a common treasury for all

[devi]

balcony garden
Originally uploaded by bluedevi

Since February I've been growing stuff on my balcony. Windowsills full of seedling trays to begin with, gradually moving outside. I'd kind of wanted to grow things for a while but there didn't seem much point while I was all weird and vegetable-phobic. Then, last summer, something shifted, and I found out you could grow veg and flowers in containers, and... well. The picture is from three weeks ago. Now the tulips are all gone but everything else is burgeoning. Peas, lettuce, strawberries, spinach, various herbs, all bursting out of their pots. The little green bastards, much as I love them, are taking over the balcony and looking appraisingly at the house. It's an entirely commonplace thing, of course, but if you've never done it before it's like magic.

On the other hand, it'd be nice if we could both sit on the balcony at the same time again. So. Would any Oxford people like some plants? Many of them are in small pots and easy to transport - I've delivered some already on my bike and on the bus. I've got chives, coriander, lavender (sprouting so fast I think they want to be triffids when they grow up. They have flower buds and everything), lettuce (the kind without hearts), a few marigolds and - if anyone wants a charity case - some yellowish basil which I think would be doing much better if it were somewhere with more sunshine. Everything else is disgustingly healthy. Let me know if you want to take some.

I've spent hours and hours sitting on the balcony doorstep staring at them as they grew. Seedlings all look the same at first and get more complex and different every day. Who knew?

Comments

[juliet]

Isn't growing things *awesome*? It's magic even if you have done it before!

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Oh god yes. I just wish I had a proper garden. Thing is, I'm aware it would be more difficult if I had, what with slugs and birds and things. I was telling doop about my gardening exploits and at one point he said "ah! It's on a balcony! That's how you can have lettuce!"

[juliet]

Speaking as someone who has both a balcony & an allotment, I can confirm that they're both good for different things :)

(You could investigate allotmenting, if you want a garden? Though it is a certain amount of work!)

Tomatoes grow v well in pots, too, especially if you make self-watering pots (can be done cheaply with those black buckets that you can pick up from florists for 10p or so a pop: let me know if you want further information!)

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I have a container garden, some tomato seedlings that will need re-planting soon, and would love more information!

[juliet]

OK!

Complicated self-watering containers: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/build-your-own-self-watering-container.html

Two-litre plastic bottle self-watering containers:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Watering-Plant-Container-out-of-a-2-liter-bot/

My adapted version with black plastic florist's buckets:
- take bucket A, & put something in the bottom that bucket B can stand on (I can't now remember what I actually used, but old takeaway containers or bits of plastic piping would do. Anything that'll keep a bit of empty space).
- Make one biggish hole (enough to thread some scrap material through) in the bottom of bucket B, then smaller drainage holes in a circle around that. (Ideal tool for this: soldering iron. But, um, prob best not to borrow yr partner's without asking, and/or if you *do* do this, make sure to clean all the burnt plastic off it afterwards, otherwise they get cross. Not that I would know this, obviously. Also it smells a bit but never mind.)
- Get a piece of scrap material - old T-shirt, whatever - and thread it through the biggish hole in the bottom of bucket B, so that it's half inside B and half sticking out the bottom.
- Stack bucket B inside bucket A. Make sure the piece of fabric reaches all the way into the bottom of the space between the buckets: this is where the water will live.
- Fill bucket B up with earth. You want the fabric to run up through the earth, not to sit in a puddle at the bottom, so be careful when you're filling to hold it up and fill around it.
- Put plant in bucket B.
- Stick lots of water in at intervals. The excess will fall through into the bottom & then be wicked up as desired.
- Admire yr tasty tomatoes (or whatever: but it's partic good for tomatoes b/c one tomato plant per bucket is about right, & they're v thirsty plants so often a hassle normally.)

Hope that makes sense!

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

People sharing this kind of information on my journal gives me a happy.

Not that I would know this, obviously.

Hahaha, oh dear :)

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

what a bunch of hippies!!!

yeah, it's great innit ;)

[juliet]

The first season we had the allotment, uon helped me plant the chard seeds (and was very worried about screwing it up, despite my assurance that this would be hard to do). A couple of weeks later we were back and they'd started sprouting, and he gave me this suspicious look and said "You came down here and switched them over, didn't you? Actual baby plants for seeds! It's too implausible otherwise." :)

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

I was very slow off the mark for seedlings this year, being ill, so don't have much of my own growing yet, but we have the garden space (and then some) for yours if no one else speaks up (and we're not very far away, handily!).

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Cool - which ones do you think you'd like?

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

The basil, chives & coriander will get eaten; lavender I love and can always find room for but we already have a couple of decent bushes so if someone else wants it no matter.

Not too fussed about marigolds but if you find yourself needing a home for them at the end of the dispersal, again, we have the room. :D

[nisaba.livejournal.com]

I love watching things grow. When I had a garden, I'd go out every single night after work to see how things had changed. And things had changed, that's what was so amazing.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

And I love your appropriate and beautiful icon!

[marnameow.livejournal.com]

Aw dude! One of the second round of tomato seedlings was *just* poking its head above the compost last night and I squeaked with joy. I don't think it wears off!

Ooh, I should visit the allotment tonight.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Plant squee!

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I LOVE this post. Your balcony garden is beautiful! Congrats on being so successful; if you're short of space have you considered repotting stuff you want to keep in hanging baskets?

I would love some lavender and coriander, but am unlikely to see you soon. On the other hand, we could work on fixing that?

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I've thought about baskets, but am rather reluctant since there's only one decent hook and we have a nice lantern hanging from that - but you have a point.

Would be good to have a proper chat with you some time! But I don't know when I'll be in London next, being very skint and up to my eyes in all sorts of things...

[juliet]

Or you can skip-dive for bricks & bits of wood & other suchlike & make things happen on multiple levels!

(I wrote an article for Permaculture Magazine about this :) I think we have a copy kicking around if you want to have a look sometime when you're down?)

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

That'd be fab, thank you!

[khalinche.livejournal.com]

You could give some to my friend Ian, or trade for sproutlings from his allotment. I'll be round at his during the day on Saturday pre-party, we could all meet up!

[khalinche.livejournal.com]

To clarify, this is the one who lives in Cowley.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

That sounds great, but I can't make the party, I'm afraid - I'm going to a comics convention in Bristol. Which is a shame, since i'm not feeling very creative comics-wise and am sorry to be missing the party - but Dan has a new and long-awaited comic out and will be selling it for the first time at the con, which is very exciting.

When do you get to Oxford?

[khalinche.livejournal.com]

Gawrsh, Bristol. That'll be fun. I think I'm going to come through mid-morning Saturday, go hang out with Ian, then to the party, stay overnight and and return to London noonish on Sunday. It's a bit complex: it's possible that I could get a lift to Oxford on Friday evening. If that's the case shall I let you know that I'll be at large?

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Yes please! But no pressure if things are hectic, obviously.

[kyte.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I'm jealous!

And is that a Billy Bragg inspired title?

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

It is indeed. That song has been on loop in my head whenever I've been on the balcony planting and transplanting things with my hands all muddy. The Diggers = awesome.

[kyte.livejournal.com]

Indeed! Billy Bragg also = awesome :)

[verlaine.livejournal.com]

Fuck Billy Bragg! He covered it, but it's a song by the great, great Leon Rosselson. Credit where it's due! :P

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed, though Billy's the only version I've got. Though hmm, it appears they now have Leon Rosselson on Amazon (for some reason I thought they hadn't). No Song of the Old Communist though, meh.

[verlaine.livejournal.com]

Grr, I've been trying to send you Song of the Old Communist but the smallest file size I've been able to get it so far to is a gmail-unfriendly 6.66 (eek!) MB mp3. Complicated :(

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Gmail *should* be able to handle that, despite it being the file size of the beast. I've certainly got huge TIFFs and suchlike by mail before.

(Thanks!)

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

(Well, yes indeed to the greatness of Leon R, not to fucking Billy Bragg. Though I totally would)

[kyte.livejournal.com]

(Yes, but a) I correctly guessed that Billy Bragg was the source of the title and b) Billy Bragg rocks anyway!)

[metame.livejournal.com]

We'd love some. Have just moved into a our new place back here and have a balcony that we've been hoping to get plants for.

Not sure what you have that is uncomitted to someone, but edible things are all good. And we could try to nursemaid the basil for you...

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Ooh, where's your balcony? Anywhere near here? (Here is right near Templars.)

I can give you some of the herbs - and do you want some lavender?

[metame.livejournal.com]

Herbs and lavender would be a great start.

We're kinda up the hill from Triskellian, and across-the-road-and-round-the-corner from Secret_Rebel. So all quite close and drop roundable...

Still have the same mobile number as I ever did, let me know when we might do the exchange of plants for tea/wine. Should be around for much of the next few days and weekend.

[leathellin.livejournal.com]

Hurrah, plants. They can keep Euclid the cactus company.
And yes can be exchanged for wine/tea/whisky and things.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

I love that you have a cactus called Euclid. I also like wine/tea/whisky :)

I'm off in Bristol this weekend, as you may have seen, but could bring some over next week?

[shermarama]

Yay for growing things! My second bag of potatoes is doing another rocket impression and the third is just broaching the surface and revving itself up.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Potatoes, now that's impressive. But I think I've reached my quota of balcony space :)