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

[fred_mouse]

that sounds very exciting. Have you considered/have access to self-watering pots? I have a couple of long narrow ones, but I understand that the standard 'pot' shaped ones are better.

[00goddess]

Everyone starts somewhere! If you're in the northern hemisphere, Spring is coming and now is the time to plan for what you want to put on your balcony!

[juliet]

The bigger the pot the better in terms of watering & resilience to forgetting -- and self-watering systems (bought or DIY) are worth looking at too.

Herbs are possibly the best bang-for-buck if you only have a small space. Tomatoes can do really well on balconies too, and some greens.

[cesy]

I have not got self-watering pots. I looked at irrigation systems once before, but they all seemed designed for big gardens and require an outside tap. I shall have a look, thanks!

Edit: Ooh, this is a new technology to me, and looks excellent. Thank you!

[cesy]

Basil is probably the next most useful herb if I can get it to survive, but tomatoes are a great idea, too - I could have a go with a grow-bag.

[cesy]

Good point, I am. I have some bulbs, but I can plan for some other stuff.

[tielan]

Self-watering pots DEFINITELY.

Also, mini terrariums in empty 2L soft drink bottles? (If you're not bothered about using the plastic, that is.)

Do you eat greens much? Lettuces and leafy green vegies (silverbeet, spinach, etc.) are probably one of the best things to grow because they're a PITA to try to transport and very expensive. Plus, cut-and-come-again options: grow one loose-leaf lettuce, keep picking the leaves off until it goes to seed.

If you're going to be using part of someone's allotment (and granted, my knowledge is specific to Sydney, Australia rather than UK/Europe weather conditions) then potatoes, onions, and garlic are all fairly low-effort once established, and good for planting, leaving, harvesting, and then storing.

Just some thoughts.

(And thanks for posting, I'd forgotten about this community!)

[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]

Yay! I know one friend has had good luck with tomatoes in self watering pots, and possibly some herbs as well -- they only have a tiny balcony.

[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.

[cesy]

Ooh, I had not thought about lettuce or other greens. That could work.