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

SD Weather Doesn't Like My Garden

So sorry for the absence--I've been busy reporting on the news, which has actually been the weather this weekend. My plants have been through a lot the past few weeks ... but few things have been as damaging as the rain and high winds we've seen in the past few days.

Soggy Stalks

My pepper plants have grown to new heights, looking quite promising with their full leaves and tall stems. Sadly, though, those same qualities made their more susceptible to wind damage.

I was very disappointed to see them all slumping in their pots Friday morning. One of the bell peppers did not survive. It's stem broke at the base, leaving it attached to the soil by one lone root. It's pot will soon house a second pot of fennel (and maybe some flowers--we'll see). The white lanterns will also have to go soon. Big, fat rain drops didn't mix well with their paper covering.

I should consider myself lucky. People in town just a few blocks from me lost vehicles, garages, and at least one person is now homeless because of the same storm. 75 mph winds wreaked havoc in Sioux Falls thanks to two micro bursts. Still, loss is loss.

On the brighter side, the bent and broken stems forced me to get creative. Leftover popsicle sticks (my homemade tags) came in very handy this evening as I made a crude support for each plant. I stuck a stick into each pot, right next to the stem, and then tied the stem to the stick with sewing thread to aid the plants in reaching their potential.

I have no idea if my stick-system will do any good, but I figured it couldn't hurt. It's working at my parents' house, where the only reason Mom's pear tree isn't growing horizontally is Dad's tie-down straps. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree in this case.

Survival Instincts Strong

I should've known that most of my babies wouldn't succumb to the storms. They survived my vacation.

The man friend and I spent a few days in Las Vegas after he finished graduate school to unwind and get ready for summer insanity. It was in the desert, but not as gross as it was back home. Somehow, though, every single one of the vegetables made it through ... with some even growing excessively.

Miracle Growth

Many weeks ago, I thought all my pepperoncini plants had gone the way of the 8-track. Still, I planted one in a sand bucket and kept watering it. I'm not sure why, but I guess I held out hope that one of them would be okay.

A few days ago, I noticed the sprout was standing a little taller, a little stronger. The next day, it looked even better. It's come back from the dead! In fact, it survived the weekend weather better than any other pepper.

Whether or not there is any harvest from the pepperoncini is another story. Growth-wise, it's far behind it's brothers and sisters, several inches shorter, and still with only two leaves. Still, it's pretty cool that I am a nurturer.

Catch Up or Ketchup?

Hopefully in the next few days I'll get some fresh pictures up here. There's been a lot of growth in the garden, and it's truly starting look like a jungle out there. I can't wait to show it off :)