This time of the year is hard for all of us. With the coronavirus dominating globally, we all feel like fish inside a glass bowl. Going outside is limited to running some errands like buying food or finding a roll of toilet paper.
Instead of catching up with travels from previous weeks or months, I would like to share updates from our balcony garden. Over the years since I moved here in Nishi-Kasai in 2012, my garden skills have somehow improved from a mere admirer to a pot gardener.
Flower Pots and Vegetable Boxes
Our space is a typical Japanese mansion unit. Here in Japan, a mansion would mean a high-rise residential building consists of 2-3 bedroom units with kitchen/dining room, living room, toilet and bathroom. Our garden is located on our balcony which is a linear strip space mainly intended for hanging the laundry. Due to limited space and weight restrictions, my plants are all in pots mostly from 100-yen stores and home depot center.
Every year, I try to add something new to experiment and challenge myself – to see if I learn from scrolling garden magazines online. I started with realizing my dream to have an herb garden. One year our garden is pink. And little by little, I started growing my own salads and veggies.
With numerous failed attempts to grow something my seeds, I tried to grow some sweet peas, kale, dill, basil and tomatoes for this year. Recent weeks have been a challenge with warm winter, sudden cold wind, and rainy days. Fortunately the seed planting was a success!
Come spring, we enjoyed pulling sweet pea pods from its vines. We also have some fresh Kale leaves. And every other day, we get to have freshly-cut salad for dinner.
Our Spring in a Pot
Another new this year is our spring pot. Back in 2015, I planted some tulip bulbs with the hope of a colorful tulip bed similar to the photos on the Internet. Sadly from 10 or so bulbs, only one grew and bloomed. It was only this year that I tried again. In a medium-size pot are tulip and crocus bulbs. Come mid-February, a yellow crocus popped beautifully. Slowly, tulips in yellow, salmon pink, and purple followed. It is like an Ikebana arrangement in a pot.
With how things progress, staying at home seems to be prolonged up to when, nobody knows. For now, let our homes serve as our sanctuary. Keep safe everyone!
