zielone pomidorki

Już są pierwsze małe, zielone pomidorki :) Jest na co czekać, teraz kiedy nie ma już truskawek... Wczoraj odwiedziłam rodziców i byłam zaskoczona, że te same pomidory u taty na balkonie są o wiele mniej wyrośnięte, zastanawialiśmy się czemu moje tak wybujały ;) Zaczęłam moje ostatnio przycinać u góry, żeby zachęcić je do rośnięcia bardziej na boki. Nawożę je raz w tygodniu tylko BioHumusem, podejrzewam, że to ze względu na to, że mój balkon jest bardziej słoneczny :)

pierwsze małe pomidorki :)

kwitnący ogród

Zjadłam już trzy moje własne truskaweczki :) są pyszne! (tylko trochę małe...) A moje pomidorki kwitną, martwię się tylko że są już taaakie wysokie! Nie wiem czy doniczki nie będą dla nich za małe.

część natury

trzmiel na parapecie

Z fascynacją obserwuję jak mój mały miejski ogródek staje się częścią lokalnego ekosystemu. Odwiedza go wiele żyjątek, głównie owadów takich jak motyle, pszczoły i trzmiele (takie jak ten którego dziś sfotografowałam! :) ). Wczoraj widziałam sikorkę która wpadła jak burza pomiędzy moje pomidory i za 5 sekund wyleciała z jednym z listków. Nie byłam zachwycona częściową destrukcją krzaczka, ale cieszę się, że za to sikorka zbuduje gniazdko :)

wszystko rośnie! :)

Ostatnio była naprawdę ładna, ciepła i słoneczna pogoda i wszystko rośnie w moim ogródku balkonowym! :)

Są już pierwsze truskawki! Jak widać na zdjęciu jedna jest już nawet czerwona :) Niestety są trochę małe i niekształtne... prawdopodobnie wynika to z nierównomiernego zapylenia (na 6 piętro nie dolatuje zbyt wiele pszczół...) oraz - mea culpa - zbyt mało wody, teraz podlewam je codziennie wieczorem, może to pomoże.

I moje ukochane pomidorki mają już pierwsze pączki i niedługo będą kwitnąć :) Wyglądają obiecująco! Wcale nie urosły na razie bardzo wysokie, doniczki powinny im wystarczyć.

pomidorki rosną :)

Moje pomidorki rosną i był najwyższy czas by dać im nowe, większe doniczki! Przez pewien czas nie miałam na to czasu, a później nie mogłam nigdzie dostać doniczek, który byłyby odpowiedniej wielkości i koloru ;) Ale chyba nie jest za późno skoro moi rodzice mają nadal kolekcję sadzonek na parapecie, a nie w ogródku :)

Jest coś naprawdę relaksującego w zajmowaniu się roślinami, zapach ziemi, obserwowanie jak rosną... można poczuć się naprawdę blisko natury, nawet gdy ma się tylko mały balkonik! :)

pomidorki!

W zeszłym roku miałam tyle sadzonek pomidorów, że musiałam rozdawać je pomiędzy przyjaciół i rodzinę. W tym roku, w zamian ja dostałam sadzonki dla mojej mini farmy :) Te maleństwa to czerwone pomidorki koktajlowe :)

czerwone pomidorki koktajlowe 

my mini farm on the 6th floor

This is how my balcony looks like now! :)

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 :)

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.

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.

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 :)