Not all urban plants sprout up uninvited on the mean sidewalks of the city. Indeed, in Berlin, planting the balcony is a spring ritual for many. Those without balconies, like myself, have adopted bits of land in community gardens. It’s still too early for many plants to be planted outdoors, but seedlings are being started in apartments around the city.
Our kitchen counter is our greenhouse, and our plantlings, like our pots, are a motley crew – some purchased (we love the Dreschflegel catalog of seeds from organic farms around Germany), some given to us, some re-appropriated. Right now we have pumpkins seeds, bok choy sprouts, Vietnamese water spinach cuttings (a gift from a local restaurant), and sprouting Linda potatoes (bought at the farmer’s market) sharing space with us.
Today, several pumpkins popped up…
…and I’m excited to see how they’ll turn out; it’s my first time growing pumpkin winter squash of any kind.
I’ll keep you posted on the progress of my plants, and hope to share some photos from the community garden soon. Curious to hear what you all are growing, too.
We are trying tomatoes, strawberries, peppers and chillis! So exciting. Have had some success with mushrooms already. Best of luck :-)