The place I live in now is on the second floor and the front balcony faces north and gets good sun all day. I'd been keeping an eye out for a growing stuff solution to take advantage of this and satisfy this need; maybe just some herbs for a start. I finally found a strawberry planter at an Op-shop and so decided the time had come for a gardening based P.O.T.M. Here's what would be good:
- Grow herbs for daily use.
- Grow Salad for daily use.
- As self maintaining as possible. (self watering?)
- Grow some experimental veggies you can't buy anymore.
- Platform for experimental PC maintained garden?
- Should be enjoyable to use, make and see.
- Make as much of it as I reasonably can reusing materials when reasonable.
- But use cheap and common materials if I need to get it done.
(Though seen in this photo they look a bit crook. They've been growing in there about two weeks here.)There's Mint, Sage, Parsley and Thyme right now. I have Lemon Balm, Lemon Grass, Vietnamese Mint and French Tarragon to Squeeze in.
Not going to fit. Need. . . more. . . dirt. . .
Warehouse had a special on some seed houses. A sort of small plastic glasshouse (nice oxymoron) for $20 so I got one to keep things going in case the cold of winter bit before I got plants into soil. It also allowed me to start collecting plants before I had anywhere for them and I thought I could grow monster amounts of Basil in it through the winter. Yeah. Basil. Awright. Checked with the neighbor (who would have to walk past it to get to her washing line) and she was cool so I got one.
Wacked the spare plants in it and it got so hot the Vietnamese Mint nearly karked it (we've been having a long hot Autumn). Moved them to the bottom of the seed house and they've been fine.
I still needed a solution to the lack of dirt. "Window boxes but big. " I thought. But that would need wood. Himmmm woooood.... Now, not many people know this but in town a good source of free wood is pallet bases.
There's been one lying by the mini-bin at work so I snarfed that. It'd been there for 3 months in the way in the car park and I was pretty sure they weren't going to chuck or claim it. Dragged it home and spent an hour or two knocking it apart and removing all nails then stacked it to see what I had to work with.
I'd hope to get two window/planting boxes out of it but after stacking the boards this way and that to get a good idea of the volume I decided to just do one. A kind of prototype and it worked quite well.
It's a bit more then 1 metre long and 30cm by 30cm. This is an unmeasured sketch, I just held stuff up and cut it to fit. The next one I'll refine and measure properly.OK That I did and here is the one page PDF plan for you enjoyment.
I did some work on the "greenhouse" ; moving the basil into a bigger container that I hope will last the winter. Moved the tarragon into the strawberry container and tidied up some. The Lemon grass, Lemon balm and Vietnamese mint are still looking a bit fragile so they're in here too for now. I hope the basil ( and perhaps peppers and tomatoes) will go in the bottom and seedlings in the top.Bad back and a stupid little cold have stopped me doing much more more on this. I'll put together proper plans and note on building a garden-box, add a few after photos' and that will be it for this part of this project.
I guess I will add the two boxes I'd wanted in the next few months and I'll post comments and photos if anything of interest occurs.
Final Notes:
TODO
Plant List:
Already Have:
Mint, Thyme, Sage, Lemon Balm, Chives, Parsley, Lemon Grass, Basil, Tarragon, Spinach.
Need:
Sorrel, Chicory.
Want List:
Salsify (Oyster Plant - sow in autumn.), Florence Fennel, Kaffer Lime, Rosmary,
coriander (perhaps Cilantro instead?), Endive, Chervil, Marjoram, Oregano,
Dill, Lettuce, Caraway, Cedronella, Collards, Purslane, Horse radish,
Jerusalem Artichoke, Lovage, Sweet Marjoram, Parcel.
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