So a few months ago my wife and I moved in to our first flat together. I’ve been working from home for the last few weeks and have found myself with some spare time, which I spent fixing little problems here and there.
It dawned on me that we have a window on one side of our house which we had never explored. It was closed and sealed up with waterproof tape many years ago by the previous occupants, my wonderful sister-in-law and her husband.
When asked about this mystery window, her response was that the window simply didn’t open, so was forgotten about. There was no hint that there was any issue with it, just that nobody bothered with it
So last night, I took the brave steps of removing the tape and using slight force to open the window to see what treasures await me. Lo and behold there was a perfectly reasonable amount of space behind there, with what looks like some previous owner’s (4+ years at least) window garden
So I got to work immediately and marched to the nearest shop-that-sells-everything shop and purchased the finest cable ties money could buy. A few hours later the Window Narnia was patched up
So feeling extremely pleased with myself that somebody had already done 90% of the work and my extra 10% contribution in fixing the netting had resulted in a 100% usable outdoor space for potentially growing things, my attention turned to deciding what should I use the space for? The measurements are 120cm x 55cm x 75cm and is west facing. I’m on the 7th floor.
My aim is to get some suggestions from others as to what I can grow there, what to be careful of? How much weight can one of these cages hold? Ideally I’d like to grow something that can be used either long term, like herbs I can dry for later use or fruits I can make in to jam. I’m not keen on the idea of growing things that take months and provide one meal. I’m happy with growing things that take effort to maintain.
It’s not a case of wanting to know how to grow things, its more for suggestions of what to grow
Bloody hell. I think if I’d noticed half the wall being nailed up, I’d wonder if there’s a dead body in there or something.
Aaaanyway … if you don’t have much sunlight there, I’d go for salad veg (lettuce, radishes etc will grow well this time of year). They’re very undemanding. If you want to give them a bit of a boost, hang some growlights over the top. If you don’t do that, they’ll be leggy and flop over.
A box of soil 20-25cm deep will do the job for virtually anything. Don’t attempt anything deeper because it’ll be heavy. Make sure that whatever you put there has contained drainage so you don’t get complaints from the floor below about stuff dripping onto their balcony.
You will need to add some nutrients in whatever way you see fit; chemical fertilizers are probably the best option, since good compost is hard to obtain. You can also bury a load of organic trash under your soil and wait a couple of months before planting (you still need to add a little fertilizer while it composts down, to feed the process).
FWIW I’m using a 4m x 0.5m x 0.4m growbed, irrigated, full of good compost and old rotted branches, to raise cucumbers, tomatoes, and various leafy plants. Works extremely well.
We’ve been growing a few things this year outside our living room window (below - looks similar to yours but narrower) and on the balcony (not pictured because really messy haha).
I’d go with a few herbs as you say - maybe basil, mint, rosemary, oregano, thyme, etc., depending on your preference. I’m no expert, but I’d maybe be concerned about the limited amount of direct sunlight. But it’d be quite easy just to go to the flower market one weekend and buy a few plants, then take cuttings etc. as needed, and see how they grow. I wouldn’t bother trying to start from seeds, especially in late October.
I’ve found it quite nice to have some herbs growing at home, although some of them have been quite slow to grow, I’m guessing owing to the sunlight issue. I actually recently set up a little grow rack indoors for that very reason - did the first harvest of coriander and basil (which is becoming a bit of a beast) this weekend to cook Thai food.
