Balcony Gardening Project Update


My plants did not die on me this time instead they grew healthily and yielded fruits. I planted tomatoes and chili pepper, the easiest to grow and good for beginners. I sowed the seeds sometime in December and you can see here how small and delicate they are. This is how they look like after a few months


I also have a herb planter that contains mint, basil, thyme, and rosemary. They all smell divine and I have been snipping off a few leaves and twigs for my cooking.

Here is a good-looking proud chili pepper (while typing this, I imagined it wearing a Mexican hat and dancing)


A plump red tomato waiting to be picked.


Just after a few more weeks, here is a good tomato harvest, they're juicy, and crunchy, taste better than store-bought and smell so good too. I am excited to make something out of these homegrown babies.


I have another favorite, my basil plant had lots of leaves and I have used them in salads, pasta recipes, and even in fried rice. The basil is the one on the right and the herb planter is on the left. I started the basil from seeds even the ones on the planter, the mint and thyme were from a plant nursery (total cost was 25 dirhams) and the rosemary was from the supermarket which I got for 10 dirhams, the good thing is until their alive I am never buying fresh herbs again, I'll just go out in my balcony and snipped off some leaves. Talk about savings here :)

The only thing that I have to take down was the pumpkin plant, it kept on flowering but had no success in growing any pumpkin at all, I knew that it needed a bigger planter and more soil which I cannot accommodate in my small balcony.

It is getting hotter by the day and the plant leaves are drying out. The sun on my balcony is only until noon time but still too hot for them. I must start to acclimate them indoors soon.

I am a very happy balcony gardener even though I have only a few varieties and it is a good start.

Here are a few things I've learned from balcony gardening.

1. Never give up and be patient
2. Learn about your plant type and its needs
3. It is not impossible to grow vegetables in a limited space like in a container on the balcony and most especially it is not impossible to grow vegetables in the desert
4. Use natural fertilizers like coffee grounds and pesticides made from chili pepper, garlic, water, and a small drop of dishwashing liquid
5. Water them regularly and keep the soil moist to avoid fruit end rot.
6. Enjoy, it is a good hobby

My Yellow Bells

Carla is a lifestyle blogger based in Dubai who's thankful to call this ever-evolving city her second home. The pages of this blog are filled with stories about her expat life in the sandpit. It features dining and travel adventures in and around the city and beyond. It also features food recipes, parenting tips, and fashion style.

4 Comments

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Cheers
Carla

  1. Wow! So nice! I wish I can grew some plants/vegetables again but with all the sewing and baking (and a preschooler!) I've been doing lately, gardening is in the last of my priorities. But this post inspires me a lot. Will try to attend to my mini garden sooon :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Joyce,
      I have seen your garden and you are lucky because of our country's tropical climate and there you can grown anything you want.
      lovely to hear from you.

      Delete
  2. Waaah!! you have to teach me coz my plants keep dying on me! where did you buy basil seeds?
    What kind of soil did you use? where to buy!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Shiela,
      It wasn't that easy for me too, this is my second try and luckily they did not die on me this time.
      I buy my supplies from Ace hardware, they have a good selection of seeds, seedling, soil and fertilizer over there. The Garden Center is another option. It is best to start in the winter months, not now coz summer is here, but if you want to grow them now, you should think of the location in the house where there is enough sunlight so you can grow them indoors.

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