my mini farm on the 6th floor

This is how my balcony looks like now! :)

the secret life of chives

Do you remember when I said that my sister thinks I grow grass in a pot? Yes, that was my chives. I was wondering why it is so thin and doesn't look like chives in a shop? I discovered the truth, maybe everyone knows it already, but anyway ;) - you have to cut it! Anytime you cut it it's regrowing thicker and stronger :) It is going to be very thick soon, since I use it almost everyday. It's so nice to sprinkle some fresh chives over goat cheese or scrambled eggs - lovely breakfast! :)

eatable balcony decoration

My wild strawberries are basking in the sun :) First one turned red already and looks very very tasty... Maybe it's not perfectly rounded ;) but it's eco, organic and mine :P I have to say that wild strawberries  are very easy to keep in a container garden, they grow fast, don't need good soil (it's a good idea to mix soil you have with some sand!), don't need much fertilizing. Wild strawberries look also very nice, they have plenty of little white flowers and those small red fruits also make a pretty decoration - and then you can eat them! ;) However, I'll keep mine for my nephew who's coming tomorrow :)    

History of Tomatoes

First of all tomatoes botanically are not vegetables but fruits :) They are native to South and Central America and Aztecs used to call them 'tomatl'. Those first tomatoes were small (like cherry ones) and yellow and they were cultivated and used in cooking since 500 BC. They were brought to Europe by Cortez, first known in Spain but quickly popular also in Italy. What's interesting, at the beginning people thought they are poisonous and kept them only as a decoration! The first cookbook that mentions dishes with tomatoes was published in 1692 in Naples, but recipes were said to be Spanish. To North America they came via Britain at the beginning of the 18th century, again kept as decoration. Also, apparently Thomas Jefferson tried them in Paris and liked tomatoes so much he send seeds back home! :)
On my balcony I have yellow cherry tomatoes called 'Aztec' - I guess the most traditional type I could get! ;)

first tomatoes!

Today I had a fantastic surprise! :) Weather forecast was really bad, so I decided to move my plants indoors. Then when lifting one of the pots I noticed this - little tomatoes hidden between the leaves!! :) I found seven all together. Maybe it's funny but I feel a bit proud - I grew my tomatoes from seeds and now finally I've got proof it's working, it's reel - I'm going to have my own veggies and fruits straight from my tiny balcony! A happy day indeed :)

first strawberries

I noticed first wild strawberries growing! :) I was afraid that 6th floor is too high for bees, but maybe some did come, or maybe wind was just enough... Anyway I'm looking forward to first fruits from my little balcony garden! :)

empty balconies

This is how my tomatoes look like now :) As you can see they are twice as big! They are not suppose to grow much more and I'm looking forward for the flowers to bloom :)
I looked at other balconies in my building, but only two people have some flowers and that's it! Maybe they will take a look at my balcony within a month, see fruits and veggies and think that it's a good idea indeed ;) Every little step we take can make a difference.

wild strawberries

There are new babies in the family :) I bought two wild strawberry seedlings, as you can see they have some flowers already. I really like wild strawberries, they are small but full of flavor! I just hope they will grow well :)

chives

Within my herbs I planted also some chives. It seemed to be growing really slowly... my sister even asked me if it is grass! ;) However it's finally looking good and almost ready to eat. As you can see on the photo, finally weather is good enough to put my plants back on the balcony :)

flowers

Although the weather is recently really bad and I need to keep my plants indoors (not much space here, but it's cold and rainy outside) they still grow nicely :) Plus, as I noticed today they are going to have first flowers! :D And you know what that means? flowers = tomatoes!





The average conventional produce item travels 1,500 miles (2,400 km), using, if shipped by tractor-trailer, 1 US gallon (3.8 l; 0.83 imp gal) of fossil fuel per 100 pounds (45 kg). 
from Wikipedia

adopt a tomato :)

Surprisingly, when I mentioned to my friends that I have too many plants they immediately said they can adopt some of them! :) That's fantastic news, because tomatoes are all growing fast and I don't have enough space. It's also good that the idea of keeping your own veggies on the balcony just got a tiny bit more popular ;)

I'm already using my own herbs in the kitchen, especially basil for salads :) I've got really loads of coriander, I'm not really sure what can I use fresh coriander for?

new pots

My tomatoes finally got new bigger pots :) There was a lot of fun with coconut substrate and soil! Smell of wet soil and tomatoes' leaves is very nice and re-potting was fun and relaxing :) At the end of the day I've made them a family photo ;) They need to stay in tonight because it's going to be too cold, but I'll get them out in the morning.

potting substrate

I didn't fancy caring kilograms of soil, which I need to put my tomatoes in bigger containers! So, I bought just a small bag of soil plus a package of a potting substrate (peat free) made of coconut husk :) It is very simple to use. You just need to put some in a pot, add water and the substrate gets bigger within a minute - good fun! :)

before

after ;)

• 50% of the world's population lives in cities.
• 800 million people are involved in urban agriculture world-wide and contribute to feeding urban residents.
• Low income urban dwellers spend between 40% and 60% of their income on food each year.
• By 2015 about 26 cities in the world are expected to have a population of 10 million or more. To feed a city of this size at least 6,000 tonnes (6,600 tons) of food must be imported each day.
• 250 million hungry people in the world live in cities

from Wikipedia article on 'Urban Agriculture'

hail storm

It woke me up at 5:20 am, at first I thought it's just a heavy rain, so I got up to close the window. When I noticed it's hail I jumped out on the balcony to get my plants inside. I was soaked, but plants were saved! :) Hail stones were really big, my neighbor's flowers were totally destroyed :(
Since there might be again a storm tonight, I decided to keep plants inside, they occupy my both windowsills :)

sunny days

My tomatoes make use of sunny days and grow very fast :) It looks like soon I'll have to give them bigger pots or put them into containers. I know I can't keep all of them, because I don't have enough space on my balcony. I already gave two plants to my sister and two to my parents. It is not very popular here to keep something eatable on your balcony - flowers, of course many people have them, but tomatoes?! ;)

sun and water

My balcony is facing East, so plants are getting plenty of sun in the morning and stay in shade in the afternoon. First I was worried that they won't have enough light, but with the recent heat wave I understood that morning sun is not as harsh as in the afternoon and the place is just perfect! I keep herbs in a more shady corner and tomatoes more in the sun.

My mini farm needs a lot of water... really a lot! Especially if you keep plants in small pots or containers you have to remember to give them plenty of it :)  I usually water them in the afternoon - it is important not to do that when plants are in a direct sunlight, they might get burn!

Mini Farm

Like many others I like fresh herbs and vegetables and I find it sometimes hard to buy good quality ones in a shop. I also think it is a fantastic experience to plant your own garden (even if it is a very.. very small one!), watch it grow and then make a salad with your own tomatoes and basil :)
So, I decided to start my own mini urban farm! Is it possible to grow your own vegetables if you have only a 1 m2 balcony on a 6th floor? ...and why not?! :) I've started with some herbs and then I planted some cherry tomatoes - they are growing fast and I already gave away few plants to my family :)

basil, oregano, lemon balm, coriander, parsley

some of my tomatoes :)