Before and After

....I mean, who doesn't love a before and after? huh? Nobody doesn't like a before and after, that's who!  So here is the BEFORE!  Check it...

The DPR and I realized early on that we had some real challenges with making a garden on the balcony. First and foremost...it needed to be cheap!...as in almost free...(is that to much to ask?)  2nd-It is a really small place and I mean small!  and the other thing we had to figure out is that our future downstairs neighbors' patio is right below us, so we couldn't really have water dripping down from any planters on their stuff all the time...hardly the way to make new friends...ya know?  So we went to work trying to figure out how to container garden, and we literally found a plethora (must be said with a spanish accent) of information on youtube about it.  Here is what we did:

 You can kinda see from the pics...it's basically just making a chamber in the bottom of the container that holds extra water and then you make a wicking system that draws that water up into the soil.  We even did it in the flower boxes with pvc pipe...

Speaking of cheap...we found a wood box in the dumpster to make the flower box out of, and the plastic bins were 5 bucks at Walmart so not bad.  We found  a lot of plants on clearance at Home Depot for 50 cents! (score)  but we did have to buy dirt...Oh lovely dirt. (sigh)  I feel better.

OK  So here it is....the AFTER!  (prepare to be dazzled...I mean like with Jazz hands, and everything...)


BEHOLD....The Garden....

 

I even have an herb garden....we made the containers out of soy milk containers for....wait for it....FREE!.
(what can I say...recycling is where it's at!)

 

These are the radish seeds that I threw into one of the flower boxes...they are growing like crazy!

 

 These pansies were 50 cents...now they are taking over!

I am having such a good time gardening!  It is amazing what a few flowers and veggies can do for your spirits.  Everyday, I look out my window to the beautiful flowers, instead of bare naked balcony.

Life is good.

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