It is thy pencil; take thy seeds, thy plants,
They are thy colours.
~William Mason, The English Garden, 1782
I've told several people so far about my plans for growing my own weight in food, and there are usually two reactions. 1) "It'll be easy! You could probably grow more!" and 2). "But you don't have enough space?" My first reaction was probably closer to the first with a "oh, this will be easy! Just grow some heavy vegetables!" Then, the more I thought about it, the more I remember some of the challenges of container gardening. I mean, what if I get pests that reduce my crops. The weather might be terrible (like last summer with 6 sunny days in June) or I might get stunted vegetables if I grow them in too small a container, again reducing the size of my harvest. Many good heavy vegetables (like most squashes) don't even grow well in containers and take up a lot of valuable space! Harsh winds on the balcony, no bees for pollinating, plants that take up too much room and don't flower or fruit or produce anything edible! What if my potatoes rot with too much rain or my tomatoes don't ripen in time for the frost in the fall and get killed by an early frost?
Ok, all this in mind, here are some pictures of what the balcony DOES look like and a quick sketch of what it MIGHT look like. (Note my super cool FIRST knitted hat!):
Definitely a going to be an adventurous sort of challenge!
Wow, that is incredible, Allison. I don't know how growing your weight in food would be possible in that small space, but, knowing you, you'll find a way!
ReplyDeleteA few thoughts -- pumpkins, catalopes, watermelons ... or, you could lose weight (just kidding, you are perfect, solid muscle, don't lose one bit!).
I am looking forward to seeing what will happen as your garden grows.
Me, too! It's definitely going to be interesting. I'll take lots of pictures!
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