How does your garden grow?

[MoniDew]

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w10/MoniDew/squashandbeansinterplanted.jpg

squash and beans, interplanted

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w10/MoniDew/garlicandonionsinterplanted.jpg

garlic, shallots, and onions, interplanted

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w10/MoniDew/carrotsandradishinterplanted.jpg

carrots and radish, interplanted

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w10/MoniDew/airycilantro.jpg

airy cilantro, blooming

[gardengirl72]

Looking good! I can't wait to post some pics of my garden.

[MoniDew]

can't wait to see your garden pics, Patti! :D

[redhead5318]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs340.ash1/29161_429965577974_554027974_5412404_1503971_n.jpg

tomatoes and green onions and basil and peas and beans, and you can't see it in this photo, but there is also parsley and a cucumber. it's the game of how much can I cram onto a 10 foot balcony! :D

[MoniDew]

your balcony rocks, sister!

[Garden Green]

Here is my little garden, such as it is after some destruction from my cat. No okra, tomatoes, cauliflower or broccoli, she destroyed them before I knew what was happening. Anyway, this is what I have left!

http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=270

Cucumbers are starting to get bigger.

http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=275

Sweet basil that has made some delicious basil chicken.

http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=269

Blooming cinnamon basil.

http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=271

Blooming lemon basil.

continued next post.

[Garden Green]

http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=273

The tall is summer savory, the short that you can barely see is marjoram. Both have made some very excellent meals!

http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=274

Shamrocks.

http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=272

And a rose that smells like a watermelon jolly rancher. :eek:


I have some other things I haven't posted here. Garlic chives that I'm desperately wanting to go to seed because they taste so wonderful, dill, lime basil, raspberries, blueberries and other fruit as well.

[redhead5318]

Garden Green, I love all your huge basil plants!! Are the flowers edible too? my poor basil usually gets harvested to death long before it has a chance to bud. basil chicken, pesto, goes into pasta, on pizza, we eat it all summer long.

I had to post one more picture of the gardens newest (and probably last) inhabitants:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs523.snc3/29781_432091462974_554027974_5467243_8335934_n.jpg

Thyme and Mint in my cheapo tree hugger planters. I ran out of things to plant stuff in, so i cut the tops off some old gallon jugs, cut drainage holes in the bottom, and now I've got some recycled planters. The cucumber has been there for a while. When it gets bigger I'll attempt to train it up the balcony railing.

Wow, these pictures really show how much the balcony desperately needs a coat of paint!

[MoniDew]

Hey, redhead! Use what you've got! I do that, too! If it'll hold a plant, it gets recruited! LOL!

Dana - love your basil, too. And those cukes are gonna be yummy!

[Garden Green]

Thank you both for the compliments!

Yes, basil flowers are edible. But I'm trying to get some seeds so I'm leaving those blossoms alone. I was very happy to see a bee on the cinnamon basil today despite the ground shaking thunder.

I'm looking forward to making that Japanese Cucumber Salad recipe I posted. And the kids are dying to make pickles. I have two cucumber plants that have just a ton of flowers and lots of tiny little cukes. Now all I can do is tap my foot impatiently while waiting.

Oh and I have more cut off bottles and milk jugs hanging out waiting for something to be planted in them than I care to mention. I line them up behind something so they aren't an eye sore to the neighborhood because I don't want to be fined. My street has high traffic so eventually someone would complain.

And I agree with Monica, you're balcony rocks!

[MoniDew]

would love a recipe for some seriously garlicy dills, Dana - if you're up for it!

[redhead5318]

thanks for all the kind comments, I'm proud of my little space, but it sure gets messy out there. I have more out there this year than I've ever had, it's gonna be a jungle pretty soon!

Garden Green, I'm happy to know I'm not the only one who cuts the top of just about anything and plops a plant into it! the containers were going to go into the trash anyways, why not get another use out of them first?

back to garden news, I have my first pea pod! and my cucumbers and tomatoes have buds! so exciting!! :)

[Garden Green]

Redhead, I shy away from showing off my flat black milk jug planter collection. It stays away from public view because I seriously don't want to be fined by the city. And the flat black two and three liter self watering containers.. not a pretty sight either, but after everything gets growing you can't really see them anymore and the garden kinda takes over.

Monica:

Garlic Dills Pickles
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 cup distilled white vinegar
4 1/4 cups water
fresh pickling cucumbers - sliced, quartered, OR whole
4-6 cloves (per jar) garlic - peeled, chopped
1 head (per jar) fresh dill - whole OR chopped
1/4 cup (per jar) sliced banana peppers - optional
10 (per jar) whole green peppercorns - optional

Stir together salt, vinegar, and water until salt is dissolved; set aside. Tightly pack 1 qt. wide-mouth jars with cucumbers. Wedge garlic, dill, peppers, and peppercorns between cucumbers. Pour brine mixture into jar, leaving 1/4" space at the top. Cover tightly with lids.

Place covered jars upright in a large pot, making sure not to stack them. Fill pot with enough water to cover jars and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, them remove pot from heat, placing it in the sink. Slowly run cool water into the pot. Doing this too quickly can make the jars crack. When the jars are cool enough to handle comfortably, remove from pot and store in a cool dry place.

Pickles will be ready to eat in 24 hours and are best if served chilled.

There ya go. I posted this at some point in the harvest section, but here it is anyway.


Oh, remember my little cuke? Well he grew up and he has friends.

http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=278

I also had an explosion of new flowers, too.

http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=281

These lilies are suddenly all over the yard. It's a nice surprise like the rose was.

http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=279

And I had another rose bloom, too.

http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/picture.php?albumid=53&pictureid=280

I think my egg timer just went off, which means I have just a few minutes to whip up deviled eggs and get our Father's Day dinner started here. Daddy and the boys will be back any time now from their little excursion to the lake.

[MoniDew]

you've got a jaw-dropper of a garden, Dana! And thank you for the pickles recipe, too.

[redhead5318]

after a few weeks, my garden is part jungle, part privacy screen. two more weeks and I might have my first tomato!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs083.ash2/37468_444258932974_554027974_5788052_7314392_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs083.ash2/37468_444258937974_554027974_5788053_7938950_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs183.snc4/37468_444258942974_554027974_5788054_4897751_n.jpg

Does anyone have any idea what kind of cucumber these are, or how to tell when they are ready to eat? Someone gave me the seedling with zero info.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs163.snc4/37468_444258947974_554027974_5788055_1896547_n.jpg

[gardengirl72]

Thanks for posting the follow up pictures. It's a great example of the quantity and variety of veggies that you can grow on a balcony. As for your cucumber, you could eat it at anytime. Growing your own means picking them when the flavor is at it's best for you.

[RedStateGreen]

What great pictures! I especially like those basil photos ... yummy!