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Five Ways to Beautiful and Productive Balcony Gardens

Rastafarian Balcony Garden - Jamacian radio station
Rastafarian Balcony Garden – Jamacian radio station by cecilia macaulay

Like millions of people, I live in a city apartment with limited access to land. Fortunately, like millions of people again, I have an outdoor balcony, and it’s a growing opportunity not to be missed.

This weekend I really took the time to clean my balcony, take stock of what pots I have, and decide what I want to grow this summer. My main objective is to produce the most food possible, but also to create a beautiful sanctuary, where I can enjoy my morning tea or read a book.

I wanted some inspiration for this project, so I went looking around the web for ideas on how other people created their balcony getaways. Here you go, a gallery of beautiful and inspiring balcony gardens we can learn from.

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What to plant in August around Sydney (temperate zone)

August is the time to bring out seed catalogues and start to envision what the garden will look like in the summer. Exciting! This year I am ordering my seeds and seedlings from Diggers, and I would highly recommend it to those looking for quality organic and heirloom seeds. Give your garden a strong and natural start!

On to the planting/planning list, graciously provided by Gardenate.

1. Asparagus

Asparagus
Asparagus by Bianca

Where: sow in garden, or plant as crowns; frost tender
Harvest: from 24 months (!!!)

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Three Fascinating TED Talks by Jonathan Drori

About Jonathan Drori
Jonathan Drori has dedicated his career to media and learning. As the Head of Commissioning for BBC Online, he commissioned the BBC’s very first websites! After almost two decades at the BBC, he’s now a director at Changing Media Ltd., a media and education consultancy, and is a visiting professor at University of Bristol, where he studies educational media and misperceptions in science. He continues to executive produce the occasional TV series, including 2004’s award-winning “The DNA Story” and 2009’s “Great Sperm Race.” He is on the boards of the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Woodland Trust.

(source: Jonathan Drori’s Bio on TED)

Jonathan Drori: Every pollen grain has a story


Pollen goes unnoticed by most of us, except when hay fever strikes. But microscopes reveal it comes in stunning colors and shapes — and travels remarkably well. Jonathan Drori gives an up-close glimpse of these fascinating flecks of plant courtship.

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What to plant in July around Sydney (temperate zone)

July means winter around here (it’s still hard for me to get used to this), so we are looking at winter crops of mostly roots and thick leafy greens. July’s list is similar to what to plant in June, except as the cold rainy days move in, more tender vegetables move out. June’s list featured 12 brave winter vegetables, where as July brings in only 9. Oh well, we could be under layers of snow, I suppose :).

1. Beetroot

Descanso Gardens - Autumn 2009
Descanso Gardens – Autumn 2009 by Rockin Robin

Where: Sow in garden
Harvest: from August – September

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Food Plants

Tuesday Morning Art: Carrot Colour Wheel

Carrots of Many Colors
Carrots of Many Colors from Boris Anthony

“The reason modern Western carrots are orange is because they were bred that way, in the 16th and 17th centuries, in tribute to the Dutch royal House of Orange.”

– PNH