The Porch Garden Project

09Mar2008 - M and I are looking forward to the large balcony that accompanies our new apartment to start the 2008 Porch Garden. We are excited because we have never had this much space and are always stepping around plants that cannot be moved (vines, large tomatoes, etc). Pulling on the techniques from our previous porch gardens, we hope to have a great yield on some of our favorite crops this year.

Tonight we purchased the needed plants and supplies (we had all of the pots and tools from the previous years’ porch gardens). This year we will be starting with Better Bush Cherry Tomatoes, Bush Goliath Hybrid Large Tomatoes, Orange Bell Peppers, Green Bell Peppers, Basil, Rosemary, Lavender, Cilantro, and Greek Oregano from seedlings purchased from our local nursery. M started seeds for some Kentucy Wonder String Beans, Purple String Beans, and Snow Peas in peat-moss pots for later planting. I also decided to salvage what was left of our Aloe Vera Crop which was left out during the last freeze. The Aloe has seen tougher times and will probably survive. We are using a soil mixture of two parts Miracle Grow Full Organics Potting Soil with one part of Texas Native Compost.

The Bush Goliath Tomatoes have been planted in their own large round containers so they may have maximum root space/growth. We planted the Basil, Oregano and Cilantro in one large square container to begin a small herb garden. These are positioned so that more herbs can be added later.

We will be traveling back for more soil mixture soon for the other plants like the Cherries and the Pepper (the two large pots for the Bush Goliaths took most of our stock). Also, we might decide to add other plants and herbs to the garden list seeing how we have more space than we previously thought (two more large tomatoes and two more cherry tomatoes should do the trick).