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We had a serious attack of spider mites. They started in the catnip and yarrow and somehow got to the choko and beans. They took the choko down in no time, fortunately it is a hardy plant and it has now grown back to where it was when the spider mites devoured it.

This was my first real run-in with spider mites, which are quite a common especially in container and greenhouse gardeing. I tried neem oil and washing the leaves off, but I think my problem was too advanced by the time I used these measures. I finally found a recipe for a light glue that is sprayed on the back of the leaves and smothers the mites. This has to be done every so often as the eggs will keep hatching. It seems to have finally put a stop to them and my beans are looking a bit better. I also gave them a dandelion tea because I thought it might help add some potassium to the soil and that is another thing beans can easily become deficient in if they are in containers.

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The gardeners of Vancouver BC create stunning gardens full of color. Gardens in this city have become a synthesis of the many cultures that have come together and now live side by side, sharing seeds and garden tips. These are a selection of some of my favorite flowers.

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We haven’t gotten that much rain this year and the hot dry weather brought out the spider mites. This is the balcony garden before they ravaged my beans. But you can see how well the potatoes, tomatoes, rose, purslane, chilis and even the rainbow chard are doing.

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This year got started late with a huge snowstorm and a very cold winter. The roses seem to have done well though, and the amazing backyard gardens of Vancouver BC are going full swing. I am constantly impressed by how many plants there are in some of these spaces. It is also interesting to see that different plants are being grown this year than the year before in most of the yards.

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Once we got some garden beds built and put the beans in they took off. Added a couple of bamboo poles. This end of the balcony gets the best sunlight and if the beans grow vigorously perhaps they will make a curtain for our bedroom window. The coriander, radish, squash, poppy and beans sprouted happily.

Part III of Balcony Garden 09 here.

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The gardeners of Vancouver BC create stunning gardens full of color. Gardens in this city have become a synthesis of the many cultures that have come together and now live side by side, sharing seeds and garden tips. These are a selection of some of my favorite flowers.

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Next It was a long cold winter this year and many plants were killed by the ton of snow Vancouver got. Luckily we have a spare room that does quite well as a greenhouse in the spring. I ordered some of my favorite plants from my favorite seed companies, in fact I even became a member of the Hudson Seed Library!

I sure hope the pau d’arco can survive up here, it isn’t really the climate for such things but the bark is such a gentle immune stimulant as well as anti-viral, and has no side effects. I have been using it for years, it is also good as an anti-fungal if you have yeast problems, so I wanted to try growing it. I thought it was a vine, though, and it turns out it is a small tree.

We immigrated last year and were really broke– actually this is very normal for us, so had to rely on what we could find in the alleys. We have a very high wall around our balcony so the plants have to be raised up to get enough sunlight. There is plenty of construction in the area so it is easy to find scrap bits of wood that we can easily convert into garden beds for my beans. I was also fortunate to come across a pile of free bricks, which I hauled home in stages in my purple suitcase and a luggage cart (boy those things are useful!) Also found pots and even a gardening trowel was found on Commercial Drive one early Sunday morning! Free stuff rules!

Part II of Balcony Garden here.

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Not only are the gardens of Vancouver BC filled with an assortment of absolutely delicious edible fruits, vegetables and herbs but the micro-farmers are generous and friendly. This fig fresh off the tree was the most juicy I have ever had.

Another happy old Chinese farmer gave me a couple of chokos from his harvest, one of them sprouted and it is now growing eagerly up the wall in my bedroom.

The gardeners of Vancouver are also avid composters and many of them have arranged nice environments around their compost barrel, many growing mint and other fresh smelling herbs.

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Vancouver BC, has some of the most incredible backyard gardens in the world, and walking the alleys is one of the best ways to view these spectacular edible works of art.

I am constantly amazed by how many beans and tomatoes can be grown on a patch of land or in pots, and it is fantastic to see balconies and garages hung with garlands of grapes.

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The micro-farms of Vancouver BC are absolutely incredible. After traveling all over the world and being an avid walker I have seen urban backyards from New Zealand to Cambodia, New York to Papua New Guinea and can say that Vancouver BC takes the prize hands down, no questions asked.

OK, I have never seen the gardens in Italy or China — so I could be wrong as it seems that many of the gardens around here come to us from these food-loving cultures, but the soil and rainfall also help to make these gardens hella delicious.

The melding of fig tree and Chinese chard-type greens seems to be common in many of the gardens. The local farmers are very friendly and often happy to share a choko, tomato, fig or other strange edibles with interested parties.

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