a year ago

A 5 gallon (20L) wooden barrel with AC condensate hoses coming in the top and a black hose coming out of the bottom to the irrigation system.

Below it are large basil and parsley plants and the end of a grapevine creeps along the fence it sits on

A close up of a terracotta cup that is usually embedded in the soil slowly leaking water out.

It is being pulled out for display but partly hidden by basil leaves

An open compost bin, it is embedded in the planter box and has a large mint plant to one side. On the other side of the mint plant is a grapevine that is creeping along the fence in the background.

On the other side of the compost bin is a mostly empty patch of soil with a terracotta hand poking out of it and you can see the edge of a strawberry bush in the picture.

A picture of the whole thing with some children's toys in the foreground and a number of row houses in the background.

It's a cedar box along the whole side of the balcony with a number of plants in it.

From left to right are:
A grapevine
Mint
The compost bin
Strawberries
Parsley
Basil
The water barrel

A few years ago I built a long planter box for my balcony with a couple of really fun features.

The 5 gallon barrel is filled from our AC and upstairs neighbor's AC and then drains into a passive irrigation system made up of terracotta cups buried in the soil.

In the middle is an in-ground compost bin with a bunch of over caffeinated worms who go around feeding all the plants.

Something about the completely non-electrical automation is a lot of fun to me

#gardening #brooklyn #nyc #automation