Balcony garden 2011: Update!

To be completely honest, Andrew does most, if not all of the gardening. I'll occasionally water the plants, or offer my thoughts if requested, but otherwise it's pretty much up to him. It's not that I don't want/don't like to garden, it's that right now I have a major editing task, and whenever I'm home I pretty much want to be on the computer working (I haven't stopped cooking yet, but depending on how things go over the next couple of weeks...I might). Regardless of my lack of attention to the garden it's pretty green out there. This spring/summer has been a bit weird (cool-ish temperatures, lots of rain) but the vegetation around Edmonton doesn't seem to mind (nor do the mosquito). Let's hope things dry out and warm up a smidge so things can keep growing.

Our parsley taking over the box with our garlic.

I hadn't realize how much the parsley had flourished until Andrew pointed it out earlier this week. I figured I better start using it, so in it went to both lunch (lentil salad) and dinner (pasta) on Saturday.

Our red onions with something else sprouting in the box, I think it looks like a tomato plant.

We should probably to do some weeding given there are foreign plants growing in just about every box on the balcony. However, just because I think something needs to get done, doesn't necessarily translate into actually doing it. Besides the maybe tomato in the onion box, there are some other smaller sprouts that might be peppers...I guess that's what we get from using our compost soil (besides really healthy plants).

Can you see it, the strawberry? I don't think we're going to have too many to harvest.

I'm not sure we'll be able to do much with the strawberries besides pick them as they ripen and eat them. Oh well. The hanger bags seem to work reasonably well, but some of the strawberry plants started out scraggly, and being hung 12 floors above the ground, exposed to the wind doesn't seemed to have helped. Not surprisingly the plants that came from a local nursery are doing much better than the ones that came from Canadian Tire.

Our pumpkins, surrounded by lettuce, which we should probably start using.

Our pumpkins are growing, the zucchini is not and I have no idea why. The zucchini grew no problem last year (until it drowned...). Oh well. I've got pumpkin recipes for pastas and a super delicious cake, so if we get a few small-ish ones I'll be happy.

Our peppers are sprouting!

The peppers are coming along nicely. I don't think we'll do anything special with them besides cook and eat them. We planted a hot pepper variety as well, so if by chance they succeed we'll save them for something...not sure what as I'm not a big salsa fan.

The rubbarb growing like a weed, as it's apt to do.

The rhubarb totally makes up for the strawberries in my mind. I really need to harvest some of it soon and at least freeze it until I've got a nice big supply then make jam or pies or cakes or muffins or, or...I can't wait.

Our potato blue box, filled to the brim. I really, really hope we get some more potatoes this year.

Look at that, just look at it. If that box isn't full of potatoes this year I will break right down and cry--just watch me. I'll video tape it. We hilled them, and the foliage looks as happy as can be, so maybe? I guess only time will tell.

Beans! I honestly don't remember which ones, but they're starting to climb.

And finally beans. We planted a bunch of different varieties and don't remember which one's which--I'm hoping it will become more apparent when we harvest and eat them. They're looking pretty happy right now and they're starting their accend up the trellises. Hopefully they won't get too much sun in their spot and fry like we've had happen in our earlier attempts to grow peas.

Ciao,

Andrea