Kelly's 2016 Apartment Patio Garden - Page 7

TexasTycoon · March 15, 2016

Ordered a pH test kit which should be here Thursday, and I looked up optimum pH for all our plants.

I also noticed yesterday evening that one of the hollyhock transplants started developing a thicker fuzzy stem over the course of the day, so I think they're happy. Most of them looked perky, with maybe one or two wilting. The sage is adjusting to it's new leg room still. Everything is looking pretty good right now, with the exception of the sage and the tomato, and even they don't look bad just mildly stressed.

The bell pepper has a bud forming on it, which makes me nervous because that was the stage last year's bell pepper got to before we had a massive aphid infestation that killed it, the jalapeno (which grew back and is now thriving) and several of my flowers, so I'm being even more diligent to check under leaves and take pictures on my phone with the flash on to make them easier to spot. Really hoping for little to no aphid activity this year, I hate those guys.

TexasTycoon · March 15, 2016

We have bean sprouts!

Worth1 · March 15, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasTycoon

We have bean sprouts!

Pole beans?
They look nice.

Mine have started to put out the second stem or shoot.

TexasTycoon · March 15, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

Pole beans?
They look nice.

Mine have started to put out the second stem or shoot.

Yep, Kentucky Wonder! Planted 3/6!

I'm hoping a couple more on the left side of the box sprout so it's not lopsided. We were gonna string wire from the box to the ceiling of the patio for them to grow on, but we can't screw or nail anything so we're just gonna put a regular trellis in the center of the box and anchor it with string to the sides of the box for stability.

TexasTycoon · March 16, 2016

When I peeked at them this morning, they were already poking the tips of their leaves over the top of the flowerbox! I'd have taken a picture, but it's dark when I leave for work in the morning. I'm so excited about these dang beans.

TexasTycoon · March 16, 2016

I had my husband send me a picture of the beans once the sun came out. It's hard to believe there was nothing poking out of the potting mix until yesterday afternoon!

TexasTycoon · March 16, 2016

Bean sprouts are growing like weeds!!!

MissS · March 16, 2016

Kelly, check your little Satsuma tree for spider mites. My indoor plants that look like that always seem to have them. I spray mine with flea & tick shampoo for dogs every other day for 3-4 treatments and then they are fine.

MissionGardens · March 16, 2016

Looking great, awesome use of the patio space!

TexasTycoon · March 16, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissS

Kelly, check your little Satsuma tree for spider mites. My indoor plants that look like that always seem to have them. I spray mine with flea & tick shampoo for dogs every other day for 3-4 treatments and then they are fine.

Not a bug to be seen, I've dealt with spider mites many times. I think it's just the fact that it's a big box plant paired with inconsistent watering and fertilization. Mom will pit it in the ground this weekend and it'll probably have a whole new lease on life.

TexasTycoon · March 16, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissionGardens

Looking great, awesome use of the patio space!

Thank you!

TexasTycoon · March 17, 2016

The teeny little winter jalapeno from post #34 turned red so I went ahead and clipped him off the plant. Hoping the spring harvest will be much bigger and fatter than the teeny finger-wide jalapenos I harvested and pickled in December!

TexasTycoon · March 18, 2016

Beans this morning, I know I need to thin them soon since I planted two per hole. I wish we'd grown these last year, I feel like we'd have been a lot more confident as gardeners! Excellent beginner plant.

I saw seedlings of Kentucky Wonder beans for sale at HEB the other day and laughed. I would never purchase a seedling for these knowing how easy they are to grow from seed, a child could do it (and they do, I remember sprouting lima beans in elementary school)!

TexasTycoon · March 19, 2016

We tested the pH today and for the tomato it's at 7.5 so it looks like some of the lime is flushing out like I thought it would. I didn't need a pH test to tell me that, though, the plant has perked up significantly in the past week.

We'll be getting a trellis for the beans tomorrow and thinning the plants out a little (I planted 2 seeds per hole and both have sprouted in most holes). Two holes still haven't sprouted at all but I don't think they get as much morning sun as the others. The holes are on the left side of the box near the wall and our patio faces south, so that part of the box is shaded until the sun is more overhead. I still think we'll have beans coming out of our ears, though, and the box is probably going to be moved once we get a trellis anyway. I thought it would be nice to have the beans provide a little bit of privacy for the patio, but they'll end up blocking too much sun from other plants so that's a no-go.

Everything else is doing great!

TexasTycoon · March 20, 2016

Check out this cute little baby ladybug I spotted on our strawberry plant this evening.

March 15, 2016	#91
TexasTycoon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Round Rock, TX, Zone 8b Posts: 1,157	Ordered a pH test kit which should be here Thursday, and I looked up optimum pH for all our plants. I also noticed yesterday evening that one of the hollyhock transplants started developing a thicker fuzzy stem over the course of the day, so I think they're happy. Most of them looked perky, with maybe one or two wilting. The sage is adjusting to it's new leg room still. Everything is looking pretty good right now, with the exception of the sage and the tomato, and even they don't look bad just mildly stressed. The bell pepper has a bud forming on it, which makes me nervous because that was the stage last year's bell pepper got to before we had a massive aphid infestation that killed it, the jalapeno (which grew back and is now thriving) and several of my flowers, so I'm being even more diligent to check under leaves and take pictures on my phone with the flash on to make them easier to spot. Really hoping for little to no aphid activity this year, I hate those guys. __________________ -Kelly "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." - Audrey Hepburn Bloom where you are planted.

March 16, 2016	#95
TexasTycoon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Round Rock, TX, Zone 8b Posts: 1,157	When I peeked at them this morning, they were already poking the tips of their leaves over the top of the flowerbox! I'd have taken a picture, but it's dark when I leave for work in the morning. I'm so excited about these dang beans. __________________ -Kelly "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." - Audrey Hepburn Bloom where you are planted.

March 16, 2016	#98
MissS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 3,146	Kelly, check your little Satsuma tree for spider mites. My indoor plants that look like that always seem to have them. I spray mine with flea & tick shampoo for dogs every other day for 3-4 treatments and then they are fine. __________________ ~ Patti ~

March 17, 2016	#102
TexasTycoon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Round Rock, TX, Zone 8b Posts: 1,157	The teeny little winter jalapeno from post #34 turned red so I went ahead and clipped him off the plant. Hoping the spring harvest will be much bigger and fatter than the teeny finger-wide jalapenos I harvested and pickled in December! __________________ -Kelly "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." - Audrey Hepburn Bloom where you are planted.

March 19, 2016	#104
TexasTycoon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Round Rock, TX, Zone 8b Posts: 1,157	We tested the pH today and for the tomato it's at 7.5 so it looks like some of the lime is flushing out like I thought it would. I didn't need a pH test to tell me that, though, the plant has perked up significantly in the past week. We'll be getting a trellis for the beans tomorrow and thinning the plants out a little (I planted 2 seeds per hole and both have sprouted in most holes). Two holes still haven't sprouted at all but I don't think they get as much morning sun as the others. The holes are on the left side of the box near the wall and our patio faces south, so that part of the box is shaded until the sun is more overhead. I still think we'll have beans coming out of our ears, though, and the box is probably going to be moved once we get a trellis anyway. I thought it would be nice to have the beans provide a little bit of privacy for the patio, but they'll end up blocking too much sun from other plants so that's a no-go. Everything else is doing great! __________________ -Kelly "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." - Audrey Hepburn Bloom where you are planted.

March 16, 2016	#99
MissionGardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Chandler, AZ Posts: 83	Looking great, awesome use of the patio space!