LOL!!! Somebody wants to do a Little Venting! Tell me, Oldies, has that ever happened around here before??? :-) Heck! When I have something I'm "unhappy" with, I don't vent, I RANT! As long as you keep it "clean," venting is most definitely allowed around here--and the "preview" will soon let you know if its unhappy with any of your Ponderings!

Is there any chance you might like to let us know what happened so we could possibly give you some tips to try to keep it from happening again in the future? This has probably come up before but I don't remember! How much direct sun do you have on your balcony?

And always remember----that one biggest gardening necessity in The Rockies! A sense of humor! And what dies today can always be tried again tomorrow, or next week, or next year!

Yes, container gardening on a balcony is definitely harder than in the ground, but it sounds like you still have multiple "other thriving plants," so it sounds to me like you've been a success at it!

Keep smiling! It's good for the plants--and YOU!

Skybird

GarnerGarden it gets better, just not perfect.

I've planted my Morning 3 years ago (failed), skipped last year and then tried again this year. I was so happy to see 3 little seedlings popping out of the ground (I planted about 20 seeds) only for the very next day to disappear. I looked and looked for another but alas nothing.

I'd think it was the location but one year it did wonderfully and all the neighbors would comment.

As Skybird said it "can always be tried again".

Thanks Skybird, I needed that lol. And I will be sure to filter my future ponderings, certainly :)

Okay, so the currents issues are as follows...
I seem to have a very hard time hardening off lettuce seedlings especially. Lettuce is supposed to be this super easy crop, from all I read. Yet, every time I seem to take it outside to try and acclimate them....hell breaks loose. The same can be said for any and all cilantro I have tried to start and harden off. They are fine if I leave them out n the shaded afternoon and even at night...but they can not handle that morning sun.

My other seedlings are doing pretty well adjusting to the hardening off process. It's just that pesky lettuce and cilantro. Not to mention every time I attempt to start a batch of flowers from seed, I get a few straggly volunteers and never close to the amount I plant. Then the flower seedlings that do sprout just sort of sit there and act like they aren't wanting to do anything.

As for the sun, we face due east and get all of the morning sun. The afternoon sun is mostly in direct or dappled. We don't get heavy shade much at all. Mostly it seems we are shaded from that intense, plant wilting afternoon sun. The nice this is I do have a few tomatoes growing on my sweet 100 already, so there is enough sun for that.

The other frustration I'm having is that I built this neat vertical planter out of some cedar I had.... but the top level where I transplanted an eggplant and a squash gets direct sun all day. That sounds like a good thing, but not for the transplants, they are super sad. Not sure how to shade them either due to the way the thing is set up.
It also may have been a mistake to make since it's hard to keep the soil moist.

The good news is I do have a broccoli thriving on the same balcony where several tomatoes and peppers are also rocking it. I guess at least I'm not doing everything wrong or nothing would still be alive at this point lol.

Tomatoes on sweet 100

The herb garden

I grow in pots because of cats and perennial vegitables that I don't want growing in a permanent locations. When gardening I go by these words, "If you fail, learn from the mistakes and keep it moving. If all still fails, it wasn't meant to be" I had gourds that grew fine last year. I started seeds early spring only to have them eaten within a week. No clue on what it was so I started more seeds.. The second time I found that potato bugs/woodlice were eating them. Got rid of the potato bugs by flooding the pot but I had low germination on the third try. I'm on my fourth try and i finally have my gourds going... I had the same problems with those bugs with my lima bean starts too. I'm growing moth beans this year but everything is eating them. If I get surviving genetics (beans) this year I may contnue trying to grow them next year but if not, I'm done with them...

OK, here's some info methinks you may not like! There shouldn't be ANYTHING you're still carrying in and out at nite--and shouldn't have been for probably close to a month by now. You're doing the Beginner Hover!

Lettuce! I think most people will agree that it's too late for that for this year! It should have been planted OUTSIDE in--maybe March--and never brought in! Check the link below for the soil temps different veggies prefer for germination. Lettuce can germinate at 32 degrees, but it takes a long time! Will germinate very well at 41, and will only take a couple weeks to do it. If it had been started outside and left there you wouldn't be having a problem with it. And to try to get anything going at this point is just plain too late. Lettuce likes COLD, and with as warm as it's getting now it will probably bolt immediately if you even succeeded in getting it growing. Next year!

Don't stone me, but I think the scent of cilantro is disgusting (pretty much equal with rosemary!), but I did try to grow it a couple years for the coriander seeds! It's a "cold" plant too, and should have been started outside and left there, maybe not quite as early as lettuce. I don't remember exactly when I started mine or put it out in the ground, but, like virtually all the lettuce I've ever tried to grow, it BOLTED almost immediately, which one would think was a good thing since it was the seeds I wanted, but it bolted SO fast that only tiny seeds developed--and that was it! Stick it in a bigger pot and leave it out if you want to keep trying it, buy I'd be pretty surprised if you got anything usable. Next year!

The "flower seeds," without further info, sound like they're staying too wet to me. Are you starting them in SMALL pots so they can dry out adequately between waterings? And what kinds of "flowers" are they. CatNoHat had trouble keeping my zinnias going while I was on my trip, but, truth be told, I have trouble growing them when they're in pots too! So if that's one of them, I'd nix that and try something else. Have you tried marigolds? They're not too finicky!

It sounds like your sun is pretty good for most things. Veggies would benefit from a little more, but you can't change that so just go with it and see how things work out!

The eggplant! Do you know that eggplant get BIG?

The thing on the left in front of the tomatoes is an eggplant! It's at least three feet tall--and big around too! You're going to need a pot at least as big as the tomatoes are in for that. WAtering will also be easier in a bigger pot, and, I don't know which way, but water is most likely the problem you're having with yours now. Some things, even tomatoes and eggplants, can wilt somewhat when they get "hot" too, so just because you see a little bit of wilt, don't assume it's not wet enough. If the soil seems wet enough, wait till it's/they're in the shade and see if they perk up again. Probably wet enough for just then if they do! They don't want shade. As a matter of fact, eggplant is something you may possibly not have enough sun for--but certainly no harm in trying!

Peppers love heat, and sun. You might see a bit of wilting at times, but no fear. Keep them fairly wet, but don't keep them totally saturated all the time.

Almost forgot this! Broccoli! Really amazed yours is doing well! Loves cold--check out cabbage/cauliflower in the chart. Start inside because it takes a while to produce--and will bolt in heat--so don't be real surprised if yours starts to if our temps stay this warm. (Next year) as soon as possible harden it off and put/leave it outside. I've never had any luck with cole crops! MANY years ago I tried both broccoli and cauliflower a couple years, they both bolted as soon as it got warm, and BOTH were heavily covered with aphids by the time they started to bolt! I know when to quit--and that was it!

THE GOOD NEWS IS! You have a lot of stuff out there, girl! You are definitely doing something--many things--right!!! Don't be discouraged by the few things that aren't making it! I still can hardly believe what all you're growing out there! And it all looks really good in the pics too!

One possible problem I see is a "fiber" hanging basket in the far corner. Anything that porous (If that's what it is) is going to be extremely hard to keep watered when the heat ramps up for real. Could conceivably need to be soaked two (or three) times a day depending on what's in it and how big the plants are. Go with it this year to see how it works, but I'd be inclined to recommend plastic (or metal) for everything next year. Even clay/terra cotta looses a lot of moisture thru the clay by evaporation. Humidity today was around 10%, and that really slurps up the moisture!

For a newbie you're doing GREAT! Keep up the good work!

Skybird

P.S. Mav72, welcome to RMG!.

P.P.S. I don't have time to proof all that, so deal with the typos--and hopefully it's coherent!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Veggie germination temps

I grow in pots because of cats and perennial vegitables that I don't want growing in a permanent locations. When gardening I go by these words, "If you fail, learn from the mistakes and keep it moving. If all still fails, it wasn't meant to be" I had gourds that grew fine last year. I started seeds early spring only to have them eaten within a week. No clue on what it was so I started more seeds.. The second time I found that potato bugs/woodlice were eating them. Got rid of the potato bugs by flooding the pot but I had low germination on the third try. I'm on my fourth try and i finally have my gourds going... I had the same problems with those bugs with my lima bean starts too. I'm growing moth beans this year but everything is eating them. If I get surviving genetics (beans) this year I may contnue trying to grow them next year but if not, I'm done with them...

Thanks for the encouragement guys... at least I'm not the only one getting knocked around a bit. I honestly think I'm too much of a perfectionist when it comes to the things I do. There just is no perfection in gardening.... you can do all the things right and then, BAM, mother nature takes a bite out of it! Challenge excepted!

Skybird, WOW! That post was chock full of good information that, for the most part, I was not yet aware of. I appreciate that. No stones shall be tossed in your direction from my hands. I, however, cannot speak for the other animals lol! No, but seriously, that was helpful. Not only information wise, but your kind words of encouragement renewed my sense of rightness in what I am doing (attempting to grow food in whatever small space I'm allowed).

It all makes sense with the lettuces and cilantro... and it's great to know it's not just that it hates me lol. As for that broccoli... I'm pretty pleased with what it's been up to lately. I think the only reason it's holding up so well is I have it pushed into the corner which gets the least sun. It really only gets the bright, early sun, then has shade the rest of the time. There are also a few lettuces that Greg from the forum sent me off with which are hanging in there. They are asking for shade now since I had to take out the bolting spinach that was in front of them in the same container, shading them.

Oh, and about that hanging basket... we made the mistake of trying to grow a bulb flower in it a few months ago, but nothing came of it... surprise surprise! They only thing that has happened in there is two over the numerous viola seeds I planted in there are up and at em. I'm going to replant it with some flowers I just got, pre-sprouted, and hope for hte best. I think I will just have to water them a whole lot, but the good thing is with the afternoon shade they don't dry out as fast as they would otherwise. They do still dry quickly, but I think it will be doable for flowers with diligence and mulch. I do have a strawberry hanging basket that is made of plastic and they get very upset when I don't water them every other day.

Oh, and the eggplant in that vertical thing I thought was of a smaller variety. It's fairytale eggplant and the pics I found online seem smaller than other varieties, but I could be totally wrong. May end up moving it to another container.

For fun, I'm posting the really neat Tumbling Tiger tomato plant I got a few weeks ago. The thing is tiny and already bustling with tomatoes! Amazing! Thanks again everyone and hope we all have good luck in our gardens.

I know you said it's too late to start anything else, but is it too late to bring home some squash plants that are already sprouted? Or will they still not have time to grow up before it gets too cold?

I think you would be fine with a summer squash, GG, because they are much quicker to fruit. Winter squash is out of the picture.

Remember, you are new to the challenges of CO gardening and you are doing it on a balcony. You are doing very well. Sure, there are disappointments. Every one of us has a few of those in our gardens, but you are doing very well!

Start some lettuce and spinach outside in mid-August and you'll be rocking in no time. You could also start some cabbage to put out the first week of August. Chinese cabbage goes bonkers in my garden that way.

Vent away! We understand and we will continue to encourage you to keep going! :)

Awesome! Thanks, Jailranchr! I will be sure to try for some fall crops at that time. I would say they should do well longer than if they weren't protected on my balcony. It may extend the growing period I can have in fall....I'm hoping!

And that broccoli I was bragging about earlier.... I had to harvest the little head today, because it was acting like it wanted to flower. I may leave it a few more days and see it it will do anything on the side shoots, but it's days are certainly numbered. Looking forward to growing some in the fall though.

I do have a couple chinese cabbages I'm considering pulling up and restarting in the fall. They look pretty healthy though, albeit small, so I may give it a few more days before I decide. It may also be a goner at this point, but I'm not sure.

Take care everyone!

Forecast today has a freeze-snow warning for higher elevations, and here, a low of 37F on Wednesday night.

~sigh~