Balcony Garden Update 2
My balcony garden has been a fun experiment filled with ups and downs. Some things flourished and others not so much. Then throw in factors like crazy windstorms and you have a whole new set of challenges.
Let’s start with the good….
Having herbs at the ready is one of the biggest advantages of having a garden. It’s great to walk out and pick a few sprigs for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It PAINS me to have to pay $2 for a small container of herbs at the supermarket that will go bad. I have a surplus of oregano, I think I’m going to dry it and put it in container. As with last year my cilantro thrived for a bit and then died and the dill never really got going.
The radicchio grew really well for weeks (months?) but alas fitting radicchio into my eating schedule just wasn’t happening so unfortunately it started turning weird. Totally my fault. Plus we had a crazy heat wave which lettuce doesn’t enjoy at all so that was definitely a culprit.
My greens (kale, collards and swiss chard) have also been pretty healthy. I haven’t used them as much as I should’ve but they haven’t given me many problems.
The habanero peppers that have come to fruition look great. I haven’t cooked with them yet but I’m really excited to. Sadly, my plants haven’t produced that many peppers. So far I’ve gotten about 8 out of the plant with a few more growing but I was expecting A LOT more. I think I had too many peppers in my pots for them to really flourish.
And the not so good…
My leeks aren’t turning into leeks! They are a hair or two thicker than a pencil which is definitely not thick enough. I have a few that are a bit thicker but for the most part they are puny. My container is probably a bit crowded. I may start harvesting some of the leeks and see if they thicken up just a bit.
Strawberries. They started out great. I bought two varieties one was called seascapes and I can’t remember what the other was called. I should’ve been better about marking them because one plant was great and the other not so much. The 2nd plant bloomed later and produced more berries but they weren’t as sweet or big. AND at a certain point they started growing in all shriveled (see picture). What up with that?
What the heck was up with my lavender? It NEVER bloomed the way it was supposed to and one plant didn’t bloom at all. I was totally hoping for a lovely smelling balcony.
And the remains to be seen…
I honestly don’t see how these plants will EVER turn into proper Brussels sprouts. Seriously. And we’re already in September. I bought fertilizer to see if that will help but it hasn’t really thus far. I’m really hoping I get some sprouts out of these!
My beets are growing but I can’t really tell how they are doing under the soil. The greens look healthy so hopefully that is a good sign.
As for unexpected events…
While I was away we had a crazy thunderstorm and INSANE winds. So insane that my balcony furniture flew on top of my plants! My pepper plants snapped and worst of all a few of my containers were really badly damaged. Sure they were just $2 from Dollarama but it totally sucks. I can barely water the plants without the water running out. Totally makes me sad.
I should have one more post before the season is up. Hopefully I’ll be able to show off a ton of beets and Brussels sprouts. Fingers crossed.
7 Responses to Balcony Garden Update 2
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Very cool – thanks for sharing your balcony gardening adventures with us! Kale is nearly impossible to find here in France, but you’ve inspired me. I’m going to try growing some in my windowboxes next year!
I love having fresh herbs to cook with as well, tastes so much better than dried I remember when I was a kid and we used to have strawberries the same thing happened one year to ours, never worked out why though? Anyway, looks like everything else is doing well!
Thank you for sharing your gardening experience, it has certainly inspired me. I’ve been considering starting a garden on my tiny balcony. I love that the kale is doing well, that’s what I was going to plant.
I know this was last year’s but I just came across your page … your garden looks wonderful!
I think you were on to something when you said the leeks perhaps could use thinning. Your brussels sprouts plant may have needed more room for its roots…
Your greens look lovely and sounds like you had some good meals out of them! : )
For lavender, my apologies for not reading back to your garden prep, but ours like this: mix sand and pebbles into your soil mix, about 1/3 sand to 2/3 soil mix; keep it aerated and light. A few rocks in the mix wouldn’t hurt either, though. And if you happen to have any, they seem to like some greensand. And full sun and air circulation.
I saw another of your titles, something about drying herbs… marjoram and oregano are great in a vinaigrette; turns it into Greek salad dressing.
Thanks Julia for your tips! I need to start thinking about this year’s balcony garden
It really is simple. Do some research beforehand but don’t drive yourself too crazy. some of the best learnings I’ve had have been from just planting and seeing what happens.
Definitely do it. It is so rewarding.