The one where I made a garden....

... on my balcony.

 

I had two motivations here.  First, gardening is something I've always wanted to try.  The idea of growing my own food appeals to me, and I thrive on being outdoors as often as possible.  But I live in a second floor apartment, with not a spec of earth to call my own.  Lately, though, I've gotten tired of putting things off because I'm waiting for the "right" time.  Ideally, I would have a house and an expansive backyard fit for a garden.  In reality, we are renting 1,000 square feet and I am likely not going anywhere for a while.  So why not work with what I have, instead of complaining about what I don't?  And so, a container garden was born.

 

My secondary motivation was the need for some space to call my own.  We have one big living/dining/kitchen area that flows together, where we spend all our time - cozy, but lately it hasn't been working for me.  I need to escape from the TV and computers and constant sound and endless piles of baby accessories and dirty dishes.  I can't sit and focus in that sort of environment, and as a result I end up spending all my free time cleaning things.  I wanted a simple space - a chair, a table, and a few quiet living things - where I can sit in the mornings and drink my coffee in peace, or blog in the evenings, or sit with my sketchpad and make pictures.  Classes start again in two weeks, and I wanted a place in my own house where I could sit and work instead of always fleeing to the coffee shop. 

 

Now, I have that space, and even I am amazed at how much better I feel about.... everything, really.  Sometimes all you need is some peace, solitude, and fresh herbs.

 

My balcony renovation, from start to finish:

 

Before

 

Sadly, this is the cleaned-up before pic.  Imagine a few dirty floor towels hanging over the railings and a fine layer of dirt and leaves.  Color me embarrassed.

You see the neighbors in the lower left corner here?  With the gorgeous patio full of flowers?  Yeah, they were my inspiration/competition.

 

During

I took a day off of work and spent it spraypainting pots,

After

Herbs!  Mint, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, basil, sage.  Also three pepper plants.

Morning Glories, which will hopefully vine up the bars and cover the balcony with beautiful blue and purple blooms.

The best part - we sit out here every morning with our coffee, and in the evenings when it cools down. 

Tomatoes!  And a baby ripe for the picking  :)