From down below, our balcony-farm looks like a green oasis amidst urban greys and browns. But friends, upstairs it's getting ugly; it's a jungle populated with questionable characters. Even the chipmunk has fled the scene.
The Delinquent:
A Marigold plant that buds but refuses to bloom...
(OK, it's true that I haven't given it much sun... there isn't room out there for everything to get sun. I probably need to scale back next year.
The Dearly Departed:
He died too soon that young pepper. The second of his kind to go. The really sad thing is, these little guys don't taste very good yet.
The Dregs:
Old soil in old containers from earlier crops of onions and lettuce... waiting to be recycled for more growing.
The Harassed:
For whatever reason, the cats LOVE to chew on bean leaves. Fortunately they have not done enough damage to prevent bean-growth... just enough to make it really ugly.
The Diseased:
Almost all the fruit on one of the tomato plants have this discolouration. "End-Blossom Rot"?? I'm not sure. Anyone know? How do I prevent it in the future?
The Tacky:
The "Topsy-Turvy" strawberry hanger has been a disappointment. The stems break when the fruit get too heavy. The berries are few and far between and not very tasty when they do appear (that could be the variety though). I didn't plant it full enough for it to look lush perhaps but that would have cost a lot, requiring 15 store-bought plants to fill it (my home-growns never really took off). And in less than one summer of use the actual container is bleached out and saggy-looking. It looks uncared for and tacky. So, big FAIL on this product, in my view.
The Casualties of Weather:
Some tomato branches didn't weather the storm.
The Weary:
Once promising pickles are shriveling on the vine. Maybe didn't get pollinated?
The Gone-to-Pot:
My cilantro didn't get very big before going to seed - but at least now I have Coriander!
The Tarnished-Reputations:
Not sure why some of the Chili Peppers are tarnished with brown. Hopefully they are just on their way to turning red... but I have my doubts.
The Deformed:
This little bean started to grown after the cats did a lot of damage - I think that's why it has failed to meet it's full potential as a bean.
The Refuge:
Despite all the problems, there remains one happy little corner of the garden; the Sweet Potato Vine, though unlikely to produce tubers (needs a longer season) is elegant and lovely to look at, the Chive-Gnome still makes me smile, the Aloe Vera stands on guard - waiting to heal any minor paper-cut or scratch, and the herbs are sturdy, green soldiers of flavour.
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