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How To

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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My Brother’s DIY Modern Bird Feeder

by Fern on March 8, 2010

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I have two wonderful brothers that live much, much too far away. Ben is 26 and lives in Philadelphia where he works as a software programmer of some sort (what he does is completely over my head). David is 19 and in college in Vermont; he plans on becoming a Navy submarine officer. They’re both handsome, smart, funny, talented, all-around good guys.

Anyway, back to balcony gardening. Ben gave me the idea for this post. He is quite the DIYer, and he saw this modern bird feeder designed by Nina Tolstrup and knew he could recreate it himself. Lucky for you, he sent me how he did it, so you can make this bird feeder too.

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Three Things You Should Know About Growing Lavender

March 4, 2010

The votes are in, and it looks like I’ll be growing tomatoes and lavender in my Smart Pot comparison test. Many thanks to everyone who voted. I’ll be planting the Smart Pots in the next week or so, but in the meantime I’ve been rereading The Bountiful Container chapters on each plant–it’s my go-to guide [...]

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How to Have Seed Starting Success

March 3, 2010

“Seed starting” or “starting seeds indoors” refers both to something that gardeners giddily look forward to at the end of winter, and a practice that frustrates a lot of people. While sowing seeds in pots indoors doesn’t require any difficult techniques or hard to acquire skills, it is kind of unforgiving in a few respects. [...]

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Garden Photography Tips Gleaned From the Baker Creek Seed Catalog

February 9, 2010

I don’t know if I am the last person on the planet to see a copy of the Baker Creek seed catalog, but it I was stunned by how beautiful it is! Of course, it isn’t just a pretty face, it is chock full of unusual heirloom varieties and interesting tid bits about where the [...]

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3 Potted Plant Problems – How to Recognize & Fix Them

February 5, 2010

I don’t know if you’ve noticed a pattern lately, but on Thursday mornings I have my Master Gardener training class, and I learn such great things that I can’t wait to share them with you all on Friday. Yesterday’s class was about soil, amendments, and fertilizers. The professor teaching the class discussed, among other things, [...]

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Root Bound Plants – Do As I Say, Not As I Do

February 3, 2010

The photo above depicts what used to be growing in a pot at my parents’ house. Those are the roots. They have become so root bound, that they have used up virtually all the dirt in the pot. Pretty crazy, eh?
This is what happens if you don’t repot your plants for 8 years! I originally [...]

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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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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 5 Sneaky Tips to Create a Smokin’ Hot Container Garden

5 Sneaky Tips to Create a Smokin’ Hot Container Garden

January 19, 2010

Sometimes I like to look at Cosmo Magazine. Not because I’m interested in any of their tips for spicing things up in the bedroom or advice on how to apply my eye shadow. What I like to look at are their headlines. They are hilarious! “How to Be a Total Man-Magnet,” “10 Sneaky Tricks to [...]

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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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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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