Basil
I don’t have a single green thumb, in fact I have managed to kill off almost any plant that has ever come into contact with me… well until I moved to Chicago. Now my balcony is a budding vegetable and herb garden. Last year we grew fresh thyme, chives, cilantro, basil, mint, grape tomatoes, tomatillos and even a little lettuce. This year we are getting an early start growing our plants from organic seeds in hopes that we will have our own crop of tomatoes, peas, beans, jalapeños, strawberries and herbs all summer long. We also decided to take our garden one step further and reduce our impact on landfill waste by vermicomposting with a red worm compost bin, which is incredibly easy way to turn your kitchen scraps into plant food.
Praying Mantis on our Window
What makes our garden so important to me is that has acted as a safe haven for our neighborhood creatures. Our butterfly bush has brought visiting monarch butterflies and swallowtails to our balcony to feed. A morning dove couple can be found relaxing in our orange planters while baby robins steel tomatoes off of our bushes. They also love extra worms from the compost bin! Yesterday, I found a grasshopper sitting on our table and wondered how he found himself on the second story… he had no wings!
Our balcony is considered a windy, full sun, southern exposure. The following is a list of vegetables, herbs and plants we have grown with success and the size container we have used, however the larger the container you use the better the outcome. Next year we hope to include information on their winter survival:
Green Ischia Fig Tree 16″
Butterfly Bush 18″
Cherry tomato 10″
Grape tomato 10″
Tomatillo 10″
Jalapeño 10″
Italian Large Leaf Basil 8″
Mint 8″
Chives 8″
Cilantro 8″
English Thyme 8″
Oregano 8″
Lavender 8″
Strawberry (in strawberry planter 8″)
