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Herbs On The Balcony
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Posted by Seamus_Warren NSW, Australia. (My Page) on Sat, Jun 14, 03 at 11:33
| Hello forum, :o)
What steps need to be taken if I want to successfully grow Basil, Oregano and Chilli (for starters) on the balcony?
Do I need plant boxes with drainage? Today I almost bought some rectangular plant boxes from Big W for about $2.75 each. They don't have any drainage holes in the bottom and I was unsure of whether or not these are necessary for my purposes.
I want the cheapest option possible as I don't have too much spare cash at the moment. I don't want to spend money on a fancy type of pot if it is not necessary. Can I make my own pots cheaply using materials found in a hardware store or at a junk yard or car wreckers or something?
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you. :o) |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Herbs On The Balcony
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| Most herbs require excellent drainage, so you must put in some drainage holes. You could stand the boxes up on brick 'feet' or similar to improve the drainage even better. Put each herb in its own box, and place it in the best position to suit its particular requirements. For instance, all the ones you mention like as much sun as they can get, but the basil in particular needs to be protected from strong wind, often a problem on balconies. Wind also dries out containers very quickly, so keep up the watering. You plants may not reach full potential size, especially if the boxes you have are shallow, but you should be happy with the results. Until recently, my son had nothing but a balcony garden. He used those polystyrene boxes that vegetables are delivered to the stores in. Shops will often give them away, and they come complete with drainage holes, and some of them are an excellent size for growing salad greens, carrots etc and many herbs. You can also use lengths of pipe, upended for individual plants, and there's nothing wrong with using old saucepans, or an old wheelbarrow, or any other container to be found at your local tip, as long as it's a decent size, and has drainage holes. And that it gets a thorough washing with soapy water and a dash of bleach before you start planting! |
RE: Herbs On The Balcony
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| Wow, what a great idea to use those foam boxes and such. Can I ask if there was a problem with muddy water draining out of those "pots"? Would I need to use trays beneath them? If it is only a minor problem I won't worry about it. I'll just go to my local fruit and vegie shop to see if I can get some of those foam boxes you mentioned. :o) Thank you so much for helping me out. I look forward to fresh basil and oregano on the balcony! :o) |
RE: Herbs On The Balcony
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| Well, I bought 2x25kg bags of potting mix and asked a friut & vegie guy if he had any foam boxes he wanted to throw out. I got three foam boxes that once contained corn on the cob. They are each 49cm(19.5")x33cm(13")x21cm(8.25") in size. They are actually about 16cm(6¼") deep on the inside. I hope this depth won't be too restrictive for the plants. I will dedicate one box each for the Basi, the Oregano, and the Chilli. I also have a bag of Tomato (San Marzano) seeds. Would it be possible to grow these on the balcony too? I assume I'd need a deeper pot wouldn't I? I saw some at the shops that were about 53cm(21") deep. These are round plastic pots that look like fake clay pots. Do I need a stake too? Thank you. :o) |
RE: Herbs On The Balcony
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| 16cm is a bit shallow for most plants, though they'd make good seedling trays. Go for double that at least if you can. You will get a bit of a mess under the boxes, but don't make the mistake of sitting the boxes in 'saucers' - that negates any drainage you've already put in place. However, if you get some scrap aluminium sheets (thin stuff), you can bend up the sides, and put a piece of brick or something in each corner, and stand the boxes on the bricks so the boxes are suspended over the drip trays. (Look at the tip for refrigerator drip trays!) Then you've got the problem of emptying the drip trays, so you might as well just let the dirty water drain and sloosh a bucket or two of water over the balcony from time to time! If you grow tomatoes, you will need to stake them. An old broom handle would be ideal. One per plant. Or you could try growing cherry tomatoes in a hanging basket. I like the broccoli boxes, myself! They are usually deep and narrow. Actually, although I have a small garden, I use a lot of pots for my herbs. I use empty foam boxes with lids as plant stands! I've painted them with fence paint. Three boxes (2 at the base and one on top) holds several large-ish pots in tiers, and the boxes can hardly be seen if I surround them with other pots as well. Makes the most of very limited space! The pots overhang the boxes a little, allowing some drainage. With lids on, those foam boxes are quite strong. |
RE: Herbs On The Balcony
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| You wouldn't have any photos of the garden would you? :o) Thank you. :o) |
RE: Herbs On The Balcony
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| Not a single one! I don't own a camera, digital or otherwise! |
RE: Herbs On The Balcony
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| Hello again forum, :o) I got some larger foam boxes from work. I'll try using an apple corer to bore a few holes in each carton. Would three drainage holes be enough? I don't want to weaken the integrity of the carton too much. Also, I am thinking of using a disgarded single bed frame. The head and foot of the bed (which includes the legs) have been removed so now the slats would be only a few inches off the ground. This is fine and the foam boxes should fit in okay. However - the bed is made of "raw" pine and I am a bit worried about wood rot or whatever. The bed frames were not designed for the outdoors. Should I fairly easily treat the pine bed frames with copper or something to make them suitable for outdoor use? Sounds like a bit of a hassle though. I think the pine would look like a kind of frame for my fledgeling herb garden and would raise it off the ground a bit to allow for drainage but I worry the wood will rot and bend in the centre. I wish I had a steel frame. Someone here suggested I use bricks to rais the cartons but I just want to consider this bed idea first because it would be good if I did not have to go hunting for bricks. :o) Thank you. |
RE: Herbs On The Balcony
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HEY there!
i think the bed frame, untreated would look great, and yeah it would eventually become weathered, but would look gorgeous!
Beck. |
RE: Herbs On The Balcony
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- Posted by leyla Central Vic (My Page) on
Wed, Sep 10, 03 at 22:21
Take care with what you treat your bedhead - it may leech into your soil and vegies.
Leyla |
RE: Herbs On The Balcony
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| I ended up pulling the bed apart and using the slats to raise some foam cartons up about an inch so the water can drain away. So far, only the Coriander, Parsley and Thyme have popped up. The Basil and Chillis are nowhere to be seen. I hope the birds haven't been at the seeds. :o) I really ought to put some mesh over my "babies" to protect them from unwelcome guests. I ended up not treating the wood at all. If it rots, it rots. :o) I'll worry about it then. :o) Thank you. :o) |
RE: Herbs On The Balcony
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NICE!
youll have to take some photos to show us all!
BEck |
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