Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Balcony Herb Garden

My husband has always wanted to tend a small garden and I love the green of the outdoors.  So, while we were in the States last summer we bought some seeds at an 'end of the season sale' and brought them back to Turkey.

My husband and kiddos toiled a very 'little' and had loads of fun planting.
Seeds are such an amazing thing. 
Such little things that produce such a variety of pleasure.
It is such a great learning expierence for the kids. I love them getting their hands dirty this way.



The fun thing is for the first week every morning my husband and kids were out on the balcony checking to see if anything had come up.  My husband has faithfully tended our little herb garden and as you can see it has been sucessfull.


We have lettuce, fennel, jalepeno peppers, basil, mint, cilantro and oregano. 
We have harvested some of our cilantro already (we can not find cilantro here in Turkey) and it has been really fun to eat!!

The kids love going and picking the herbs for dinner!!
We have found a fun contentment in our 'little' balcony garden this year and are thinking of grander plans for next year. :)

She is without a doubt a fun and goofy kiddo!!
Just a little FYI ~ seeds can be used well past the expiration date.  So if you see some seeds on sale past expiration grab 'em up.  You may want to plant a few extra but we have used ours a year or more past the date with no problems.

~off I go to nibble on fennel (just kidding) :)
                                ~Becky

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I also have some herbs that I keep saying I will plant... maybe I will be inspired now to plant! But I really don't have a green thumb at all, so I hesitate. :-)
~Kristin S.

Creatively Content said...

Kristen, This is our first time really. I think you should give it a try, herbs are pretty easy I think. If you have a balcony with some good sunshine that would help. ~ Hope you are feeling good my freind.

matt&ruth said...

I LOVE this idea :) One thing I miss living here is having a garden, and I have thought of doing a little balkon-type one as well. Ahh, fresh basil and cilantro - wonderful! I think I will have to add seed packets to my "wish list" from back in N. America :)

Amanda Peck said...

Great stuff...It is fun to see pics of your family planting seeds :) We are still in a rental townhouse unit, so we don't have space for a garden either. But the pots have worked fabulously! Our almost 4 year old consistently grabs a basil leaf to munch on as we head to out to the car to run errands. funny kid. Do your kiddos like to help you in the kitchen? My Lydia loves to help in the kitchen...so we try to give her lots of opportunities. The other day we were taking a friend out for ice cream. Our friend was talking about her grandma's homemade hot fudge. I thought out loud "I wonder how to make it." Lydia spouts off "I think you just add a little vanilla and some chocolate chips!" I guess her time in the kitchen is teaching her some yummy things! happy mommying!

Unknown said...

I found your blog through a great friend, the Redcays in Costa Rica, and I love your ideas! I love the way that you maximized your space with all kinds of herbs - I feel inspired to grow more on my back deck and maybe even make some window boxes! Thanks for your creative ideas!

Julie Bruton said...

I was browsing through pinterest and clicked on a photo of your herbs in pots. It is such a small world ... I live in Ankara. We are from Texas and have been here 5 years. I really miss gardening too. I've tried some patio gardening ... mostly flowers. My kids are older than yours, they are boys and not really into this now, but they loved it when they were little. Anyway, thought I'd say hi and thanks for posting. :)

Creatively Content said...

Julie, Hello fellow Turkey dweller. What a fun small world. Thank you for dropping in and taking the time to comment and say hello. Truth is I have found more success in herbs and veggies then flowers on my balcony. I would love both~ we shall see maybe I will get a flower thumb yet. ;) Much care to you and your family. :)

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