Gardening season is finally here!! I am sooo excited! The temperatures are finally getting steadily warmer and all the nurseries are packed with sweet little seedlings waiting to be planted and grow to their full potential. I currently live in an 18 story apartment building in a big city and it is really difficult to get my gardening fix when there is nothing but big brick buildings all around. Rent is very expensive and homes start at $500k, so I am left to rent (and cry over rent payments) and live without a yard to turn into an oasis. But I did manage to score an apartment with a sweet little balcony..
So I decided to turn my balcony into my own private oasis in the middle of the city. It is a long work in progress, but hopefully by this summer, I'll be able to sit outside and ignore all of the traffic noise and relax because of how beautiful and serene the balcony looks and feels.
So first came the planning. I wanted my balcony to be multi-functional. I wanted peace and serenity, as well as home grown foods and entertainment for my kitty cats. So with the limited space, I decided that it would be best to hang lots of baskets on my railing and fill them with lots of colorful flowers, that way the floor could be used for garden beds and pots for growing fruits, vegetables and herbs.
I went to Home Depot and bought a few plastic gardening pots, soils, plant food, herbs and flowers. I like Home Depot because they have a wide selection of some easy plants to grow and affordable garden pots. For a better selection of plants, I like going to a local nursery. Nurseries are great because they are filled with knowledgeable staff that can help you make selections based on the facing of your gardening space as well as give you tips on how to grow certain plants. At my local nursery, I bought several herbs, pepper plants, blackberry plant, tomato plant, strawberries and a container lemon tree.
Some people don't like going to Home Depot for herbs and vegetables because they think the plants aren't as great quality or resilient. I have successfully grown pepper plants and herbs bought at Home Depot for 3 years now and I have grown them side by side with plants bought at a farmer's market. The plants from the farmer's market never make it thru the summer, they always end up having some type of disease or infestation, where as the ones from Home Depot don't. I don't know if Home Depot pre-treats their plants, but I tend to keep my gardening fairly organic and have found organic solutions that have successfully treated disease and bugs on my plants. Yet the farmer's market plants never survive.
After buying a lot of plants (yet not enough) I got home and got to planting. For my plants I like to use Miracle Gro Organic Potting Mix. I like using this mix because A) it is organic, and organic soil is the best kind of soil you can buy for your plants. It is rich in nutrients and free of harmful chemicals, plus plants love it. B) It is specifically made for the needs of a container gardens. You can find this and other selections at Home Depot.
I bought my containers at Home Depot because A) they were cheaper than at other places B) they are plastic, and therefore durable and easy to clean and store C) these containers have little rubber plugs you can take out at the bottom so you can control how the pot drains. For peppers, I like to take the plugs out to allow for ample drainage and keep the plant from drowning.
For the soil, I like to take my container and fill it up 1/4 to 1/3 of the way with soil, and then sprinkle some Miracle Gro Plant Food to the soil. This will draw the roots of the plant all the way down the container so that it grows big and strong as well as provide it with plenty of nutrients for continued growth. After I sprinkle the plant food, I fill it up another 1/4 of the way with soil, so that it is about a little more than half way full. Then I place my plants still in their temporary pots and figure out how I want to space them.
These plants for example are peppers. After a few seasons of growing peppers I have learned that it is best to keep them at 3-4 per container, so that they have plenty of space to grow.
Once my selection is finalized, I remove the plants from their containers and place them in the pot, slowly filling it with the Miracle Gro potting soil until it covers the roots of the plant and the plant is safely secured. I always like sprinkling some more plant food on top of the soil so that once I water it, the plant food can immediately begin to trickle down to the roots. It is always a good idea to water your plants after planting them to allow all the nutrients to flow and give your plants the opportunity to adapt.
Peppers like sun, heat, and moisture. So I always make sure to place the pot they are in in a bright sunny spot and water them regularly. This year we have habaneros, jalapenos, bell peppers, banana and cubanelles.
Peppers are the easiest to grow in a container, I have yet to have an unproductive season with them. And the best part is that they are always producing more peppers, until the fall when the weather starts to cool. Home grown peppers taste delicious! You will not be disappointed, and anyone who tries them will be impressed by their intense flavor and beautiful colors. I always make sure to sprinkle some more of the Miracle Gro plant food in their container halfway thru the season, to ensure they still get plenty of nutrients, but this year I am going to try composting and see if that makes a difference in flavor and production.
Here's a picture of my little garden gnome/helper Camilla. She is always fascinated with the garden.
Come back soon for some more gardening updates including planting herbs (you can catch a glimpse of some already planted in the picture above), planting that lemon tree, blackberries, strawberries and flowers. As well as how to make your own compost for your plants and collect rain water on a balcony!
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