tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063905808269954422012-02-16T22:38:38.028-05:00**On hiatus*** A blog about my 3rd! year growing edible goods on my Toronto condo balcony. A resource & compendium on all things balcony related, especially growing good things.Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-75994194695704100872010-01-05T08:20:00.005-05:002010-01-05T08:59:13.969-05:00

Ok well I think this blog has run it's end for now- the balcony did not not recover this past season from the infestation of spider mites, and untill then nothing will survive, except the few measely peppers and cherry tomatoes you see here... Earlier in the spring I called in to ask Mark Cullen on CFRB's (now Newstalk 1010-hav no idea if they are keeping the show with the new formatting..) the

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-21521043539567333322009-04-26T12:36:00.008-05:002009-05-09T10:11:49.946-05:00

Ok so my return wasn't so quick, and I actually missed planting season- for a very good reason!I was in JAPAN- cool huh? Now that county's got gardening DOWN. I highly recommend anyone who's remotely interested in gardening to visit- we were lucky enough to catch the Cherry Blossom season when we were there, too. I'll post a few pics, but two dimensions just don't cut it. It's ethereal. Goodness

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-24057085323984312622008-08-02T07:00:00.004-05:002008-08-02T07:48:15.022-05:00

..to let you know, I can really shake 'em down?DO YOU LOVE ME,DO YOU LOVE MENOW... THAT I... CAN DANCE??Sorry I couldn't resist.School is done, I have a (2nd!) diploma on my wall, and I've taken all my license exams and now I wait for an answer...But so much has happened since I've been away, as the "green" movement has literally taken root in Toronto and it' now all the rage to grown your own,

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-8616065895833939222008-03-10T16:24:00.004-05:002008-03-10T16:41:59.271-05:00

Well, I don't know about you fine folk, but as soon as Feb hit I started to gaze longingly at my balcony.I know, I'm supposed to be aligning priorities, but I just can't help having little fantasies about seedlings.Snowboarding season is pretty much over, soo, *maybe* I can allow myself this distraction for now..Well, while I ponder this, why don't you make plans to hook arms with a buddy and

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-12377768291689939162007-10-20T08:18:00.000-05:002007-10-20T09:07:30.328-05:00

Ok I've been feeling guilty about not blogging for so long, but after finally catching up on my blog reading (how I love Sage!) I dont' feel so bad, but I do feel left out in the harvest season, as not much came of the balony, but I do feel proud of my seedlings that were sent else where & the bit of harvesting that allowed me to make salsa! Thanks Gramma!As I am back in school, I'll be honest-

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-7182310722247932452007-09-14T13:17:00.002-05:002008-09-23T08:27:18.983-05:00

cherry tomatoe cross Originally uploaded by hot_toddygal So while my tomatoes are succumbing to spider mites, and likely some blossom end rot, they are proliferating heavily elsewhere, and I am quite lucky enough to reap them from there, as well!My Grandmother has a bumper crop-I had forgotten to tell her that they are indeterminate...and thus weren't pinched-ah well- interesting to see the

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-24724012347424566992007-08-16T09:55:00.000-05:002007-08-16T10:11:32.946-05:00

..so I've been vigilantly fighting a new nemisis- SPIDERMITES.The canadian government has factsheets on stuff like this, btw: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/89-002.htmAt first I thought it was aphids, no problem-had those before, so I started spraying with the ol' soap & water combo, and isolated the worst ones.Noticed that the peppers weren't affected, but they loved the poor

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-2029482403006547402007-07-24T09:23:00.000-05:002007-07-24T09:33:03.933-05:00

I just gave away some more very rootbound plants to a Children's community garden and had to post about it.I left them in the trusted hands of Ashley from the Toronto Green Community, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at a Native plant Gardening workshop (more on that later) She's been having problems keeping things alive with all the little hands involved, but I couldn't think of a better place

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-20864782395120714642007-07-17T16:10:00.000-05:002007-07-17T16:15:10.626-05:00

..just some pics in the meantime- the drapes are on hold, as I'm waiting on the other 1/2 for installation assistance..

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-60069244910442253812007-06-13T13:16:00.000-05:002007-06-13T14:15:31.433-05:00

Well, have you all been on the edge of your seat, or what?Now, let me preface all of this by saying- sometimes I learn things the hard way. But I do make it a point to avoid doing a wrong thing twice.So from this point onward, this post is going to be calledWHAT NOT TO DO WITH YOUR SEEDLINGS(or, the Shocking Confession of Death & Plantslaughter by Negligence)Victim #1) The Baby Bok ChoiNow, Bok

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-65065350299247301832007-06-04T12:28:00.001-05:002007-06-04T12:34:29.033-05:00

I'm currently inside flicker posting this! Did ya know you could do this? Well, if you're like me, you didn't and now you know! Generally I'm like George Castanza where I don't like worlds colliding, but hey, it's all related content here.So this should increase some posting & cut down on my time between the two sites, killing two snails with one rock ( or moving him elsewhere for you gentle

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-69474521572457815252007-05-09T14:06:00.000-05:002007-05-09T14:36:35.552-05:00

Well, today's the day- NOT!According to the farmers almanac, today is the day of last frost for TO.But I am taking some neighborly italian advice- wait a week.And from the results I've seen in an "old italian guy" s downtown yard yields, I'm not arguing. (I'll post a pic if someone really wants to see what I mean, which includes a pc. of the Bruno D. : )Besides- it's soil time!I was looking

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-74399581319128714612007-05-04T09:10:00.000-05:002007-05-04T10:00:12.325-05:00

I've been reading lots of posts regarding containers lately. "what can I use?"Well, when you're gardening, and you have more plants than you likely need, everything starts to look like a container in your eyes, much like everything looks like food to Warner Bros's Tazmainian Devil.In this pic I present to you a few of my containers to give you some ideas:Old faux snakeskin platform boots (I mean

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-63591538048961918762007-04-21T12:13:00.000-05:002007-04-21T13:16:54.755-05:00

No, this isn't about what you think it is. Or perhaps it is.In todays Toronto Star there's a great article to celebrate Earth day (here on the balcony everyday is earth day..!) by Christina De Silva interviewing Evergreen about grasses you can grow on your balcony, and native plants that some call weeds, hereI myself have an urge to grow some grass, or shrubbery, but I never though about wild

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-77532619803653593202007-04-13T08:31:00.000-05:002007-04-21T13:18:03.000-05:00

So I promised an article about cats & balconies!I read somewhere recently that quite a number of urban cat deaths are caused by falls from balconies. And I believe it. From my own previous experience with a cat, they will do all those things you are afraid that they will do- jump & squeeze themselves to the places you do not want them to go- they do it inside, why not do it outside?Xena- my old

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-10538128327242252062007-04-12T09:45:00.000-05:002007-04-12T13:37:12.590-05:00

I just couldn't do it. I can so far say that only 4 seedlings have died in the making of this blog.They were unfortunately crushed to death. The others have all been potted up. (Handling them was awful- like when you are trying to move a really delicate bug & you end up killing it..)As back-up, I have started a few more, sans speed-germination this time. (remember that grade-school science

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-7987907361220996652007-04-11T08:15:00.000-05:002007-04-12T11:27:42.995-05:00

I made the unfortunate decision to leave my germinated seedlings beside the heater while I was away during Easter, which I had cranked up due to the recent cold snap. (.. we had all that SNOW)(**edit edit-and they also didn't get moved to the fluorescent light in time)Now i have 3 inch high tomatillo & bok choi seedlings.This is apparently a bad thing. UGH.Today I will decide their fate,I

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306390580826995442.post-66090464033520005152007-04-10T12:40:00.000-05:002007-04-11T08:31:13.673-05:00

^^How ominous that title sounds. It was the first thing that popped into my head, so like many things that pop into my noggin, I thought I should catch it & keep it before it got away.Anywho- due to the fact that I can barely find one good source on balcony gardening, especially the edible kind, I am starting this blog with the idea that it will be a compendium for all things balcony related,

Toronto Balcony Farmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201757306622292744noreply@blogger.com0