Patches & Pockets

My sugarbabies!  These little cuties were delicious and very easy to grow.  One plant in a big bucket produced two melons and had it not been for Hurricane Irene, these may have grown a bit larger.  In any case, they were fragrant, crispy, juicy and sweet and perfect for the rooftop.  I would recommend watermelons as a first-time crop for any new gardeners and there are so many fun varieties to play with.

The heirloom Black Krim tomatoes were a success!  I chose this variety because unlike other heirlooms, they become red and ripe before becoming so large as to plunge to the ground below them.  Next time I will try more than one variety and I don’t think I will use the SIPs again.  The construction was time-consuming and expensive and despite the promise of less frequent watering, I still found myself hauling several buckets of water a day to the roof to keep the wick saturated.  After the wick became dried out I began to top water the SIP’s and the tomatoes have not showed a sign of distress for the difference. 

I learned that dark, leafy greens are extremely easy to grow.  The heirloom varieties of Five Color Silverbeet Swiss Chard, Red Russian Kale, and Dino/Tuscan Kale produced many delicious suppers, shown here lightly sauteed with garlic and served with creamy cheddar polenta.

The pride and joy of my garden.  I started dozens of these heirloom Rosa Biaca Eggplants from seed and only this one survived.  It looks absolutely lovely now and the vibrant purple flowers are giving way to spikey pods, which give way finally to shiny, plump, violet globes.  I threw in a photo of the baby plant for nostalgia.