this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2025
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Balcony Gardening

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A young community dedicated to balcony gardening.


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Show off that vertical veggie garden 35 stories high. Or that bucket of potatoes you're proud of. Perhaps some fall mums that have been catching your eye through the sliding door into your living room. Any and all balcony gardens are welcome! Come and show your's off because we love to see it. :)

We also welcome ideas, tips, and items which have helped you in your balcony gardening journey. No balcony? Feel free to join in with your container garden with limited space too!



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My balcony renaturation program is hitting like a truck. Going outside there is like visiting a conservation camp, and the sheer diversity of different insects and stuff is just amazing.

The only "problem" is, that my fellow ants think the same, and also started inhabiting said oasis.

They are everywhere.
I highly suspect that there might be a hive somewhere, because they are forming literal highways.

Right now, they basically just exist and aren't getting much in my way.

Some of them already found a way to get inside my apartment, and those few sadly needed to die (I feed my carnivorous plant with them).
It would be a horror if they find the pet bowl with food in there, or the trash can.

But outside? I don't care much, as long as they don't attack or harm me or my crops in any way.

Others would already have poisoned all of them, because it really looks like an infestation. My neighbours for example already did...

But realising that literally everywhere in nature it looks like this made me think that this is healthy and normal.

So, my question is:

  • Can there be a TOO much? When is the point reached? When should I intervene, and how? I don't wanna kill all of them, just control the population if it really is needed.
  • How about aphids? From what I know, they farm them like cattle to get the sap, and also protect them against predators like ladybugs. One of my reasons I chose to create this ecosystem is the natural regulation of pests, including aphids. Do I have to worry about that? How is it balanced in nature?
  • What do they feed on? I saw them attacking an earth worm today. Do I have to worry about them killing beneficial organisms?
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[–] Guenther_Amanita@slrpnk.net 4 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Do you know where I can find Borax locally for reasonable prices?

[–] i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca 4 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I find it in a box at the grocery store in the laundry aisle. In Canada the product is even named Borax, but if you’re somewhere else you might have to check the ingredients on products if they’re covering it with another name (e.g. how “Mrs. Dash” is just MSG).

[–] ChaosCoati@midwest.social 3 points 12 hours ago

Same as i_stole_ur_taco. The brand I buy is “20 Mule Team” and it’s advertised as a detergent booster. The only ingredient is sodium tetraborate.