I am in Zone 4a in St Paul. High on the river bluffs, overlooking the Mississippi River valley. It is a gorgeous "new view" for us, and I have two huge balconies--4' X 15' each, with another foot or two of overhang from the roof, for hanging gardens. With our patio garden at our old loft apt, we were just starting to get into vertical gardening, and returning to our old tried and true square foot gardening for the veggies.

I do miss that patio garden feel, but I'll get back to it. This is a temporary move until we buy a house, and I get back to my walled garden living.

But this location is awesome for now--I just had a HUGE bald eagle fly right above my window! We get a lot of raptors here, riding the thermals above the river valley.

So this year, we are going for easy balcony, small space outdoor living for a change. We'll spend more time bird watching with the binoculars, than fussing with a garden.