Cucumbers — spoke too soon

I rejoiced too soon after my cucumber vine flowered and fruited spectacularly. To my astonished disappointment, the ‘cucumberlets’ began to die one after the other. I tried watering more and watering less, with no result. So I asked the oracle, geekgardener, what could be wrong and he said the vine probably needed calcium. He suggested I give the vine a good dose of calcium nitrate (I think). I checked on the net if I could use calcium tablets and found that this was an acceptable if expensive option. So I crushed some tablets I had and dug them into the soil. But it was too late. The cucumberlets and vine died in short order. This was quite a setback so I decided to shelve the cucumber growing till September this year, which is a good month to start cucumbers in Bangalore.

 

The hanging tomato plant grew and produced cherry tomatoes diligently. But perhaps because I had grown it from seeds taken from store-bought cherry tomatoes, I didn’t get large, luscious trusses like gg does, but groups of five to six at most. But at least I did get a harvest and was able to use the tomatoes in pasta. They were not as flavorful as I hoped so I’m now looking out for cherry tomato seeds, to start over properly.

 

Taking yet another tip from gg, I’ve been planting the roots of spinach plants I buy from foodworld and reaping two harvests. Here is a bunch coming up for the second harvest. I took the first just a few days ago.

It looks like one plant may be flowering. If it does, I will save the seeds and see what I get.

Nothing much else to report. Will end a few pictures of what’s growing in the front balcony.

 

Ivy geraniums – can’t get a better pic because I have to shoot against the light

Poinsettia

Some balcony plants

Calladium