The Rooftop Farm Season Finale

First off, let me apologize for the lack of posts this summer.  I have had an insane schedule at work and simply have had zero time to put anything up on the site.  That said, I was unable to document the progression of my first gardening attempt, which is something I deeply regret.  However, I did take pictures of my garden before moving apartments in September, so I did memorialize my garden’s bounty as of August 31, 2009.  As you can tell from the picture above, I should change my name to Orange Julius Peppers. 

 

The pepper crop this year was incredible.  I was able to harvest about 8 habanero peppers, 20 orange bell peppers, and at minimum 200 cayenne peppers.  I found peppers to be incredibly easy to grow.  As seedlings they were robust and less reactive to changes in environment than my other seedlings.  As adults they maintained this heartiness and never seemed to sag or wilt during stretches of low rainfall.  Most importantly, they were big time producers.  After I harvested my first cayenne pepper, my pepper plant community providing pickable delicacies each and every time I went up to the roof.  For you novice or prospective gardeners, I strongly recommend growing peppers.

Unfortunately, my tomato crop was about as successful as the movie It’s Pat.  I was able to harvest about 10 tomatoes a week, but I also had to throw out about 15 a week due to blossom rot issues.  If you’ve ever watched the show Man vs. Wild then you have surely heard Bear Grylls talk about a condition called “trench foot.”  I’m pretty sure blossom rot is the trench foot of the tomato kingdom. 

 

Blossom rot aside, my tomatoes were all very small.  I grew Brandywines, which are supposed to produce gigantic fruit.  However, my tomatoes were all somewhere between a golf ball and tennis ball.  They were extremely tasty and borderline jolly rancher sweet, but they were so small that a harvest of 10 tomatoes only provided enough tomato for a couple of salads.  I couldn’t produce enough tomatoes to make any sauces or compotes, which was disappointing since that was my goal from the very beginning.

Overall the gardening experience was incredibly rewarding.  I can’t even begin to explain the satisfaction that comes with producing your own food from seed.  In particular, when you pick your very first pepper or tomato and take a bite out of it, experiencing the true flavor of peppers and tomatoes for the very first time, you immediately change your view on what food could and should be.  The pride, happiness, and deliciousness of my crop have turned me into a gardener for life.  I suggest you go out, buy some seeds and a trowel, and give it a shot.  The worst thing that can happen is that your crops die, in which case you can at the very least say that you spent some quality time outdoors.