Container Gardening For Your Balcony
My Tomatoes Growing In The Topsy Turvey
It is the end of September and I am moving my Topsy Turvey to my Dining room for the winter.
Photo by Suzzycue
More Gardening Tips And Outdoor Fun
If you do not have a gardening space and you miss gardening, you might want to consider helping out at a Community Garden. You get rewarded with vegetables for weeding and socializing with other gardener want-a be's that also have no gardening spot. It is a great way to help feed people who need food and learn gardening tips from people that have had gardens all their lives.
If you are lucky enough to have a backyard garden than learn the advantages of growing Kale, Beets, or Chard instead of Spinach.
More DIY Projects to save money in your home.
Getting Started
I live in an apartment ,on the third floor, in a small city in Stratford, Ontario,Canada. It is in the middle of a snow belt but all the snow has gone to the north of us to cities like Toronto, Barrie, and Ottawa.
Since I can not do my usual winter activities of cross country skiing, river skating, and my favorite walking though the snow drifts. I decided to plant my indoor garden of seeds for my Topsy Turvey on my balcony.
Planting From Seeds
drying the seeds
photo bt Suzzycue
blue boxes mushrooms are sold in
photo by Suzzycue
Not Much Room For Vegetables On A Balcony
That is correct but first things first. I don't purchase seeds from the magazine or a store. I go the grocery store and go to the week old, or vegetable stand with vegetables in bags of ten or so because they have spots, or are not perfect, so they cannot get full price for them. Here I find tomatoes( grape,cherry and Roma's are the best for containers) cucumbers, peppers of all kinds and colors.
Also if you are lucky there will be chives, parsley,thyme,rosemary and more fresh spices that you can rescue to take home and freeze in your refrigerator for future stews and sauces. The best of these vegetables I cook and make spaghetti sauces and stews. The seeds I dry and plant in blue plastic boxes that mushrooms are sold in and you can get mushrooms here too.
Last time, I was in the store, I came home with three big bags of mushrooms and if you put them in a bowl with a little water in your microwave for three seconds, cool them down and zip lock bag them , you can freeze them also.
Planting A Topsy Turvy
Topsy Turvy stands about five feet tall and takes up two feet of floor space. These sell retail for $49.50 but I was lucky to buy mine in the fall for $7.00.
photo by Suzzycue
cherry tomatoes
photo by suzzycue
Space Saver
The neatest space saver planter, I have found for my balcony is the Topsy Turvy Planter. It is exactly what the name says ,your plants grow upside down.
The assembly of this planter is very simple nuts and bolts. Then you fill it with miracle grow potting soil because it has time release capsules of soil nutrients, to grow your plants faster.
When my seedlings are big enough I plant the tomatoes on the bottom holes and cucumbers and peppers on the top holes. You place the planter in a room that gets seven hours of sunlight and water every other day. Then presto, you can grow your veggies year round and in the spring ,pick it up and move Topsy Turvy to a corner on my balcony. It looks great if you plant spices in the top also. Spices I have better luck if I buy the plants usually only a dollar a box in the spring of the year.
Grow Kale Beets Or Chard
- Advantages of Growing Kale, Beets, or Chard Instead of Spinach
DIY Garden tips. This hub will compare growing greens in your garden and how to use them after you harvest them. Growing greens are an awesome out door décor that you can eat to improve your health
Cheap Backyard Makeover Anyone Can Do
- DIY Low Maintenance Back Yard Save Money in Your Home
An older friend who loves to sit on her upper deck and tend to her flowers needed shade from the sun because of skin cancer. I built her a low maintenance backyard to help save her money in her home.
2nd Year of Topsy Turvy Gardening
- DIY Grow A Topsy Turvy Vegetable Garden
Do you grow your own vvegetables? You can even if your growing space is limited by using a Topsy Turvy Container Garden. I grow vegetables that compliment each other when cooked. Home grown vegetables
Comments
Susan Britton (author) from Ontario, Canada on November 09, 2012:
Thank you Niteriter for the awesome comment. You have brighten my day with your words. Thank you for following me. I will enjoy your company here on Hubpages.
Niteriter from Canada on November 08, 2012:
You show great resilience and creativity in navigating the everyday occurrences of your life. With such traits blossoming in your soul, how long can it be until we hear of you making news on the theatre stages in your famous town?
Your work is fresh and meaningful. I wish you well as you proceed.
Susan Britton (author) from Ontario, Canada on January 19, 2012:
Thank you. It will work so much better on my balcony
Kristine Cox on January 18, 2012:
Good read and I found it very interesting on a cold winter morning!
