Green, Green, Green

An overview on six months cultivation on our 20sq m terrace

The radishes, now in small window boxes are much bigger ad more lush-looking than any we ever managed in the baked earth at our previous mountain residence. Whether that means they are putting all their energy into leaf and not into the edible root, its too soon to say.

The chillis and peppers haven’t taken off the way I’m used to. Did I plant them too soon? Its much colder here…or did they just like the mountain better?

The carrots - despite my optimistic companion planting of onions - have got the fly. Well, some sort of fly anyway and at least one bunch have died…but that’s the nature of enclosed spaces. Plagues are hard to get rid of. On a wild mountains stuff just blows away (our plastic swimming pool, for example, and our compost bin) and there is generally enough eco-balance to keep most diseases at bay.

The tomatoes are starting to come on but then I’ve been growing them in pots and boxes for several years now given that on the mountain they just withered away anywhere but in deep shade. This is the first year I haven’t started them in small containers and then transplanted them. I just stuck them in the big pots and they are doing fine.

Right now there are potatoes, calendula and a large, transplanted-from-the-mountainside lavender, side by side in a big square crate. Up until last week a couple of bulbs were flowering in there too.

The beans and the peas are coming on, again in large pots. I don’t think we’ll get more than a meal out of them but then we didn’t do too well out of them up yonder either, largely because of the black fly I think. None of that here. I grew them more for the flowers than anything this year but I will have a serious attempt with them in our new garden.

The lettuces look like they can’t make up their minds. I put them in a bit late and its already too hot for them but I’m keeping them well shaded and so far the are still growing. The mustard patch is really gathering speed now - again in a window box - and we have a huge mountain thyme in a pot next to our favourite aloe vera.

The banana has come back to life after its rather frightening winter but the bourganvilla looks like its gone for good.

P has four avocadoes in pots and an olive and a fig and a pine. The latter three will go in the new garden, the former will have to stay in pots in the to-be-built glass porch. No sub-tropical climes here…

All our usual succulents are doing well and the jasmine is returning to its former glory (i.e. from when we got it in the garden centre). I’ve recently planted some coriander, basil and rocket but only the basil is through so far. I have no hope for the rocket since I’ve never got it to sprout yet but a girl can’t give up can she?