Jaz Design

Before I got my apartment I knew I wanted a balcony. I didn’t know why, I dislike going outdoors much, there’s always a risk of spiders, or bees, or being active. I think I knew that living in a town centre was going to wear on me, despite my dislike of going outdoors often I love nature. When I was living in Portsmouth the lack of green and trees used to drive me bonkers.

The view from my balcony, with a very very long lens. You wouldn't know I was in a busy commuter town centre would you?

As it is, our apartment just overlooks the central park, so I see trees from my balcony, and the hills during winter (see photo). There’s still flats directly opposite, but the nature’s there. And, we have a balcony. I was lucky enough to be given some plants, some grown from seed and so all very young. This terrified me somewhat, but I was amazed at how much I enjoy looking after them. I’m not doing brilliantly, but I really enjoy going out to the balcony, watering the plants, checking them, not knowing what to do when I find something wrong… ahem.

If you’re living in a small apartment, don’t have a garden etc I highly recommend just getting one little plant, herbs will gladly live on your windowsil and you can use them! I find tending to my plants very grounding and enjoyable, and I know very little about it.

More pictures of my little plant family, and Fuzz Lightyear (because he’s amazing) after the jump! To note, some of the photos are also on my flickr and you can visit them by clicking on them!

Ignore the dead ones behind, I did “dead head” those, though being a gardening spaz I didn’t really know what that meant…

My boss gave me these a year ago when I moved into the apartment. I really didn’t think this was going to survive – but it did and flowered a second time, though there were three in there before, and whilst those did come up, only one of them truly made it. I’ve since put them in a bigger pot in the hope they’ll keep going. I’m also curious as to where my pictures of it flowering have gone…

This was so exciting, my first tomatoes on my little pearl(?) tomato plant! I hadn’t expected any of them to really do anything…

And then even more appeared!

A tiny cucumber? I must admit this is the one plant I’m having the most trouble with. The leafs are all covered with a white moldish looking fuzz, and from what I’ve read that’s ok. It looks pretty strange though. I also don’t know when to pick the cucumbers, the biggest one is green and yellowy green and doesn’t look how I imagined one to look, so it’s just been sitting there for ages. I’m guessing it’s done? There’s a pic on my twitpic here. This is the plant I was most excited about, so it figures it’s the one doing worst!

More pearls.

They’re so tiny! But ripe. Too ripe in fact, a couple of them split, I don’t know if that’s hugely bad? If I didn’t water them enough? Didn’t pick them soon enough? But I’m trying not to let it happen again. I’ve got a couple of unsplit ones to eat tomorrow

More tiny cucumbers, before the great molding of July.

My trough of various herbs! Thyme, basil, sage or mint (we can’t figure it out), angelica and parsley.

The tiny tomatoes that had split. I’m really clueless, really!

My bigger tomato plants. These were the first tomatoes to appear, now I’ve got quite a lot and am just waiting for them to ripen off. Apparently if I’d cut the plants I would have had more, but I really don’t know which bit of it I was supposed to cut…

They keep going through phases of being really green and happy to really wilted and unhappy. I figure it’s because they’re in their teenage years…

Like someone else I know who never gets out of bed!