Gardening with Beneficial Friends by Jackie Buratovich, Colorado Master Gardener

I’m nearing the end of my second summer in a passive solar house with an 80-foot expanse of south-facing windows.   At 7,000 feet, where the outdoor gardening season can be fickle and short lived, the idea of stuffing our large window planters with vegetables and enjoying vine fresh tomatoes at Christmas held huge appeal.    Little did I know that I was starting a whole new gardening adventure. Late fall and my solar palace was bursting with green.   Tomatoes crowded four window bays, cucumbers hung from the ceiling between the kitchen and the window planters, the odor of herbs filled the air in the late afternoon; this was a gardener’s dream!   Or so I thought.   First I noticed the peppers.   Transplanted starts from a reputable grower, they were anemic and the fruit wasn’t developing properly – especially for the amount of warmth and sun they were getting.    Then, the cucumbers between the kitchen and the solar hall declined; I expect some powdery mildew on cucurbits, but the addi