Containers. Small spaces. Raised beds.
Apartment and condo dwellers itching to exercise thumbs of the greener shade need to be inventive. Consider the nice large shade trees. Nature’s air conditioning. I’m confident the thick oak west of my large windows lowers my cooling bill.
On the other hand, they limit flowers to those that tolerate shade. I’m lucky. As a first floor resident I have a patio, one that is not completely cemented over. It’s taken a dozen years, uncounted bags of topsoil, a pair of small peat bales, and a dash of compost to create a thriving population of earthworms. Evidently they don’t like tunneling in the native clay and rock any more than I enjoy digging in it.
A neighbor works with what they have. With patience and care they tend the flowerboxes and gift the neighborhood with one of the most colorful balconies.
