Pickled Cucumbers In July

It was time to pick the cucumbers. They were a good size and by the time I got around to making pickles there were a couple more ready to pick. I should get a few more batches before the end of the summer.

The little micro-dwarf tomatoes are growing well. These plants grow as if they want to stretch out but can't because of gravity or some magical force holding them back. The little vines twist and curl and stay close to the main stem of the plant. Hidden beneath the leaves in tight clusters are lots of little tomatoes. And as soon as they ripen I'll be able to tell which plant is which.

The Jalapeno peppers are starting to pop out too. I've got too many of these plants.

Survived the Storm

It actually wasn't much of a storm but for a few minutes the wind gusts were strong enough that I was convinced I was going to loose something. I quickly ran out and tied up some of the black cherry tomato vines which is something I should have done a while ago. There are two plants in this tub and it's starting to get a little wild. Several suckers have been left to grow too long. There are a few tomatoes in there too.

I have a few jalapeno pepper plants growing in this large container. Too much shade in this spot next to the outer wall of the balcony to grow peppers but I don't normally keep them here. Even in a sunnier spot on the floor of the balcony, it still won't be enough light. They will eventually produce peppers but not as vigorously as they could. I've thought about building stands to get my containers off the floor and high enough to receive direct sunlight for most of the day. But doing that would block the sunlight my taller trellised plants at the back of the balcony receive. The truth is I just don't have enough space.

The Cucumbers Are Coming

Eureka cucumbers have never let me down. My plants have been flowering like mad and now some of the first female flowers are fruiting. And without any help from me. The plants do appear to be struggling in the afternoon sun a little more than I'm used to seeing. Maybe over-watered. I tend to do that a lot early on in the season.

Micro Dwarf Tomatoes

I planted three kinds of micro dwarf tomato plants this year: Rosy Finch, Fat Frog and Laura #5. As usual, I planted too many and did not want to part with those I did not have space for. So I kept some in smaller containers inside under a growlight. And I followed my age old tradition of forgetting to label them so I will have no way of knowing which is which until they set fruit. So far the first plant to set fruit is this one that has been growing outside and I think it's a Rosy Finch.

The plants kept inside appear to be fine but they are growing much taller. I suspect they don't get enough light so I'll be moving them outside soon. They are also in much smaller containers and I might transplant them to something larger. The plant on the left in the image below has been outside for the past few weeks and it has grown much stockier than the one on the right that has been kept under the growlight. I'm pretty sure they are the same plant.

The plants I put out in my big planter are even more stocky. They don't appear to be growing as fast for some reason. Perhaps less nutrients or cooler soil temperatures. I'm not sure. But they look healthy so I'm not worried. The more compact the better. I don't want them to crowd out the jalapeno peppers that are growing in the same planter.

Progress on the Balcony

Everything is  doing well on the balcony so far. The cucumbers survived the transplant and some hot sunny weather and are starting to climb. I had to shade them for the first week but they're fine now, especially with the return to seasonal temperatures. The tomatoes look great, as always.

I was at a garden center a couple weeks ago and noticed a sale on potted raspberry and blueberry plants. But they also had a few of these "red lake" red currant bushes. So I found a nice one and brought it home. My expectations are low and I'm not expecting to harvest any currants this year, or next, or whenever. And if I did, I wouldn't know what to do with them. I just wanted a (cheap) bushy plant on the balcony. I potted it into a 5 gallon bucket and we'll see how it does.