Growing Up!

>>This post is in collaboration with Pennington Vertical Gardening Systems, all opinions are, as always 100% my own.
Yesterday I shared some great garden-themed makeovers from a couple of talented women, and today, I’ve got one of my own!

A few weeks ago, I introduced you to a product I was really excited about, the Pennington Vertical Gardening System.  As a renter with an HOA-maintained yard, I have zip-zero places to plant and grow a garden.  Insert sad face.  I figured my gardening days were over, unless I wanted to help the lawn crew plant some grass or something.

But all I really needed was the smallest sliver of space to try out the vertical garden, and wouldn’t you know, this tiny wall on my bedroom balcony was the perfect size and gets great light.

Before, it didn’t offer much.  Only growing cobwebs out here.

But now …

I’m growing rosemary, oregano, thyme, cilantro, and even a jalapeno plant! Plus geraniums for prettiness, and room for more!

The vertical garden is completely customizable and re-arrangeable, with plenty of accessories to be found at The Home Depot.

It’s a sturdy, heavy thing, so I was worried about installing it into the stucco wall, but all it took was a set of these guys:

… and it ain’t going nowhere.  The drill bit helped keep the holes nice and neat and easy to patch when we move.  The system can be hung pretty much anywhere: both indoors and outdoors, on drywall, wood, or masonry, like brick and stucco.

With everything looking so nice and shiny on the vertical garden, I noticed that the rest of my balcony was  looking pretty shabby in comparison.  Especially the oxidized metal railing, which had taken a beating from years of direct afternoon sun.  So, I thought I’d share a tip I learned a long time ago to easily restore this type of damage. Get something to write this down, it’s really complicated.

You will need: one old rag and a bottle of mineral oil.

Pour oil on rag, wipe your surface, done.

Isn’t that an insane difference? The right side looks brand new! It won’t last forever, but it will last as long as you pay attention and rub on a little oil when it starts to need it.  Usually the oil soaks right in with a good rub, and isn’t even greasy to the touch, but do use caution!  Don’t go lubing up the handrail of your tiled stairs or something crazy.

 

This also works on painted surfaces, as you can see by my sun-baked set of doors.  Left side is oiled, right side has no oil.  Just be careful the damaged paint isn’t already starting to flake off.  I’ve done this for years and never had any issues with it. The oil just soaks in and needs to be reapplied every once in a while.  But test it out first!  Your climate, surface, and/or paint type could be different and give you wonky results, and we don’t want wonky.

Oh! I have to tell you THANK YOU one more time for all the awesome gardening tips you left on my last gardening post.  If you haven’t seen the comments on that post, check them out HERE.  Everyone shared their very best gardening tip, and it’s a treasure trove of information!

 And now, I’m excited to get growing!

Come over for salsa (in three to four months when I have a jalepeno)!

Click the link to learn more about Pennington Vertical Gardening Systems and see more gardening systems in action on Pinterest.

 

Pennington Vertical Gardens partnered with bloggers such as me to help educate us all about their Pennington Vertical Gardening System products. As part of this program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the use of the products. Pennington Vertical Gardens believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Pennington Vertical Garden’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.