the sky’s the limit

Danny Benson had always had a keen interest in gardening, but “bouncing around in rentals” made it hard for him to get anything established. Then Covid-19 struck, and he moved into an 11th-floor studio apartment in South Yarra, with a balcony measuring only 1.08m x 2.35m.

A friend introduced Danny to the My Smart Garden program, and he started watching workshops online during the first lockdowns. “Given my interest in gardening and science, I thought I’d see what would be possible to grow in two square metres of space.” And so his

‘sky garden’ was born. He designed it to be portable, building only with recycled materials. “I used food-grade buckets to make a wicking system, and old timber pallets to make a facade because I believe aesthetics are extremely important,” he says. He also developed a highly productive system using recycled trellises to grow tromboncino zucchinis.

The scientist in Danny took him down some interesting paths. “I couldn’t find any data on balcony food production, so I started recording,” he says. “I have temperature, water usage and produce data. Some data suggest that, in summer, the temperature of my balcony (and my apartment) was reduced by about 15 per cent by covering it in plants.” He also devised a compost system that processes more than 100 per cent of his food waste. Yes, sometimes he even brings in food waste from outside.

Within only six months, Danny was harvesting more than 4kg of produce monthly. “My biggest month was 11.9kg.” He prefers “nose-to-tail” crops – that is, produce he can eat in its entirety. “I’ve had huge success with brassicas. While I’m waiting for my cauliflower to produce a head, I can eat the leaves, using them in pastas, salads or soups.”

He’s now moving to a new home with a larger balcony, and he’s taking his sky garden with him. “I want to harvest 30kg of produce per month in the first year.”

“GIVEN MY INTEREST IN GARDENING AND SCIENCE, I THOUGHT I’D SEE WHAT I COULD GROW IN TWO SQUARE METRES.”