartment dweller. I am going to try some of these ideas. Thank you.

    • http://belongwithwildflowers.com/ Caitlin

      Thank you for stopping by, reading + commenting! I hope these tips are helpful :)

  • http://simplicityrelished.com/ Daisy @ Simplicity Relished

    I LOVE this list!!! Super helpful– my husband and I live in an apartment complex with no balcony, so I’m going to be looking at some indoor options:)