Last spring, I had a thriving balcony garden with tomatoes growing in the Topsy Turvy that I bought online “as Seen on TV.” I had hoped the contraption would last a few growing seasons. Well it didn’t. I left it out in the balcony, as I have no room whatsoever to store it. It held up fine at first, but the hard freeze came and must have frozen the material. It then thawed and got brittle and you see what’s left. My husband looked out the window yesterday and saw that dirt was pouring out. So we ran outside and dismantled it. In case you’re wondering what’s inside, those are Aqua Globes – you guess it another one of those “As Seen on TV” but they were bought at a steep discount 🙂
We also had some window boxes that ended up on the balcony floor. The building manager had the balcony rails repainted, and the workmen dismantled the wire frames that held the window boxes. Since the soil was already depleted and got infested with caterpillars. I threw the dirt out.
Now that the weather is warmer I think I will start sprouting seeds indoors to get ready for spring planting. I still have to figure out what to do with the Topsy Turvy stand, I may replace the bag, or I may just use it to hang other pots. Stay tuned for this year’s balcony garden adventure.
I once saw, hanging on a lamp post in someone’s front yard, their own version of a topsy-turvy. They just used plastic grocery sacks! The plants seemed to be growing well. I’d try it if I didn’t have space to plant!
I too live in an apartment, and growing our own food and herbs is a constant challenge. I’ve started tomatoes this year, and already I see a couple of small green shoots. I figure that by the time comes to harden them off, they’ll be big enough to handle the trips outside in their own pots. I’ve not tried the hanging tomatoes yet. We live on the north side of the building, so my plants have to be portable and carried from sunny spot to sunny spot.
We are supposed to be getting a community garden this year, but I’ve not heard anything about it recently, so I’ll have to ask.
One of the things we’re planning on is turning an unused closet into a pantry, with wire shelving. Those food grade buckets are a big part of the plan too. Flour, sugar, you name it. But I hadn’t thought about putting medicines in there; thanks for the idea.
Great blog! Keep it up!
I’ll be checking in frequently.
Feel free to pop over to mine and give it a read.
The first green shoots are always exciting to me, a sure sign of spring. The hanging tomatoes did fine, although not spectacularly better than the caged tomatoes I tried in pots one year. I think some of the success was from tenting the plants with the wire mesh which kept out birds and insects. Good luck on your garden and new closet/pantry. Thanks for stopping by!
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