Urban Homesteading for Apartment Dwellers: Super Easy Gardening Solutions for Small Spaces

Live in an apartment, studio, townhome, or condo?

You probably think that you need a ton of farmable land in order to grow anything substantial. The thing is, it’s not as difficult as you might assume. While some land might help out, those of us who have no land at all —like those of us who live in apartments or in our parents’ basements—aren’t completely out of luck. With time, energy, and gumption, even those of us with very little space at all can become urban homesteaders. It just looks a little different.

Invite those pollinators to your garden party!

What, you’re probably asking, the hell is a pollina- tor? You aren’t going to like the answer at first, but pollina- tors are extremely important to urban homesteading—and any gardening or farming, really. So, some pollinators include bees, butterflies, bats, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, and some small mammals. Bees are, of course, the most important of these little guys. And let’s face it—ew. A lot of us are scared of bees and wasps because, frankly, they sting. Their butts have little death daggers! And bats?! Rats with wings, right? Well... I mean, that’s wrong. These little guys might be off- putting at first, but you need to make friends with them faster than me on a first date. Get to know them, what they like. Ask for their Facebook or Instagram. Invite them over for coffee.

Ew! Worms, I know, they're gross but very important.

Look, I get it—worms. You think of worms and you think of slimy little things, all wriggling around in the dirt. You think of that terrifying Halloween costume that Heidi Klum wore in 2022 to her infamous party. You think of all sorts of gross, icky little monsters.

The thing is, worms are fantastic little helpers. You need them in your life if you’re going to get into urban home- steading. You want a garden? You need worms. You’re going to need to make friends—and fast—with these marvelous little squiggly boys.

You may have a lot of leftover food.

Darling, don’t worry. You’re going to learn how to can. Not the cancan—though you certainly have the legs for it, love—but you’re going to learn how to can your own food. Pickles, relishes, sauces, etc. The sky’s the limit! This chapter is going to cover all you need to know about how to can and preserve your extra food for later use. Hey, it makes a great gift, too— so maybe you can run some freshly canned spaghetti sauce over to Dolores, hmm? Her garden didn’t do too well this year since she doesn’t have this handy guide in her repertoire. You, though—you’re urban homesteading royalty!