15 April 2015

Newcomers on the balcony


Whilst my own crops that I'm growing from seeds are still fairly small, all of those plants have now moved outdoors. Since last week it has been quite nice and warm here and on the weekend I finally had time to do a bit more balcony gardening. Additionally to my seedlings I bought some new specimens to add to the balcony. Here is a small introduction to the newcomers.

Chilli Pepper Trinidad Perfume is a chilli plant producing fruit with melon and apricot flavours and it's extremely mild. It is supposed to have the taste of a traditional fruity habanero, but without the heat. That sounds like it's just the right chilli for me, as I'm a real lightweight what comes to spicy food.


Red Gauntlet Strawberry is a fast growing variation and I hope to be getting a few tasty strawberries. Together with the Pegasus Strawberry it can hopefully grow me some fruit. The Pegasus produces mid-small soft fruits and is also a very productive plant.


I also want to mention another fact about my balcony gardening. I don't have a car, so carrying heavy soil bags from the shops isn't a very attractive option. Luckily, years ago I detected this product at Ikea: Kokosnöt! The small and light soil block made out of coir and coconut husk, swells to 15 litres of soil when mixed with water. And that's not the whole beauty of it. It's also made from renewable materials and doesn't contain peat, so you are saving the environment at the same time. I have grown my plants in Kokosnöt for years and they have been doing well. It's also very convenient to store in small flats. I can only recommend it to every gardener without wanting to sound like an Ikea ad campaign.




What I also like to do at the moment, is purchasing a fresh bouquet of spring flowers, preferably tulips, and just get joy by looking at them. It's a lovely thing to have when my own plants still need to develop a bit to turn the balcony green.



How are your gardens and plants currently doing? Are you excited about the growing season?

Your VegHog

3 comments:

  1. Well done you ,I love your growing veg posts very much.I am growing (on a very small plot of dirt ) tomatoes, chilies and courgettes as well as rocket leaves and herbs . Most of them are still indoor on my kitchen window ledge and they are doing well. I am growing for first time potatoes and they are outside in a deep growing bag in my patio and I am looking forward for any harvest this summer .........I hope .....

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    1. Thank you for your comment Laura! I also love hearing of other people's gardening ventures, so please keep me updated throughout the summer how your plants are getting on! I'm sure, you'll get a lovely harvest. I also envy you for having potatoes growing, so far I have always missed growing them. Maybe next time.

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  2. cant see the instructions in the packing however im planning to buy one online but just want to make sure first, if the soil block can be used straight out of the packaging or do you have to mix it with earth first?

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Thanks for reading! I would very much appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.