Balcony Garden Update--My Blue Theme Balcony

                                                     
I should have cropped this shot to make it pretty but I wanted to share how I hung the cucumber see the blooms and the wind chime.

I was so excited when I found the wind chime for $10.00 at Big Lots.  Probably not a real bargain but when your wanting a theme and can't find anything in your color your just flat excited when you do.  Just sayin' this shade of Blue is all I saw last year.
    
The entire color scheme began with these lites that I found at $5.00 Below last year.  Only had $5.00 to spend so just got one set.  When I'd bought 10.  I love paper latterns!  Of course this blue matches the chair.  
Today I wanted to focus on how/what/and why I hung them the way I did.   I know it looks junky.  I'm workin' on it.  
Let's check out the tomatoes first . . . 
                      
We've used the upside down hangers.  We bought one and we were so happy I mentioned to my mother we were going to look for another one.  On my next visit she gave me one.  Which btw as I noticed it was opened and dusty.  I asked 'Did we give this to you for Christmas?'  She answered 'Yes'.  I'm buying gift cards from now on.  
If you notice in the middle photo you can see how we hung them. All the walls are concrete.  Around the windows is concrete.  You can't hang anything.  Hence my hanging system.  The Cowboy hammered in these big 'ole spike kind a nails to hang the planters.
The good thing is it worked and we have tomatoes . . . 


            
                                  Guess what's for dinner?
So since we can't hang anything on the walls or ceiling I've resorted to using a tacky clothes rack to hang the cucumber pot.  Because this is a patio I've had to figure out how to go vertical and be thrifty too!  
       

           I knew I needed something for the vine to climb on so I took some decorative wood stalks and attached hooks to them and hung from the rack.  My plant isn't cooperating all that well.  It climbs horizontally not vertically like I had hoped.  One day it was attached to the window screen so I had to move the rack away from the window.  It is now attached to the nail keg and a few of the other stalks.   I just hope I get a few cucumbers from all this mess. 

I have/had grand schemes of how I wanted this balcony to look.  
Remember the photo I shared of the curtains I hung?
                                                  
My intention was for the balcony to look something like this . . . 
                                    
I barely got the two side curtains hung and was trying to figure out how to hang the rest.  And I got a letter from the apartment manager informing me I wasn't allowed to hang 'sheets' on my balcony.  I told her it wasn't 'sheets'  it was a curtain.  She informed me we aren't allowed to hang curtains on the balcony.  I wanted to say have you ever seen Pinterest. But instead  I bit my tongue and .  .
Down came the curtains.  And strike two with the management.

Strike one....we're aren't allowed to have candles on our balcony.  
Mine weren't real.  They were battery.  I was told someone might think they were real and copy me and put out candles and set the apartment on fire.  

The joys of living in a small'ish' space owned by someone else. 
If you thinking of downsizing to an apartment ask details!  

Now that I've complained and whinned I'll leave you with silly.
insert wink . . . 
                    
                     Have a good week!
Linking with Spring Inspirations and other parties listed Here.  parties.

I Have Tomatoes And . . .

I am super excited to share photos of my thrifty garden . . . 

The smallest of the three tomato plants.  They all have actual tomatoes!  Yea me!
and yes in the foreground that is a cucumber . . .

It's finally winding around the hanger!  I just re-potted it after making it mad.  It was  in a pot that was too small and I knew it but I didn't have a hanging basket.  It had already begun to twirl around the wrought iron rail on our balcony!  It needed a new pot and fast!

But I'm on a budget and didn't really have any money for pots.  And then I was blessed with a hanging pot of begonias from my daughter and grandson.  And the begonias were all ready waaaay too big for the basket pot. So being the frugal gardener that I am.  I re-potted them and used the hanging basket for my cucumbers!

This shot I am super excited to share . . .

See my white curtain?  It isn't finished I need to hem it but.  It's up!  I have wanted to curtain the patio
since we moved here 4 years ago.

The Cowboy wasn't too enchanted with the idea.  Mainly because he was the one to put up some kind of bracket or hanger.  And also because I couldn't afford any fabric.  My original idea was a tarp but we were both concerned about the weight.

And then my mother gave me a bolt of this gauzy type of fabric that someone had given her!  Did you notice the yellow squash plant peeking behind the curtain?  Free is good!

Here's a better shot . . .

And a little begonia in the fore ground.  But it's about to get a make over too!  Because today I finally got to buy the bright blue pots I've been wanting!

So my afternoon plans include re-potting a few things!

I'll be taking more pics so come by tomorrow and see the how the rest of the balcony is finally coming together and see my update on the other veggies!

Enjoy your afternoon!

Linking with The Art Of Homemaking Outdoor Wednesday , The Homemaking Party and Share My Cup

Thrifty Thursday

Sharing today a little bit of my thrifty shopping, decorating and gardening.  

I've been trying for months to put together a gallery wall. 
It's not complete but I had to give you a peek . . . 
                                                       
I'm totally lovin' it!  I paid a whole $1.00 for each frame.  Two of them had prints the other was just the frame.  

My thriftiness this week included something yummy too . . . 
                                                       
This box of yumminess was meant for smoothies but it was still so fresh that The Cowboy and our grandson ate some with ranch. 
I cooked another batch on Sunday.  And then on Monday I cooked the rest.  My favorite way to cook fresh spinach is sauteed in a pan that I've cooked a few pieces of chopped bacon.  I take the bacon out add butter throw in my spinach and some salt and pepper.  Cover with a glass lid so I can see what's going on and just let it cook.  Yummy!

And, guess what I have in my garden!

My first tomato!

I did a little plant shopping to finish filling out the pots on the front porch.  

The pot beside Daisy has two sweet potato vines.  I was determinded this year to get some.  Last year I was too late and couldn't find green only the purple.  It is in a pot with a grass that bought last year for $2.50.  I bought two only 1 survived. My fault I never got them transplanted. 

Behind Daisy the pot with the white flowers.  Which I mistakenly thought were Lantana.  And actually it might be a kind of Lantana
but it's not what I remember as a kid . . . 

This week I added the 'real thing' the orange and yellow I remember.   The big green plant is actually 2 chrysanthemums that I bought in the fall for $2.50.  I think I probably should have cut them back.  They have teeny tiny blooms now but don't look like they are going to flower. 

This is the pot I that I showed earlier with Daisy.  You can see the grass in the middle better.  I added Vinca and Salvia.  I'm really happy now with the way it looks.  

I've been working hard on decorating, cooking and gardening on a budget and being thrifty.  

I can't wait for my next project.  We're looking for lamps to make into solar lights for the patio.    

              Thanks for stopping in.  Leave me a comment!