URBAN GROW

Urban Balcony Gardens

2007-09-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

Just the other day I went on a walk through my neighborhood and noticed that there really ain't that many balcony gardens around. Even though there are a lot of reasons for starting your own balcony garden, it seems that most of people in my neighborhood don't think so or simply don't care.

Most of the balconies are left empty, letting the concrete jungle take over. However, those balconies that are transformed into urban gardens are mostly flower gardens usually created for pleasing the eye.

I must say that I haven't seen any veggies or herbs on these urban balcony gardens, but on the other hand you can't see what's growing on my balcony either. Some of them are simply to far away for my eye or even camera to capture it right. That's also the main reason why you haven't seen a single photo of my balcony garden from the street view, but maybe one day with a better camera that will change. For the time being, I'll be posting photos of various balcony gardens I stumble upon while walking the streets of Zagreb, just like this one.

Vertical Gardening

2007-09-06T04:29:00.000-07:00

I came upon this interesting solution created for vertical gardening and I myself think it's not a bad one; what do you think!? Of course, it has some disadvantages, but you can't say that it doesn't have some advantages too.

It's for sure a great solution for those indoor gardeners that don't have a lot of space in their apartments and hassle everyday to find some for their loving plants. On the other hand, I can easily imagine something like that incorporated on my balcony, like a little herb tower garden. I can even imagine it like a solution for greening the city, for example vertical garden fences, bus stations maybe!? Vertical gardens in your apartments, offices, in restaurants...ha, ha, ha!! Why not use them for outdoor gardens!? Maybe I overdid it, but I'll be sure to install something like that in my home garden next year. I'm thinking it would be great on my balcony in the hot days and again a great solution for growing herbs in the kitchen, especially in cold winter days. There are some disadvantages, obviously you need enough light, whether artificial or natural. The size of plants you grow in this kind of vertical garden might be also a problem, as the size of your container may be limited, so choose your plants carefully. And what about air circulation, hmm!?

Well, all in all I think if the right choices(regarding the plants you grow) and conditions are made(regarding sufficient light and air) this could be a great solution for a vertical garden, indoors or outdoors.

Just Another Dinner

2007-09-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

I spent most of my day working on my home garden and then it came a time to eat something. Here's a little something I came up with. It was the stuff I could find in my kitchen: one zucchini, some button mushrooms, homegrown pepper freshly picked from my balcony garden and some pasta of course.

And here's the result!

It was pretty good I might add!

Update on my Balcony Garden

2007-09-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

Well, things look a bit different on my balcony garden, some plants were removed and others planted, but all in all everything is o.k.!

One Saint Pierre tomato plant and two cherry tomato plants that already gave us a lot of fruit, but were severely injured in a couple of storms had to be chopped down. The injuries they suffered were not the only issue, they were also sun burned and infested with some pests I've never seen until now. It didn't look to good and I decided to remove those sickly looking plants. However, I still have a few tomato plants in the other corner of my balcony garden. Those are looking pretty healthy and are producing fruit quite nicely although they too are under attack of those unknown pests I mentioned.

It's been raining all day, so I'll be spraying with some neem oil when it stops and hope for the best! It seems that this year a lot of people in my area are having problems with their tomato gardens, but I'll dedicate a post regarding this theme very soon.

In one of my older posts I was telling you that I'm sorry because I haven't grown any lettuce this year, but that has changed before a month ago or so when I planted some arugula(rucola or rocket salad) which has already been on our menu. A bunch of seeds were sown in one container as you can see from this picture taken just one week after they were put in soil.

Some herbs from my balcony garden were harvested and dried, some seeds collected but I'll be writing about that in one of my following posts together with the various techniques I use for these purposes.

Italman is Back!

2007-09-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

As I explained in my previous post, lately I haven't had the time to blog about stuff going on in my urban garden, but I'm back in the city now and soon you'll find out what's happening on my balcony!

Until then watch the fire burn with me!

What's this?

2007-08-27T05:44:00.000-07:00

Lately I haven't been posting updates on my balcony garden regularly, but that's only because I haven't been at home that much. However, my mother is taking care of our apartment garden and most of the plants are doing alright. On the other hand, I'm spending most of my spare time in the nature enjoying the gifts of mother earth, but when I'm at home I make sure to give some additional love and care to all of my plants. Just the other day while doing a check up on my balcony garden plants, I found this bunch of larvae on my tomato plant, i.e. leaf. There's also some spider mites and aphids, so I'll have to spray my plants with some neem oil as soon as I can. It seems that I have some unwanted guests on my balcony garden, don't you think so?

Overgrow the Balcony

2007-08-22T01:39:00.000-07:00

In couple of my previous posts I mentioned that my balcony garden tomatoes are growing like crazy and it seems that they wont stop growing soon. I'm talking about my two giant tomato plants that are growing in my balcony plant box and each one is at least 5 feet tall.

I had some serious issues with these plants, but as it says on the seed package, it's a late variety and in the last few weeks the fruit production has gone wild. Hmmm, finally! Next year I'll be planting those a bit later, because they almost overgrew the balcony and brought a lot of problems with its giant proportions. You know, my balcony garden isn't so big! For example, the tomato support issue has been and still is one of the greatest problems I'm faced with. I have to clime all over my balcony to keep this plants somewhat supported, but it's becoming an impossible mission. Apart from that, they are leaving almost no space for my cherry tomatoes, which have to struggle to get some air and light. Of course, I've done some pruning, but still there's not a lot of space for my other balcony garden plants which have gotten pretty much shaded. Luckily, I planted those big Saint Pierre tomatoes in the corners of my balcony garden and I can see now it was a wise choice. The fruit of these plants is so yummy and I learned some stuff this year that I don't intend to repeat the following year.

Unfortunately, one of the giants which has already rewarded us with some great fruit has suffered a lot and the fruit production was diminished significantly. It was damaged in a few storms we've had, but I've already wrote about that so you can take a look at some of the older posts from my urban garden blog. However, the plants growing in the opposite corner of my balcony garden are doing more or less o.k. and haven't suffered that much damage.

I can't wait for all those tomatoes to ripen, but in the meanwhile I'll nibble on my cherry tomatoes!

Italman's breakfast

2007-08-17T01:31:00.000-07:00

Here's my homegrown Saint Pierre tomato with some bread and cheese, hmmm so delicious!

Balcony Saint Pierre Tomatoes & Peppers

2007-08-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

My balcony garden is still producing a great amount of cherry tomatoes and although we've lost a lot due to the bad weather, I must say I'm still quite happy with my urban grow! It feels great to walk out of the kitchen and harvest a dozen of cherry tomatoes every now and then. They are so tasty, so sweet and you can pick one when ever you want. However, other organically grown veggies were also recently harvested from my city garden and they too deserve a word or two. I'm talking about the peppers which I grew from seeds my brother brought a few years ago from Macedonia and my giant Saint Pierre tomatoes.

I must say that no bought tomato beats the taste of my homegrown Saint Pierre, hmmm it's so tasty and the peppers...!!!

Birds of Prey Keeping Pigeons Away

2007-08-16T01:35:00.000-07:00

I have already written a few posts regarding the problems pigeons are causing on my balcony, however today things are looking much better. I've tried a couple of methods in order to get rid of pigeons or better said in order to keep them away, but recently I got some extra help!

At first, I noticed we have some newcomers in our neighborhood as they could be easily seen flying the sky over my apartment building. Since then, every morning you can here a high pitched call that sounds something like kee-kee-kee. I'm not a bird expert, but I've done some research and it seems that the birds in question are called Common Kestrels. When they hover over my neighborhood, it seems like there aren't any pigeons around and I guess that's because they can easily become their prey.

It's great to have such friends high up in the urban skies! I managed to take a few photos of them, but unfortunately not the best quality!

Kestrel(Falco tinnunculus)

I hope I'll be able to capture these beautiful birds of prey much better very soon!

Wet Balcony Veggies

2007-08-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos of my balcony veggies after the rain.

The harvest day is getting nearer!

Yet Another Storm in Zagreb City

2007-08-09T05:35:00.001-07:00

Well, yet another storm has struck Zagreb city and my balcony garden plants were once again under heavy attack. My plants were tossed all around the balcony and you could find cherry tomatoes all around. Luckily, I managed to save some, but I suspect there are more down in the park, in front of my apartment building. The rain was falling like crazy as you can see from this picture taken from my balcony.

The wind was also blowing like crazy and my tomatoes were once again the once which have gotten it the worse. Here's my balcony garden tomato jungle, all messed up!

Unfortunately, we've lost a considerable amount of fruit(veggies). These are just some of the casualties, at least those I managed to save!

Just a half an hour later the sun was shining, like nothing happened!

I'll be able to estimate he real amount of damage in a couple of days, but for now I can only hope that my plants will recuperate and keep on growing as well as they were. Even though times like these are hard for every gardener, I try not to feel bad. When something like this happens, I just plant some more seeds and instantly I feel a lot better! However, before I do that, I have to take care of my balcony, because it looks like a little swimming pool!

Balcony garden veggies

2007-08-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

More and more vegetables from my balcony garden are ripening and getting their true colors. Apart from cherry tomatoes, which have already been harvested for a couple of times, my peppers and Saint Pierre tomatoes are also getting close to their harvest day. Very soon I'll be enjoying more homegrown veggies from my urban balcony garden.

Saint Pierre Tomatoes

Peppers

Nature in the City

2007-08-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

Most of us urban dwellers have to face nature deprived conditions of our everyday city life. Raw concrete jungle is our habitat, but is it natural or can it be, I doubt so. Plants and animals seem to be unwanted guests here, especially if left out of our control. Hmm, is urbanization a concept that rules out natural elements and if so, can it survive as such... Is it possible to bring back or at least save what's left of nature in our cities, it's left to be seen...

Luckily, my home town and the capital of Croatia, Zagreb still has a few places where you can relax in relatively natural environment. One of those places is a park called Bundek. It's just a ten minute walk from my home, so I go there pretty often. It's great to have a place like this in the middle of concrete jungle, especially when you get tired of everyday city rush. A few years ago, it was a real natural oasis in the middle of Zagreb, but it was rearranged and nature was put under control. Logically, since then, the number of plants and animals has fallen significantly. However, it's still one of the places to visit if you are in Zagreb! Lets take a walk!

Meet the local duck family!

Miniatures on my balcony

2007-08-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of miniatures from my balcony garden. My mother likes this kind of stuff and she'll experiment with all kinds of plants in extra small containers. It's mostly a decorative element that catches the eye and makes you put on a smile!

I'll be turning the lights off very soon, so good night to everybody!

Balcony food

2007-08-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

They are so tinny, yet delicious!

My balcony cherry tomatoes are so yummy, hmm... I wish you can try this! It's just another Italman's dinner....

First Cherry Tomato Harvest

2007-08-01T05:42:00.000-07:00

Yes indeed, it's a tomato celebration day! My urban balcony garden is rewarding us on a daily basis, but these are my first vegetables harvested this year. Unfortunately, we've had some bad weather lately and we've a lost a significant amount of fruit.

However, it was a sweet harvest! It feels great to produce your own homegrown organic veggies in the middle of the city.

Balcony herb garden update No.2

2007-07-31T02:24:00.000-07:00

It's time for some herbs! This is a follow up on my balcony herb garden, as the No.2 in post title indicates. To get the whole picture, be sure to check out my Balcony herb garden update No.1!

Sometimes I wonder if I overdid it with the number of plants on my small city balcony, it's really a green jungle within a concrete jungle. Maybe it's just a little bit overcrowded. In fact I even lost a few plants due to lack of space and their stronger neighbors overgrowing them.
I had a great Thyme variety that was shaded by her much bigger neighbors, so it looks pretty much dead right now. This was a classic example of planting without planning, but we live and learn. It was a herb used for many dishes in my kitchen, offering great taste and aroma. Fortunately enough, I have another variety that's growing fine, but again it's not as tasty as the other one was.

Here's just one of three Rosemarie plant varieties I grow on my balcony, my bushy Lavender plant and some heavily harvested Parsley.

Here's another Rosemary variety guarded by a garden elf.

One more Rosemary plant.

Lovage

Sage

And that's it regarding the herbs on my balcony garden! I think the list is complete, but who knows, maybe I'll be growing even more herbs, even more varieties very soon! Lets hope so!

Balcony Tomato Emergency

2007-07-30T10:02:00.000-07:00

Another extremely windy day on my balcony, once again with serious consequences for my balcony plants. Again, mostly because of their height, my balcony tomatoes were the ones most damaged!

I can tell you, it wasn't a pretty sight! My tomatoes were all tangled, the stems and branches were heavily bent and tossed all around. The wind had no mercy for my balcony plants! Here's a picture of my balcony tomatoes that might show you what I'm talking about.

I hurried to save my plants, but most of the damage had already been done. However, I had to help my tomatoes somehow! Italman to the rescue! Considering the jungle they created on my balcony garden, it takes some acrobatic skills to prune, stake and tie them. It's almost impossible for me to approach some branches, but I hope I managed to tie them enough and they won't brake under this sweet weight they're carrying. I even inserted a few additional stakes, but I can't find one tall enough for my crazy growing urban tomatoes.

That's the best I could do, but on a brighter or better said greener side most of my herbs seem to be fine. However, I'll be sure to check out the state of my entire balcony garden(plant by plant) early in the morning! Balcony herb garden update No.2 follows!

Italman's dinner

2007-07-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

I went to the marketplace earlier today and bought some lettuce, pepper and chicken breasts.

And here's my dinner!

Balcony herb garden update No.1

2007-07-28T03:16:00.000-07:00

As I've said many times before, I really enjoy growing herbs and I can't imagine my balcony garden without them. They keep good company to my veggies and keep my urban home free of flies and mosquitoes. Not to mention the fragrance and the taste...hmmm!! If you love to cook like I do, you'll be sure to find some space for a little herb garden of your own!

You could see from my previous post that my purple basil is growing just fine and is constantly rewarding us with fresh basil leaves. However, I have some additional young basil plants growing in a small container waiting to get transplanted.

I like growing more plants of the same variety, as well as more varieties of the same plant specie. Not only because of a greater harvest, but because that gives me the opportunity to experiment and learn the specific needs of each plant variety I grow. My green basil variety has given us a significant amount of fresh leaves for the past few months. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the variety in question, but I bought it anyway. The old lady that was selling plants at the local market really seemed to have a green thumb. All of the plants she was offering were looking happy&healthy and she was very kind to share some great gardening tips. When I buy my plants, I tend to do it from local gardeners. There are several reasons I do this, but the most important are supporting the community and creating real human relations. Big up for green thumb granny! Well, back to my basil plants! Here are a few smaller plants that I intentionally left to flower, because I would like to have some seeds of this particular variety for the next year.

Here's another flowering herb from my garden and also a very rewarding one. It's a Mint variety I like to use in some dishes, but it's especially great in all kinds of beverages. It's a pretty invasive plant that tends to fill out your garden space very quickly, but constant pruning&harvesting will keep them in control. Take a close look at these photos, behind my Mint plant and you'll see that there are a lots of other herbs growing in my garden!

Even if you couldn't recognize any of the herbs from my somewhat lousy photos, I'll be posting more on those in my Balcony herb garden update No. 2.! For now, I'd like to show you another Mint variety I grow on my balcony. This plant makes a great tea, of course sweetened with some Stevia Rebaudiana leaves(the second photo)!

Enjoy your herbs!

Pruning Basil

2007-07-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

Herb gardening is a convenient choice for every family, living in urban or rural environment. Don't be discouraged if you live in a small apartment and don't have a balcony, you can grow your herbs on a windowsill. All it takes is plant box(container), some potting soil, seeds or cuttings of your favorite herbs and you're on a right way of becoming a proud owner of a herb garden.

Basil is one of those herbs I can't stop growing, as well as using I might add. It's a pretty easy plant to grow and comes in lots of varieties you can choose from. Basil varieties differ in color, aroma, taste, leaf size and flowers, and are commonly used as ornamental plants, as well as in culinary practice. It's also a very rewarding plant to grow offering a continual harvest of fresh leaves throughout the season. However, proper pruning is crucial when it comes to growing basil and will be the factor that will determine how much herb you'll be able to harvest. I might say pruning is a number one gardening tip when it comes to successful basil growing. I've already stated the importance of pruning in Pinching basil plants, but now I've made more photos, this time of my purple basil.

I prefer pruning, i.e harvesting my plants every week or so, and that way I always have enough fresh basil in my kitchen. Here's the flower forming, but it's going to be snipped off, with some leaves of course.

Here I'm pinching flowers off my basil plants.

A pinched off basil flower.

Taste some!

After the Storm

2007-07-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

Fortunately enough, apart from a few broken branches and a dozen of lost flowers and fruits, most of my balcony plants seem to be more or less o.k.! I have tied and splinted my cherry tomatoes as best as I could, but it's a jungle on my balcony and it's pretty hard for me to provide them the support they need to produce optimally.
The corners of my balcony garden(where the tomatoes grow) are somewhat overcrowded and in spite all of my efforts(pruning, staking and tying) I have to deal with a real urban jungle environment.

Take a look!

Hmm sorry, here's the other angle! Isn't it a real urban tomato jungle!?

Here are a few examples of what I have to do to keep my plants supported. It's not a pretty sight, but it will do it job for the time being. After all, it's all about the homegrown!

Rampage on my balcony

2007-07-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

After a week or so of extremely sunny weather with temperatures ranging from 20C(night) to 36C(day), we've had some rain finally. The temperatures I mentioned above were measured in the shade of course, but in the open, in the concrete jungle, even in my apartment it gets a lot hotter!

However, it wasn't just raining, it was extremely windy and the only thing I can tell you is that my balcony garden plants aren't lonesome in their suffering. As soon as I came home, I hurried to the balcony to check out my plants, but most of the damage has already been done. I really don't want to get in details right now, but I can only say it wasn't a pretty sight. I have additionally tied,supported and splinted my cherry tomatoes, but it looks like about 30% of my crop is gone with the wind. After I've done all I could to help my plants, I went on a bicycle ride to clear my head and get some fresh air. Soon, I stumbled on some casualties........

This tree needs a hug, at least a good bye one!

It was a good shady spot to park a car on a sunny day, but s... happens!?

Hmmm, after all I can only be grateful that most of my urban grow plants are more or less o.k. Soon I'll be able to assess the real damage done on my balcony garden, but for now I can only hope that my plants will heal and keep producing fruit as they were!

Cherry tomato collage

2007-07-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

My balcony garden is blushing, i.e. my cherry tomatoes are, and I just can't wait for some homegrown salad. This year I haven't grown any lettuce, so the whole thing(salad) wont be 100% homegrown, but I've made some mistakes this year that I don't intend to repeat in the future. However, we live and learn!

The fruits of my balcony gardening and the anticipation, hmmm......

Urban revolutionaries

2007-07-22T02:56:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I stumbled upon a great web site owned by Dervaes family, a family of real urban revolutionaries I might add. I was really overjoyed with their work and I definitely support their mission.

The name of their web site is Path to Freedom and as they say it is a grassroots, family operated, viable urban homesteading project established to promote a simpler and more fulfilling lifestyle and reduce one family's "footprint" on the earth's dwindling resources. The Dervaes family managed to transform their ordinary city lot in Pasdena, California into an integral urban homestead. Apart from producing most of their own food, they've managed to decrease their homestead’s reliance on earth’s non-renewable resources using solar panels, energy efficient appliances, and biodiesel processor. It really seems like the Dervaes are doing their best to live as sustainable and self-sufficiently as possible in an urban environment. There's also an important educational dimension in their work, to quote them Path to Freedom's mission is to educate individuals and families to integrate sustainable living practices and methods into their daily lives. Take a look at their magnificent urban garden and enjoy!

Thanks to Path to Freedom for inspiration and for bringing permaculture closer to the people!

Garden where you can

2007-07-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

Even though my balcony garden plants get the most of my attention, my balcony isn't the only place where I grow plants as I've already mentioned. I have some plants in my apartment, as well as in front of my apartment and on the stairway, growing in bunch of containers.

For every urban grower space is one of the greatest limitations, but there's always a way! I garden everywhere I can and even in some places where that seemed impossible at first. You have to be creative and do a lot of experimenting, but in the end it all pays back! There's usually not a lot you can do regarding the conditions(amount of sun, temperature, air movement) you're faced with, so you'll have to take care good care while you choose where to grow certain plants. For example, I have a few cherry tomatoes on my stairway(inside of my apartment building) that are growing very slowly, while those on my balcony garden grow as crazy. I guess you would assume it's the lack of light that's causing this, but it's not, it's the lack of air circulation and very high temperatures. Something I can't change, even if I wanted to. However, although such conditions aren't favorable, some of my urban grow plants seem to grow there quite well.

Extremely hot and sunny

2007-07-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

Last few days were extremely hot and sunny, and the weather forecast says the same for the next week. It's hard for me to function normally these days, not only because of very high temperatures, but because of a terrible toothache I'm experiencing.
However, I'm very happy that my tomatoes will receive enough sun in this crucial time and I know it will make them taste ooooh so great. I have to be patient, another week or so and it's tomato celebration day! Take a look at my balcony tomatoes, ripening and enjoying the sun!

Garden Pests Prevention and Control

2007-07-19T02:57:00.000-07:00

Well, to continue one of my previous posts Garden Insects & Pests, I'm going to bring up some of the things we can do in our gardens to keep our plants happy and healthy. Keep in mind, it can all be done without using any man made chemicals, strictly natural!
All kinds of garden pests, diseases and fungi can attack your plants. However, there's a lot of stuff we can do in our everyday garden maintenance to prevent such unwanted guests from visiting our gardens. On the other hand, if allowed to thrive, extreme control measures are necessary to get rid of them.

Prevention
It's better to be safe, than sorry!

Cleanliness/tidiness is a very important factor in pests prevention and should be incorporated in every gardeners routine. Removing the garden debris in which many insects live will help for sure. Don't let the leaves to accumulate on the soil surface and try to keep it as tidy as you can. And one more thing,always keep your garden tools clean(you can only guess why)!

Pruning is also very important, it will increase airflow, encourage new growth and improve the overall state of your plant. Healthy plants are much more disease resistant and while pruning your plants when it's needed, you will simply be removing diseased or dead parts of the plants!

New plants in our gardens our always a joy, but there are those times when they become our worst nightmare. When importing new plants in your garden always be sure to check them out properly for possible pests and diseases. A single, beautiful new plant in your garden might bring you a whole lot of problems in your garden, so I advise you to think twice.

Companion planting is also a very helpful way of keeping your garden plants healthy. Certain plants are known to discourage certain insects. This way you have an everyday natural insect repellent in your garden. I can say that my apartment is almost 100% fly and mosquito free and it's all thanks to the choice of the plants I've made this year. Growing so many herbs on my balcony garden turned out rewarding in so many ways. Choosing the plants you grow in your garden is very important if you want to create a healthy organic garden, so do your research before you do any planting.

Control
Even with all preventative measures taken, sometimes pests and diseases will take over your garden. When that happens things go downwards pretty fast and you have to take control!

Manual removal is an option, but only in very early stages of infestation and for people with good eyesight, a lot of patience and not too many plants.

Natural organic sprays represent significantly better option that should help you get rid of your garden infestation. I like to use neem oil which is very effective against all kinds of pests, very easy to use and pretty inexpensive. Spray the foliage of your plants(under the leaves also) heavily and that should do the trick, if not repeat the process a few more times.Just recently, I've used Neem oil to protect my cherry tomatoes from aphid and spider mite infestation and again it worked great. Pyrethrum based sprays work o.k. also, but are unreasonably expensive from my point of view.

Biological control or introducing predators and parasites into your garden is also a great way of controling garden pests, as well as a great preventative measure. If you don't have a ladybug or a lacewing in your garden don't despair, today it's possible to order them online. If you like the idea, check out this site with loads of info and a great offering of beneficial insects.

Turning Red

2007-07-17T03:04:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of things going on in my home garden these days. Unfortunately I'm on a pretty tight schedule and right now I can't find the time to document all of them.
However, my cherry tomatoes certainly deserve a word or two, and a photo of course! Finally, the fruit started to change color a few days ago and it's getting redder and redder! I can't wait to pick the first cherry tomato from my balcony garden!

Another perspective

2007-07-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

I've been quite busy for the last few days and I haven't had the time to do all the gardening chores I intended to. However, I sprayed all of my balcony plants with Neem oil what should take care of my aphids&spider mites problem for now.

I should go to sleep right now, because tomorrow I have to get up early, take care of my urban garden and give some love and nutrients to my plants. There's a lot of stuff going one on my balcony garden, but I'm still quite busy with some other stuff I'm doing. I'm also without a camera which would enable me to record the present state of my Urban Grow plants!!! Nevertheless, here are some out of date photographs of my balcony garden flowers. You could have already seen those Pelargonium flowers on my gardening blog, but this time I offer you another perspective!

And here I am!

Will it be enough?

2007-07-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it's still raining, but at least now my plants are standing upright. I've added some additional support for my balcony tomatoes and tied everything as best as I could. I wonder will it be enough!? For sure, it will make things better for my plants, but still I couldn't find a stake big enough for my crazy growing tomatoes. The plants that were injured were taken care of and now I can only wait for them to heal. I can only hope it wont stress my plants too much and effect flowering and fruit producing. Unfortunately, I haven't had and still don't have a camera to record the state of my balcony garden before&after the night that caused problems in my urban garden. However, here are a few photographs of veggies taken a few days ago after the rain.

Wet Tomatoes

Still I haven't done anything regarding the aphid and spider mite issue, but I hope rain will do some of my work. Right now, there's no sense in applying Neem oil because the rain would wash it off. Nevertheless, I'll have to spray some on my plants as soon as the rain stops falling. I'll be posting some information on Neem oil, soon too. Hopefully, I'll have the camera to record some of the stuff I'm writing about in this garden blog of mine.

Windy Balcony Garden

2007-07-11T02:07:00.000-07:00

It has been raining almost all night&day and temperature has fallen significantly. I have a feeling that my plants love it, but it was extremely windy and that's certainly not a good thing for my balcony garden plants.

My tomatoes are supported with stakes, but they overgrew their support couple of weeks ago. Insufficient support is becoming a problem, especially when strong wind is in question like these days. When not supported enough branches and vegetable flowers get tossed around a lot and you can easily loose your crop. Last few nights were pretty fatal! I can see that a lot of delicate cherry tomato flowers are missing. i.e. have fallen off. Not to mention that few of my cherry tomatoes got injured, so I'll have to do some splinting and patching. I hope I wont loose what's left of my veggie flowers, i.e. future veggies. The thing to do right now is create adequate support, but I can't find a thing in my apartment tall enough to fit this purpose. I'm not focused on balcony or garden design, I just want to make my plants happy and I'll do what I have to do.

It's time for some urban garden action!

Garden Insects & Pests

2007-07-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

Gardeners across the world usually share a significant amount of mutual interests and problems. Some of those are: pests and diseases, over watering and under watering , fertilizing , growing techniques, propagation, pruning issues and many other common gardening issues.

Urban gardening isn't so much different from any other form of gardening. After all, we all try to grow happy and healthy plants. Therefore, whether you garden indoors or outdoors, in urban or natural environment, you've already or certainly are about to have some experience with insects and pests in your garden. Insects are an important part of every naturally balanced garden and as everything in nature, they have they purpose in the ecosystem as a whole. Some of them are beneficial to our gardens, as they feed on pests or pollinate the flowers of plants. The ones we call harmful create problems by feeding on our plants and are therefore undesirable. However, most pest problems can be prevented, but if left unchecked extreme control measures are often necessary. Prevention and control are two main aspects of dealing with garden pests and insects, but most importantly it can all be done in natural, sustainable manner.

It's important, for me at least, to live my life in a sustainable manner and try to get back to my roots, to natural living. Being environment friendly isn't something you can teach your kids, while at the same time you destroy and pollute that same environment in every possible way. Kids need an example, something and someone to look up to and right now they are not looking at a pretty picture. Everyday we have the opportunity to do something good for our planet or maybe, better said not to do so much wrong. Equally, every gardener has a choice: organic or chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides or natural alternatives.

I made my choice! It's organic!

Balcony Flowers

2007-07-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

As I said earlier, a lot of my balcony plants are in flowering stage. I'm having some problems trying to Google the names of all the plants in English, but that's mostly because I know them by names used in Croatia(by local people). However, I'll be gradually posting all of their photos and I would appreciate if you would help me discover their English names.
For now, I'm going to make my Mum happy by posting some pictures of her Pelargonium flowers!

Balcony Flowers(Pelargonium)

Veggie dinner

2007-07-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

My fridge was kind of empty, but I found some veggies and that was enough for a hot day like this. Some pepper leftovers, one and a half zucchini, some feta cheese and a little bit of corn bread(not on the photo). I can't wait for my own homegrown veggies to ripen!

Still green

2007-07-09T02:35:00.000-07:00

My balcony garden is in flowering stage and there are veggie flowers and baby veggies popping all around. Almost everyday I get a close look at my tomatoes, but still they are all green.

Although my two Saint Pierre Tomatoes aren't producing any fruit, that isn't my main concern right now. In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that I've planted too many plants in one plant box/container. Even then, I knew that the plants wouldn't have enough root space, but at that time it was the only way for me to grow them. I have a habit of sowing to many seeds and therefore I keep ending up with more seedlings than I can handle. Usually I share most of them, so it's a good thing in the end! Like the overcrowding issue isn't enough, the other day I realized that my veggies are under aphid and spider mite attack. Some leaves were severely damaged so I had to cut them off. I have to take care of that problem as soon as I can, because these pests can really suck out the life out of a plant. Neem Oil works pretty good with such problems and is totally organic. More on Neem oil, soon!

For now, take a look at the progress my baby veggies are making.

Saint Pierre Tomato

Cherry Tomatoes

Pepper

Balcony Garden Jungle

2007-07-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I've never mentioned that apart from cherry tomatoes and pepper, I also grow regular size tomatoes. There are hundreds of tomato varieties from which you can choose.

The variety I grow on my balcony garden is named Saint Pierre. The seed package I bought offered little information on the plant characteristics, but it's allegedly a late strain. Currently, there are three Saint Pierre tomatoes on my balcony and all of them are in flowering stage. However, only one of them is producing fruit. The other two plants are a lot bigger and producing a lot of flowers, but they keep falling off and there's no sign of fruit yet. That worries me a lot and I was even thinking of cutting them down, but I'll give them a few more weeks. Still, they are growing like crazy and that gives me some hope. My balcony garden is starting to look like a real urban jungle!

Urban Grow Jungle

What a smell

2007-07-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

As I was sitting in my kitchen, I noticed a beautiful natural aroma that reminded me of my childhood. It didn't come from my balcony garden, but it was here to stay.

It was a puzzle for me that my mother helped me solve as soon as she came home. This beautiful fragrance occupied my whole apartment for a few weeks. It was so nice to wake up with all those plant odors and my city apartment had a scent of woods. It might sound strange, but it's all thanks to one flowering tree, Tilia.

A view from my balcony(Tilia)

I have luck that there still is some plant life in the area I live, as the park in front of the building I live in can show. Nothing special, a lawn, few benches and some trees. Fortunately enough, some of those trees are pretty big so they help a lot, especially in hot summer days like this one is. Tilia, linden, lime, basswood or how ever you call it is a specie of large trees. This one has 25 meters approximately. Like every other plant is a gift of nature used for many purposes, so is Tilia! I love Tilia honey and tea!

Something New&Urban

2007-07-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

I found this new and interesting approach in hotel industry and I think it's something worth sharing. The main idea behind this project is to serve as a hospitality tool in public space. Das Parkhotel is constructed from repurposed drain pipes and as they say, they work with user friendly "pay as you wish" system. By leaving the amount of money you can afford or want to pay, you are supporting this innovative project. I hope the idea will evolve and that one day we will meet in some city park hotel. Nevertheless, this looks like a great project and I might say a very creative hospitality tool! Find out more about it here.

Why herbs on a balcony?

2007-07-04T02:01:00.000-07:00

Among many other uses, herbs have been very important part of culinary practice for ages and still are. The best way to add some real natural flavor to your food is to season it with some of your precious homegrown herbs.

Most of culinary herbs are pretty easy to cultivate, so almost everybody can grow his/her own herb garden with minimum effort. The one thing these plants love is the sun, so make sure they have enough of it! And one more thing, herbs usually don't require a lot of moisture, so there's no need for every day watering. Balcony garden, container or a window box, it doesn't matter, because there's always a way to find some space for a couple of your favorite herbs.
Homegrown herbs are essential part of my cuisine and I can't imagine some of my favorite meals without it. I use herbs to add to give some extra flavor and fragrance to my meals. They are very important part of my life and growing them myself gives me the pleasure of enjoying my own fresh herb every day. Of course, once the time comes they'll be harvested, dried and stashed for winter. Use them to add their specific flavor to soups, sauces, stews, salads, teas, juices... Some recipes, soon!

Balcony herbs: Thyme, Purple Basil, Oregano, Lovage

Balcony gardening issues

2007-07-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

Even though gardening on a balcony doesn't require a lot of time and work, you should pay regular attention at the state your plants are in. Not to mention, regular and adequate watering and fertilizing, adequate soil, enough root space(container size), pruning, checking for pests, diseases and so on...

You should check on your plants every now and then, but it wouldn't hurt to do it every day. I do it almost every time I'm on my balcony, I just can't look away. In such moments it instantly becomes clear that the natural way is the only way. By observing our plants we learn something new every day and while our plants grow, we grow! Right now, I don't have the fortune of growing plants in natural surroundings, so I have to do what I can in urban conditions. Urban gardening requires a slightly different approach and you might find that among others, spacial limitations will cause you a lot of headache. When you've done what you can regarding the space issue(check out one of my previous posts: More space for plants), there' still the issue of the amount of sun your plants will receive. The only way to deal with the amount of received sun problem, is to grow the plants that will thrive in the light conditions your balcony has to offer.

Growing plants in the city certainly requires a slightly different gardening approach!

Changing colors

2007-07-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

Every now and then my plants surprise me with beautiful colors. This specific plant has been transplanted from a garden that used to belong to my grandma and for some years now, happily grows on my balcony. It's a daily reminder of my gardening genes!

Lovage on a balcony

2007-06-30T03:59:00.000-07:00

Herbs represent a great part of my balcony garden and I must say that growing herbs on a balcony has been very rewarding. I have managed to squeeze in my garden most of the herbs I need and commonly use in my kitchen.

Lovage(Levisticum officinale)
This plant is a perennial and it's pretty easy to cultivate, so I can recommend it to most gardeners. It resembles Celery, but grows much bigger and has stronger taste. I use it for culinary purposes, usually in dishes where celery or parsley is used, but it also has a lot of medicinal properties(vitamin C). However, you shouldn't use a lot of it, because it has a much stronger taste than Celery or Parsley. In my country people call this plant Vegeta, because in taste it resembles the product called Vegeta. Maybe some of you heard of it or maybe even tried it. Vegeta is an authentic Croatian product used for seasoning dishes. It's o.k., but a herb is a herb! Take a look at my balcony garden Lovage!

Containers for balcony railings

2007-06-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Every balcony gardener has to find his own way of creating his or hers own unique garden design. Even the smallest balconies can be transformed into little urban gardens. Of course, the space you're dealing with is usually the main issue. Trying to create a balcony that will be a comfortable extension of your living space in one hand and a beautiful edible garden in other, can be somewhat difficult. That's why we have to use our imagination and creativity, but never neglect functionality and sustainability.

If you want to make more space for your plants you can use planter brackets, plant hangers and plant boxes and still have adequate space for everyday activities on your balcony. I have done something like that, but still I'm thinking about drilling some holes in the wall and putting some shelves on it. A couple of shelves with some herbs in containers on them would work great! Gardening in containers seems to be one of the main features of balcony gardening, but everyday there's something new in gardening world and sometimes worth attention. Revealing new and amazing things in gardening world is my passion and I must say many of my Google searches resulted in A-HA effect or at least placed a smile on my face.

Here's one the results of my Google search I decided to share. I think it might be helpful and can resolve very important space issues on some balconies. Unfortunately, it's made only for those balconies equipped with railings, so those of you with balcony railings, take a close look. I think it's a great idea, maybe it's an old one, but I've never seen containers like this one! This is a special container made for railings!

Find out more about it at www.rephormhaus.de!

Update on balcony veggies

2007-06-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Finally, got the camera so I can record the fruits of my labor or better said veggies!

Everything seems to be growing well, but I'm a little bit worried because I think I planted too many plants in one container. I'm afraid that there won't be enough space for roots and they might get root bound. Actually, I think that it might not be deep enough for cherry tomatoes and peppers. They are in flowering stage and producing heavily, so transplanting them to another, bigger container wouldn't be a good idea right now. Even if that wasn't the case, i.e. if they were still in vegetative phase, I don't think I could find more space for them. However, we learn while we grow and grow while we learn!

Take a look at the progress my balcony garden is making, there are more and more cherry tomatoes every day and paprika looks very promising too. I'm so happy I have my own little organic garden, high up in the sky! There's nothing like the smell and taste of your own homegrown organic food. All it takes is a few seeds, soil and a whole lot of love!

Urban balcony gardening rocks!

Cherry Tomatoes

Pepper(Paprika)

Pigeon vs Cd

2007-06-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

After some time now, I finally came to a conclusion and regarding aesthetics of my balcony garden, it's a pretty important one.

It seems that one of the methods I use in order to keep pigeons away from my balcony and my garden is/or became inefficient. By became inefficient, I mean that possibly pigeons got used to it, because it's a commonly used pigeon prevention method in my city for some time now. I know some people that say it works, yet others say it doesn't. There also some people who say they are among the first ones that have practiced the method and they came to a conclusion that it was efficient for some time, but not any more! Well, I've been practicing three or at least two methods trying to get rid off pigeons, so I can't conclude for sure the efficiency of this one solely. What I can say is: there is possibility that this method never kept the pigeons away and there is a possibility that this particular method worked for a while, until they got used to it. Hmm, there's one more thing that might clarify this puzzle or at least try to. Before an hour ago or so, I was walking through my neighborhood gazing at stars as always and checking out some other urban balconies, and guess what do I see!? A window, three Cds tied together above the window and you guess, three pigeons having a good time!

At least, I can conclude that this method solely is inefficient, however I don't think I'll be taking the Cds off before I conclude the same through my own experiments. It might sound a little stupid, it does to me as well, but I don't want to gamble with my plants!

More space for plants

2007-06-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

My urban garden, a balcony in Zagreb is a happy place!

Cherry tomatoes are growing like crazy and in last few days producing heavily. I can't wait for my own organic cherry tomato salad, of course with some basil in it . Unfortunately, I don't have a camera so there's no way I can record the amazing growth rate of this plants and share it with you. However, my brother should be back in Zagreb in a few days and again, hopefully, will help his little brother to document his balcony garden and borrow him his camera.

Growing plants in your home garden can be very rewarding as it might bring you your own homegrown food, a great aesthetic experience and some would even say a therapeutic one. Life in the city doesn't have to be and I say must not be nature free, so just keep on growing!

Some of the greatest limitations in urban gardening are: space available for your plants and the amount of light your urban garden receives. My balcony garden is faced East, so I get about 5 or 6 hours of sun and that seems enough for most of my plants. Regarding the space issue, I can only say I try to make the most of it. Apart from a built in concrete planter box and a considerable amount of containers, I've done a few more things to make the most of the space I have. Still, I have enough space to take a nap on my old bench or make barbecue, eat, chill and so on...

Here are a few things you can do that will enable you to grow more plants you love without limiting your living space.

Plant hangers and planter brackets

After the rain

2007-06-26T03:02:00.000-07:00

One and only

2007-06-25T04:40:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of plants growing in my garden and every other day nature takes care to make my balcony a great living space. A few days ago my one and only garden rose rewarded us with a beautiful flower.

Wind and rain

2007-06-23T01:46:00.001-07:00

Last night was extremely windy, but fortunately it brought some rain with it and right now I can say it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day. I know most of you are waiting and hoping for some rain and I hope your wishes will be fulfilled!

However, even if rain is a welcome guest in my garden, very strong wind can create a few problems, as it was the case last night. Fortunately, it woke me up so I was able to minimize the damage. I had to move some of the containers, just to be sure, don't want to see them falling. All the cuttings and baby plants are o.k., but they were also sheltered. On the other hand, those plants left in the wind, especially those that weren't sufficiently supported are the ones that reacted the worst, logically. It doesn't look like a lot of damage has been done, but I'll be able to say for sure in a few days.

Keep on growing!

Fireworks

2007-06-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

There is some kind of fireworks contest in my city(Zagreb) and I have just recorded a few photographs, so take a look! It´s just a glance from my balcony!

Pinching basil plants

2007-06-21T03:25:00.000-07:00

Basil can be easily grown, whether from seed or cuttings, indoors or outdoors. This beautiful herb just keeps on rewarding you and you´ll be glad that you have found a place for it in your own home garden. However, like every other plant, Basil requires certain growing environment, i.e. suitable conditions and in this case that primarily means enough warmth and light.

Pinching or pruning is a very important feature of basil growing and a necessary practice, especially if you want to make the most of your garden. Once your small basil plants have grown and established a quality root system, it´s time for pinching! You have to pinch the top of the plant to promote branching and prevent early flowering. Eventually, flowers will start to grow and again you have to cut those off! By doing so, you are delaying flowering and channeling the energy of the plant from flower production into leaf production. However, it is smart to let your basil flower eventually, because it will reward you with fresh seeds for the next season. Great leaf production is what we are after an interestingly enough, Basil reacts very well when we clip some of those(not all) leaves off and again it produces more and more.
Grow your own Basil and you´re about to have a great growing experience and a constant supply of your own fresh herb! Here are a few photographs that should help you visualize how to pinch a flower off your basil plant! It´s very simple, take a look!

Pinching flowers off my basil plant

First baby tomatoes

2007-06-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have some real veggies growing in my urban garden!

It was a hot morning high up in the sky and I was just checking on my balcony plants. My cherry tomatoes have been flowering for a week and today, first baby tomatoes were waiting for me. Yiiippyyy!! Those are first tomatoes on my balcony ever! On the other hand, I´m a little bit worried because my regular tomato plants started flowering before the cherrys, but still I can´t see a single baby tomato. However, now that my tomato plants(hopefully all) will be carrying some extra weight, they require adequate support. It was really getting crowded in the tomato area and plants were all tangled up. The growth rate of this plants is amazing, but some of my other plants were suffering because of lack of light and air. I can only hope that I have done a good job pruning and securing my plants, so that my garden remains a happy place for all of my plants.

Baby tomato

Take a look at some photographs of my balcony plants from another perspective and check out the jungle tomato plants have created. This photographs were taken after I have done pruning and securing support for my plants, so you can only imagine how it looked before that!

Tomato jungle

Flowers on a balcony

2007-06-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

As you have been able to see from my previous posts, it´s possible to grow almost anything right in your own urban home garden. You can live your usual city life and still experience all the pleasures and joys of gardening. It does not require a lot from you, yet as things are going in the world, I think it is becoming a highly important issue which needs to be brought to attention. More on that some other time!

Right now, I want to share some photographs of flowers from my balcony garden. It´s my mother´s area and I´m not sure of all the names, so I´ll get back on those in future posts.

Flowers from my balcony garden

Pigeons attack again

2007-06-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

I got up from bed this morning and the first step I made on my balcony was a slippery one. There was bird(pigeon) poop all around! That´s gardening in the city!

Most of my plants are all right, but my whole balcony garden was a mess. It seems that pigeons will eventually get used to almost anything we do to try to keep them away and sometimes that can get really frustrating. However, maybe the problem lies somewhere else. You can see from my earlier post How to keep pigeons away the methods I use for this purpose. Yesterday I turned off the radio and maybe that´s one of the reasons why my defense failed. Just guessing!

It may seem that my Barbecue sticks method is a little bit crazy, but it is really a copy of a method that seems to work. Instead of bamboo sticks, metal spikes are used to prevent pigeons from accessing certain areas of the building. This kind of protection is not here to do any harm, but simply to prevent pigeons from accessing certain areas, i.e. your living space!

Please help my urban garden and share some ideas how to get rid off pigeons!!!

Right on time

2007-06-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

It just started to rain and my plants(tomatoes especially) are loving it! Right on time!

Nevertheless, rain and wind can present a lot of problems when your plants are not supported enough. Right now, there´s not a thing in hand that I could use for this purpose. The only thing left for me to do is to strengthen the existing support.

This is a little photo session recorded from my balcony:

Before

What´s pouring, take a look!

After

Under watering

2007-06-16T01:52:00.000-07:00

Over watering is a common problem, especially with seedlings and small plants. Too much water drowns the roots, cutting off their supply of oxygen. In such condition, your plants will grow very slowly and if over watering continues more problems will appear.

Under watering, on the other hand, is less of a problem. However, it is a fairly common problem, especially with plants in containers in hot summer days. Small pots/containers dry out quickly and need daily watering, so bigger pots, means less watering. Not enough water dries out the root hairs, causing them to die. If this situation repeats itself over and over, it will probably stunt your plant and maybe cause slower growth.

Here´s an example of my under watered tomato plant

What´s flowering?

2007-06-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

It´s getting a little bit crowded, but I have just done some pruning and everything looks great. Pruning was necessary to increase the airflow and allow the light to penetrate lower branches and smaller plants. My tomatoes just keep getting bigger and bigger, so I´ll have to do some thinking before I decide what kind of support I´ll use. It is really starting to look like a jungle in here, a real urban jungle high up in the sky!!! Balcony garden creates a whole new dimension in your flat and a great aromatic extension of your living space. Right now, I can´t imagine cooking without my fresh homegrown herbs. I hope soon, I´ll be able to say the same for my veggies.

Take a quick look at my flowering tomato plant

Balcony Basil

2007-06-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

As I already said in my earlier post Herbs on a balcony, I am a passionate herb lover.

Basil is one of my favorite herbs and that´s why I grow two strains in my home garden. There is nothing like a smell of fresh basil early in the morning!!!

Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
There are several kinds of basil plants, with different leaf coloration and varying scents and flavors. Basil is usually associated with Italian cooking, although it originates from India.
You can sow the seeds directly in soil, just make sure there´s enough warmth and light. Basil is used for many purposes, but the most common one is culinary. It is best used fresh and/or added during the last minutes of cooking.

My Balcony Basil

How to keep pigeons away

2007-06-09T07:09:00.001-07:00

Pigeons are messing with your plants? What to do and how to keep pigeons off your plants and out of your garden?
Pigeons create great problems in urban gardens all around the world, as it was the case in my urban garden. The first thing in mind, after seeing the mess they made in your garden, is how to get rid of them and save what´s left of your plants. To me, that seemed almost impossible and my seedlings were ruined time after time. They were on a verge of destroying my whole balcony garden, but I decided to fight, even though I meant them no harm. I tried out a few methods and I must say I´m not 100% sure which one works the best, so I´ll keep posting my experiences.

How do I keep pigeons away from my balcony garden(a few methods currently used on my balcony):

CD method: It is a method commonly used in my city to keep pigeons of your balcony. Just tie down the cd and let it hang. The cds are shinny and reflective what seems to bother the pigeons. It is not the prettiest element in my garden, but it seems to work, at least when it´s sunny outside. The absence of light(sun) is a major limitation of this method. Barbecue sticks method:

Barbecue sticks method: This is a method I came up with to prevent pigeons from walking and pooping in my garden. Again it´s not the prettiest element in my garden, but it works day and night. Sticks are placed in soil, sharp side up.

Radio method: I have a radio on my balcony so I just keep it turned on and it seems to fool those garden invaders.
The combination of all three methods seems to do the job.

More photos from Dubrovnik

2007-06-09T05:24:00.000-07:00

I could not resist to post a few more photos of how urban gardening can look like if you let your imagination and creativity loose.

Take a look at this little example of urban gardening in the streets of Dubrovnik(Croatia). It is a balcony/stairway with a unique garden design arranged with some toy dolls. I can only imagine the abundance of plant life and diversity of garden designs Dubrovnik has to offer.

Is it funny or is it spooky, judge for yourselves!

Unique garden design from Dubrovnik

Vegetables on a balcony

2007-06-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

It´s time you take a peek at some vegetables on my balcony. As I said in my earlier posting, all my plants are mixed together. Vegetables, fruit, shrubs, herbs and flowers grow together in a rather confined space, but everything looks good for now.

Here is the list of vegetables I grow in my small urban garden: tomato, cherry tomato, garlic, pepper(paprika). It´s not a big list, yet it´s not a big space!
The growth in the last three weeks was impressive and you can easily see that it´s getting a little crowded. I have already done some trimming, nothing excessive, just to increase the airflow. Even though I had some pest problems, my balcony tomatoes are doing great and for that I have to thank another magnificent plant, neem tree.

Before&After of my vegetable garden

Before(3 weeks)

After(3 weeks)

I love Urban Gardening!!!

Dubrovnik

2007-06-07T03:05:00.001-07:00

My brother visited Dubrovnik a few days ago and I must say, when I saw the photos he recorded, I was pretty amazed! I can´t wait to go down there myself!

Dubrovnik is one of the most attractive cities on the Mediterranean. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea coast in the extreme south of Croatia and has a remarkable cultural and political history. Apart from its world famous cultural and political heritage, Dubrovnik offers outstanding natural beauties and an interesting mixture of plant life.

Take a look!!!

Walk the streets of Dubrovnik and check out the plant life!!!

Balcony (before&after)

2007-06-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

I was just looking at some of my photos and decided to do before&after photo show of my balcony. It was rearranged a month ago, but there´s still some work to do, some seeds to sow. I´m still looking for more place for my plants, while trying not to overcrowd the place. After all, it´s a living space and during hot summer days even a bedroom.

Balcony photos

Before
Here are some photos of how my balcony used to look. During cold weather, i.e. winter it´s more like a storage space, so don´t get startled!

After
Here are some photos of my balcony after we rearranged it. It is a great place to chill and hang out with my plants. Today it looks a lot greener!

Balcony box

Here are a few photos of my balcony box!

Today it looks a lot bushier and filled with containers, but unfortunately I don´t have a camera to record it!

Herbs on a balcony

2007-06-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

Growing herbs as your home plants is a common and convenient choice for everyone who lives in a flat and has a balcony. Not that, if you don´t have one you can´t grow herbs. Window gardening is always an option, so you can have your herb garden anyway!

Herbs have a special place in my heart, as they had an in important role in life of man for thousands of years. These versatile plants are used for many purposes, such as:

culinary
medicinal
ornamental
spiritual

Here are a few photos of my garden herbs:

What to grow on a balcony

2007-06-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

If you have a balcony and you want to grow some plants, the first thing you got to do is make a list of the plants you want to grow. What plants are suitable for your balcony, you have to figure out yourself. Do some research, do a lot of growing and that´s it. You may try to grow all the plants that you want to grow, but to me it seems impossible. Hmm, maybe I want too much!?
There are a lot of factors that can limit you when choosing a plant you want to grow, like for example: if your balcony is facing north, you´ll have a hard time growing plants that need a great amount of sun; strong wind can be a problem; if your balcony is facing south, too much sun and heat can also be a problem. Different plants have different requirements and we must take good care to try and fulfill those for each one of them. There are various plants growing on my balcony (herbs, flowers, vegetables,fruit...) and it may seem a little bit extreme for a flat. That´s one reason more I have to pay good attention on rules of companion gardening, but for now everything seems to be going well. I managed to squeeze a lot of different plants in a pretty small space so it looks like an old school garden. It´s a miniature of my late grandmothers´ garden! My mother transplanted a few plants from her garden and now I take care of the same plants that my late grandmother used to nurture.

Here´s a photo of Grandmas´ plant:

Mission accomplished

2007-05-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

My mother is a passionate plant grower(hmm, what a coincidence) and she wanted to see her flowers on my blog.
No problem mum!!!

Here it goes! It's pelargonium!

Gardening Technique

2007-05-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

If you live in a flat, gardening in containers is the way to go!
It's no problem, you can grow almost anything in a container. I have the fortune of having a big balcony box, but I have a bunch of plants in containers all over the flat and in front of it. Indoor gardening with fluorescents as well as hydroponics sound interesting and if space was not the issue, I would be doing some serious winter experimenting. For now I will stick with container gardening and try to make the most of my crops!

Container gardening is a great technique which offers you many advantages:

even with limited space you have the joy of growing plants
it enables you to experiment with plants
mobility
your herbs are at your hand
it is easy to rearrange
you can grow in places you thought is impossible to grow
it makes pest control easier
decorative element
and so on...............

Keep on growing!!!

Seedlings

2007-05-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

A few days ago the first ones started popping out of the soil and I must say I was jumping around the flat like a little kid. I had some problems before, but this time things are looking promising. Sowing in to plastic cups filled with soil is the most common seed germination method practiced in my garden. Is it the best, I don´t know! You must take good care to keep the soil wet, but still not too wet! I think it´s the method that works best for me, although I had some problems. I sowed some purple basil seeds and tiny seedlings came out, but I over watered them and they died. This time I´m taking it nice and easy with watering, just enough! They are so sensitive in this stage of growth, but it´s worth it, it´s a beautiful herb!!

Basil seedlings

Balcony Garden

2007-05-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

Gardening in small space has its´ limits! That´s why I have to make careful choices of plants I use and pay great attention to details. Choosing the plants for my garden, i.e. cutting down the list of the plants I want to grow is the tricky part. Nevertheless, my whole flat is filled with plants just like the space in front of it. The best part of my home garden is of course, the balcony garden!!!

Balcony gardening: As I already said my balcony has little space but it has a built in concrete box/container made especially for growing plants(my love goes to the architect). Plus, I have a bunch of containers and plants ready for transplanting.
First of all, let us take some things in consideration and look at +/- of balcony gardening:

The negative:

small space
hot sun & strong wind
there is often an overhang that prevents the rainfall from reaching the containers
extra watering chores if prior is the case
safety issues(stuff falling of your balcony)
a lot of pigeons started coming and ruining the plants(I don´t know if they started coming because of the plants, I guess so)

The positive:

a feast for your senses, you can look at it, touch it, smell it, taste it......enjoy
you got the joy of growing plants
herbs on your balcony are great for cooking and for their medicinal values
vegetable and fruit is always better from your own garden
it is the place were you rest your head and somehow, while at home I always end up in my balcony garden

Soon some photos of my balcony!!!

Done shopping

2007-05-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

It´s going good, done shopping, done some transplanting and my plants are quite happy!!!

My shopping list:

Seeds: salvia, basil, marjoram, dill + some seeds I got from friends(already in soil)

Soil: 10 liter soil bag(not my usual brand), but will do for now

Containers/Pots: a few pots, already inhabited with some cherry tomato plants

Tools: don´t need none, I do most of the work with my hands(after all it´s just a balcony)

Right now I got the urge for some strawberries, check it out!!!

It´s really a garden of life!!!

Garden shopping on my mind

2007-05-20T04:36:00.000-07:00

I am not an average modern consumer and my shopping is usually done in 5 minutes, but when it comes to plants I like to take my time!! Unfortunately, limitations in space are an important factor and I always have to keep this in mind while garden shopping. In other words, I have to take good care not to overcrowd the place and make the most of the space I have.

A few more days, a few more bucks and garden shopping can begin!!!

Here are some photos of my yellow-green plant!!! Please can someone tell me the name of this plant!!!

Take a look!

Getting ready

2007-05-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

As I already said, I live in a flat, apartment or whatever. I don´t have a lot of room but I have a balcony. It´s not so big, but it´s great for my plants. The morning sun is the one, they love it so much!!
Today my mother and I spent the whole day cleaning, painting the balcony walls, again cleaning.....The plants will love it, it´s clean and yellow!! We got rid of some stuff and made some room for ........, you guess, plants!!
I´m so tired, I´m so happy!!! Shopping for garden accessories is next!!!

I wanna live!!!

Coming soon

2007-05-06T02:48:00.000-07:00

A detailed description of my garden, including the process of making!!! All about my plants!!!All about the soil, water, nutrients, pests, diseases and everything important for maintaining a healthy and happy garden; a garden of life!!!

Here´s a photo of my strawberries enjoying the company of some medicinal herbs!!!

Welcome to my garden!!

2007-05-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

Greetings and welcome,

I hope you´ll have a good time observing the process of creating this garden!!!

The seeds are ready and some have already sprouted! Of course, some of the plants are already in the soil and doing great!!!! And hmm, by the way I live in a flat!!!

Here´s a peak through my strawberries, unfortunately it´s not a pretty sight!!!