Using my compost soil

Last weekend I topped up my pots and replaced soil in others from my compost. It's beautiful rich, black soil. It also meant I have more room in my compost container to do some more composting. 

Here's some pictures of me adding it to the pots and digging it in.

The old clay soil

Taking the old soil out and adding new soil - and plant

Looking so much better

Topped up

This one had lost a lot of soil, so the compost really built it up again.

Starting the new compost

 

Adopted plants

My friend has left the country to go live elsewhere and she had a balcony oof gorgeous plants. I wanted them so badly, but her balcony was four times bigger than mine and mine is already full! So, I said I'd take five; she gave me eight.

However, it got me thinking how some of my favourite plants are ones I'd inherited from others. It's lovely looking around the balcony and seeing the different plants/people in my life and it brings a lot of joy.

One of them in a Jasmine (I'm going to have to look after that one as I find the Jasmines are very suseptable to  insect infestations), which has been sending off a gorgeous scent in the evenings. Three are a type of water bulb which I want to research and the others have variegated yellow and green leaves. Very nice. 

The only problem is, I can't sit out on my balcony as it's full of plants!!

 

My new plants buffeted by the morning winds.

 

Balcony Gardening ideas

This is an interesting article. Not many pictures, which is a shame. I love pictures with an article as they can give so much more information. But some great ideas.

Cheers

Compost update

Not much has been happening on my balcony of late. Although, I did just give it a big spring clean. I cleared out the mess, re-potted plants and... checked out my compost.

I'm really thrilled because my experiment worked and the soil that I got from it was beautiful. I had so much I had to give some away!

I've already started my next lot. First, I kept some soil from the previous compost to use as a starter. I put some at the bottom of the container, put my kitchen vege scraps in and then another layer. I can now add bits to it as I do my cooking etc.

What's really great is that it never stank. 

One reason it didn't, I think, is because I never put cooked food or meat in it. Just vegetable skins, egg shell and fruit leftovers. I also had a heavy lid on it (a large pottery water saucer actually) which kept the moisture in and flies and mosquitoes out, whilst not being air tight and killing the helpful bugs and bacteria inside. 

In fact, after adding everything and a good amount of water, not enough to flood it, I pretty much forgot it except to add bits to the top now and then. When I opened it up at the weekend, it was moist, dark and rich. Beautiful. The worms and helpful bugs had been very happy in there, I think.