The View from Above

 Condo living takes some getting used to.  The greatest source of angst for my children is arguing over who gets to push the buttons in the elevator.  They have worked out a fair and equitable system- Eleanor gets the up/down buttons, Rynn gets any buttons with a number, and guests get to push all the buttons.  Fair enough.  But what about outdoor living?  The last few summer days have been gorgeous.  I'm still slightly pining for a yard and a garden.  But, for now, I'm setting my imagination on the potential our balcony holds.

All pictures shamelessly mooched from the internet (ie. not our balcony)

There are some amazing ideas out there.  Lots of urban gardeners in places like California or Tokyo have gotten very creative with container and wall gardening ideas.  The human need for green growing things is strong and produces some pretty ingenious creativity.  

If you live in a small space, have a balcony, deck, or just a really sunny wall of your home consider these amazing wall gardens.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden has created an Edible Wall Garden out of a concrete parking lot.

Atlanta Botanical Garden

I found a great blog today called Life on the Balcony.  Check it out for some great tips.  It really inspires me to do something fun with our balcony next summer.  We are on the top floor and have some unbelievable sun.  I'm envisioning some tasty tomatoes and butterfly attracting, sun loving flowers overflowing from pots.  

Any other ideas you've seen for balcony or urban gardening?