The Bad
* Not even totally awesome balcony sitter could stand up to the searing heat and strong winds that ravaged the balcony garden (and all of Melbourne) while I was away. Despite her best water-saving methods she could not defeat the destructive power elements. The heat dried out the leaves, burnt the flowers but worse still was the wind. Not only did it also cause considerable burning, (evidenced very clearly in the above photo) it broke stakes and sent tomatoes tumbling to the ground.
* The other tomato evils snuck up while I was away, powdery mildew caused massive defoliation, which in turn led to sunburn on the fruit. Spots too have taken hold, and alas unlike on teenagers, these spots will never go away.
but never fear, when it seems all is lost there is always hope ...
AND ingenuity!
The Good
So after a trip to the nursery for sturdier stakes and with gardening equipment in hand I set to work fixing up the balcony. You can see the difference in the before and after shots, it seems a little more bare as the hanging plants and tomatoes have been moved to shadier ground.
Why is this in the good category you ask?!?
* Firstly I managed to find a good use for all the leftover yellow rope cluttering my fourth drawer
* Secondly, it gave me an excuse to clear up some of the clutter, some of which was turfed but some of which will be turned into culinary delights (basil pesto here we come). This cleanup also meant I could dive into the seed drawer (golden beetroot yum yum yum)/buy some hardier seedlings. Nothing like a good garden makeover.
* Thirdly, and most importantly, just look at all the spoils!!!
On balance, despite the hostile winds and searing heat, it seems all will be well in the balcony garden.
6 comments:
Welcome back Balcony Gardener. Good to hear it wasn't too bad - and plants, with a bit of TLC, can recover quite quickly. You must be pleased to be back among your own pots - is it worse in Adelaide, with their tougher water restrictions?
I love your balcony garden within a balcony garden. :)
But, oh your poor babies. You're taking it very well. I'm glad to see you were able to salvage so much. And I'm also jealous of your tomatoes... there's so many months to go before I get to pick any.
Ooh, bummer about the heat and wind! BTDT. I'm impressed that you have such a good attitude about the damage. You're a better woman than I.
well, fungus are quite common plague (but destructive) with tomato culture. but with good ventilation+cutting infected parts and then applying some chemicals I think it's possible to deal with it. i also have a major problem (and that's why i only have cherrys-fast growing tomatos) which I didn't find a way to deal yiet: white flies! i tried everything but it seems that only cold weather slows them down...
but yours even so looks gorgeous ;P
Sorry to hear about the horrible weather. You have a wonder balcony garden! I love to read the blogs of other balcony gardeners even though I won't be one for very long. Best of luck on your plants recovering, you did a good job fixing them up
Hi all and thanks for all the well wishes. It seems that was only the beginning - we have 3 days above 40 celcius this week. Oh the challenges ahead ...
And yep Itinerant Gardener, it is worse in Adelaide. Tighter restrictions, and less rain mean scarily brown gardens.
Post a Comment