Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Balcony Garden Update Tuesdays 10/30/12


It’s Tuesday and it’s time to do my Tuesday’s update with my balcony garden. At first I was not too sure if I wanted to share the update with any readers out there. Then I thought, this is why I started the blog in the first place. I wanted to share my progress in building a balcony garden. I wanted to share the triumphs of harvesting any flowers, herbs and even vegetables. I want to seek advice for my failures of wiltering flowers, dying plants or even disaster experiments. So either good or bad I should share my experience.



Saturday, October 27, 2012

Sterilizing Sand for my Balcony Garden

As you already know, I'm on my way to experimenting on rooting some of my neighborhood plants.  Rooting is a process of getting cuttings to grow roots for you to plant.  It sounds difficult and it is.  But let's start by sterilizing sand.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Trash? I think not..


Ever since I've started my balcony garden.  I have been trying to use.. or more like reuse things.  I believe we all have things that we can reuse for another propose.  As in bottle jars can be reused for storing food, a coffee can reuse as a pot for a plant.. the list can go on.  There is the saying, "One man's trash is another persons treasure."  Well I found someone’s trash and it was my treasure.  Someone threw out a perfectly fine crate today.  Luckily I saw it and quickly grabbed it.  It fit perfectly on my balcony as a storing shelf.  It's perfect.. thank you to that anonymous person that had no need for it and threw it away.  Now I doubled my space.
I know it's a simple thing but I feel good to be able to reuse something.  I wonder what you have reused?  What's the most creative thing have you reused?  I would love to hear about it.  Pictures would be great also.. I'll be sure to post here for everyone to see.  Thank you and keep reusing.  




Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Sterilize Soil for my garden?

Sterilize soil?  I bet your asking yourself, "sand is dirt, it's suppose to be dirty".  Of course being the "need to know why" type of person.  I looked up why do we need to sterilize soil if it supposed to be dirty.  From what I gathered, most commercial products puts its sand through a process that sterilizes the soil before it is sold in stores.  They do this to get rid of anything that is not wanted in the dirt.

Balcony Garden Update Tuesday


Well it's about 2 weeks since a started my balcony garden. I can remember like it was yesterday. I stepped out onto my balcony while I sipped my morning brew. I gazed upon 2 dwarf trees down at my knees. The calamansi has a sweet smell coming from the delicate white flowers. The single fruit hangs on by a twig on the lemon tree. It calls to be picked or does it just want to show off its bright yellow color. I stand there, imagining.








Monday, October 22, 2012

Neighborhood walks.. plants everywhere!

As I walk Oakley through the neighborhood, I start noticing more and more plants that I haven’t noticed before.  Oh my left I see Lavender, on the right Jasmine, straight ahead birds of paradise, oh wait behind me is an odd looking plant that I have never seen before.  My mind starts to imagine how my balcony garden would look like with the different plants that I see in the neighborhood.  As my mind starts imagining, I start picturing a plant hanging here and there, a plant below me, one behind another.  I move some vines to the side and see an endless row of strange and beautiful plants.  I look around and I’m standing in the middle of a jungle… POOF!  Then I snap back to it and Oakley is looking at me oddly.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Baked Fish with rosemary and garlic

I've been really itching to use my rosemary herbs from mybalcony garden since day 1.  There are so many delicious recipes over the Internet to choose from.  So I rolled up my sleeves and picked up my cutters and spatula.  It’s been a week and it is time to enjoy the rewards of a balcony garden. 

For my first recipe, I choose to use the rosemary herb.  It’s one of my favorite herbs that has a scent and taste that cannot be comparable to any other herb.  Rosemary has a somewhat sharp pine aroma that lends to a very flavorful taste when cooked with.  My face cannot help but smile when the kitchen fills with rosemary scent as I add it to any dish.

Tonight I’m cooking Baked fish and potatoes with rosemary and garlic.  This is the first time I tried this dish but it was quickly added to my favorite list.  This recipe called for white fish, and so I tried two different types of fishes.  I made another adjustment that you’ll find out soon enough.  Now let’s get to the good part.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

My Balcony Garden Update

Hi everyone!  It has been about 1 week since I started this blog!  My balcony garden, which is rosemary, basil, calamansi bush, meyer lemon tree, and mint.  Thank you to all those who are giving me great advice and those to just blog their ideas and practices.  With the Internet, it seems that I have unlimited resources to pull from.  Sometimes, with so much information, I get bogged down and almost get lost to, what to do?  If one person says do this and another person do that.. which advice do you consider?  

Monday, October 15, 2012

Eggs, Basil, and a Balcony

Eggs, basil and a balcony sounds like a great idea right?  I love eggs topped with some fresh basil while enjoying it on my balcony.  Don't worry I'm not going to go in detail what I had for breakfast this morning.  To think about it.. my previous post was about the benefits of coffee grounds.  It's either I'm a huge breakfast fan or my ideas come to me while enjoying my breakfast.  While I sit on my.. ha.  Sorry I'm going off topic.
So this post is not about what I had for breakfast but on a creative way to getting your seeds to sprout.  I think it's a great idea which I saw on youtube.  As I browsed youtube for tips and advice on growing your own herbs and plants.  I stumbled upon Ramona Werst and her basil garden.  I'll put a link on the bottom for anyone that wants to see her video.  

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Coffee and Plants?

As I sip my morning coffee to wake my groggy self.  I search ways to give my plants the nutrition that it needs.  I'm really hoping to save my plants from the depths of the ground... wait.. it belongs in the ground.  So the depths of... OK I'll have to think about this.


Friday, October 12, 2012

Calamansi Flowering

It looks like my Calamansi is flowering and ready to bare fruit!  

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Umm do I really know what I'm doing?

So we all say, try new things.  We say get out and do something different.  We all want to add spice to our lives... or is that something we just say?  Well, instead of just saying I'm going to do.  Do it.. right?  Blog.. sure, why not... umm do I really know what I'm doing?  Haa.

So call me adventurous or call me daring.. call me what YOU will.  I'm trying two new things for the first time.  YES!!!  Instead of stepping into the lake with one foot, I'm jumping into the lake with both of my feet.  ACK!  Hold up.. wait.. let me think about this.  Ha.

OK, so two new things I'm willing to try.  First, I'm going to start a small garden on my balcony.  Yup that's right I'm going to use these brown thumbs and try to grow something.  I've always wanted to grow a small garden.  In the past I've had a couple plants: 

-Small green house plant - DECEASED
-Indoor palm tree - DECEASED
-Spider plant - started looking sick so I took it outside - DECEASED
-Cactus - DECEASED!!

So I don't have much luck, but I'm willing to try again.  Sorry, I do have to give warning "plants have been or will be hurt during the making of this blog."  Sorry everyone!  

First off, here is a picture of my plants so far: 



On the left is a tiny lemon tree.  I cheated, I got this from my love.  The middle plant is a rosemary bush.  Next to that is a rare plant called Calamansi plant.  It bears a really sour fruit which I've used in place of lemons.  It's a very popular plant in the Philippines.  To think about it.. I like sour fruit.  Haa.. maybe because I'm a sour person?  
The furthest is a basil plant that's barely hanging on.  


I took this from my parents.  Originally it was mine but it was dying.  My dad who has a green thumb took it and somewhat revived it.  But I decided that I'll do it.  My responsibility right?  With great power comes great responsibility.  Power to kill plants!!!  That's my power!!  Poor plant, my apologizes ahead of time.  

Also I inherited two more plants.


The top is a Rosemary bush.  It looks like its not getting enough water.  
The bottom is a mint plant.  Not sure what happened here.  But with the google and everyone's suggestions I hope to bring this back to life.





Well that's it!  


So here we go.. two things I'm trying today.  Blogging and gardening!  Woo hoo let the laughs, crying, madness, and everything else that comes with it, begin.  Please if you have any suggestions and advice email me... comment... link me... throw a rock against my window (remember, this a figure of speech everyone).  Let me know.. I would love to hear what you all have to say.  Thanks!!!