Container Garden: A Small Update

Hey Everyone!

I have been busy planting (and working) away and I thought I'd do an update of how my balcony garden is doing. It has been about 2 weeks since I planted some of my herbs, vegetables and flowers and since then, I have planted some more.. a lot more.

This year I am growing 7 types of peppers, 2 types of strawberries, blackberries, lemons, 2 types of tomatoes, 7 types of herbs, lavender, pet grass and a mother load of flowers. But that's not all, my boyfriend also wants me to grow some peas. I think I may have overcommitted myself this year. If all goes well, I will be sick of peppers, tomatoes, berries and lemons by the end of this season.

I am excited to see how well the garden does, but I am also a little bit scared. That is a lot of plants to take care of this summer. And a lot of trips to the kitchen with my little canister to fetch some water. I have a brilliant idea to resolve that problem, but for now, let me talk about how my plants are doing and what I have been doing to ensure they continue to grow big and healthy.

The weather has been crazy. It goes from sunny and 80 degrees to cloudy and 48 degrees. Needless to say, the plants are not loving this weather at all. It is important to bring plants inside once it gets below 50. If you leave them outside, the cold can slow the growth of the plant and result in a lower yield of fruit for the season. So at night, before the temperature dips below 50, I have been bringing all of my plants inside. I have kept them indoors until the temperature outside reaches at least 60. This way the adjustment in temperature between inside and outside isn't as bad, so the plants won't be as shocked by the temperature change and will continue to grow at a normal rate. Because the temperature has been a little colder than normal, the flowers have struggled a little bit to establish their roots and grow. However, the Miracle Gro plant food I have been feeding them has helped keep them in good shape. I haven't picked up an organic plant food yet, so any recommendations would be great! But i did get an organic feeder for my lemon tree that I will be trying out this week.

I also picked up some more organic soil, but this time I tried out a new brand. Dr. Earth's Organic Soil.

I bought one specifically for vegetable gardens and citrus plants that has worm castings. I have been wanting to use vermicompost for a while and start a worm farm but unfortunately I don't have the space (or the budget) for one just yet. So I decided to give the all-in-one compost a try by buying the Dr. Earth soil. I can tell you that after 2 days I can see a huge difference between the plants growing in the vermicompost soil and the ones growing in the other organic soil. I am a skeptic at heart when it comes to people's opinions sometimes and I am sure some of you may be skeptic of mine, but take a look at these pictures. 

This picture shows some of my pepper plants planted in the organic soil without the worm castings. Note: all the pepper plants in both pots were bought at the same time and were at similar growth stages.

Now look at my pepper plants growing in the pot with the Dr. Earth soil with worm castings.

See the difference!? It is incredible. I will def make the 30min drive to the nursery to buy this soil next year. It isn't cheap, $14.99 per bag, but the plants love it and I have never seen my plants perk up this much in just 2 days. I can only imagine how they will perk up with an organic feeder. The vermicompost soil is also much darker than the other organic soil, which to me it shows how much richer in nutrients it is, which is a great news for my plants. Overall, my plants are doing great in both types of soil, time will tell if the soil makes a significant difference in the yield or taste of fruits/vegetables this season or not. 

The balcony is a work in progress, I still have a flower bed to hang to my railing, a bird feeder, bird houses and some minor organizational fixes. But so far, it is starting to look and feel a little less urban and a bit more homey, and i like it.. and so do my kitty cats. They enjoy coming out to the balcony and smelling all the different herbs and flowers. I planted them some organic pet grass to eat (and later puke) and put the thin black screen you see around the railing for their safety. You can find the net and zip ties at Home Depot for a few bucks. Totally worth the investment!

Container Gardening: Part 1

Hi Everyone!

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! 

Lemon Poppy Seed Quinoa Pancakes

Hi Everyone!

It has been a while since I have written a post. I have been crazy busy between starting a new temporary job and hosting visitors, that I haven't had the time to blog. I finally have some free time and I thought I'd share with you this delicious lemon poppy seed quinoa pancake recipe from La Tartine Gourmande. 

If you've been reading my blog for some time now, you already know that this is by far my favorite cookbook. Not just because the recipes are delicious and sometimes easy to make, but because they are also super healthy! This is key because my boyfriend is a triathlete and he adheres to a very specific diet. I have found that the recipes in this cookbook are perfect for him and delicious for me. Something we don't always have in common, such as the time he tried to get me to drink his kale smoothie. Not going to happen. Pass me the Trader Joe's cherry juice instead, please!

Enough blabbing, let's get cookin'!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup white rice flour or sweet rice flour
• 1/3 cup of quinoa flour
• 1/3 cup of quinoa flakes
• 2 tbs blond cane sugar
• 1tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 2 pinches of salt
• 2 tbs of poppy seeds
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract (optional)
• 1 tbs of canola oil

I found the ingredients at Trader Joe's, World Market and Whole Foods. But you can find these at most grocery stores or specialty foods stores. I like going to TJs and World Market because they usually have the best deals.

Directions

• Combine the flours, flakes, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1 pinch of salt, poppy seeds and lemon zest in a bowl and stir. 
• In a separate bowl, separate egg whites and egg yolks and mix in the buttermilk with the yolks. Add lemon extract and oil.
• Combine the two mixtures and stir.
• In a new bowl, beat the egg whites with 1 pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Then fold the whites into the batter. I used a handheld mixer for this so I could control the speed and the peaks.
• In a frying pan, heat 1 tbs of canola oil over medium heat and pour 1/4 cup of batter in the pan and repeat for as many pancakes as the pan can hold. I sometimes melt a little butter instead of using canola oil, as i find it holds the shape of the pancake better and gives it a better flavor.
• Cook the batter until bubbles form on the surface, then take a spatula and flip the pancakes. Continue to cook for another minute or 2, or until golden.
• Serve with maple syrup or honey. We like maple syrup and World Market has great deals on various types of maple syrup. 

You can add some lemon zest to the top of the pancakes once served for some extra lemon flavor. I really liked these pancakes with a little bit of maple syrup and some fresh squeezed orange juice (no kale smoothies with these). Now that the weather is getting warm, I have a feeling I will be making these with a mint fruit salad with fresh ingredients from my garden. Yum!

I am planning to plant my garden sometime this week, and I will make a post about how I grow veggies, herbs, spices, and fruit on my little balcony in the middle of a big city. I like making my garden as organic as possible, but also cost efficient, so stay tuned for some tips on that! In the meantime, enjoy these pancakes with a special someone =)

xoxo