Their concern was well-placed. I wasn’t a gardener. I’d never grown anything besides mould on out-of-date veggies in my fridge. I lived above a supermarket filled with vegetables, and who puts a veggie patch on a 20-square-metre balcony?
However, I had done enough reading to know that with good sunlight and a few basic elements such as pots and organic potting mix, a thriving balcony garden wasn’t a total pipe-dream.
Despite an unseasonably warm autumn, winter is pushing through and now is the time for leafy greens to start. Photo: edoneil
I drew up a plan of my balcony to determine how many fully grown plants I had room for.
I knew overcrowding as often a mistake of the novice gardener. I wanted my garden to be aesthetic as well as functional. I used large fibreglass pots that were sturdy but light, and placed on wheeled stands so I could move them. I installed a vertical wall and hanging baskets to maximise my growing space.
Potted veggies need watering more regularly than veggies in garden beds because they lose more moisture through evaporation, so I invested in a watering can and hose attached to my outdoor tap. I also fed them regularly with diluted fish emulsion and seaweed fertiliser, Munash mineral rock dust and a little worm juice from my Hungry Bin balcony worm farm. I sourced seedlings from garden centres and mail-ordered organic heirloom seeds from Diggers and The Italian Gardener.
Indira Naidoo’s friends and family thought she’d gone mad when she told them that she was planning to start a kitchen garden on her tiny apartment balcony. Photo: OlgaMiltsova
In my first year I grew 70 kilograms of produce, including lemons, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchinis, eggplants, chillies, peppers, carrots, radishes, blueberries and strawberries. If I can do it, you can too.
Despite an unseasonably warm autumn, winter is pushing through and now is the time for leafy greens to star. The cool conditions are perfect for English spinach, rainbow chard and curly purple kale.
I’ve sown my seeds into some seed-raising mix in a Yates mini greenhouse. These covered propagation tubs are perfect for growing veggies from seed. After four to six weeks, your seedlings will be ready to transplant into pots or garden beds. Make sure your beds are prepared well with a rich organic potting mix, compost and manure.
Naidoo’s balcony garden includes lemons, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchinis, eggplants, chillies, peppers, carrots, radishes, blueberries and strawberries. Photo: Valentyn Volkov
Leafy greens are easy to grow. One plant will keep producing for up to three months. Just water every few days and mix a little seaweed emulsion into your watering can every fortnight for a nutrient boost.
Slugs and snails can be a problem, so spread mulch around the base of each plant. I recommend Majors Mulch Mulching Pellets.
Harvesting is simply a matter of snipping off a few outer leaves.
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