Building My Balcony Garden: A Journey to Homegrown Food
Why I Decided to Start a Balcony Garden
I've always dreamed of growing my own food, and last month, I finally dived into this long-awaited journey!
Here are a few reasons why:
Cost Savings: Vegetables are pricey where I live, and growing my food would significantly reduce grocery bills over time.
Taste and Quality: I don’t have to explain this; everybody who tried homegrown food knows what I’m talking about. Every fresh food meal can’t be compared to store-bought processed ones.
Productive Hobby: Plant care has always been therapeutic for me. Now, I'm creating a garden that will provide fresh, nutritious food.
Not to mention, the amount of plastic packaging we throw out weekly is insane! And I hope we are all aware that plastic packaging can leach harmful chemicals into food, especially when exposed to heat or stored for long periods.
Reducing plastic packaging in our food can help minimise exposure to these harmful chemicals and promote better overall health. 💚
My Gardening Journey
My journey began totally unplanned: Last month, I visited a nearby plant shop and bought some strawberry and tomato plants for a great price.
Meanwhile, a few days ago, I saw that one of the tomatoes is getting some colour! Seeing something you were caring for grow is such a beautiful feeling. 💚
All of this motivated me to expand my balcony garden, so last week, I went online and ordered a set of high-quality veggie seeds, most of which I use in my recipes daily.
I also ordered soil I previously used for my indoor plants, and now I will use the same for the veggies! Good quality soil is the most important thing for growing vegetables.
I got a little lazy and ordered a set of four box containers and three bags. In the future, I plan to get them somewhere cheaper or even make them myself!
Next Steps - Germinating Vegetable Seeds
I’ve started germinating zucchini, onion, and carrot seeds. I chose zucchini because I enjoy it in any shape or form, and onions and carrots are staples in my cooking, especially for stews and vegetable soups that I love to prepare.
A few days later, I woke up to one of my zucchini seeds sprouting; yay!
Conclusion
I always wanted a hobby that would calm me down, and after trying out so many different things, I can now say that this is the hobby I was looking for.
With my plants thriving and new seeds starting to sprout, I can't wait to share updates on the growth of my plants, the challenges I encounter, and their harvest. 🍀
Stay tuned for more updates from my balcony garden adventure! Thank you for reading my blog. 🌱