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?