Practical advice & moral support for the small-scale gardener
This November started off hot and ended up wet. The rainy season’s sudden, dramatic arrival extinguished the lingering heat, leaving clear, crisp skies in its wake. It was what I’ve come to recognize and appreciate as a classic Bay Area autumn. Wherever you are (in the Northern Hemisphere), the days are getting shorter, and you…
Shade can feel like a limiting factor when choosing plants, but let me tell you as someone with a hot, sunny balcony — a little shade is a good thing for the container gardener. Even plants that prefer full sun in the ground do better with some shade in pots. Since their roots can’t dig…
September is the month of harvest, though that is perhaps too strong a word for what I do on my balcony. Without much premeditation, my garden has become quite fruit-forward — I have figs, woodland strawberries, lemons, and olives (yes, also a fruit) — and their production is comically small, both in terms of size…
It’s that time of year again: I’m heading off to Italy for a month and scheming about ways to keep my plants alive while I’m gone. Last year I semi-succeeded with a combination of DIY self-watering methods and the help of my neighbor, Vera. This year, Vera’s having some health issues, and I wanted a…
If you’re already thinking about fall color in your garden, I can’t recommend California fuchsia (Epilobium canum) enough. Its tubular bright red and orange flowers bloom in autumn and unfailingly attract hungry hummingbirds, while its soft silvery foliage looks nice all year round. And best news of all for us balcony gardeners: it thrives in…