Saturday, July 17, 2010

Urban Garden Paradise: Tips and Tricks




Ok, so I've started reaping from my sowing! Look at these beauts'. Not that I am the most proficient green thumb (oops I forget to water kind of a lot), but I figured I would share some of my tricks and tips for urban balcony gardening learned along the way (read: so I don't forget next year).

1. Garden Smoothies- when I water my plants, I make a "garden smoothie!" Combine chopped oranges, coffee grounds, and other biodegradable material in your watering pitcher. (like apple peels, coffee filters, garlic skin, lettuce leaves, carrot shavings, decaying leaves, etc) Pour into pots and stir in for a nutrition infused soil!

2. When planting tomatoes, eat bananas and put the peels at the bottom of your soil before the seedling goes in. This will create an infused soil right off the bat.

3.  Mix coffee grounds in with tomato soil, for acidity. They like that.

4. DONT FORGET TO WATER- especially if its going to be a hot day.

5. Keep a compost pile going and hot for some on hand fertilizer for your potted plants- they soak up all the dirt's goodness real fast and need some food every so often!

6. Prune smaller leaves at the bottom of the plant near the base, as well as random stems that arent doing anything. This will allow your plant to concentrate its efforts on fruit bearing and not maintenance of smaller random leaves. (Don't go too crazy with this.)

7.  Rearrange plants for best sunlight. After a while you will notice what spots get the best sunlight for your plants!

8. Enjoy your garden and its glory.

9. Take pictures and document the process!

10. Read your Bible and pray every day, and you'll grow, grow grow!



Any tips you would like to share with us? 

3 comments:

Mandy said...

Hey- I couldn't find any other way to comment on your blog except for this, but wanted to thank you for commenting on mine about my brother. I didn't post about him being a Christian, but he is. We both grew up in the church from birth and have had experiences throughout our lives to re-affirm our beliefs into adulthood. I suppose I didn't mention it because most people who know me or follow my blog already know, and because the job he has currently (and living in a different state) has made it difficult for him to be in church. So he hasn't been in the past 9 months or so. But he is here visiting this week and really wants to go, and plans on coming back to it. It's not really a matter of his heart, but of his schedule right now.

I will definitely pass on your information to him. He's not so certain about my blog about him, but open to any possible prospects. Geography might be an issue in your case, but it could still be worth it to get to know him. I'll let him know. I hope things go great with you and appreciate you writing me.

Claire said...

Great tips! I especially liked number 10!

Cxx

Anonymous said...

yay! pretty pictures! Pretty flower. Any edible produce yet?