Hello from Switzerland (possibly Chile in the future)

Hi everyone,

I'm Vitor. Have been getting into gardening more and more over the last 2 years. I recently had to give up my career as a scientist due to health issues, so I've been drifting through life. Over this difficult time, my desire to live simply on a piece of land I outright own has been growing, even though I'm not physically fit and expect serious difficulties because of it.

When I shared this dream with two of my best friends, they in turn confessed similar dreams. So I might be founding a homestead with them in central Chile in ~5 years.

In the meantime, I have a tiny but intensely cultivated balcony that has brought me outsized happiness:

Welcome Vitor! That's an impressive.... potato? Balcony pot potato? I recognize a few happy plants, what is the thing at the very far end that has put up flowers? Looks a bit like a basil but also maybe stevia.
I had many balconies with many (unfortunate) plants, finally got myself a tiny piece of land and my plants are significantly happier, as am I. Most of the little I know, I learned here. Hope you find what you're looking for!

Those are 6 charlotte potatoes planted in a 30L pot. Didn't expect them to be as big. Goes to show why they're a staple crop though... so much growth in so little time.

At the top back I have Gartenmelde (sea purslane? a spinach-like thing). Or maybe you mean at the middle back, which is fennel.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

aha! Dr Google tells me gartenmelde is an amaranth family, explains the way the flowers look. I'm in the cooler part of Brazil and they do well here.

Welcome!

Been off of permies all winter, but with the new season starting, I'm getting excited again! I put a lot of thought into using my little space more efficiently. I have at least double the amount of surface than before, and I designed everything with better awareness of which spots are the sunniest.

The deep boxes are very simple wicking beds. They have a central well to keep everything aerated and allow watering from the bottom. No overflow valve of any kind, since my space is under a roof.

Vitor Bosshard wrote:Been off of permies all winter, but with the new season starting, I'm getting excited again! I put a lot of thought into using my little space more efficiently. I have at least double the amount of surface than before, and I designed everything with better awareness of which spots are the sunniest.

The deep boxes are very simple wicking beds. They have a central well to keep everything aerated and allow watering from the bottom. No overflow valve of any kind, since my space is under a roof.

Wow! Great job!  For me, a new growing season is always "happy time!". You have inspired me to take a hard look today at how to maximize the efficiency of my growing space.