From the title of this post, you can probably realize that the eggplant in the aeroponic system is getting absolutely huge. To be honest, I'm thinking that I may have to cut back some leaves (or move the neighboring plants to different sites). It's really starting to shade the adjacent strawberries. The eggplant has lots of flowers, and seems quite happy.
In related, but unexplainable news... The pH seems to have stabilized more than usual. Normally, we have rapid fluctuations. For the first time in a long time, I haven't raised the pH is almost four days. That's a big deal, as I usually have to raise it daily (in the aeroponic system).
The larger tomato (#10) is getting quite large. In fact, since you can't see the whole thing in this week's "overview" photo, I decided to give it a photo of its own. At it's tallest point, it's still about 30 inches from the light source. No burning is visible, but to be safe, I probably won't let it get much closer.
Strangely, the smaller tomato (#18) is really struggling. I'm not sure why. It appears weak, spindly, and has few leaves. Additionally, it's leaves show curling (but no burning). I'm not sure if it's going to live. This is particularly odd, as everything else in the same aeroponic system is looking great.
Here's this week's overview photo:
Additionally, here's a vertical shot of the larger tomato (#10):
| Plant | Type | Status |
|---|
| #01 | Alexandria Alpine Strawberries | Roughly 11" long (longest leaf). No burning. Looking good. |
| #02 | Alexandria Alpine Strawberries | Roughly 11" long (longest leaf). No burning. Looking good. |
| #03 | Alexandria Alpine Strawberries | Roughly 12" long (longest leaf). No burning. Looking good. |
| #04 | Alexandria Alpine Strawberries | Roughly 0" long (longest leaf). No burning. Looking good. |
| #05 | Alexandria Alpine Strawberries | Roughly 10" long (longest leaf). No burning. Looking good. |
| #06 | Alexandria Alpine Strawberries | Roughly 11" long (longest leaf). No burning. Looking good. |
| #07 | Alexandria Alpine Strawberries | Roughly 9" long (longest leaf). No burning. Looking good. |
| #08 | Alexandria Alpine Strawberries | Roughly 12" long (longest leaf). No burning. Looking good. |
| #09 | Alexandria Alpine Strawberries | Roughly 11" long (longest leaf). However, it's obviously being cramped by the enormous eggplant "next door". It's leaves are visible changing direction, moving towards the areas not shaded by the eggplant. |
| #10 | Andrew Rahart's Jumbo Heirloom Tomato | Approximately 4' long (supported by the lightstand). Has some old burning visible, but appears quite strong. Although it has grown to within about 3' of the light, no burning is visible yet. I'm pretty sure that the previous burning was due to heat exposure. |
| #11 | Delicious Heirloom Tomato | Previously killed through personal stupidity. |
| #12 | Bambino Baby Eggplant | This fellow is really dominating the TurboGarden. It's big and wide. I need to add twine to stabilize. Flowers are visible, and I'd expect baby fruits soon.
|
| #13 | Monet's Garden Lettuce
| Still alive, starting to regrow. |
| #14 | Monet's Garden Lettuce | Still alive, starting to regrow. |
| #15 | Monet's Garden Lettuce | Surprisingly, it's regrowing quite well. It's staring to look pretty strong again. I never know you could get away with harvesting a lettuce and letting it regrow.
|
| #16 | Monet's Garden Lettuce | Tasty. Eaten on 09/29/2007. |
| #17 | Lime Basil
| Roughly 22" tall. No burning visible anymore. Very healthy. Very tasty. |
| #18 | Delicious Heirloom Tomato | Not looking so good this week. Appears spindly, and the leaves are curled a bit. One of the main branches "fell off", and I'm not sure why. The water and light chemistry should be perfect, and I don't see any kind of physical or pest damage. |