Balcony herb garden update No.1

As I've said many times before, I really enjoy growing herbs and I can't imagine my balcony garden without them. They keep good company to my veggies and keep my urban home free of flies and mosquitoes. Not to mention the fragrance and the taste...hmmm!! If you love to cook like I do, you'll be sure to find some space for a little herb garden of your own!

You could see from my previous post that my purple basil is growing just fine and is constantly rewarding us with fresh basil leaves. However, I have some additional young basil plants growing in a small container waiting to get transplanted.

I like growing more plants of the same variety, as well as more varieties of the same plant specie. Not only because of a greater harvest, but because that gives me the opportunity to experiment and learn the specific needs of each plant variety I grow. My green basil variety has given us a significant amount of fresh leaves for the past few months. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the variety in question, but I bought it anyway. The old lady that was selling plants at the local market really seemed to have a green thumb. All of the plants she was offering were looking happy&healthy and she was very kind to share some great gardening tips. When I buy my plants, I tend to do it from local gardeners. There are several reasons I do this, but the most important are supporting the community and creating real human relations. Big up for green thumb granny! Well, back to my basil plants! Here are a few smaller plants that I intentionally left to flower, because I would like to have some seeds of this particular variety for the next year.

Here's another flowering herb from my garden and also a very rewarding one. It's a Mint variety I like to use in some dishes, but it's especially great in all kinds of beverages. It's a pretty invasive plant that tends to fill out your garden space very quickly, but constant pruning&harvesting will keep them in control. Take a close look at these photos, behind my Mint plant and you'll see that there are a lots of other herbs growing in my garden!

Even if you couldn't recognize any of the herbs from my somewhat lousy photos, I'll be posting more on those in my Balcony herb garden update No. 2.! For now, I'd like to show you another Mint variety I grow on my balcony. This plant makes a great tea, of course sweetened with some Stevia Rebaudiana leaves(the second photo)!

Enjoy your herbs!

Pruning Basil

Herb gardening is a convenient choice for every family, living in urban or rural environment. Don't be discouraged if you live in a small apartment and don't have a balcony, you can grow your herbs on a windowsill. All it takes is plant box(container), some potting soil, seeds or cuttings of your favorite herbs and you're on a right way of becoming a proud owner of a herb garden.

Basil is one of those herbs I can't stop growing, as well as using I might add. It's a pretty easy plant to grow and comes in lots of varieties you can choose from. Basil varieties differ in color, aroma, taste, leaf size and flowers, and are commonly used as ornamental plants, as well as in culinary practice. It's also a very rewarding plant to grow offering a continual harvest of fresh leaves throughout the season. However, proper pruning is crucial when it comes to growing basil and will be the factor that will determine how much herb you'll be able to harvest. I might say pruning is a number one gardening tip when it comes to successful basil growing. I've already stated the importance of pruning in Pinching basil plants, but now I've made more photos, this time of my purple basil.

I prefer pruning, i.e harvesting my plants every week or so, and that way I always have enough fresh basil in my kitchen. Here's the flower forming, but it's going to be snipped off, with some leaves of course.

Here I'm pinching flowers off my basil plants.



A pinched off basil flower.



Taste some!

Why herbs on a balcony?

Among many other uses, herbs have been very important part of culinary practice for ages and still are. The best way to add some real natural flavor to your food is to season it with some of your precious homegrown herbs.

Most of culinary herbs are pretty easy to cultivate, so almost everybody can grow his/her own herb garden with minimum effort. The one thing these plants love is the sun, so make sure they have enough of it! And one more thing, herbs usually don't require a lot of moisture, so there's no need for every day watering. Balcony garden, container or a window box, it doesn't matter, because there's always a way to find some space for a couple of your favorite herbs.
Homegrown herbs are essential part of my cuisine and I can't imagine some of my favorite meals without it. I use herbs to add to give some extra flavor and fragrance to my meals. They are very important part of my life and growing them myself gives me the pleasure of enjoying my own fresh herb every day. Of course, once the time comes they'll be harvested, dried and stashed for winter. Use them to add their specific flavor to soups, sauces, stews, salads, teas, juices... Some recipes, soon!

Balcony herbs: Thyme, Purple Basil, Oregano, Lovage

More space for plants

My urban garden, a balcony in Zagreb is a happy place!

Cherry tomatoes are growing like crazy and in last few days producing heavily. I can't wait for my own organic cherry tomato salad, of course with some basil in it . Unfortunately, I don't have a camera so there's no way I can record the amazing growth rate of this plants and share it with you. However, my brother should be back in Zagreb in a few days and again, hopefully, will help his little brother to document his balcony garden and borrow him his camera.

Growing plants in your home garden can be very rewarding as it might bring you your own homegrown food, a great aesthetic experience and some would even say a therapeutic one. Life in the city doesn't have to be and I say must not be nature free, so just keep on growing!

Some of the greatest limitations in urban gardening are: space available for your plants and the amount of light your urban garden receives. My balcony garden is faced East, so I get about 5 or 6 hours of sun and that seems enough for most of my plants. Regarding the space issue, I can only say I try to make the most of it. Apart from a built in concrete planter box and a considerable amount of containers, I've done a few more things to make the most of the space I have. Still, I have enough space to take a nap on my old bench or make barbecue, eat, chill and so on...

Here are a few things you can do that will enable you to grow more plants you love without limiting your living space.

Plant hangers and planter brackets

Pinching basil plants

Basil can be easily grown, whether from seed or cuttings, indoors or outdoors. This beautiful herb just keeps on rewarding you and you´ll be glad that you have found a place for it in your own home garden. However, like every other plant, Basil requires certain growing environment, i.e. suitable conditions and in this case that primarily means enough warmth and light.

Pinching or pruning is a very important feature of basil growing and a necessary practice, especially if you want to make the most of your garden. Once your small basil plants have grown and established a quality root system, it´s time for pinching! You have to pinch the top of the plant to promote branching and prevent early flowering. Eventually, flowers will start to grow and again you have to cut those off! By doing so, you are delaying flowering and channeling the energy of the plant from flower production into leaf production. However, it is smart to let your basil flower eventually, because it will reward you with fresh seeds for the next season. Great leaf production is what we are after an interestingly enough, Basil reacts very well when we clip some of those(not all) leaves off and again it produces more and more.
Grow your own Basil and you´re about to have a great growing experience and a constant supply of your own fresh herb! Here are a few photographs that should help you visualize how to pinch a flower off your basil plant! It´s very simple, take a look!

Pinching flowers off my basil plant

Balcony Basil

As I already said in my earlier post Herbs on a balcony, I am a passionate herb lover.

Basil is one of my favorite herbs and that´s why I grow two strains in my home garden. There is nothing like a smell of fresh basil early in the morning!!!

Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
There are several kinds of basil plants, with different leaf coloration and varying scents and flavors. Basil is usually associated with Italian cooking, although it originates from India.
You can sow the seeds directly in soil, just make sure there´s enough warmth and light. Basil is used for many purposes, but the most common one is culinary. It is best used fresh and/or added during the last minutes of cooking.

My Balcony Basil

Seedlings

A few days ago the first ones started popping out of the soil and I must say I was jumping around the flat like a little kid. I had some problems before, but this time things are looking promising. Sowing in to plastic cups filled with soil is the most common seed germination method practiced in my garden. Is it the best, I don´t know! You must take good care to keep the soil wet, but still not too wet! I think it´s the method that works best for me, although I had some problems. I sowed some purple basil seeds and tiny seedlings came out, but I over watered them and they died. This time I´m taking it nice and easy with watering, just enough! They are so sensitive in this stage of growth, but it´s worth it, it´s a beautiful herb!!

Basil seedlings