Balcony Container Gardening With the Kiddos!
As you can tell, I have been on a serious do-good, give back, live life and raise good, compassionate kids kick and this weekend was no different! In honor of spring and the lovely weather that has finally made its way to the DMV, we started a balcony container garden. I will admit this patio garden is a very experimental because we have a north facing balcony, which happens to get little to no direct sunlight. *Sigh* But we're positive thinkers over here and we expect you to send our plants some good energy as well. (Seriously. Think positive thoughts about our garden. Now.)
Our garden is a budget garden; meaning, we bought most of our supplies at the Dollar Tree. Yep, that's right, the Dollar Tree. Our 8lb bag of potting soil, 8 seed packets (4 for a dollar), and fertilizer were all purchased at the Dollar Tree. I did go by Walmart (shudder) and pick up more seeds. The Dollar Tree offers their seeds 4 packets for a dollar and of course the global evil empire offers their seeds 5 for a dollar...but some how can not manage to pay their workers a living wage. Anywhoo, I digress. The containers were remnants of indoor plants that are no longer with us; may they rest in peace. (Don't judge me)
Since our balcony is north facing we receive very little direct sunlight, so I chose veggies that do well in shady areas. I chose:
Lettuce
Mustard Greens
Broccoli
Radishes
Here is a more robust list of veggies that can grow in the shade:
carrots
cucumbers
tomatoes
flowers (Cosmos and Bachelor Buttons)
We'll see how these plants do in limited sunlight, fingers crossed. With the exception of a few seeds, most of the plants I chose are easy for a beginning gardener to grow. Believe me, I need veggies for dummies. With the exception of 3 indoor plants I currently have, one I bought and two I inherited from my mother, I have managed to kill most of my indoor plants. Even bamboo! Who does that?! All you need is rocks and a little water and bamboo is good to go! However, somehow and some way I couldn't keep them alive. Hopefully, our garden experiment will produce fruits and I will no longer be afraid of being a plant killer.
With our garden project (and knowing my unfortunate plant killing history) I did my research, I scoured Better Homes & Gardens, Mother Earth News (www.motherearthnews.com), local gardeners forums, and even local resources, like Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia. (By the way, depending on your city and county, they sometimes offer free mulch and soil. Check your local resources for availability.) I tried to arm myself with as much knowledge as possible. Knowing what plants do well in the shade, how they like to be sown, how much room they need to grow and what to do to care for the soil and plants. After that I was ready to go! I was so excited to get started and got the kids excited as well. All last week the kids and I researched and planned our garden.
With our space I knew I would be container gardening. Basically, container gardening (for dummies) goes like this:
1) Examine your growing space; how much sunlight do you receive and when? How much space do you have? For your planting zone (map below) when are the best times to sow your seeds? What type of plants will strive in your region? Any other considerations? For example, I am on the second floor, so I had to make sure that my gardens water drainage wouldn't affect our lovely neighbors below us. If they weren't so lovely, I wouldn't care! (Just kidding)
2) Plan your garden with the first questions in mind. If you get a lot of sun, you have a wider range of veggies to grow. What would you like to grow? Where are you going to grow it? What items can be grown together? How many containers will you need? Etc.
3) Get your supplies. Soil, container, seeds, snazzy work gloves, garden tools, whatever you need and want.
4) Start planting! Pay attention to the optimal times, conditions and soil for each plant.
5) Water! Keep your soil moist but not soggy. If an inch below the surface is dry go ahead and water.
As far as fertilization goes, there are many options. There are numerous seed starting soils on the market to help your veggies along. Furthermore, some people plant in doors first before re-potting outside. Not us. While I did buy some fertilizer from the Dollar Tree, I want to see if I can get my plants started the way mother nature intended. A little sun, a little soil, a little water and seed. Since our plants are already being raised in less than optimal conditions, we don't want to spoil them early!
Our garden project was a great activity for the kids and I to do together. My daughter supervised from her walker and my son had a great time planting. Now that our garden is up he checks the soil constantly. This is a great way to teach him a little responsibility (he is responsible for the watering) and hopefully get him to understand and respect nature. AND, if we happen to yield some veggies in our garden it will be an added bonus for our self esteem, our pockets, and our dinner table!
This is our finished project:
Not the most beautiful container garden, but when our plants start to grow we'll invest in more ornate containers. I also want to get a statue for the garden...maybe some sort of garden goddess or buddha with a fat belly to represent prosperity and abundance. For our next garden project, we are focusing on a compost! Composting is a great way to recycle kitchen waste and provide nutrient rich soil for our garden babies!
If you are looking to start your own container garden, check local resources first. The Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia have been an amazing help and can provide you with tips and tricks to grow native veggies and plants. My second favorite resource, Mother Earth News (www.motherearthnews.com) Great tips on composting, organic gardening, and container gardening. Lastly, Better Homes & Gardens has great advice on everything from basic planting to container gardening to even making your garden look it's best!
Happy Gardening!
Since our balcony is north facing we receive very little direct sunlight, so I chose veggies that do well in shady areas. I chose:
Lettuce
Mustard Greens
Broccoli
Radishes
Here is a more robust list of veggies that can grow in the shade:
- Lettuce
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Green onions
- Cabbage
- Parsley
- Sorrel
- Garlic
- Mint
- Collards
- Endive
- Cress
- Cauliflower
- Peas
- Currants
- Pak Choy
- Beets
- Kohlrabi
- Brussels Sprouts
- Mustard greens
- Thyme
- Coriander
- Tarragon
- Radishes
- Cardamom
- Potatoes
- Rhubarb
- Swiss Chard
- Kale
- Turnips
- Carrots
- Sweet potatoes and yams
- Gooseberries
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Lemon Balm
- Strawberries
- Beans
- Blackberries and raspberries
carrots
cucumbers
tomatoes
flowers (Cosmos and Bachelor Buttons)
We'll see how these plants do in limited sunlight, fingers crossed. With the exception of a few seeds, most of the plants I chose are easy for a beginning gardener to grow. Believe me, I need veggies for dummies. With the exception of 3 indoor plants I currently have, one I bought and two I inherited from my mother, I have managed to kill most of my indoor plants. Even bamboo! Who does that?! All you need is rocks and a little water and bamboo is good to go! However, somehow and some way I couldn't keep them alive. Hopefully, our garden experiment will produce fruits and I will no longer be afraid of being a plant killer.
With our garden project (and knowing my unfortunate plant killing history) I did my research, I scoured Better Homes & Gardens, Mother Earth News (www.motherearthnews.com), local gardeners forums, and even local resources, like Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia. (By the way, depending on your city and county, they sometimes offer free mulch and soil. Check your local resources for availability.) I tried to arm myself with as much knowledge as possible. Knowing what plants do well in the shade, how they like to be sown, how much room they need to grow and what to do to care for the soil and plants. After that I was ready to go! I was so excited to get started and got the kids excited as well. All last week the kids and I researched and planned our garden.
With our space I knew I would be container gardening. Basically, container gardening (for dummies) goes like this:
1) Examine your growing space; how much sunlight do you receive and when? How much space do you have? For your planting zone (map below) when are the best times to sow your seeds? What type of plants will strive in your region? Any other considerations? For example, I am on the second floor, so I had to make sure that my gardens water drainage wouldn't affect our lovely neighbors below us. If they weren't so lovely, I wouldn't care! (Just kidding)
2) Plan your garden with the first questions in mind. If you get a lot of sun, you have a wider range of veggies to grow. What would you like to grow? Where are you going to grow it? What items can be grown together? How many containers will you need? Etc.
3) Get your supplies. Soil, container, seeds, snazzy work gloves, garden tools, whatever you need and want.
4) Start planting! Pay attention to the optimal times, conditions and soil for each plant.
5) Water! Keep your soil moist but not soggy. If an inch below the surface is dry go ahead and water.
As far as fertilization goes, there are many options. There are numerous seed starting soils on the market to help your veggies along. Furthermore, some people plant in doors first before re-potting outside. Not us. While I did buy some fertilizer from the Dollar Tree, I want to see if I can get my plants started the way mother nature intended. A little sun, a little soil, a little water and seed. Since our plants are already being raised in less than optimal conditions, we don't want to spoil them early!Our garden project was a great activity for the kids and I to do together. My daughter supervised from her walker and my son had a great time planting. Now that our garden is up he checks the soil constantly. This is a great way to teach him a little responsibility (he is responsible for the watering) and hopefully get him to understand and respect nature. AND, if we happen to yield some veggies in our garden it will be an added bonus for our self esteem, our pockets, and our dinner table!
This is our finished project:
Not the most beautiful container garden, but when our plants start to grow we'll invest in more ornate containers. I also want to get a statue for the garden...maybe some sort of garden goddess or buddha with a fat belly to represent prosperity and abundance. For our next garden project, we are focusing on a compost! Composting is a great way to recycle kitchen waste and provide nutrient rich soil for our garden babies!
If you are looking to start your own container garden, check local resources first. The Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia have been an amazing help and can provide you with tips and tricks to grow native veggies and plants. My second favorite resource, Mother Earth News (www.motherearthnews.com) Great tips on composting, organic gardening, and container gardening. Lastly, Better Homes & Gardens has great advice on everything from basic planting to container gardening to even making your garden look it's best!
Happy Gardening!
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