The Fall and Rise of The Botanic Apartments
After the lettuce bolted, the zucchini rotted, the strawberries shriveled, the herbs withered, and the cucumber was strangled, I realized that conditions were not fit for our Botanic Apartment residents.
So in an event like the delivery of the Statue of Liberty, The Botanic Apartments moved to a new location.
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Hoping to give the residents a better life, I disassembled the tower and moved the tiers to the Courtyard.
The only tier I didn't move was the one with the cherry tomatoes. They were the only ones who liked the place, so they stayed on the Deck.
Where'd everyone go?
Date disassembled and moved: June 3
So what happened? What went wrong?
The Mistakes & Issues
Too much sun
Just like the kale, I think the plants were getting too much sun and heat. At this time of the year, there is direct sun on the Deck from sunrise to sunset. That's about 14 hours of sun a day. And even though many days in May were cloudy, it seems only a few days of inadequate conditions are enough to make plants bolt.
Watering wrong
First, I watered too little. Then, I watered too much. Also, I didn't use the watering system as intended. Instead of pouring water into the top reservoir, I watered each pocket. This can be okay, I learned, if it is particularly hot or you need to mist seeds, but I think it was causing a saturation of water, which led to...
Fungus Gnats
Because of the overwatering, the tower attracted an infestation of fungus gnats. Fungus gnats lay their larvae in the soil and that larvae eats the plant roots.
Poor pollination or Blossom End Rot
For a while, it looked like I was going to have a few zucchini. They grew to about four inches long until suddenly they started to rot. I then read that if zucchini are not properly pollinated by bees, then the gardener must hand-pollinate. If that doesn't happen, it can lead to the fruit turning brown. I also read that this can happen if the plant doesn't get enough calcium, which could have also been from inconsistent watering. I'm not sure which of these issues rotted the zucchini, but now I know about things I didn't know before.
After analyzing the mistakes and issues, our apartment residents went into recovery and a remodel of the tower ensued.
Resident Recovery
I left the tiers disassembled in the Courtyard for almost all of June to see if the soil would dry out a bit and things would improve.
To remedy the gnat problem I did a couple of things. First, I made a gnat trap: a solution of apple cider vinegar, water, and dish soap. It was pretty effective but not enough.
Next, I scraped a layer of the top soil off the tiers in an effort to remove the gnat larvae. I left the tiers to dry out for a few weeks before adding a layer of clean soil back.
This seemed to be effective. The fungus gnats left.
For the herb penthouse, I gave all the occupants a haircut because they were starting to flower.
As for the strawberries, only one survived. To give it the best chance at a new life, I rescued it from the tower and planted it in its own pot.
As of today it's doing a lot better:
Unfortunately, all of the others - the lettuce, the spinach, the zucchini, and the cucumber - were casualties.
New Residents
I spent a while thinking about the failures and success (the tomatoes) and researching before reassembling the tower.
Since the cherry tomatoes did so well [pic below of mini harvest]...
... I thought I'd plant more. This time though, I added marigolds because they are good companion plants to tomatoes. Also because they are pretty and make good decor for a plant apartment building.
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I alternated the tomatoes and marigolds on two tiers, along with basil on one tier and dill seeds on the other. Both are also good companion plants for the tomatoes.
Find the butterfly visitor!
Date planted: June 29
I also sowed some herb seeds because I had bought the seeds, wanting to grow more from scratch. I planted oregano, chives, and cilantro.
Date sowed: June 24
Tip: the wooden utensils from the Whole Foods hot bar make for good labels.
Back in Business
After a long hiatus, the Botanic Apartments are vertical again.
Date resassembled: June 29
I added the previous herb penthouse back a few days later. I've also been testing placement in the Courtyard, rolling it around to either the sun or shade to find the best spot.
For watering, I'm using the top reservoir as intended. I'm using a large watering can as a guide so I know I'm giving it the same amount each time. I've also been maintaining a watering schedule of everyday or other day, depending on if the sun is out in the morning or if there is fog.
Managing a plant apartment building hasn't been without its ups and downs. Hopefully, the residents will be happy with the home improvements.
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