Allotments, balconies and gardens

[cesy]

I do not have a garden for proper gardening. But I do have a balcony and some potted plants. I do have two friends with allotments. And I do have several family members with gardens. I want to start doing some more stuff. Growing mint indoors on a windowsill is going well, and the parsley outdoors is doing well. Alpine strawberries outdoors are doing less well, but I still have hope. At some point I think I want some bigger pots, because a lot of things don't do well if the pot is tiny and I forget to water it.

Cheer me on?

Comments

[elusiveat]

One fun thing to do is propagate plants from stuff you get at the supermarket. Scallions/green onions will often start sprouting roots if you just stick them in water for a bit, and then you can usually transfer them into dirt.

Garlic cloves that have started to sprout can also be planted, usually with good results.

I have a strawberry plant in a pot that grew from a farmers' market strawberry several years ago (it seems to like spending the winters outdoors) and two kumquat tree seedlings on my window sill, and my spouse has ginger and turmeric going in pots.

Lots of fresh herbs will also propagate pretty well, as will dried beans and lentils.

So many possibilities!

With regard to watering, it's can help to find plants that look *really* sad when the soil goes dry, but that perk up quickly when watered. Basil is pretty good for this.

[fred_mouse]

Oh, the growing from scraps is one I'd forgotten. We used beetroot tops and got a good harvest out of the greens, although they didn't actually grow much of a root. We've also had a bit of luck with a bit of celery when the harvesting/processing hadn't cut all the roots off -- cut the base of the celery off about 3cm up, keep well watered until it shoots up from the middle. Both of these can then be harvested a tiny bit at a time.