C.R.A.F.T.

Creating Really Awesome Fun Things

Home » How to Decorate a Rental » Balcony (progress) Tour and a Plan

Balcony (progress) Tour and a Plan

Updated on   |  By Jamie Dorobek  |  10 Comments

I’ve been on a list making frenzy. If you’re in to to-do lists check out the kitchen to do list, the living room to do list, and the full bathroom to do list. The last time you saw the balcony it looked like this:

and this:

And it stayed looking like this for 4 months. Andy and I eat out here all. the. time. I’d say at least 4 nights a week. Recently (Earth day weekend) I bought a bag of dirt, a pack of seeds, and gave the balcony a 15 minute makeover. It’s one of those “why did I not do this sooner!” kind of projects. It cost $6, a trip to Home Depot, and 15 minutes of planting! We brought some of our plants from the Austin balcony, but we gave most of the away. We even gave away Earl’s house… sad day.  Oh Earl, I hope you’re doing well (and not digging up plants) in Austin with your new landlord. This is Nutsy in Earl’s house. Annie is taking good care of him.

Here is what I’m working with these days. Upside down pots as planters, lots of empty pots, literally these pots have not moved since the day I moved in (Feb. 1, 2012!)
I got my $6 supplies…
balcony garden
I potted the red flower, called a bromeliad. It was just sitting in the green pot in the little planter it came in. I stuck in the dirt to give it a real home! It was a wedding gift from Bethany and Carlos (remember I was her maid of honor). On a side note, I think a plant is a great wedding gift. It grows with your marriage, I’m cheesy like that.

We use cilantro a lot. We have a fish taco recipe, salsa, and veggie burgers that all include cilantro. I moved a few things around and voila, so. much. better. That tiny beige pot is filled with snail shells that Andy and I found on a river bed in Houston and I’ve been dragging them around with us.



We keep this door open all the time, so it’s nice to have a pretty view…

shade balcony plants

 And if the door is shut, you still see lots of plants.

And the other side of the balcony still looks about the same. We need some cushions, and maybe a snake plant in the corner. I’ve heard you can’t kill those things 🙂

Did I mention I love the tile balcony thing. In Austin, we had wood, and by wood… I mean rotting wood. The tile makes clean up easy peasy. A bucket a water cleans this right up.

The balcony to do list has only 2 items. This is certainly my favorite list.
  1. Make/ buy cushions for the chairs.
  2. Deal with the pot mess in the corner that I hid from y’all in the pictures above 🙂 This one is going to be hard because it means I will have to clean out the tornado closet. Avalanches are no fun.
In the spirit of keeping it real, here is the pot… there’s lots of stuff in it, you just can’t see it from this angle. (Speaking of keeping it real, Go Brittney!) Currently it holds my seeds, tiny shovel, and  extra pots.
As of today, the balcony looks like this… I must say I am pretty proud of the cilantro progress. Is it ready to harvest?
ready to harvest cilantroready to harvest cilantro
How do you feel about tile vs. wood balconies? Do you have a balcony or porch or deck… Whatever you call a little outside space? What’s the difference anyway? Do you know of any plants that won’t die in a partly shady balcony? Do you agree that a plant is a nice wedding gift? Most importantly, is my cilantro ready to harvest? We’re ready to eat it…
I want everyone to feel empowered to be creative with their kids so, I’m sharing what I learned for free in a 5 day e-mail course!

Reader Interactions

    Leave A Reply!

    Share your thoughts!
    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

    Comments & Reviews

  1. Adele says

    I’d say it was ready to harvest. My OH grows all kinds of herbs in our garden and we have one not much bigger than that which I have been using 🙂 I just pull handfuls off as and when I need them.

    – Adele @ Mammy Made

    Reply

  2. Christine says

    Yep, your cilantro is ready!!! gosh I have alot coming in now(wish I could send you some:(. I learned a nifty trick too. My cousin told me to put some seeds down in the winter in my garden and cover it with heavy duty bags by the time growing season comes ill have seedlings uncover and let nature do the rest (of course with the help of my watering) tried it and so far so good. As for mint those need plenty sun and good watering I have a few pots right in the open away from trees and shade and man do they look good.

    Reply

    • Jamie D. says

      I’m making salsa tomorrow! You think you can use that trick in pots? Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

  3. Susan M Jensen says

    Hi, in Minnesota wwhen it gets 80 or more I put it in part shade, especially afternoon sun.I like your after very cool & fresh look to it. I have 24 container s around my house WOW !. Some herbs & veggies plus in ground. Water, maybe mist (on a balcony ??). could even use stones in a dish , pan with water up to top of stones with plants on top . I do when its HOT Good luck & have fun

    Reply

  4. Erin the Creative Broad says

    Your decorative railing is making me flinch. I’m sure I wouldn’t have thought twice of it pre-toddler, but all I can see in these pictures is giant portals for cars, balls and stuffed animals to be thrown through. …your cilantro looks good to me! It could probably handle having a bit chopped off and used in cooking, just make sure you cut from the top, not take lower branches off! If it gets too hot it will bolt (get super tall and scraggly and try to bloom) and then it’s too late…but when it goes to seed you will have coriander!

    Reply

    • Jamie D. says

      It would be a little scary if we had kids! A toddler could certainly fit through the “wish bones”!I’m happy to hear I can eat some cilantro… thanks!

      Reply

  5. Ruth says

    My cilantro looks like that too and I have the same question! I want to eat it! I’ve read that cilantro likes 75 degree weather; hotter than that and it dies….which means it probably won’t last much longer where I live 🙁

    Reply

  6. Heather says

    I love your space! And your view! I have a wood deck right now (with someone underneath) and I hate it because when I am working on a project I have to make sure nothing falls between the cracks or bothers their space. I have also had cement and while that was nice because nothing ever fell through, it hurt your feet.

    Im trying to update my outdoor space without spending much as well. I just planted a 3 herb garden and while the cilantro and basil seems to be doing well, the dill doesnt have much of a life left. Not sure what happened there.

    Reply

    • Jamie D. says

      Thank you 🙂 Growing stuff is so fun! I’ve always had good luck with cilantro and basil… mint is super tricky for me! Who knows 🙂

      Reply

Get C.R.A.F.T. in your inbox!