From the balcony garden: first sungold

The balcony garden produced the first tomatoes of the year: sungold tomatoes.

First Sungold on my balcony

Growing tomatoes on a balcony in a pot is a challenge, especially if the conditions are suboptimal. Total direct sun for my balcony is around 4-5 hours per day. Hence, with these limitations, it would only be cherry tomatoes, and I've chosen Sungold, my favorite. The first ones ripening are presented below. I have them in a 15 gallon container.

Parsley, Oregano, Cilantro and Thyme

I gathered a bouquet of fresh herbs from my garden for Thanksgiving. To keep them fresh, I place them in a glass of water in the fridge. I grew the parsley, cilantro and thyme from seed.

Sage grows on the balcony.

2012 Tomato Post-morten

Pineapple Tomato

Momotaro Tomato

The tomato plants have been pulled up and composted, to come back next year as soil.

To recap, this year, in my limited space, I grew several Black Krim, several Momotaro, several Pineapple and two Sungold cherry tomato, one in the garden and one on the balcony.

Overall, it was a very good tomato year in that we did not get the usual coastal fog in the summer, not a even a hint. This means, tomatoes, plant and fruits, were happy.

The SunGold on the balcony was a bust, however. It only gets a few hours of sun every day, at the most four hours a day, not enough to produce a health plant. I did get some cherry tomatoes but not enough to warrant the space, as I had it in a 15 gallon pot. I'm not doing this again for 2013.

For next year, I would have fewer Pineapple, perhaps just one plant rather than three. They produce very large fruits that are 'okay' in flavor and not great. I would prefer to use my limited space for another beefsteak, maybe a Sudduth's Brandywine, if the weather holds true to 2012. Also on my wishlist would be a Paul Robeson. So I would keep one plant but add a Sudduth's Brandywine and a Paul Robeson for next year.

The Black Krim were fantastic. They started early and ended late. It stays for next year. The SunGold is always a monster overachiever. It stays for next year. Momotaro is a faithful heavy producer of gorgeous sweet tomatoes. This also is a 'go' for next year. The only negative, and this goes for the SunGold as well, is that it is a hybrid. That means, I don't save seeds as the next generation is unstable.

I'll start seeds in February and March 2013.

Tomato update

Let's see. I have green Momotaro.

These Momotaros grew in a bunch.

I have green Sungold.

I have green Black Krim.

I finally have Pineapple tomato blooms. These are blooming later than all others. Very photogenic, I might add.

I spied a small Pineapple tomato. The first!

Lastly, the Sungold on the balcony in a pot seem to be ripening already. We have had a few, and they are delicious.

First tomato of 2012

The SunGold cherry tomato, planted 1/24/2012. I'm going to grow this one on the balcony, the first time I have done so. Our balcony gets approximately 3-4 hours sun max, which is pushing the boudaries for tomatoes. But in the spirit of adventure, I will give it a go. I'll be successively transplanting this into larger containers until I reach a 15 gallon size. Right now, I think it is in a 1 gallon pot.

Four leaf clovers in my garden

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

I know this is not the greatest photo but if you look carefully, these are truly four leaved plants. Colloquially called water clover, I've found they adore water and shade. This week, they are growing in a pot in my community plot but I'm considering bringing them back to balcony living since it's getting a bit warm and sunny. I wasn't sure what they were until I spied some at the United States Botanical Garden near the Smithsonian in DC, a fascinating place to visit, btw. The ones at the US Botanical Garden hailed from Australia, ironically enough, as wikipedia indicated there are a few species native to North America. Here's more on what wikipedia says about this family. I was surprised to find they are actually ferns, which is why I have been waiting in vain for flowers in order to ID them. Note, I don't know which ones I have.
Family: Marsileaceae, Marsilea sp. probably