Balcony tomato on whole wheat Denver sourdough toast

A lot of photographs for something so simple but I watered these plants all summer, what there was of it. Actually, it was a very nice summer although off to an exceedingly late start and that did change everything. But now is the end and I am glad my waterboy duties and little garden-slave duties are almost done.

I learned a lot this year. Boy, did I ever learn. Because my aim was to combine vegetables and herbs that I use as if they are arrangements. So I started them inside from vegetables that I use. That was one of the things I learned not to bother with. I especially learned right at the end. And right at the end when I am taking in my own lessons from my own mistakes I read in Easy Container Combos: Vegetables & Flowers, Pamela Crawford write,

"Vegetable Trials: 1768 planted, 1376 failed. 

I love that. It makes me feel much better. I did much better than that. I have my losses, yes, and they are discouraging, but not anymore. But then, she would rate my successes as failures, at least "bloopers." Her bloopers are my successes. A blooper for her is when the basket shows or when the foliage of species blends or when a plant grows too tall or too long and I do not care so much about those things. I read all five of her books relating to this. They repeat. But now I have it internalized and I'm already formulating plans for next Spring.