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time-saving and fruitful hacks for the busy balcony gardener

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date13 April 2024
Publication titleHuddersfield Daily Examiner
Half French, half Italian and living in Berlin, he began gardening five years ago as a complete novice, with just one pot

He bought a few packets of seeds and tried to grow vegetables on his fifth-floor balcony, sharing his results on social media, which has led to a new career inspiring urban dwellers on how to make use of their outdoor space.

He is sharing his hacks in a new book, Tomatoes & Basil On The 5th Floor. Here are some of his tips... Plan before planting This will save you an enormous amount of time, so you don't end up putting sun lovers in the shade, or plants which like heavy soil in gravel gardens. "Analyse your place. If you've just moved in, ask your neighbours to give you an idea of how much sun you'll get in your place," says

You could your plants re-pot Patrick

Patrick. Invest in a quality potting soil Invest in organic potting soil mixed with compost and it will last many seasons, Patrick says.

Focus on short-growth cycle plants Patrick explains: "These grow in two to three months, and are easy to start from seeds or from seedlings that you can buy in garden centres, such as lettuce or radishes - which are one of the easiest to start off with and you can sow them directly into the pots or raised bed."

Split supermarket herbs "You could split up your supermarket plants and re-pot them," he suggests. "Supermarket basil looks so fresh but after a week it's wilted. But if you just divide the plant into five chunks of basil and re-pot them individually into pots you should have lots of basil. The same goes for mint." Make watering easier You could invest in a water pump, connected by drip hoses which have tiny holes that drip water into the soil to water your pots. Some pumps are fuelled by solar energy.

Patrick explains: "I place big buckets of reused household water outside (you could also do it if you have a water butt)...

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