# My Apartment Balcony Garden



## big twig (Jun 4, 2011)

Realized there is some great green thumbs on the SMF, we all have so much in common. Here is my set up on my 14th (13th) floor apartment balcony. I grow peppers no matter where I live.

I use different colored straws to know what is what in the beginning. This year in the garden I have:

Scotch Bonnets - I make a lot of Jamaican food so this is a must have. - *Orange Twisty Straw*

Chocolate Habaneros - From Jamaica, great in BBQ sauces - *Purple Twisty Straw*

Jamaican Red Mushroom Pepper - great for salsas and many other things, similar to a Habanero - *Yellow Straw*

Peter Pepper - Cause they look funny and are good for hot sauces - *Green Straw*

Serrano - I use in a lot of Mexican cooking and chili - *Orange Straw*

Ghost chili - this was a gift from my brother, sold in a can kit, I don't think it will last, gonna try to transplant ASAP

Black Krim Heirloom Tomato - I love Heirlooms - *Pink Straw*

Super Sweet Cherry Tomato - Great in salads - *Blue Straw*

I haven't started the herbs since I have been really busy and lazy but I am growing:

Thyme

Rosemary

Basil

Oregano

I germinated in plastic cups in top of my fridge, then transferred to the pots. Here they are in the pots. the pictures go up to a couple of days ago through progression.

Realized one pot doesn't have a straw, so the green pot is a heirloom tomato.








































































































































































































I have another Scotch Bonnet going in the pot with the other one I just have not had a good germination rate on the seeds.

Thanks for looking!


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## tedpop (Jun 4, 2011)

Now then Big Twig Those plants of yours look nice and Healthy roll on Harvest time especially for the chilli's.

A nice view from your Apartment as well. From My roof terrace   i look onto  the start of a mountain range, Blue sky and

the Pan tiles of Old Spanish houses.

Keep up the good work


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## beer-b-q (Jun 4, 2011)

Nice Plants...


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## big twig (Jun 4, 2011)

tedpop said:


> Now then Big Twig Those plants of yours look nice and Healthy roll on Harvest time especially for the chilli's.
> 
> A nice view from your Apartment as well. From My roof terrace   i look onto  the start of a mountain range, Blue sky and
> 
> ...




Thanks! Sounds like you have an amazing view!


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## big twig (Jun 4, 2011)

Beer-B-Q said:


> Nice Plants...




Thanks!


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## pineywoods (Jun 4, 2011)

Looks awesome I am trying some Scotch Bonnet's for the first time this year


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## big twig (Jun 4, 2011)

Pineywoods said:


> Looks awesome I am trying some Scotch Bonnet's for the first time this year




I love them. I was having a hard time finding them so I had a friend send me a bunch of seeds from Jamaica (that's why I am growing so many Jamaican peppers). They have the kick similar to Habaneros but I feel like they have a better flavor. Good luck on your grow!


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## meateater (Jun 4, 2011)

Looking great, I'm a chili head myself. This is the first year I've been able to get ghost peppers to grow, been trying for about 5 now. I started with 10 and am down to two. There very hard to grow by the way.


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## mco (Jun 4, 2011)

great looking plants,I like em hot but not that hot


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## daveomak (Jun 5, 2011)

Big Twig, Evening. 

Are there insects that fly that high to polinate you veggies? That is nose-bleed country. 

You couldn't get my bride out on that patio for anything.

I think your garden is beautiful. No weeding. Warm and sunny. I would sit out in that garden and have a brewski every evening.

Dave


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## big twig (Jun 5, 2011)

meateater said:


> Looking great, I'm a chili head myself. This is the first year I've been able to get ghost peppers to grow, been trying for about 5 now. I started with 10 and am down to two. There very hard to grow by the way.




Yeah I figured that they must be tough to grow. My brother has 2 plants in his kit but they aren't growing very well. These kits have several seeds obviously in the hopes that one will grow. The only reason I was growing the ghosts is because it was a gift or I would've ordered from a reputable seed dealer. Your plant looks great though!


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## big twig (Jun 5, 2011)

mco said:


> great looking plants,I like em hot but not that hot




Thanks! I have grown my chili addiction over the years.


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## big twig (Jun 5, 2011)

DaveOmak said:


> Big Twig, Evening.
> 
> Are there insects that fly that high to polinate you veggies? That is nose-bleed country.
> 
> ...




Thanks, I used to pollinate myself but now I made friends with 3 different bees. It's funny cause I know the 3 very well that come pollinate for me. As soon as it got warm they kept coming to my balcony several times a day like were the heck are the plants, I remember this place. Chili peppers are easy to pollinate yourself anyway. A couple of weeks ago some trees or something had cotton ball seeds floating up to my balcony and beyond and sure enough I had to weed like crazy. Plants try to sneak in no matter where you are. Oh and brews all of the time while the electric grill is going (apartments only let you have electric).


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## scarbelly (Jun 5, 2011)

Great looking plants man. The balcony must be pretty good size to hold all of them


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## michael ark (Jun 5, 2011)

Looks great.I here you about the bugs.My deck is only 15' off  the ground .But the bugs always find me.Something has ate all the leafs off my pepper sprouts.


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## big twig (Jun 7, 2011)

Scarbelly said:


> Great looking plants man. The balcony must be pretty good size to hold all of them




Thanks! Yeah I have a pretty good size balcony but it does limit what and how much I can grow. I try to do what I can.


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## big twig (Jun 7, 2011)

michael ark said:


> Looks great.I here you about the bugs.My deck is only 15' off  the ground .But the bugs always find me.Something has ate all the leafs off my pepper sprouts.




Thanks! The only real bug problem I have is the ever going battle with stink bugs. I keep a squirt bottle with water and shoot them off the plants and off the balcony. They still come back but that's about all I can do. I hate stink bugs!


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## mco (Jun 8, 2011)

Stink bugs now thats funny, I wondering if we have any bugs left at all around here.I havent seen a bee or anything that flys in over a week now, That fire in Arizona has us covered in smoke for almost 2 weeks now and no end in sight.


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## big twig (Jun 9, 2011)

mco said:


> Stink bugs now thats funny, I wondering if we have any bugs left at all around here.I havent seen a bee or anything that flys in over a week now, That fire in Arizona has us covered in smoke for almost 2 weeks now and no end in sight.




Brown marmorated stink bugs are a real problem in the Mid-Atlantic region. They love to destroy crops and there is no solution to getting rid of them except a parasitic wasp that is native to Asia as the stink bugs are. The government hasn't decided to let the wasps into the wild yet but I hope they do at some point in the near future.

Sorry about the fire, I really hope they can get it under control soon.


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## realtorterry (Jun 9, 2011)

outstanding where do you fit the smoker without disturbing those litlle jewels. Choclate hab's? Are they sweeter?


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## roller (Jun 9, 2011)

Job well done!!!!


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## big twig (Jun 9, 2011)

realtorterry said:


> outstanding where do you fit the smoker without disturbing those litlle jewels. Choclate hab's? Are they sweeter?




I only have an electric grill on my apartment balcony (I won it in a raffle). My smoker, charcoal grill, and chili cooker stay at my grandmothers house 15 mins away so I can't smoke daily just on the weekends for the most part.

Chocolate Habs are very hot like it's cousin but has a unique flavor I couldn't really explain. It is used a lot in the Caribbean. I first heard of it while I was in Jamaica and I buddy of mine from there ended up shipping me most of the pepper seeds I have growing right now, I love it for BBQ sauce and marinades.


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## big twig (Jun 9, 2011)

Roller said:


> Job well done!!!!




Thanks! Tomatoes have some flowers right now so I am hoping to have something to eat soon. I just wish the peppers would hurry up.


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## big twig (Jun 25, 2011)

Update

Some tomatos and serranos have started growing. I can't wait for the 1st pick.

Heirloom tomato








Cherry tomato







Serrano













Scotch Bonnet has grown and I got the 2nd plant finally in. I should've doubled up the other peppers instead of the Scotch Bonnets and Chocolate Habaneros







Chocolate Habaneros







The rest of the crew in their droopy full sun time, the perk right back up when the sun starts to go down.







It is weird my serrano from last year was like 4 feet tall this year only 2 feet so far and already producing.

Thanks for looking!


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## michael ark (Jun 25, 2011)

Have you taken a cuting from the ones you wan't more of .I use a rooting  hormone from walmart to start new ones.Sometimes they take sometimes they don't.


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## Bearcarver (Jun 25, 2011)

Very nice BigTwig!!!

We can't grow things in pots!

Every time we have an extra tomato plant, Mrs Bear sticks it in a pot, and they never do well at all.

You must know some trick!

Thanks for the views!

Bear


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## big twig (Jun 27, 2011)

michael ark said:


> Have you taken a cuting from the ones you wan't more of .I use a rooting  hormone from walmart to start new ones.Sometimes they take sometimes they don't.




I have never done that but I am very interested in learning for next year.


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## big twig (Jun 27, 2011)

Bearcarver said:


> Very nice BigTwig!!!
> 
> We can't grow things in pots!
> 
> ...




Thanks Bear! I guess I am just lucky cause I sure don't know any tricks, at least I think I don't know any tricks. I do have to pay attention to watering more cause the soil can dry up in a pot very fast.


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