If you read my recent blog post about “31 Things That Bring Me Joy“, then you know my urban garden is a huge source of joy for me. Ever since I saw the movie, “It’s Complicated” for the first time years ago, I’ve dreamt of having my own garden, just like Meryl’s. Isn’t it funny the different things that we all dream about having?! I’m not quite at Meryl’s level yet since I’m only working with an apartment balcony but I sure do love this little urban garden I’m curating.
Right before Spring officially hit, I decided I wanted to revamp our balcony space a little bit. It’s small so I really wanted it to pack a big punch with decor, furniture, and plants. The dining set that was out there just wasn’t “bringing me joy” so I sold it, and bought the most darling lounge chairs. You can see last years balcony in this balcony tour post. I have plans on doing an updated tour this summer along with the rest of my apartment!
What’s In My Urban Garden for Summer
- I have seven, yes seven pots of different hydrangeas. Five of those I planted last year and two are the new kids on the block. I’m actually after one more all white hydrangea plant because my one from last year that was white didn’t actually bloom white. I read up on it and
it has a lot to do with the pH of the soil. If you’re curious on how to pot hydrangeas I wrote a post on “How To Grow Hydrangeas In A Pot“. I’m so excited to see what colors they bloom this year.
PUMPKINS!!
- Yes, you read that right….I’m growing PUMPKINS!! Can you tell I’m excited??? Because I am! Fall is my absolute favorite time of year so growing my own pumpkins feels like a dream. The pumpkins I’m growing are the cute little mini ones that you’d use as decor. I did just realize that I may have planted these a tad too early because they take about 100 days to grow which puts me the first week of August from when I planted them. I recently just went and got a new batch that should be ready to pick in October. These ones are going to be the softball size pumpkins. I planted them only a week ago and the plant has already tripled in size. I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this one and it’s size so we’ll see how it goes.
Blueberries
- I planted my blueberries last fall and just kind of
hoped for the best knowing they are a spring fruit. Welp, my one bush is going to produce over 50+ blueberries in just a few weeks and I’m thrilled!
Strawberries
- I’m going to get about 30 strawberries from one plant!!! I thought it was dead a few months ago so I’m shocked at how many strawberries it’s producing.
Dwarf Meyer Lemon Tree
- This babe is about two years old now and I can’t figure her out. The first year she produ
c ed quite a few lemons. This year, nothing. I”m working on figuring out what her problem is.
Mint
- If you are just starting your own garden, grow some mint. Reason one, it’s a weed and anyone can grow it so it will totally boost your gardening confidence, ha! Reason two, it smells good to us, but not to bugs so it helps keep bugs away.
Basil
- I use basil for so many dishes so I love growing this to have on hand spring, summer, and fall.
Star Jasmine
- I needed a taller plant to fill a corner of the balcony and star jasmine smells so good that I decided it was perfect to fill space.
Grape Tomatoes and Heirloom Tomatoes
- The grape tomatoes are said to do pretty well in a pot if you support them enough and put them deep enough in the soil. The heirloom tomatoes are really meant to be in the ground so I don’t have high hopes for these but I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Dwarf Lime Tree
- I’m taking my chances with another citrus tree and hoping to have lots of limes this winter.
Pobalno Peppers
- Ryan really wanted some peppers so I figured I’d take a stab at these too. These are ones that should be in the ground also so we’ll see how they do in a pot.
Orange Mint
- This is a mint that smells like orange. It’s the strangest, most wonderful thing.
Lavender
- My brother and sister-in-law got me the prettiest lavender plant for my birthday and I just love it. I love it so much that I actually snagged a second one, they smell amazing. Another plus about lavender is that it smells great to us, but not bugs so it helps keep the bugs away.
Butternut Squash
- If this is successful in its pot then I should have squash ready to eat just as summer comes to an end.
Romaine Lettuce
- I’m
soooo excited for this to be ready to pick to make homemade caesa salad.
Are you into gardening? If so, what’s in your summer garden?! I’d love to know!
