#Balcony Gardening

[zombolouge]

Thought I'd share a pic of how my balcony garden is doing

The stand has a few plants that I don't know what they are bc they were just given to me, although top left is jasmine! There's also grape hyacinth, snapdragon, and daffodils in the hanging planter. Some violets and I think pansies down in the lower left, too.

I'm most excited about the big pots! A dwarf sweetheart cherry tree with a fuschia vine starter, then a blackberry and strawberry plant sharing a pot with some marigolds, and lastly a blueberry bush with a salvia and marigold for friendship.

I'm SO hyped to have all these berries. Not sure if they will fruit this summer (the tree def won't she's too new) but I'm pleased that they're all getting bigger and flourishing.

Also my lil cherry tree gave me a handful of flowers. I've been SO happy watching it grow. Here's a before pic from when I first brought it home:

And today:

And the flowers:

Sorry y'all I'm a plant nerd now so I might just have to do an excited yell abt them from time to time!

[clatterbane]

The haul from a productive little journey to Blomsterlandet ("Flower Country") after work this evening. Plus some miscellaneous junk visible out in the balcony room, which is past due some spring garden cleanup!

My primary mission today was to pick up some tomato plants. It hopefully shouldn't be too early, since they are going in the glassed-in balcony area. No seeds started this year, and we do have the car now so it's much easier to haul all kinds of stuff around.

I grabbed two tomato plants, and this mystery vaguely banana pepper-looking variety to go into the three existing buckets.

I know the 'Totem' is supposed to be good in containers and heavy bearing for a smallish plant. Then I decided to stay sane for our current growing situation, and opted for this other bush tomato variety that I'd never heard of before.

But! Turns out that 'Vilma' has some other plans in mind.

That's it, that's how big the plants get. I like the cute little micro dwarves, and these are supposed to have a good flavor. But, somehow I think that the bucket will need to find another new occupant.

For now, at least, I think 'Vilma' will probably be better off moving up into one of these.

Besides the edibles, I also couldn't resist picking up these when I saw them.

A few unnamed African violets, and the lone Cape Primrose that I saw in the store. (Though, come to find out, these are apparently all classified as Streptocarpus now.) Not as wild about the pinks, but I'll take what I can get. All the Saintpaulias and Streptocarpus that I had (including the few luggage-smuggled from the UK) ended up dying for one reason or another, and I'm glad to get some more cheerful little blooming buddies in here.

Their new home in the living room for now. With that sad aloe and dracaena which needs some serious repotting. It's just staying too chilly in the balcony plant room still. (Which is what got most of the other ones.) Hopefully I will manage to keep these happier than the last ones!

[jazzeria]

What else did I do with my nearly-5 pounds of horseradish last year?

The larger chunks of root, I put in a 5-gallon pail of sandy soil, to try over-wintering them. And I had mixed results...

December 2023: I think I gave it too much water, and it started sprouting leaves, which meant I had to give it even more water.

Naturally, this couldn't last long. When the leaves wilted, I cut them away, and tried to let the whole bucket dry out to prevent rotting.

Sometime in spring, I put the whole thing outdoors. And to my surprise, some of the roots survived!

June 2024: Some crowns started generating new growth!

July 2024: We had a late start to summer, which then seemed to arrive suddenly, blazing and punctuated by heavy rains.

In the direct full sunlight of the balcony, the leaves burned. I tried to shade it using the little chair, but this balcony really does get full sun; it wasn't enough shade.

Some of the roots started rotting, so I pulled them out. In the empty spaces, I tried planting a few cloves of garlic, and scattered various herb seeds, to see what would take hold: mostly chives and green onions, I think.

October 2024: One horseradish crown is still producing leaves. There's also one garlic clove that seems to have sprouted.

It'll be my birthday soon, and one of my favourite birthday traditions is birthday horseradish or birthday foraging. I'm not yet sure how my garden-looted-and-overwintered horseradish will figure into that: is it still foraging, if it came (consensually) from someone's garden?

Or maybe I'll still go foraging for more root, to keep this one company, or to hedge my bets...

[glistenandgrow]

[copperrust]

the exact moment i can live alone i'm going to grow so many plants and vegetables where the sunlight can get. if i have a balcony it will be a garden

[randomberlinchick]

From my balcony 💐❤️💐

[pariahfox]

First haul of non-cherry tomatoes in!

Yeah, not many were ready yet, but it's something and more are near ripe now. I just ate one of them with a crack in the skin, and it definitely tasted like a ripe homegrown tomato. Probably get at least one on a sandwich later.

These are the 'Malinowy Ożarowski', btw. They're supposed to be the lighter pinkish color. Not the largest fruiting variety, but very much in the Northern European default "little round tomatoes" category, which are usually not bad if they are picked fully ripe.

[gher-bear]

[eternitas]

BRO MY FIRST HARVEST

[yardenercom]

Container Gardening: Perfect for Small Spaces

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[zombolouge]

I GREW BERRY AND I HAVE BERRY THAT I GREW

Not many this year, but they are very tasty! The plant is a blackberry/raspberry hybrid, and the berries are a pretty decent mix of each of those types.

lol really I'm just very excited that I can keep plants alive long enough to fruit now.

I can't believe my plant went from the little foot-tall sprout to....this.

Like look at her, she's so fuckin dramatic. (also seen to the right, my jasmine started sprouting/flowering!) Really enjoying this new hobby lol

[clatterbane]

Yeah, I guess it wasn't too early to get those tomatoes going after all, even though it has still been getting down below 10C/50F some nights out there with a little supplemental heater action.

All three of the seeds from one of the previous tomato plants that I impulsively put in came up, and seem to be doing well--if growing sort of slowly for now. Waiting until they get a little bigger to make thinning decisions.

The 'Totem' seems to be happy enough there, and already started putting out some bloom buds.

Then there's 'Vilma'.

Some of those have started opening up already. I know other growers were saying that both of these do yield pretty much nonstop, but I really wasn't expecting the blooming to start up until it warms up some more in there.

[farmerstrend]

Embracing Container Gardening in Kenya: Fresh Produce Without Land

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[tjippie]

I love this! And now I have this season's project for my balcony!

There’s a plant called the “TomTato” which is a cherry tomato plant with potatoes as roots. It yields large quantities of both tomatoes and spuds.

[gardenholic]

Want a Thriving Vegetable Garden on Terrace: Do These 5 Essential Steps

Welcome to the world of Gardenholic! Live better, Plant Better! In this blog post, we will embark on a green journey, exploring the Want a Thriving Vegetable Garden on Terrace: Do These 5 Essential Steps. In the hustle and bustle of busy life, a terrace vegetable garden is not just a hobby, but a sanctuary. It’s a place where you can grow your own food, reconnect with nature, and even reduce…

[rocy5]