From the category archives:

Fruits & Vegetables

Potato Project: Growing Potatoes in a Container

by Fern on March 12, 2010

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I have more Smart Pots than just the ones I’ve set aside for the comparison study (and sent to Debra), so I’ve been looking for different things I could try. One of the things they are supposedly good for is growing potatoes. With that in mind, I bought a ‘French Fingerling’ potato seedling at the nursery, because that was the only way to get just one potato plant. All the seed potatoes were sold in bags of ten.

However, according to the Smart Pot website, you can grow 3 potato plants in a 10 gallon Smart Pot, so I need two more seedlings. Whoops. Word on the street is that Adriana has an extra seed potato, so maybe I can arrange a swap of some sort.

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Creating a Cocktail Garden on Your Balcony

by Fern on March 2, 2010

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I had planned a post for today about ironic animal statuary. Alas, that post will have to wait for another day. Yesterday I saw a great idea for a garden mentioned on Twitter, and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share it. @FromFarmToTable tweeted that she’s reinstating cocktail hour come spring and invited people to share what they’d plant in a “cocktail garden.” To me, a cocktail garden should be two fold: contain plants to be used in cocktails, and be pleasant to spend time in during cocktail drinking hours.

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Thumbnail image for Guest Post: EarthBox Review

Guest Post: EarthBox Review

February 18, 2010

I wish the Earth Box had been around when I first started to grow vegetables back in 1978. At the time, I lived in a row house in South Philadelphia that had no yard. I grew everything in containers – large, plastic basins I bought at the hardware store – on my back porch. I [...]

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Thumbnail image for Interview with Holly Hirshberg from The Dinner Garden

Interview with Holly Hirshberg from The Dinner Garden

February 8, 2010

While you’re flipping through all those glossy seed catalogs and marking down heirloom varieties of tomatoes and zinnias, take a second to consider the people in your own neighborhood who may not have enough to eat. Did you know that just a few bucks worth of seeds could help a struggling family grow their own [...]

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Thumbnail image for An Easy Rule of Thumb for Deciding When to Direct Sow

An Easy Rule of Thumb for Deciding When to Direct Sow

January 25, 2010

The vast majority of time, it is better to start seeds either indoors, or in a smaller container with the intention of transplanting the seedling to a larger pot. This is because it is really hard to get plants started from seed into the right spot in a mixed container if the seeds are sown [...]

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Thumbnail image for Save Yourself the Heartache, Don’t Grow Fruit Trees from Seed

Save Yourself the Heartache, Don’t Grow Fruit Trees from Seed

January 22, 2010

I promised I would share all the good information I learned at my Master Gardener classes, and today I learned a whole bunch of great stuff. The class was an introduction to horticulture and was taught by a professor from a nearby college. The first tidbit I want to pass along is the answer to [...]

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Thumbnail image for Are You a Total Veg Head, Flowers-Only, Or Somewhere In Between?

Are You a Total Veg Head, Flowers-Only, Or Somewhere In Between?

January 21, 2010

I don’t know about you guys, but I have been giddily flipping through all of the seed catalogs I’ve received of late. It’s always hard for me to decide how many flowering and foliage plants to pot up versus how many vegetables, fruits and herbs. That’s part of the reason why I like edibles that [...]

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Carnival: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Edible Container Gardening

Thumbnail image for Carnival: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Edible Container Gardening January 18, 2010

I am so excited to publish the very first Life on the Balcony Blog Carnival! Thank a million times over to all of the people who participated. Without further ado, I give you a plethora of great posts on edible container gardening for your reading pleasure…

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Thumbnail image for 10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Planning Your Container Garden This Year

10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Planning Your Container Garden This Year

January 15, 2010

This is the time of year when everyone goes crazy with seed and plant catalogs. Who can resist gorgeous photos of vegetables and flowers with equally tantalizing descriptions? It doesn’t help that the catalog deluge hits mid-winter when people are feeling a little cabin fever. But if you want to have a happy, healthy container [...]

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Thumbnail image for Is It Okay To Totally Geek Out When It Comes to Plants?

Is It Okay To Totally Geek Out When It Comes to Plants?

January 13, 2010

I realize that asking that question here is like asking an alcoholic if it’s okay to have another drink, but at least gardening is good for you. Have you ever seen Apple fanboys videotape the “unboxing” of a new gadget and then upload it on You Tube? Well, I did that today with a box [...]

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Thumbnail image for Keep Your Mind Out of the Gutter – But It’s OK to Garden in One

Keep Your Mind Out of the Gutter – But It’s OK to Garden in One

January 12, 2010

I’m excited to publish Life on the Balcony’s second guest post from Janet Luke. Janet is a Landscape Architect who has a Masters degree, with Honors, in Environmental and Resource Planning. She has a passion for sustainable design, edible landscaping and permaculture. Her website–Green Urban Living–is inspiring many urbanites to grow their own food, keep [...]

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Thumbnail image for How to Read a Seed Packet: What You Need to Know

How to Read a Seed Packet: What You Need to Know

January 10, 2010

Growing things from seed is incredibly rewarding and fascinating, not to mention fun. But there are a few things you need to know before you get started. And if you buy good quality seeds, you’ll find everything you need to know on the seed packet itself. But you still need to understand what the info [...]

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