Wood lady, You enclosed your breezeway. So I assume they aren't getting the temp fluctuations they need. That's likely why they haven't bloomed in combination with not enough light. You can put them outside in an area where they get a couple hours of morning sun (sunrise-11am) or evening sun (5pm until sunset). Protection from rain is critical if where you live gets frequent summer rain. It's not as serious if the rain is infrequent, as long as the rain occurs in the first half of the day (2nd half of the day the plant might not dry out fast enough and could result in rot). Otherwise you'll have to wick waster out of the crown to prevent crown rot. The most ideal scenario is under a porch where it'll get the morning/evening sun but none during the peak hours between 12-4pm. And won't get rained on.

Pam. I am not technically oriented so at first all of John Jeavons many pages of lists, charts and diagrams made my head swim and my eyes glaze over. I really let that stuff intimidate me for the longest time. In the meantime, I tried Square Foot Gardening and, while it works reasonably well, some of the spacing---especially for plants like tomatoes and squash that become huge monsters in hot climates--just just didn't give me the results I wanted. So, I went back to "How To Grow More Vegetables...." and tried to incorporate more of that spacing. What I do now is a hybrid of the two, and I do it because it works. Some years I use the spacing from John Jeavons' book almost exclusively, and other years I use some square foot spacing, especially when I am in a hurry because square grid spacing is easier at a time like that. I try to make my grow lists beginning in August while everything is fresh on my mind. I know that by December, I might not remember if it was Yellow Submarine we liked or Medovaya Kaplya or both or neither, so it is best to make next year's planting decisions while everything is more fresh in my mind. This year I have the greenhouse, so I won't necessarily have to drag container plants into the garage as I have in the past. Maybe I can just keep them in the greenhouse with a small heater. Time will tell. We routinely have tomatoes until Thanksgiving or Christmas depending on the weather, and I'm talking about from in-ground plants. Picked at the breaker stage, they ripen slowly and we can eat them from a long time. I extend the season even more with the container plants. Some years I plant the long-keeper types like Longkeeper, Reverend Morrow's Longkeeper, Red October, etc. and they will last a couple of months after being picked if you pick them just before the breaker stage or at the breaker stage. I put them on shelves in our tornado shelter. Golden Jubilee is not, technically, a long-keeper, but it works well when used as one. Busy1, You're there! I know you've been too busy to be online much. I suppose it still is too hot and too dry there to plan on a fall garden? The Keetch-Byram Drought Index numbers for your part of the state are getting scary high. Carol, Likely in these temperatures the row cover is reducing enough light to prevent wilting, but in the spring, if I leave the heavyweight frost blanket on plants on a hot day after a cold night, they do not look happy when I finally uncover them. I use floating row covers a lot in the cool season, but it is hard to make them behave in the wind. I also have cat issues. If I put a row cover over hoops, the cat think it is cat furniture, climb onto it and rip it or tear it. If I put it on plants without hoops so it is free-floating, they think it is a cat blanket and lay on top of it and the plants. To keep the cats out of the garden, I'd have to remove the cedar entry arbor because even when I close the gate, they climb over the arbor to go inside. I don't know how to solve the kitty cat issues with row cover, because they are stubborn. If I yell at them to get off the fabric, they do. However, the minute I turn my attention elsewhere, they're back on it again. Since I'm not out in the garden every minute of the day, the cats do as they please when I'm not there. Thus, for cat reasons, floating row cover works great for me on cold nights when the kitties are in the house but not so great during the day. I have similar issues with shade cloth, but the worst issue with it is that snakes like to lie on top of the shade cloth and sun themselves. I suppose they consider it a bonus that they can scare me to death when I see them there on the shade cloth, often inches from my face. The best solution would be to take out the arbor and replace it with fencing with a standard gate that would keep the cats out, but I love the arbor and the 'Pink Lemonade' honeysuckle that grows on it, so I'd rather not take it out. Anyway, the garden needs the cats or it likely would become overrun with field mice and voles. I just wish I could convince the cats that floating row cover is not meant for their comfort. Dawn

I think you are doing a great job. Whatever works! I would suggest increasing the light as I notice the leaves are very dark. You could get more flowers and growth if you can increase the light. I grew Phals for many years indoors in NY. Cold winters, but I kept them warm. Arthur is correct. They like warm temps. If you can increase the light, I think you will be surprised. Good job! Jane

Orchids DO like some sunshine or else they won't bloom. Sometimes people will have orchids where the leaves are dark green but never blooms. Well, that's because they're not getting enough light. What they like best is a canopy where the sun can peek in. As the sun light moves, the orchids will get the benefit of the sun but not long enough for it to burn the leaves. So, in a sense, it gets light, then shade, light then shade ..etc. Most of my orchids (cattleyas) are under a canopy of palms leaves (Areka Palms), and every once in a while, I would have to cut down a growth to let more light (and air) in. My Den's are in pots at the side of my front door entrance and gets a lot of light and sun during the day, and they're doing fine. Different types of orchids can handle sun better than others: As an example, Dendrobiums, Vandas, can handle more sun than a Phalaenopsis. And Phalaenopsis can handle more sun than Cattleya's. But the bottom line is that they ALL need some sun for them to bloom. No orchids like to have their feet wet, but they all love humidity! A tray full of gravel with some water under works wonders!