When I go out onto the balcony and watch the plants grow and bear fruit, it brings tears to my eyes. Despite a not-so-warm spring and summer so far, the plants are doing just fine.

At the beginning of the season, in March, when I sowed the first seeds into the ground, I was skeptical about this year's season.

The plants did germinate, but despite supplemental lighting with special lamps, they were puny and weak. I should add that I was using new seeds with a multi-year expiration date. I also followed the same procedure as I have done for the past few years, but the results were poor.

Due to the low temperatures in March and April, I delayed transplanting the plants into the ground, and even though they were indoors, where it was quite warm, they showed no desire to grow.

Due to a very cold April, I waited until the last minute to transplant the seedlings into the ground, deciding to do so in mid-May. Unfortunately, the growth didn't show for quite some time. While there were no frosts and the plants were in good condition, they were somewhat stunted.

The turning point came around mid-June, when temperatures began to resemble summer temperatures and the sun was already beating down for a long time and with intensity. All the plants sprang into action.

July has already brought many warm days, and my seedlings have taken off, giving me a lot of hope and joy.

Right now, I have seedlings of various varieties of tomatoes and peppers on my balcony. All the seedlings are in various stages of development. Some have large fruit, some are flowering with tiny fruit, and some are just about to flower.

If the summer and autumn are warm, I expect a good harvest, which I will monitor on an ongoing basis and describe from time to time.