Since my last post in March, I’ve made a few new additions to my garden, including the compact greenhouse, proudly set up on the balcony to protect my lovely plants from the fumes (my balcony faces the parking lot for our buildings), the pigeons, which often sit above our balcony, and recently also against neighbour’s careless balcony cleaning rituals.
I have invested in two kinds of tomatoes (Alicante & Roma), one pepper (chilli), and a bay leaf tree. We often use bay leaves in cooking and buy tomatoes and peppers weekly.
My daughter was very keen on buying the strawberry, and I’m happy to say we did, and it’s already sprouting a few tiny green fruits. Only a week or so ago, I planted bee-friendly flowers, but baby M. has been drowning them in water. She still hasn’t figured out the watering business, but she definitely displays a gardener’s qualities in her approach to our plants.
At home, my spring onions are thriving, and I’m happy to report we no longer have to buy them from the shops. Rockets and basil, which I grew from seeds, began to emerge from the soil’s darkness. However, even though the seeds took root, the spinach and radishes didn’t grow to their full glory. I used the leaves in my salad and planted new seeds in different soil, so we’ll see how that will go.
The mint had struggled for a few weeks, but it has picked up recently. I was slightly worried about the mint’s well-being, but luckily, it is on the mend and generous and plentiful again.
Thyme has also been slowly recovering after my husband literally butchered it for his cooking. Leaving it outside the flat has proven to be healing for my thyme. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that my marjoram isn’t going to survive. I replanted it, but I’m not sure if it’s not too late already.
It seems to me that the large tomato cans I adapted into pots aren’t great at helping plants thrive. The plants I planted in those (thyme, marjoram) haven’t made much progress and, in both cases, declined. The beetroot and garlic in the smaller cans have been growing nicely.
Since I love watching plants grow and I want to know where I’m making mistakes (this is the best way for me to learn), I decided to replant carrots and broccoli. Both grew some leaves, but otherwise nothing else happened.
One of my tomatoes, a Roma, is also growing in the can, but I don’t think it’s enjoying it at all. So, I got my Roma another pot; hopefully, that will help its growth.
In the spirit of reusing, I’m not going to dispose of the cans. Instead, I’ll use them for growing bees’ bee-friendly flowers. Baby M. has already planted one pack in two cans. I’ll have to keep her away from her over-eager watering.
Since the gardening, growing, and planting season is in full swing, I have to sheepishly admit that I come back with yet another plant each time I pop over to the garden centre. I think I developed an addiction to buying plants, which was not something I anticipated. Alas, what can I do… it is so hard to resist! 😊
I used to be one of those people who didn’t think much of gardening, considering it “silly” at best. How do things change, right?
When I started my garden project, I wanted to see if I could grow enough food to replace some of the food I buy at the supermarket. In the process of my research, I became deeply interested in permaculture and food forests, which use permaculture practices to cultivate crops.
As my life and interests are changing dramatically and moving into completely unknown territory, learning to grow permaculture gardens and forests will be the next step on my journey. I would like to see how those practices can help families thrive without relying on the traditional/conventional ways of living and earning income. Food accessibility and stability have been on my mind for some time now, and creating financial freedom by living minimally while growing my own gardens has become part of my own quest.
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