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25.01.2022 Balcony Salad bar. My share waste neighbour was astounded by my recent delivery of fresh lettuce. She said she has never "tasted" such extraordinary lettuce before, by that I mean fresh lettuce, not the store bought leathery stuff... and exclaimed that the leaves almost melted in her mouth, so tender, juicy and delicate! A couple of pots and you've got your own salad bar. Not requiring full sun, these will make nice filler plantings in your small space. . .... . . #lettuce #saladbar #freshisbest #growwhereyoulive #vegetablegarden #instagardeners #permaculture #gardenlove #citygarden #veggiegarden #kitchengarden #gardentotable #balconygarden #growyourownfood #growfoodnotlawns #urbangarden #balconygardening #containergarden #smallspacegarden #urbangardening #pottedgarden #organicgardenermag #gardeningaustralia #urbanfarmer #organicgarden #citylife #gardeningaustraliamag #happyplace #gardeningistherapy See more

23.01.2022 No, not snow on this extreme weather day but rather, the battle of the bees had literally hotted up this morning. 39 degrees in the shade up here today, that's 102.2F but that has not stopped the continuation of the swarms. The melee continues unabated. It must be exhausting! As you can see, I have provided shade through a m umbrella and some shade cloth and draped the hives with wet towels. I ma hoping the high winds don't follow as that will necessitate the closing of the m...arket umbrellas. How are you faring in the heat? . . . . . . #heatwave #beeswarm #extremeconditions #tetragonulacarbonaria #nativestinglessbees #vegetablegarden #instagardeners #permaculture #gardenlove #citygarden #veggiegarden #kitchengarden #gardentotable #balconygarden #urbangarden #balconygardening #containergarden #smallspacegarden #urbangardening #pottedgarden #organicgardenermag #gardeningaustralia #urbanfarmer #organicgarden #citylife #gardeningaustraliamag #happyplace #gardeningistherapy See more

21.01.2022 Oh how I love to get my bare hands into fresh compost. It smells like a walk in a rainforest when you kick over leaf fall on the forest floor. Hmmm, smell it? This is the compost I mentioned earlier today. Freshly harvested from my @joracomposters. It's been cooking over the Winter and one side of the dual bin was ready! See how friable and rich it is? You can't see any of the original elements. No carrot tops, no peels, no tea leaves, no coffee grounds. Just pure, delicious ...soil food now. (Ps I reposted this as IGTV changed the image size and I didn't like it) . . . . . #compost #vegetablegarden #instagardeners #permaculture #gardenlove #citygarden #veggiegarden #kitchengarden #gardentotable #balconygarden #growyourownfood #growfoodnotlawns #urbangarden #balconygardening #containergarden #smallspacegarden #urbangardening #pottedgarden #organicgardenermag #gardeningaustralia #urbanfarmer #organicgarden #citylife #gardeningaustraliamag #happyplace #gardeningistherapy See more

21.01.2022 Ecstatic over the crop of fragrant Ginger from my 30L Root Pouch grow bag! Can you grow Ginger on your Balcony or small space? YES! YOU CAN! My blog on growing Balcony Ginger will be up on the website shortly. www.upontherooftop.com.au

20.01.2022 In agriculture, the use of cover crops or green manures, serves many purposes, the overarching one is building the soil health. On th Balcony I try to adapt as many Permaculture and regenerative farming principles as possible to this small farm. Green manures in Ag adds fertility, improves soil texture, aids water retention, prevents erosion and stops weed growth. These benefits can apply to the garden if you're so lucky as to have raised or garden beds and are crop Rotatin...g. Those things are not so critical in a potted garden situation, however, soil health is soil health, be it on a large scale or small, such as mine. I've renewed my potting soil, now waiting for the maturing of some seedlings and have sown sowing of a green manure/cover crop of Lucerne here to keep the soil life occupied and ultimately supply the mulch for the next planting. I'll cut it down and chop it into the soil when I'm ready to plant. I'll pop a highlight in my story if a past cover crop I planted in one of the permanent raised beds. It enriched the soil and produced fabulous corn . This is all based on the premise that roots of plants give back to the soil. The deeper and wider they go, the more benefits they provide tosoilfertility and stable carbon storage insoils While alive and activeroots redistribute carbon and nutrients throughout thesoil profile. Again, it's not so important in a container to do this as it's likely that you will repot fairly soon after a spent crop, but where soil is not going to be used for a while, a green manure crop will keep it zinging. See more

19.01.2022 Fighting swarms can be the result of attacking bees that have come from an unknown hive quite some distance away. I don't think this attack has been staged by Hive 1. Stingless bees may produce alarm pheromones during a fighting swarm. These special scents, produced from glands in the bees’ heads, may attract other bees from neighbouring hives to join in the fight. Who is who in this battle? Stingless bees can recognise their own hive-mates by scent, however sadly in the hea...t of the battle, many defending worker bees are unable to recognise their hive-mates and end up wrestling with them to the death. Despite the bee losses, the colonies nearly always recover from these fighting swarms. Sometimes the attacked hive may even end up stronger if it has been invaded by a more vigorous hive. . . . . #skirmish #attackswarm #australiannativestinglessbees #tetragonulacarbonaria #nature #savethebees #balconylife #balconybees #beesintheburbs #beesinthecity #beeslife See more

18.01.2022 Last night we had a sidedish of Broadbeans and Peas from the Balcony Garden Delicious! . . . .... #broadbeans #peas #vegetablegarden #instagardeners #permaculture #gardenlove #citygarden #veggiegarden #kitchengarden #gardentotable #balconygarden #growyourownfood #growfoodnotlawns #urbangarden #balconygardening #containergarden #smallspacegarden #urbangardening #pottedgarden #organicgardenermag #gardeningaustralia #urbanfarmer #organicgarden #citylife #gardeningaustraliamag #happyplace #gardeningistherapy See more

17.01.2022 Just a couple of tips from the Balcony Garden about that work for me here. Strawberries are cool climate plants in origin so a warm spot with dappled shade or shade cloth will suit them better than baking sun which will potentially burn them. Morning sun is ace. They like a slightly acidic soil and I've used alot of apartment-made compost and worm castings in my hanging pots for my strawbs. These pots can dry out quite quickly so I have my terracotta spikes buried in each ...pot to keep them hydrated... oh and they like good air circulation around the crown and leaves so be sure to keep the crown at soil level and not below the soil so they do not rot. . . . . #verticalspaces #strawberries #berrytime #vegetablegarden #instagardeners #permaculture #gardenlove #citygarden #veggiegarden #kitchengarden #gardentotable #balconygarden #growyourownfood #growfoodnotlawns #urbangarden #balconygardening #containergarden #smallspacegarden #urbangardening #pottedgarden #organicgardenermag #gardeningaustralia #urbanfarmer #organicgarden #citylife #gardeningaustraliamag #happyplace #gardeningistherapy See more

17.01.2022 I need to clear some space for our incoming shipment... So for 4 days BUY 3 LARGE 3L WATERPOT OLLAS and GET 1 FREE ** A great time to stock up in readiness for your Spring garden projects. . Here is one of my favourite reviews of the olla Waterpots from Tamara from Mudgee during the drought of 2019... "Excellent products. We live in Central West NSW and have no dam or bore water left. The Ollas are allowing my treasured plants to not only stay alive but thrive. Quite an extraordinary change in their health since we put in the ollas a fortnight ago" . This review made my heart sing because I started this little business out of concern for global water security... how could we make a difference as busy folk with urban gardens, in the simplest of ways? Drawing on the Ancients who irrigated their crops using low fired terracotta pots, I knew this was the simplest of technologies available to humankind!! A time-honoured solution to a modern day problem. Be quick because it ends on Monday 21st at midnight. The ship is in!! . **not available with any other discount or offer. Ends midnight Monday 21 June. See more

15.01.2022 No space too small to grow your own food.

15.01.2022 Should be a great conversation

14.01.2022 A little basket of veggies for my neighbour's dinner. I swap produce grown on my Balcony for my apartment neighbour's kitchen waste. It's our little share waste scheme. Every other day I'll see a bag of scraps by my car or front door and it goes into one of the compost or worm bins and joins the nutrient cycle of the Balcony, not land-fill. ... #sharewaste #apartmentliving #dinnervegetables #indoorplants #houseplants #ollas #terracottaspikes #plantlovers #plantlove #passionforplants #plantparent #plantsmakemehappy #indoorgarden #helloplantlady #livingwithplants #plantlove #urbanjungle #houseplantsofinstagram #planthoarder #smallspacegardening See more

11.01.2022 ! I am starting to get wildly excited! The Root Pouch shipment is arriving SOON and I'm ecstatic about the new range BLACK! Made of the usual recycled PET water bottles with an addition of natural fibre of cotton or jute for a little extra moisture retention, this is the first degradable bag in our range. Out of the ground it will last just as long as our existing range and we thought the colour would appeal to modernistas amongst our Gardening Kin. Used in groun...d it will degrade after 4 to 5 years asking it perfect for those who intend to move a shrub or tree into a ground growing situation. I'll be rolling out the info soon (so much to do!) but I'm kicking it all off with this superduper giveaway of a set of the Black AND as if that's not enough, a set of our Olla range as well! What a stupendously brilliant bundle. Details are in the link in my Bio. Just join our mailing list to enter. No talent, beauty, writing skills required!! Current subscribers are already in the draw because those special folk only receive good news in our newsletters! So hurry up. This finishes on Sunday 10th! . . . #rootpouch #rootpouchlife #rootpouch_au #vegetablegarden See more

08.01.2022 Like the Mariner and the sailors in Coleridge's famous poem, our container is on a ship off the coast of Sydney, in the doldrums, waiting for a breath of fresh air... for a resolution of an industrial dispute that continues to exacerbate a 3 week backlog at a gridlogged port. 90,000 containers are being held up at a time of Covid national recession, and yes, our Root Pouch container is one of them. This dispute threatens the jobs and businesses of millions of Australians. Th...ere is now the threat of a "congestion charge" which may see shipping companies passing on the costs of the delay ($25,000 per day/per ship) to importers and exporters. All I can do is thank my dear customers and gardening kin who have patiently waited for stock to arrive, even now that it's past due. Thank you for supporting my small business through the lockdown and now this ridiculous ransom situation. These are clearly circumstances beyond my control. I hope for all of us that this is resolved as soon as possible. We are hurting enough as it is. In the meantime, get those seeds sown and nurture your seedlings, for "to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow" Audrey Hepburn See more

08.01.2022 It's time to clean the Waterpot ollas if you're changing over your crops. If you're not, or have them in permanent sites, then that's fine. They will continue to do the work! Here is a great example of the fine matting of roots you will probably find on your vessel. The roots have sought out the water source (the olla)as they are wont to do and have gently surrounded it, drawing the water the plant requires, no more, no less. No guesswork! All this needs now is a light scr...ub with a weak vinegar solution. You can find the demo video in my blogs or in today's email if you're on my community list. Folk all over Australia are reaping the benefits of ollla irrigation. From the Top End to Tassie, happy plants paying it forward! . . . . #ollas #Waterpotollas #waterpots #traditionalirrigation #vegetablegarden #instagardeners #permaculture #gardenlove #citygarden #veggiegarden #kitchengarden #gardentotable #balconygarden #growyourownfood #growfoodnotlawns #urbangarden #balconygardening #containergarden #smallspacegarden #urbangardening #pottedgarden #organicgardenermag #gardeningaustralia #urbanfarmer #organicgarden #citylife #gardeningaustraliamag #happyplace #gardeningistherapy See more

06.01.2022 It wasn't going to be too long before the Cockatoos found the sweet Passionfruit growing up here and where I thought the nutrient deficiency might have stalled fruit production as numbers of fruit seemed to reduce... I think the marauders have been visiting unbeknownst to me! My trusty Reverse Gardener has been tasked with watching the North wall! Not only are there bird skirmishes but also native skirmishes taking place it seems. After constructing the agricultural bird net canopy an attack swarm developed in Hive 2! Who would have thought so many wars could be waged in one small space? . .

05.01.2022 One ledge and a sunny day brings so much joy. These Balcony-made meccano style brackets for troughs have increased my growing space and I do love having flowering fragrant perennials in this kitchen garden area. Running my hand over the foliage and picking up the scent of Basil, Pineapples and Lemon brings such delight and reminds me of Summer! . .... . Music: Love Love Love Musician: Fox in Oil URL: https://icons8.com/music/ #ledgegarden #diy #darugcountry #vegetablegarden #instagardeners #permaculture #gardenlove #citygarden #veggiegarden #kitchengarden #gardentotable #balconygarden #growyourownfood #growfoodnotlawns #urbangarden #balconygardening #containergarden #smallspacegarden #urbangardening #pottedgarden #organicgardenermag #gardeningaustralia #urbanfarmer #organicgarden #citylife #gardeningaustraliamag #thehappygardeninglife #gardeningistherapy See more

04.01.2022 This is my Bcomy adaptation of @theweedygarden Compashi method. Using the wheelie bin compost bin that I made I layered the remaining space with greens (nitrogen filled scraps and cuttings) , browns (shredded paper, sugar cane mulch for carbon) , grey (rockdust) and black (Biochar) and good douse of my soil bacteria that I've shown you in previous videos and water. I didn't have enough rain water so tap was going to have to do. By Jove, it is working! The breakdown seems to... be quicker than usual! A toss every other day with my twizzler thingy to add oxygen and my fingers are crossed for useable compost in less than 21 days now. Soil is everything! Soil health is fundamental to growing, even on a Balcony farm! . . . . . #compost #compashi #vegetablegarden #instagardeners #permaculture #gardenlove #citygarden #veggiegarden #kitchengarden #gardentotable #balconygarden #growyourownfood #growfoodnotlawns #urbangarden #balconygardening #containergarden #smallspacegarden #urbangardening #pottedgarden #organicgardenermag #gardeningaustralia #urbanfarmer #organicgarden #citylife #gardeningaustraliamag #happyplace #gardeningistherapy See more

04.01.2022 The fighting has spread to the 2nd hive today, so it's crazy hectic out there plus it's extremely hot today on the a Balcony. We can easily fall into the trap of anthropomorphism when we witness a swarm and liken it to human armies in a theatre of war and wish for the resident hive to triumph over the attackers. I prefer to think of it as Nature's way. They will sort it out and the stronger will survive which is always better for the gene pool. The bees knees of Native bee...s, @timheard22 of Sugar bag bees describes the swarm thus - "The attacking colony is attempting to take over the defending one by installing their own queen. Colonies do not usually die out as a result of fighting and in fact may be strengthened by it. It happens between nests of the same species and also between species, e.g. between carbonaria and hockingsi. Studies show that the genetics of the colony can change from the defending to the attacking after a fighting swarm." See more

02.01.2022 I use the vertical spaces on the Balcony to grow as much as the floor space. Hanging pots from screens, hooks and ledges increases your growing capacity and allows plants to access light. Being on the shady side of a north facing privacy screen, these plants are enjoying the dappled shade. . . . .... #verticalspaces #strawberries #berrytime #vegetablegarden #instagardeners #permaculture #gardenlove #citygarden #veggiegarden #kitchengarden #gardentotable #balconygarden #growyourownfood #growfoodnotlawns #urbangarden #balconygardening #containergarden #smallspacegarden #urbangardening #pottedgarden #organicgardenermag #gardeningaustralia #urbanfarmer #organicgarden #citylife #gardeningaustraliamag #happyplace #gardeningistherapyMusic: Morning Hope Musician: Dmitriy Diomores URL: https://icons8.com/music/ See more

01.01.2022 Sale on our Large Round Ollas ends ends midnight Monday 21st June! Hurry!