Practical advice & moral support for the small-scale gardener
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…
February flew by fast. After the leisurely pace of December and January, it felt like my gardening to-do list exploded, while my available time to do said gardening dwindled. But I needed to get ready: the spring equinox is only a few short weeks away (on March 19 this year). Urged on by the spring-like…
As activity outside on the balcony slows down, I’m keeping busy inside this December. The shelves installed in my kitchen window (a.k.a. “the greenhouse”) are populated with a collection of scraggly young plants that will be spending winter indoors. Each little pot contains a miniature experiment in propagation. Cuttings of herbs, salvia, and Agastache mingle…