Green Thumb - Ep.3

Since the last update about four weeks have passed. The plants have grown quite well, with the coming of more frequent rain showers adding much more nutrients to the soil than what we get from the spout a la Harford County Water & Sewer. The tomatoes have shown up in bunches and we had the fortune of picking the first two larger maters' you saw in the  previous post, perfectly vine ripened and delicious (see week 8 below). Beth ended up slipping me some home grown (initially) without my knowledge, via a salad, a couple days later. If we had more potted area to do so, I would've liked to have a couple more plants to up the bounty. We're in August now and the plants have both hit their stride; there is now a tomato count of about 10 on each plant, the second much larger plant finally catching up in the production department. The basil is doing good as well, sending out bunched extended spears of new leaves, but now leaning in different sections mainly due to heavy winds and rain. We've had some pretty quick yet hard storms, but thankfully the stems of this plant are resilient and flexible, so nothing has been lost. On the occasions that I had the time to inspect the basil plant in detail, I've found that many different insects have made it home and/or a place to acquire food.

Here is the latest break down of progress:

Week 7:

Week 8:

Week 9:

In the second to last shot from week 9 you can see how much the larger of our two tomato plants has perched itself on top of our decks railing in a few places; these spots are literally load-bearing as the tomatoes beneath them have gotten heavy. Beth tied the left most branch to the railing to help support it through wind gusts. Two delicious tomatoes have been harvested at this point, about 20 are around the corner with a few more showing up every week. It's been a successful outing thus far. I wonder how the radishes are doing...

Green Thumb - Ep.2

Progress! Well to be specific, the next week or so after the last update went on without much of a hitch...well a branch was snapped off the fruit bearing tomato plant by a freak hailstorm, but fortunately not much damage resulted.

All of the plants have enjoyed steady growth, like a conservative but solid investment portfolio. Preparing to be gone 8 days for vacation a couple weeks ago and unsure of what weather would take place, we picked up a few more water globes to ensure proper hydration. Word on the street was that it rained/thunderstormed a couple times here in Maryland...and by some reports there was even an earthquake. Not sure which helped more, but the tomato and basil plants took off like rockets. The tomato count now is 5, all on one plant. The once flailing tomato plant is taller than ever, taller than the edge of the deck actually, but only has 4 flowers or so.

Here's the visual breakdown...
Week 2:

Week 3:

Week 5:

Good times.

Green Thumb - Ep.1

Last year Beth took a stab at growing odd vegetables in pots on our deck, so we could make less nickle and dime grocery store trips for things like peppers and tomatoes. She started pretty late in the season last year so in September we ended up with a bell pepper the size of a big toe and maybe two regular sized tomatoes that only grew to the size of a Cadbury Egg. The saving grace was our two cherry tomato plants that grew quickly but due to the number of plants only yielded a handful of 'berries' a week. This year we're trying again, starting earlier (last month) and adding some additional herbs to the mix. Rosemary plants are pretty robust and did well in the pot last year, so we're going at it again using a plant from my parents collection (which will come up again in later episode), including some radish plants they donated as well.

Unfortunately half of the small plants from this years effort struggled with the transition to the new plant pots and soil. A failed experience with a Topsy Turvey (as seen on TV) put into the mix and she was batting 400. One of the tomato plants that never faltered is growing well and should be showing small fruit a couple of weeks or so. 

It appeared we had the same droopy branch & root rot problem with a hearty tomato plant that she got from my parents to replace one of the failed originals, as it was watered sufficiently but wilted in the sun. Recalling some old info my mom told me long ago I think I figured out the problem though; not enough oxygen getting to the roots. I added some holes to the potting soil with the sticks we use for vine guides and monitored the moisture levels with a watering globe...even did the soil aeration for the plants that were doing well. Now, after a week or so of the new setup, all of our plants are on the rise at a very noticeable rate.

Adding another small vegetable or two to the basil pot may be down the line, but getting what's currently growing a little further along is the current job.