Oh my poor garden. I have enjoyed having a little balcony garden in Houston, Texas, over the last few months, but I have given up hope that it’s doing anything worth sharing. The peppers have wilted or not grown at all, the basil never grew back after picking it once, and the tomatoes grow ok, but there haven't been too many. Of the 12 plants I planted, some never sprouted at all.

It’s been a nice addition to our balcony, but dead leaves aren’t that helpful in cooking. One pepper shown has wilted leaves around it; doesn’t really show a loving environment of growth. And the basil plants are growing brown.

A wilted pepper with wilted leaves. How sad.

Overall, I think we can call this garden dead! A few years ago, we grew herbs indoor using AeroGrow. They were so bountiful and grew faster than we could use the herbs. They lasted about three months, and then we replanted new herbs. I was glad to try this outdoor version, but maybe the heat and dry climate weren’t a great atmosphere for these plants. I made sure I watered daily and that it had direct sunlight. There was plenty of room in each potter to grow, they just didn't grow well.

Have you tried to grow outside in the summertime?