First, the bad news

The transplanted eggplant isn't exactly flourishing.

Two days in.

It's not totally dead either, but I'm not sure what I can do for it. If anything the pot it's in has too much water, so I'll just wait and see some more, again.

Then there's the figs, which haven't grown at all since the first couple of weeks they came in.

I wasn't expecting them to get huge, it is a tiny plant in a tiny pot after all, but I worry they don't get enough water/nutrients/whatevs and I'll be looking at tiny green figs in October, wondering where it all went so wrong.

Finally the cucumber that had one end cutely supported by the plant is growing all funny, even though I clipped it free the day after I took the picture, just to avoid this scenario.

It's not a huge tragedy or anything, but these variable thickness cucumbers I seem so adept at growing are harder to pack into jars for pickling. Maybe I'll just end up with a lot of slices for sandwiches.

The good news is I can console myself with at least a few berries or cherry tomatoes every day.

This morning, from the front garden.

Friday, from the back garden.

Thursday, from the front garden.

And my first eggplant is almost big enough to harvest, any day now...

Front garden update

An overview looking up the steps.

On the steps are strawberries, dill, basil, lemon basil, rue, and some bedraggled marigolds.

Down at the bottom, there are definitely figs happening!

And definitely ground cherries happening.

There's even a little nasturtium flower peeking out under the ground cherry. I'm not sure why this nasturtium is so tragic looking, I figured if it were lacking in sun it'd start inching out over the pot edge but perhaps this is a different type than I've grown before? Anyway so far it's just sat under, growing straight up at a sad rate, while its siblings in my window box have been flowering for the past couple of weeks.

Last weekend I split my rue plant into two pots, one of them is down by the cherries and both are doing well.

Rue.

More tomatoes are ripening, though the Isis don't seem to set nearly as many fruit as the Sun Gold out back. There are also Isis in the back but they've been slower to bloom than the front ones. I suppose in a few weeks or a month I'll know if the sometimes lack of water out front or the size of the container have held these guys back, since by then the back garden plants should have caught up.

Isis Candy Shop cherry tomatoes.

There's also a few eggplant flowers, and I planted some edamame in the pot that used to hold the peas, so I guess those'll be ready in... Octoberish?

Eggplant flowers, a little blurry. The eggplant is the the same pot as the cucumber and seems to be holding its own for now.

Just sprouted edamame, next to the tomatoes.

There's actually edamame that looks ready to harvest in the back, along with a few Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, but the mosquitoes back there make it kind of unfun to visit these days.

The fig situation

This is the parent of the fig tree I have in a container on the front steps.

It's been cut down to ground level at least twice in the past two years but always comes back.

June 7th, almost a month ago.

I don't know what the landlord has against it, as it seems like the only useful tree back there, but then the casual observer might find my intense hatred of the mulberry trees back there irrational as well. After all they're only lovely, oxygen-making trees, right? And mulberries are useful too! (What you don't understand is that's what they want you to think.)

As you see, cutting it down just gets you tons of little tree starts, right now spread out in a little fig wall. Last year this was two main trunks that did sort of block the pathway, but nothing like this. If I do get some fruit this year maybe I can identify the type and become a fig tree farmer. Selling little trees for $5 a pop, there's gotta be at least $50 right here...

Early this morning

The cucumber doing what it does best, trying to take over the world.

These might be the start of some figs?!

Front garden introduction

I say garden, but it's actually just the front steps with some containers. If it were feasible this is where I'd grow almost everything, as it's south-facing and gets a lot of sunlight, unlike the back yard. As it is I'm planning to have some cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplant here, as well as herbs since it's much easier to get to then the beds in back.

Right now there's a lot of little plants that will be set out back, but the large pot at the bottom has some cosmos and poppies planted and will stay put. Then going up there's the fig tree, some dill seedlings, strawberries, rue, more seedlings, and parsley that I've actually had growing in the window since January.

Close up of strawberries and the rue.

The rue is also an indoor window plant, which I picked up last year at the Union Square farmer's market. I've never grown it before and don't cook with it but I love the leaves and the weird scent. According to the internets dried rue is good for repelling insects, so maybe I'll harvest some for that. I'd actually like to get seeds and grow some more since a couple of the plants out back were the only non-shrubs to survive winter (plus the dog and other wildlife), but I suspect they'll need to be mail ordered since it's not very popular.

Closer to the top are scallions, dwarf sugar snap peas, and lettuce with a couple of baby herbs (rosemary and sage).

I've got a couple of 16" pots to bring out front, whenever I get it together to pick up some potting soil to fill them, and plans for two planters. We'll see how much actually gets done.

Hardening off

The sugar snap peas are finally growing, after nearly a month of not doing much. The ones in the back still aren't up to much though.

And it's almost time to plant out the tomatoes! Below from left to right, the fig tree which has been moved outside and finally sporting some fresh growth; tomatoes in the green bin; thyme, rosemary, and another tomato in front of the bin; and some marigolds and another rosemary plant.

Of course it's hard to take hardening off that seriously when it's been so warm that one of the spinach plants bolted already.

Front left plant, sporting a flowering stem.