Fall has fallen?

Good luck for next year. Your plants will do better with a south facing balcony.
It will be nicer for you aswell.
All the best, Hywel.

Can you get appartments that also have a small garden area? Hope you find the appartment that is just right for you. It's fun planning for next year. Our forecast is that the temps will start to fall from now, and we will leave the heat behind. This is good for me because it means I can start to plant perennials etc grown from seed this year and waiting for some cool and damp weather to be planted. Time to plant Spring bulbs too. I'm in Holland this weekend, the home of all bulbs so hoping to buy some.

Oh Chris that would be a dream come true. Going to explore what all is out there for me apt. wise. My kids really like me being in a secure building tho. so that is limiting. Rents are very high here so putting it all together is a challenge. One very important reason besides the southern exposure is the smoking. I'm not getting down on those that do (although it caught up with my husband) but there are a great lot of smokers in this building and it comes into my apt. via inside and from outside. When I am out on my balcony trying to enjoy it sometimes I have to come in and shut the sliding glass door. Not real pleasant or good for my own lungs. The apt. I have located so far is in a non smoking building. I don't want a street level apt. for privacy & security reasons. A little garden spot would be heavenly tho!

Do you have 'Granny Flats' over your side, small annex accommodation to the family home, very close to love ones but can maintain your independence.

Hi Ams,
We have what are called over 55 apt. buildings here, and then there are assisted living facilities where you have your own room but need some assistance, which would be one step from your old folks homes I guess. The only option would be if your child had a home with a mother-in-law space within the home or a separate little house on the same property. The laws however dictate in the different areas and won't allow the separate house. You would have to find an area that does and a place that already has it. Have I answered your question regarding that Ams?

Yes, just trying to satisfy that gardener in you. Ams.

I saw your container garden several times first-hand, and for a newbie, you did quite well. Yeh, I know what you mean by pole beans turning out to be bush beans. I too had that experience and this year some of my Blue Lake pole beans turned out to be a flat type bean, still pole beans but not the good taste of the Blue Lake. I'd like to know what these seed company employees are smoking???!!!!! they certainly don't have "beans" on their minds.
Also, this year - I bought a pony pack of Patty Pan squash-love that summer squash. Well........going on my luck with the above pole beans - Yep, you guessed it!!! not Patty Pan squash - it's pumpkins growing all over the back garden, vines everywhere - well the neighbor kids will love them - but the stupid vines have only produced 5 decent sized pumpkins - not a very good return.
So now, what can a person do to insure you get what the plant tag says? I guess some "sicko" goes around exchanging plant tags, just for fun - and us trusting souls pay the piper and are disappointed.
Better luck for me next year. Do I plant from seed?? No, can't even trust the seeds - pot smoking employees!!!!
All-in-all, my garden turned out quite well. We have lemon cucumbers, yellow zucchini, 14-16 inch long English cukes growing up on a wire trellis and tons of tomatoes also growing up on wire trellises.
Anyone want some of each?????? Gloria, you went home with a bunch - how were they????

Send some over here Grace, we'd love them. We didn't do veg this year after last years disaster. Guess we need to try again.

Fall is a magic time here on the West coast, and we are lucky this year to have had such a few days of rain. Keep plugging away at the containers. May I suggest some sea soil, it is magic stuff, just make sure it is the real Mc Coy. Sometimes they add some "other stuff" to it & that is not good for YOU to have in the veggies. Hve fun!!!