The Madness Starts Again

It's back ... Garden Season 2011 is officially underway! It may be a little early to start the seeds in South Dakota, but I just couldn't wait any more.

So far, the tomatoes are the first to take off, and they're definitely on a roll. I tried something new with this round. My tomatoes are heirloom brandywines. I haven't found any special directions for growing these bad boys, so hopefully I don't screw this up. How hard can it be?

The other babies are growing nicely, too. They just aren't shooting up as fast as their fruit counterparts. These are the jalapenos, starting to poke up through the growing pods, full of life. Soon enough they'll be bearing more peppers than I'll know what do with.

So far, the collection is small. Once I either a) get my community garden plot or b) put out the pots the other seedlings will get planted. In this "dome" are red pepper plants, pepperoncinis, the brandywines, jalapenos, banana peppers and something called corno di torro. It's only a few days in, but already I'm feeling good.

Why, Oh, Why Wind?

Another storm, another round of ridiculously intense winds to ravage my garden. The damage from this one seems to be the worst so far.

Wind ravaged balcony

Snap
My most successful tomato plant looks a little sadder now that the clouds have passed. Super strong winds split the main stem, just outside the Topsy Turvy, down the middle. It's still holding strong for now, and none of the tomatoes came off, but it's definitely drooping.

Juicy red tomato

The winds seem to have taken out the pepperoncini, as well. I doubt my Lazarus plant will be coming back to life this time.

Poor little pepper

Winding Down
Just a quick glance at the garden is proof that harvest season is just around the corner. The stems have completely come off all the onions in the window boxes. The carrots and fennel are on the verge of blooming.

Fully grown onions

The peppers still seem to love the rainy summer. They just can't get enough. At least it's doing someone some good.

Hording water like little rat leaves

I haven't completely neglected my harvesting duties. Just the other night, the man-friend and I enjoyed a side salad topped with a homegrown tomato and a couple chopped banana peppers.

They are as tasty as they look!

I think the big reason I'm putting off picking my fruit is the fact that I'm just not sure what to do with them. Canning is scary, but I'm starting to believe I'm out of other options. If anyone has any advice for getting a good seal, do tell.

Garden Update: Lucky #13

It's getting thick out there. Everything looks luscious and green and full of life--just like I dreamed it could be last winter.

Peppers

All the pepper plants are thriving in the South Dakota heat and humidity. I will have a full banana pepper harvest, with the jalapenos coming in a very close second in the race for success.

Crazy jalapenos

As you can see, the bell peppers are a little behind the curve. This is the first to say "hello" to the garden ... and it's still pretty small. The plants themselves are considerably undersized, so I don't think there will be a big harvest from that sector.

Bell pepper

These pots are quite lucky compared to their wild counterparts. When it's windy, they get moved to shelter. When there's rain, they get pushed into the precipitation. Heck, these lucky guys get to sit in a chair.

Pampered potted plants

Memo From the Fruit

The vegetables aren't the only successful. The strawberries are getting ready to give me the fruits of round 4. When the tag said "ever-bearing" I didn't think it'd be this generous.

Freshly formed berries

Tomato plant #2 is also getting ready to produce fruit, too. A little fresh air (away from the central air vent) is doing it some good. Just look at these lovely blossoms, getting ready to become tomato-lings.

Pretty little blossoms

Growing Organic, Avoiding the "Hippie" Label

It's tough to be a container farmer without friends and family wondering if you've become of a member of the all-natural granola and vegan sort. Growing organic foods may not necessarily be your goal, but the confined space and resources may leave you no other option.

Homegrown Fertilizer

Store bought bottles of concentrated chemical fertilizer isn't an option when your garden grows in pots. Because of the limited capabilities of the soil to drain, it's easy to get too much of the chemical in the pot and have it just sit there, burning the roots and stem of your plants.

Believe it or not, Starbucks is a fantastic place to find fertilizer that won't damage your soil or plants. Coffee grounds are rich and nitrogen, and because they've already fulfilled their main goal (i.e., coffee), most of the acid is washed out, saving the plants from a nasty burn.

My first free bag of used coffee grounds. Available at Starbucks.

Coffee grounds have been my fertilizer of choice all summer, but since I don't drink coffee, I've been stealing the used filters from my boyfriend's apartment. I don't think I'll have to do that anymore after finding massive *free* bags of the stuff at Starbucks. One bag should be plenty for the rest of the summer.

There are lots of other ways to add nutrients to the soil safely. Worm poo, fish heads, and, of course, compost can renew old soil or beef-up the potential of store bought earth. I'm sticking with coffee grounds for the time being because the other options are far too smelly for me to expose to my neighbors.

Changes

Many of the plants are finding themselves in new homes out on the balcony after I did some rearranging. My gas grill has outlived its usefulness, so last week a neighbor and I heaved it into a nearby dumpster. With the extra room, I was able to move the stunted tomato plant from it's perch over the central air to the other side of the deck, away from blowing hot air.

Topsy Turvy #2, in its new location.

So far, it's looking considerably healthier. No tomatoes on the vines yet, but lots of blooms just starting to change over, so hopefully it looks more like its sister, who has a few tomatoes and lots of potential, in the coming weeks.

Mmmm--already super plump!

Good Growth

It still amazes me how healthy everything looks ... and how I have killed so very little in my first attempt at urban farming. I'm very pleased to say the little pepperoncini that almost wasn't, my Lazarus, is on the verge of producing peppers.

Pepperoncini, on the brink of fruit

So far, just this one white flower has blossomed, but there are at least a half dozen more on the verge of exposing their petals to the world. It's hard to believe just a couple months ago I was sure I killed the thing. It's growth has certainly been stunted, which has me somewhat concerned about its ability to support produce, but I'll save those worries for another day.

The herbs are looking good, too. I have a feeling I need to harvest this crazy basil bush that has sprung up. Next to it, but difficult to see in this photo, is a pile of parsley, which could stand to be picked, too. They've come a long way from the days of my suicidal dill.

Sweet basil, pouring out of its pot.

Does anyone out there have any tips on cooking with banana peppers? My plan all along had been to pickle them for eating this winter, but I have a feeling these monsters are going to be ready before I am. I don't want them to go to waste, so any ideas are appreciated.

What should I do with these?

Heat Wave

The summer heat is on, and it seems its here to stay. July days in South Dakota can be quite sweltering, and the plants aren't pleased (nor are many people, I might add).

Caliente Bites

Hopefully the heat helps the peppers--they're supposed to be spicy, right? I fear those plants will need help in the near future that I can't provide. Most of peppers plants are already producing an abundance of fruit, lots and lots fruit, as you can see.

One of two successful banana pepper plants

Holy jalapenos!

The thing is, though, the peppers are getting big. In no time, they'll be full grown, and I'm worried their weight will be too much for the frail stems supporting them. I'm starting to regret putting my seedlings into sand buckets--they should've had a much bigger pot so they could grow to the proper size.

Green is My Favorite Color

Luckily, my eyes could never tire of seeing green, because the balcony is covered in the color.

The Green Revolution

Everything looks really good these days, or at least their leaves do. I have a few root vegetables in a windowsill box with fantastic foliage, but potentially sad crops. I see that box and I think about what happened with the radishes. I haven't tried to harvest any of the kohlrabi, carrots, or fennel, but I have a feeling they'll tell a similar tale.

Carrots peeking through the soil

Nature's Beauty

Everyday when I walk out into my garden, I can't help but admire God's creation. He has such perfect vision, hand crafting these delicate plants that add to the beauty of our world and provide us with all the nutrients the human body needs to thrive.

Banana pepper, just a few days old

I'm so happy I found this hobby. I'm not sure how I would have kept my sanity this summer without a connection to my roots as well as those of our ancestors.

The Fruits of My Labor

It seems my dedication to the pots that dot my deck are starting to pay off. Lots of blooms and blossoms to talk about, as well as some very mini-snacks.

New Growth

As sort of an after thought, I figured I'd give growing herbs one last shot. It wasn't an overly thrilling prospect after the last pot of dill committed suicide in the midst of a wind storm. Turns out it wasn't such a bad idea, though.

Parsley, Basil, and Chives

My chives, basil, and parsley are starting to look pretty strong. I was surprised to see them sprout after I accidentally buried the seeds in too much dirt. There should be more growth coming eventually, just as soon as the seedlings dig their way out of the dirt.

I have started a pot of oregano, too. They were only seeds I could find at the store this late into the planting season. They've started to pop up, but for now they're just too small to photograph.

Old Growth

The Lazarus pepperoncini continues to look like nothing ever happened, so long as you don't notice the other pepper plants around it that are twice its size. No blooms yet, but that's to be expected. I'm still simply elated by the fact that it's come back from the dead.

Pepperoncini

The Start of the Next Step

Some of my peppers now actually have peppers. Imagine my surprise when I was watering the plants and discovered the first of my bell peppers dangling from it's branch.

The first bell pepper of the season!

After finding that, I looked around at the rest of the plants with blooms. Turns out the fruit grows directly out of the flower, with the petals protecting the pepper in its first days of existence. I'll admit, I feel like I did that day in science class when they talked about how a baby forms.

Bell peppers, in transition from flower to fruit

They're not the only ones, though. One of the tomatoes has several blooms in that transition stage, when the fruit is probably no more than a cluster of cells. I look forward to getting photos of those when they get big enough to see.

The onions are starting to look good. Turns out I didn't buy the variety I meant to purchase. I thought I picked up a bag of simple garden onions, the kind you could pluck from the ground, wash up, and munch on.

Mmmmm, very oniony onions!

In reality, my garden is filled with white onions, so instead of adding a little extra crunch to my summer meals, I have to just let them grow and wait to enjoy them this winter. On the bright side, they're adding a potent punch to the aromas of my garden. It's hard to forget that they're growing.

This strawberry plant is leaps and bounds more productive than its predecessor. If you look closely, you can spot a few baby berries nestled in with the leaves and blossoms. It always strikes me how delicate and pretty this plant looks when it's at its peak.

See the baby berries, all cuddled up together

All in all, this deck is definitely starting to look like a jungle. Friends who come visit say it's pretty easy to pick out my balcony when they drive by because of all the green leaves peaking through the slats. I can only imagine how crazy the growth will get at harvest time.

All the pretty pots, lined up in a row

The End of the Line

Sadly, the paper lanterns that served as icing to my outdoor paradise are no more. This is what they looked like between storms that wreaked havoc on the whole area.

The last days of the paper lanterns

The holes were pretty convincing evidence that they wouldn't survive the summer, but I didn't think they'd be gone in a matter of days. But, alas, 70 mph straight-line winds and pounding rain are no match for paper. When the clouds cleared, I began the process of unstringing the lights and squishing them into the trash can.

It's probably for the best this way. The tomato plants were beginning to rub and catch on the decorative additions to the great outdoors, and it would have only been a matter of time until the peppers plants began pushing up on them.

A Sight to Behold

It's so strange to think that just six to eight weeks ago, none of my greenery existed. Now my humble balcony is covered with living, growing things. See for yourself!

Coming Soon: Tomato Soup

My crazy tomato plants are growing like weeds. They were pretty big when they came into my possession as mere sprouts (thanks to a friend who co-oped them for some of my spare pepper plants). Now I have no idea how much more growth to expect.

One of my two tomatoes, brushing the lanterns

Clearly, I'm going to have to raise their hanging position before they bear fruit. Judging by the beginnings of blossoms forming on the plant, that will start to happen soon. I need to find someone tall and without a fear of heights in the near future.

Tomato blossoms

Return of the Pepperoncini

My Lazarus plan lives again. Everyday now, the sole surviving pepperoncini shows remarkable growth as it recovers from what I thought was certain death. I'm having a hard time putting my excitement into words.

Pepperoncini, on the mend

This specific type of pepper is what I was most excited about harvesting (and eventually pickling) because they're my favorite to snack on. Now I now I can save some money this fall/winter by eating my own peppers instead of the delicious variety found at my neighborhood grocery store.

"Full Sun" Means Full Sun

My root vegetables are teaching me good lessons for next spring. The radishes, specifically. I pulled a couple up last week because the stalk appeared almost ready to go to seed, and my gardening book said to never let them do that. But, I made a curious discovery: the fruit beneath the soil was by no means good growth.

The tall, tall stem on the right is a radish plant

A very knowledgeable source says it's their growing location. While the enclosed balcony is a blessing in foul weather, it's been trouble for gardening. They're not getting enough sunlight, so all the energy the plant has goes into creating more greens--leaves and stalk--to collect more of the sunlight, leaving the product lacking.

I'm not sure what I could've done differently with these pots to give them more sunlight. I really thought this would've been enough. The source says another reason for the strange growth could be the small pots themselves. This type of vegetable should have enough room to spread out and grow. Maybe next summer these seeds will stay at the store.

Other Fun Pictures

Not every aspect of my garden requires in depth analysis. Sometimes seeing positive results is enough to share.

One of the peppers, with it's rudimentary popsicle-stick support system

Fresh strawberries, just beginning to grow

My latest attempts at herbs, just peeking through the soil