[Question] Any Gardeners?

I'd like to have a small garden on my balcony this year. A few flowers, and I want to grow my own chives, herbs, etc. Does anyone have any tips/experience in this department? I face west so I get a ton of heat and light late into the day.

Any input is appreciated. Unless your input is "Abandon all hope, you killed a cactus, remember?" because I do remember. Poor Vladmir.
 
Water herbs like thyme,rosemary,etc. sparsely. They are used to arid temps. When using tap water let it rest and get to room temp before watering.
Used coffee grounds are a good fertilizer.
 
The general rule of thumb for watering non-arid herbs is to wait until the dirt is dry from the top down to your first knuckle when you stick your finger in the dirt, and then water. Be sure your pots have drainage holes in the bottom. Overwatering (generally) doesn't mean that you've given too much water at a time, but that you've given water too frequently. Check one of the plant hardiness zone maps to make sure that you're planting herbs and flowers that have a higher possibility of success (no, not just because you killed a cactus).
 
Also, (most) herbs love sunlight. All the sunlight. As much as you can give them.
But like @Gared says, you're going to want to segregate your herbs. Stores like to sell a pot containing multiple live herbs, but because they all have different requirements, it's almost a sure thing that one of 'em is going to die no matter what you do just because they all have different care requirements. Best to decide which herbs you want, look up their care requirements, and group 'em in pots/boxes by habitat.

--Patrick
 
I don't know if you live near a Lee Valley but they sell an awesome planter that has automatic watering and several domes
To gradually allow your seedlings to have different humidities.
 
The heat will be an issue. Keep an eye on things particularly during the warmest days of summer and be proactive about keeping the plant area under 110F. Toward this end, having several smaller boxes that you can bring inside or shade as needed might be beneficial for you.

The biggest issue as others have suggested is watering. Skipping a day can be destructive, particularly when you have a hot afternoon.

If you can have deeper, wider planting boxes you'll find that the watering is easier and less picky, because the amount of soil will moderate that issue, as well as act as a heat sink so the temperature extremes are evened out a bit.

Potting mix is important. Make sure whatever mix you use includes water absorbing/storing media, compost, and soil. We make our own mix based on the book "square foot gardening" (recipes available online) which provides a good all around mix for excellent plant growth with good protection from most types of infrequent neglect.

An herb garden should be fairly straightforward though, and I'd be tempted to establish each herb in its own medium size pot so you can rotate and move them around be based on conditions.
 
Also eggshells and coffee grounds. And when you make a compost pile, two layers of stuff be it dirt or leaves should be enough so the animals don't rifle through it.
 
Who else started a balcony garden during quarantine?

Here are some of my my tomatoes, which I'm struggling to find a balance between overwatering and not watering enough.

20200526_073652.jpg

Meanwhile, these "bad" spaghetti squash seeds I tossed in my compost bin and subsequently ignored seem to be marching along happily.
20200526_073655.jpg
 
Holy Necromancy, Batman!

We've got some plants on the balcony as well, but since there are already drought measures in effect here, they'll probably all dry out pretty soon.
 
Holy Necromancy, Batman!

We've got some plants on the balcony as well, but since there are already drought measures in effect here, they'll probably all dry out pretty soon.
I didn't want to start a new thread over it as long as an existing one was still open to reply :D
 

Dave

Staff member
I have a buddy that started not only a garden, but he also cleared some land to grow stuff, built and populated chicken coops, and has gone completely city farmer. In case there would be a run on food.
 
I just wish that the "herbs and spices" pack had more herbs and spices that I actually use often.
I'm pruning a lot of thai basil and dill directly into the trash :(
 
I have a buddy that started not only a garden, but he also cleared some land to grow stuff, built and populated chicken coops, and has gone completely city farmer. In case there would be a run on food.
Last night I was half-joking/half-serious with Mr. Z about doing this same thing because of the FDA announcement. We usually do a few small veggies, but we do have the room for a big garden and possibly chickens. I've never had chickens before, and god knows we go through eggs like there's no tomorrow. Plus it helps that whoever fostered Pepper had chickens because she gets along with them and is great about keeping pests out of yard, especially the burrowing types.
 
My wife doesn't like farm fresh eggs because - and I'm not kidding - they are dirty.
She's not wrong. Freshly laid eggs will have a substance coating them that makes them far more impermeable to bacteria, but will also sometimes have some specks of feces. You'll want to wash these eggs before you cook them, but on the plus side you won't need to refrigerate them.


Store bought eggs (in the US) come pre-washed so they look pretty, but because of this lack the bacterial barrier and will need to be kept refrigerated to slow bacteria growth.
 
When we honeymooned in Ireland, my wife was so freaked out about the eggs the first time I cooked them. We'd gotten farm-fresh eggs from a little shop up a ways from the cottage. The yolks were huge, and nearly orange, and the whites were very puffy, like in this picture:
1590527342042.png


First thing she said was "What's wrong with those eggs?" Having spent a lot of time on my grandparents' farm when I was younger, my answer was "they're fresh" :D
 

Dave

Staff member
She's not wrong. Freshly laid eggs will have a substance coating them that makes them far more impermeable to bacteria, but will also sometimes have some specks of feces. You'll want to wash these eggs before you cook them, but on the plus side you won't need to refrigerate them.


Store bought eggs (in the US) come pre-washed so they look pretty, but because of this lack the bacterial barrier and will need to be kept refrigerated to slow bacteria growth.
Right, but you CAN wash them. Like, she won't eat them because she's seen them dirty. Which is foolish. You think the eggs we eat didn't used to look like that?
 
Right, but you CAN wash them. Like, she won't eat them because she's seen them dirty. Which is foolish. You think the eggs we eat didn't used to look like that?
Well then don't tell her where eggs come from, they'll be ruined for her forever
 

Dave

Staff member
When a mommy chicken and a daddy chicken love each other very much....

(yes, I know how it works, but it's not as funny)
 
I live on the edge of a state park, so there are at least deer, rabbits, and raccoons that will eat any food before it is worth gathering, only drought-resistant shrubs that can withstand nibbling are maintainable.
 
My larger tomato and pepper are flowering.

20200529_113648.jpg

The smaller pots are still doing nicely. I need to stop being lazy and give them more room. Second-from-the-right is the one that was wilting in my first post, so it's recovering pretty well.

20200529_113639.jpg

And I couldn't bee-lieve this little lady was hanging out on my balcony.

20200529_113653.jpg
 
When we honeymooned in Ireland, my wife was so freaked out about the eggs the first time I cooked them. We'd gotten farm-fresh eggs from a little shop up a ways from the cottage. The yolks were huge, and nearly orange, and the whites were very puffy, like in this picture:
View attachment 34041

First thing she said was "What's wrong with those eggs?" Having spent a lot of time on my grandparents' farm when I was younger, my answer was "they're fresh" :D
And they poach so nicely without turning into a fucking tendrilly Cthulhu mess.
 
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