“Gardening is an active participation in the deepest mysteries of the universe.” ~ Thomas Berry
While I’m busy with other things needing priority, thought I’ll show you around my little balcony garden. So come on.. enter my little green space..
Gardening – My way to connect with nature, an everyday proof of life
“Where you have a plot of land, however small, plant a garden. Staying close to the soil is good for the soul.” ~ Spencer W. Kimball
A friend gave this tomato plant when she moved to another state in winter
My little girl planted these. She makes sure to water them everyday and checks on them to see if she can find peas yet.
I read somewhere, it seems, if we let mint, it would take over the garden. I’d say, if you want to be sure about your green thumb, try planting mint.
I’d buy organic herbs for a steep price just to use once or twice and before I knew the whole thing rotted sitting in the refrigerator. Growing my own “lesser used” herbs such as rosemary, parsley and thyme lets me use a sprig as two as needed.
“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul” ~ Alfred Austin
After an episode of mealy bugs, a home remedy solution of baking soda, salt and soap didn’t seem to help my dying curry leaf plant. I had lost all hopes when she started showing new signs of life.
Fingers crossed, she’ll make it..
If you have special tips for any of these or any plant for that matter, I’d love to hear from you..
Divya Prabhakar says
Radhi, I have a small garden of similar plants too in my balcony. Methi is another one of the most easy plants to grow and homegrown methi leaves taste delicious too 🙂 Loved the pics…as always they are amazing
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Divya,
How nice to see you stop by!
Yes, we had those last summer.. Methi saplings look real cute too..
Haven’t done anything new this time though..
putneyfarm says
A beautiful garden and great photos!
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Thank you..
Cheryl says
Love your balcony Garden Radhika. I have a basket full of seeds to plant….can’t wait to plant them all and get my garden started. I’m glad you’re enjoying your bounty 🙂
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Thanks Cheryl.. You’ve got your starter kit already.. Its time to get your hands dirty.
Wish you the best and soul soothing times ahead in your garden..
Grishma says
What a wonderful garden! WHo says you can’t grow anything when living in an apartment? All you need is passion. I am growing tomatoes, eggplant, cucumber, Herbs, chili pepper, bell pepper etc…Enjoying every day of it. And you have inspired me to post about it as well.
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
That’s awesome Grishma..
Once the gardening bug catches, just can’t stop at one! (just like in lays ad)
anjusudhir says
how pretty. i could smell the jasmine. it is a beautiful thing to have a garden. love it. I hope I will have mine one day
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
It is Anju.. For me, one whiff of its heady aroma and i’m transported instantly to a memory lane at home.. So nostalgic!
Swathi says
Nice! I just got a few plants for our balcony this spring…if they don’t die on me will definitely try and plant some more 🙂
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
That’s something we’ll always be afraid of.. Let that fear not stop you from enjoying them now..
sb says
Very nice! Would love to try growing jasmine in our balcony!
How come you are not growing Tulasi?
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Was lucky to get a fully grown plant..
I did have Tulsi, she died on me in the winter of 2010 and haven’t mustered courage yet to restart..
Nandita says
What a lovely garden you have!!! Loved all those herbs. 🙂
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Thank you Nandita..
sb says
Since you are from Mysore & into gardening, I want to ask you if you don’t mind: Have you seen or tried growing in US what we used to call ಬೆಟ್ಟತಾವರೆ back in Mysore? I am not sure what it is called here, but I saw a plant with a flower in somebody’s shopping cart in Costco yesterday, and I bet it was ಬೆಟ್ಟತಾವರೆ. If my wife hadn’t stopped me, I think I would have offered to buy it at a premium from that lady. 🙂
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Namaskara..
So glad your wrote to ask about it. I did not know, but I learnt something new while trying to find out for you..
It seems “Bettadavare” is known by the names Sunshine Tree or Sulphur flowered Senna or Golden Senna.
Is this the one you were looking for?
It should be available in garden centre stores like lowes or home depot or nurseries as “Wild Senna”
Hope you get your “Bettadavare” plant, without any premium.. 🙂
I’ll be happy to hear about your “Bettadavare quest”
sag says
lovely pics!! how do you take care in winter,pls let me know. i got one last year and it died in summer
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Sag,
Taking care of delicate (tropical) plants like curry leaf and tulsi during winter can be a little tricky.
Please take a look at this post I wrote on Tips to care for your Curry Leaf Plant in winter. Hope it is of help..
Notyet100 says
Wow,,.luved urngarden,,
Kirsten Dinesen says
Very NICE shots….Thank you for sharing!!!
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Thank you Kirsten..
Yelena says
That’s funny, I have the same garden, even the same rose-))) Great post, thank you, I am going to photograph my herbs also.
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Wow! Glad to know that Yelena.. I’d be curious to see yours too..
narf77 says
Just a tip about mealy bugs here…you can hit them over and over again but they will keep coming back because they are hiding in the soil. The ONLY way I killed mealy bugs in my potted succulents and cacti was to wash the soil off the roots very gently and repot them. That worked :). Don’t let it spread to the rest of your plants, it is very hard to get rid of.
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
When I tried to read up on them, I did not find this piece of advice.. So, thank you.. though that is bad news to me! I might have to re-pot many of them..
So, that explains why no matter what I’ve tried, I see them recur.
I see that succulents like you said are particularly vulnerable..Even neem oil extract was not potent enough for them!
baker in disguise says
Just showed your pics to my mother who is crazy about gradening!! apart from the herbs.. this year she tried her hand at tomatoes and aubergines… beautiful clicks!!
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Oh, WoW! Thank you.. and to your mother..
My tomato blossoms won’t stay in place for some reason. Everyday, I see that the blossoms almost fall off.. Hope I get to see some turn into tomatoes..
chinmayie @ love food eat says
You have such a beautiful little balcony garden! Each one of those plants look gorgeous.
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Thank Chin.. Nothing nothing in comparison to your lovely family farm..
Taste Café Pretoria says
Tomato blossoms only last for about a day 🙂 But soon there will appear the most amazing little fruit there and the satisfaction will be immense! Tomatoes need lots of sun, heat and water and then they will flourish, so give them the sunny spot on your balcony. Check my blog here for my vine tomatoes I had this year: http://tastecafepretoria.wordpress.com/2012/03/
All the best with your wonderful effort!
Willie
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Thank u Willie.. There have been many a blossoms, but no tomatoes in the making. the tomato vine is all perched up on the balcony railing in the sunniest corner spot..
Will check ur blog too..
radha says
The garden looks so good. Lovely to pluck some fresh produce for cooking
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Indeed Radha.. That joy knows no bounds..
sb says
@Radhika: Namaskaara! Thanks for trying to find that flower for me! The possible matches you suggested (and the link) are interesting but, no, they are different. The closest I have found is ‘Confederate Rose’ (http://www.almostedenplants.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=389). In Kannada, this flower is known as ‘nelataavare’ — it is white during the day, pink in the evening, and red at night! 🙂
Will let you know when I find my plant. Hopefully, Chicago Botanic Garden, which is just a 15 minutes from where we live, has a sample! BTW, if the telugu name might ring a bell for you, it is called mudda-mandaaram.
redvelvetandwhiskey says
Your pictures are so beautiful! You’ve definitely inspired me to start a mini herb garden on my balcony!
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
So glad to hear that.. Cheers to a new garden!
daisy says
What a beautiful garden!
daisy
erinmotz says
What you say of mint is true! It grows like a weed and I love it 😉 Every time I step onto my “patio garden” to water the plants, the mint just fills the air with sweetness. Surprisingly my rosemary isn’t nearly as pungent? I wonder why? Beautiful pics, too! 😉
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Thanks Erin. The thing I love about mint is that it needs so little attention. Snip it and it grows even more..
I’ve read that pungency of rosemary can range from mild to extreme. Also that, many a times, dried rosemary is more pungent than fresh ones..
dearanonymousfriend says
Beautiful photos of your garden. Looking forward to seeing more of your blog.
swatisapna says
Lucky lucky you! Im famous for my gardening skills too… any plant that comes into my home dies a sudden death!!! 😀 Have never been able to figure out why! Your garden really makes me envious…
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Swati, Don’t you worry! All of us start somewhere, it is only a matter of time..
Nature always reminds us who’s in control..
Vijay says
Very nice collection of pics there, actually nice collection of plants too 🙂 perfect addition to the theme of your blogs.
vegetarianirvana says
Radhika you have such lovely lush green plants. I totally agree playing in the soil is so good for the soul. Wishing you have a bounty of tomatoes.
Soma says
Gorgeous! Simply gorgeous!
myschoolhouserocks says
Very nice. I found my mint last year went crazy and I planted in the cottage herb garden after that. This year’s promises to do the same!
Tanvi says
Each plant looks so healthy & gorgeous Radhika! Touch wood. Where did you get curry plant? from India? I love using fresh herbs from my little spread too. Loved the parsely picture the most …infact all the shots are lovely!
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
Thanks Tanvi 🙂
Bought it from the world foods market here..couple of years back. And, looks like Curry leaf plant seems to flourish here in Houston
Many people have it in their homes, some even have curry leaf trees..
Winter frost is the only main threat..
Fat Burner says
I’ve been wanting so much to have a garden like this in my apartment. Now you gave me the idea of what plants I can have. Hopefull y it’ll work even though I don’t have a green thumb. =)
sybaritica says
Excellent, Excellent photography!
Brunda says
Awesome 🙂 🙂
I think I will try to plant curry leaf.
Vijitha says
Garden looks gorgoeus Radhika. I need some tips for getting the curry leaf plant right? Mine dried up last time and I am planning to try my hands with herb garden this year.
Donna says
Your photos are exquisite!
letsgohandinhand says
Your photos look amazing. I’m also having a small garden like yours. 🙂
katieatthekitchendoor says
Love your pictures! I had a horrific episode of mealybugs on my meyer lemon tree this year. Every day I’d go after them and I could never get them under control. I thought the tree was a goner. Then I used rubbing alcohol to wipe down every single leaf and stem of the tree, making sure to wipe off every single mealy bug. It took 2 full hours, but I haven’t seen any since then!
Radhika @ Just Homemade says
That’s a great tip, thanks for sharing Katie..
alpana says
U have an awesome space & some rich & delectable recipes. Love your photography.
urbanbalconygarden says
That is a pretty garden you have got…
Absolutely awesome..
nina luthra says
luvd what i read… love greenery too shall post pics. soon what id like to share fr hV been doing it fr years fr my plants…. sprinkle simple ash on d plants as often as possible&viola they r pest free ….give roses d. nourishment of egg shells&tea leaves&c them smile at u…luv &gd wishes