This has been a very interesting week with the Tower Garden. Much new growth, new pests and new produce starting to grow. Here's what it looks like now, the growth has been phenomenal:
PRUNING: My main pruning tasks has been trimming the roots so they don't clog the pump. With the large zucchini, cucumber and watermelon leave at the bottom, the root growth has been tremendous. After a weekend away, I finally checked the water level after 5 days and it was down by half, the roots had taken over. The water had also raised above the recommended 85 degrees. First I trimmed all the roots to near the top of the water level. Second I added 10 gallons of dechlorinated water with the Tower Tonic fertilizer in it. Third I checked the pH, it was ok at 6 (ok range is 5.5-6.5). Fourth I rechecked the temperature and it was still high.
Fifth, I took the lid off over night so the water would evaporate and pull down the temperature from the rest of the water. It worked and dropped about 7-8 degrees overnight. The second time I did it, it was a cool night so the temperature dropped a lot more to 70 degrees.
PESTS: The plants have all looked healthy but I noticed droppings on the shelf and cage, a telltale sign of tomato caterpillars. Another sign is leaves with holes or completely chewed away. These pests grow almost as fast as the plants and are really nasty when they are big. Better to catch and dispose of them while small. Here's four I removed this morning. By wiping off the tower shelf everyday, it's easier to see new drippings and find and remove the culprits.
PRODUCE: All but my green bean and strawberry (a 2 year plant) have been producing flowers and starting to grow new crops. True to the claims of the manufacturer, the basil is obviously healthier and larger in the tower garden than in the ground. I transplanted a baby volunteer from the ground into the tower 3 weeks ago. The ground plants are spindly and keep putting out flowers that have to be removed. The Tower Garden basil is happy just putting out very large and healthy leaves.
New baby peppers are showing up and one is getting larger.
New tomatoes are emerging despite the heat (although we did have a couple of nights dip into the 60s). I've been able to pick and eat 4 healthy cherry tomatoes from one plant and others are quite full.
I was surprised to see how the cucumbers started to form full of little spikes and looking like stems with a flower on the end. The cucumber flowers are much smaller than the zucchini flowers below.
The zucchini has had the most growth with the biggest leaves and flowers about 5 inches across. I was surprised to see the baby zucchini appear, almost overnight with a flower growing on top of it. There are also other flowers above the produce that have stems and no produce on it.
I am harvesting peppermint and spearmint daily to add to my hot and iced tea. The smell is so refreshing and delightful. Parsley and chives have also been harvested as needed. Can't wait to make some pesto from that wonderful basil !!!
Last chance to Register for the Free Tower Garden Presentation:
Tower Garden Free Presentation. Learn how to grow fruits and vegetables in a small space with no dirt – it’s fun and easy! June 11 at Behren’s Ranch Amenity Center, 2503 Arbor Drive, Round Rock, TX 78681. 6:45 pm. Contact Karen Beard at karenlynnk2000@yahoo.com (512) 255-0075 to RSVP or for more information.
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