Garden Party (Part 1)

So it turns out that I really like being in the garden and growing things. All throughout my childhood I would resist my mom's gardening activities because it "hurt my back," "was boring," or some other reason--anything would do. But now that I don't have to be in a garden I totally want to be (growing up is such a paradox).

Anyways since I live downtown and don't have a yard, gardening is quite difficult. Last year we didn't have a balcony so some friends lent us a square in their yard. It was awesome to have some fresh produce but it was tiresome to drive 10 minutes to always water the garden.

This year we have a balcony and when I saw this, I knew I had to do something:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/diy-small-space-pallet-garden-143775

So over the past week I have been gathering plants that I would like to put in and consulting the internets for suggestions. (I owe Earth Tones Garden Shoppe major props for all their tips and plant suggestions). I figured that this would be mainly for looks but I'm planning on planting some tomatoes and peppers on the top, so it will have some utility. Today I was able to track down a staple gun and could finally get started.

Here's how it looks so far:

1. Here is the pallet I got from work. I choose one that had slightly smaller spaces between the slats than the one from Apartment Therapy, mostly because it was the cleanest pallet that they had. This made it a bit trickier to fit in the flowers, but they haven't died yet.

2. Then I used a staple gun to attach the landscaping fabric to the back and the bottom. I used two-ply as suggested and made sure to pull it tight so that it could support the dirt. I amply stapled around the edges and down the middle.

This is what the front side looks like:

 There were some little bits of wood sticking out, but I was sure to use gloves for the next few steps to avoid slivers.

3. I filled the thing with dirt. I had 1 bag of special container soil (I believe it was called salt soil or something) and then 1 of just regular dirt. Then I had a couple of bags of potting soil that I had used previously that I just dumped in too. Unfortunately I was about 1 big bag short at the end so I'll have to get some more before I can plant the top.

After I had dumped in all the dirt I had, I lifted up the pallet on one end and gave it a few shakes to help the dirt settle down a bit. Then I propped it on a little container at one end so that as I was planting the dirt, it didn't push out the top

4. Then I chose my locations for flowers. I put ones that are suppose to trail down or act like vines on the sides and tried to mix up the colours. Mostly it was random because it seemed so hard to be absolutely sure what would look best. I watered while I was planting, after I finished each section and again after it was all done. The thing drains like a charm but will need to be watered lots--makes me wish I had a hose but the walks into the house aren't that arduous.

Here is what it looks like all planted:

I am really loving all the colours and different heights. It will be interesting to see what things look like after they get growing.

I am supposed to leave it out flat for a couple of weeks to let the roots take hold (which is especially a good idea because I had to mash a few to get them in the tiny slats). It's going to be hard to wait, but I will be strong.

I will post more pictures when I finish the top and when I put it upright.

Hooray! Gardens!

Now I must rest before we go see Black Keys tonight.