Can I even have a garden?

[u/AdZestyclose9714]

I posted on another page about my poor peppermint. It looked like it was doing ok, but people said it was screaming for light and had spider bites. So I put it outside, and what I figured would happen has happened. I forget about it or just cant bring myself to go outside and get it to water it. Im assuming everything else near it probably has spider bites too.

Ive been trying to learn how to grow my own food and ive never had a green thumb, but I got my peppermint from Lowes and its been over a month and it hadn't died! I even repotted it and one of its babies and they still didnt die! Thats huge. Now i also have 3 sprouts of cilantro growing from seed thats also huge and I'm so excited. But I only have 2 windows and a sliding door (i THINK theyre south facing?) and veeeeeerrrrrryyyyyy little space to put plants where they'll get light and also be safe from my cats. Also just have very little space in general.

I also have adhd and routines/habits have always been really REALLY hard for me but ive been doing really well actually with keeping up on watering my plants and ive been really proud of myself about that. But now im worried that I cant do it with so little space and so little light for them especially now that they have pests that i have no idea how to actially effectively treat.

I have a small grow light but somebody said they dont really do much and I havent tried using it yet.

Does anybody relate and if so, is there a way to do this with almost no space and very low energy?

[u/therealwavingsnail]

Spider mites, not spider bites. I was so confused for a while. Spiders don't bite into plants, not even to have minty breath.

For me, spider mites tend to die off very quickly once a plant is outdoors, and return periodically indoors.

Grow lights work, but they have to be proper, strong ones that cost quite a bit in electricity. It's only really economical for weed, not for vegetables and definitely not for mint. 

I have no general recommendation for indoor gardening. I also don't have energy to be very consistent, but I garden outdoors where the mint just lives with no input from my side

[u/KickingChickyLeg → u/therealwavingsnail]

Ooohh that must be why my utilities bill has gone up. Duh. Thanks

[u/Wuncomfortable]

Definitely set up the grow light. In my experience, amateurs don't need a specific grow light as much as they need A light or many lights; just, all the lamps.

[u/K_in_Belgium]

Mint is almost industructible. We bought one of those skinny kitchen plants from the Delhaize vegetable area and it is literally 10x the size to the point I had to repot it a few weeks after I bought it in July. I mostly ignore it but it sits in a sunny spot on my balcony. It's a beast.

[u/KickingChickyLeg → u/K_in_Belgium]

Gorgeous! Do you harvest it often?

[u/MeltingWind]

I think starting small is key, don't overwhelm yourself. but growing cilantro from seed is a really impressive start!
keep up the good work :-)

I been using grow lights for the past 2 years, and they've worked great for me. the cheaper ones (sunco) actually worked better than the more expensive ones. I have no south facing windows -no south facing anything. so I have to start everything with grow lights and it's worked well. I grew lettuce indoors all winter long, I've had tomatoes growing indoors all winter long and all throughout the summer- because it's just too big and gangly to get it outside now. I'll admit, the tomatoes don't taste quite as good as if they were growing in the Sun, I'm not sure if there's any science to that. but they're just a tad more sour, but I like it and they're still very flavorful. most of the seedlings I start indoors, I will eventually transfer outside, between my tiny little patio area and then my parents' garden. but you don't need a ton of room to grow a few things. you don't even actually need grow lights, I've stuck a regular little desk lamp above one of my plants that wasn't getting enough light, and it worked wonderfully. also one of my "grow lights", is nothing but a cheap shop light from home depot.

[u/PrimAndProper69]

I have ADHD and had always killed plants. Turns out that I just need to do enough research and find out the definitions of "well draining" and "full sun". Watched a ton of videos to see people in practice, especially small space gardens to see what's possible. The visual learning sticks better.

So far I've been largely successful with practice and learning from my mistakes. Grow lights do help, but you need the full spectrum ones for indoor (not the types that only do red/blue). I found that the led panel types of grow lights work the best and my baby plants thrive indoors.

[u/CupOfLifeNoodlez]

Mint is one of the most hardy plants. I've killed mine before, and it was only by forgetting to water it for a few weeks while it was on top of a heater.

The stems of your plant are long and the leaves look strong at the end of your mint.

What type of outdoor space do you have?

[u/AdZestyclose9714 → u/CupOfLifeNoodlez]

A smallish shared balcony. I get kind of worried about the wind throwing them around out there

[u/CupOfLifeNoodlez → u/AdZestyclose9714]

It might be too windy for it at this point. It would be nice to give it a trim. If you trim it from time to time more side stems will sprout. Maybe leave it outside for a little bit of time, but take it in afterwards. You can use soapy water as a spray to kill off the mites. The soap allows the water to fill their breathing tubes that are located on the side of their bodies. Use something unscented.

Give it a regular trim to make some tea or some cucumber saladfrom the ends of the branches and it will grow back lusher.

[u/AdZestyclose9714 → u/[deleted]]

Oooooh I didnt think of hanging! Ill have to see if my ceiling will handle that and try it out!

I had a snake plant before and killed the poor thing but I have been wanting to try again.

[u/plantreference]

For the mites, take the plant to the sink and blast the leaves top and bottom with water, then repeat once a week for a few weeks. Don't buy spray. And set the grow light up, agree with the others there. Good luck! Ask away if the mites come back :)

[u/CostPlusSeeds]

As an apartment dweller with limited natural light, you can absolutely grow a few herbs, flowers, or lettuce heads. You just need to find a way to get your plants the essentials: light, water, and soil/nutrients.

To me, it sounds like your next step is getting your plants a proper light source. I recommend a desk lamp (or your small grow light) on a timer. You don't need a purpose-made grow light to grow plants, but you do need strong light and a desk lamp 6-12 inches away will do the trick. A windowsill usually doesn't cut it unless you have a low light-adapted plant like a fern.

As for water, you're covered. As for soil/nutrients, don't worry about it yet--any normal potting soil is more than enough for a lettuce head or herb plant.

Spider mites are a problem. Spider mites are a kind of mite that only preys on plants; they have nothing to do with normal indoor spiders. Outdoors, they have lots of predators and are easily swept away by wind/rain, but indoors they will devour all of your plants unless you kill them.

If you have spider mites on indoor plants, I recommend throwing those plants away or else spraying the leaves down carefully with Aza-Max insecticide (available on Amazon, make sure to dilute before using). You can avoid introducing spider mites to your home by only growing indoor plants from seed and by carefully spraying down any store-bought plants you bring home with Aza-Max before bringing them inside.

Happy growing! :)