Small Scale Food Production

The weather has been bouncing back from Spring to Winter all week long. One day the snow is melting. The next it is falling. This week I was going to talk about pasta. Then, as I was looking through my notes about next months issues of smallmoves, I came across a reference to vertical hydroponics, and my mind turned to the gardening challenge that I have set for myself this year.

Actually before I get to the challenge, the only pasta dish I really enjoy is spaghetti with tomatoe sauce. I love tomatoe sauce and make a great one. Some day I'll share the recipe. Anyway, if you are interested in pasta, a quick search on the the Suite for pasta will turn up heaps of information and tasty recipes.

So lets get back to my balcony and the plans. The challenge is to increase the amount of food that I can grow in this 6 by 9 foot area while still allowing room for two chairs and the balcony composter. Next week I'll talk more about this composter. I made it myself and it saves walking around back to the two big ones in the backyard. This journey may be okay in summer but when the cold winter wind is ripping out of the north it is no fun at all.

The chairs and the table are essential as we spend considerable time on the balcony when the weather permits. It becomes an extension of our living space and the view of Lake Superior is good. We can watch the lakers and salties coming and going as well as the Wednesday night sail boat races. It is not space that I am willing to give up so will just have to work around it.

The first step is to put up a trellis along the north side. Until last year there was a medium size maple tree there. It provided great privacy but with the privacy came shade. The tree is gone now. Before you say anything, I didn't take it down. I won't cut a tree unless it was dying or I had a greater need for the wood. So as we still feel the need for privacy and need to increase food growing space, a trellis will meet both these needs rather well. I'm still thinking about what to grow. Everything will be in containers of one sort or another so whatever it is, possibly peas or cucumbers, or maybe container zucchinis, it will have to grow in a limited environment.

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