Victory Garden, Day 1

I love to garden, but I have one small problem. I live in a condo with 0 land. I've been growing alpine strawberries in pots for 4 years now - they yield about a strawberry a day in the summer and a strawberry a week in the winter. But that's not been enough for many months now and after unsuccessfully petitioning my association to plant in common space, by husband has agreed to fulfill my "eat fresh and grow your own" ambitions and figured out a way to secure a window box on the outside sill of our 3rd floor condo.

Here is day 1:

The box is attached; I've purchased all the hardware to attach the second box and my husband will likely do it soon, since he hates clutter even more than I do. I've started string bean plants and tomato plants. The string beans are in a pot, and are about a foot now (you can see them in this image).

I've placed them outside this morning because I need the flowers that have started blooming to be pollinated by someone other than me. The poor things have bent over under the weight of the wind and the rain that has descended on them today. I have to see about getting some steaks to prop them up.

The tomatoes are still at a 3-4" dwarf level and I need to get them transplanted asap if we are going to see any this summer (they need more sun than I have inside). I've also purchased seed packets of basil, parseley, sage, and oregano. I've got seedlings on mint, which are not making too much progress, but hey - beggars can't be choosers and perhaps they will grow once they get outside.

Let me outline my goals for the summer:

1. Supply any and all herbs my family needs for the next year (I will dry the excess and keep them for the winter)

2. Supply at least one tomato salad worth of tomatoes

3. Supply 1 side dish worth of bean plants (my friend who is knowledgeable about these things thinks I need more plants - good thing I have more beans).

4. Not let any plants, dirt or tools fall to the ground, 3 stories below).