It’s been ages since I’ve shared a balcony garden update here on the blog (there’s plenty of pictures on my instagram and snapchat though!) but here I am! Summer is by far the most productive time on my little balcony so I thought I’d share some of the highlights with you all today! I’d love a sneak peak at what you’re growing as well!
I planted the same two tomato plants this year as last year – a cherry tomato in a pot and the Tiny Tim bush tomato in my vertical planter. They both had a rough start with a slow beginning to summer being followed by scorching heat, but they’re now looking much happier now. Plus, they’re providing me with a handful of ripe tomatoes every day or so. Perfect!
Over the winter I chopped my chilli plant right back to almost nothing – it had been growing for a few years and had ended up quite spindly. It has come back an absolute treat! It’s bushy, happy and producing lots of chillies which are all about to ripen so it will be spicy food galore around these parts! I also brought a second chilli plant into the mix this summer because I couldn’t go past how pretty they were – seriously, check out these black chillies! It’s really happy as well so I have a feeling I might need to learn how to dry or pickle chillies pretty quickly!
My herbs are equally happy with rosemary, parsley, mint and two types of basil growing at the moment. I’ve been whipping up pesto galore and adding the herbs to all kinds of salads as well.
The basil has been making a regular appearance in conjunction with the tomatoes, including in lots of simple weekend lunches of bruschetta. Being able to pop straight out to my balcony garden and freshly pick tomatoes and basil to go in my lunch makes me oh-so-happy!
This year I’ve also planted a mini-capsicum plant and I’ve got one that is almost ready to be picked and a couple of others that are just starting to form, so I’m excited for them to ripen so I can taste them! It’s looking so cute up on the top level of my vertical garden as well!
I’ve also given cucumbers a go for the first time this year and whilst the plant is growing well and there are a number of flowers on it at the moment there’s only one teeny-tiny cucumber so far. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping more develop, but this is all a learning experience for me so if not, ah well!
I’ve been lucky enough to supplement my balcony garden produce with fresh fruits and veggies from my mum’s (much, much larger) garden – including bags full of plums and peaches and more zucchinis than I can count!
There’s been plenty of citrus as well – her lemon and lime trees are always prolific but I’ve gotten a grapefruit or two this summer as well which is a nice change!
And that’s my balcony garden update! I’d love to see what you’re growing too!
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I Spy Plum Pie is Liz, an early 30s kiwi-born, Melbourne raised girl who is passionate about the environment and sustainability, food, exploring and learning new things. Join me on my journey to a happy, sustainable life!