A little Garden Update Oct 2018

I kept watermelon & bell pepper plants alive through the brutal hot summer (& my trusty basil plant) and now it's time to enjoy happily growing plants. Keeping it simple this season with a bed of rainbow & orange carrots, pole green beans, lettuce, kale & peas (haven't sprouted yet). Volunteer marigolds from past seasons are popping up to help with pest control.

Carrots (rainbow and danver orange)

Bell Pepper

Mini Sweet bell pepper

Green Beans

Watermelon (planted starts in Spring)

Time to Plant Again!

What has survived the summer in my garden? 1 Yellow bell pepper, Armenian cucumber vines (pictured above on trellis), 1 tomato plant (in a large pot, it's a patio variety) and of course my trusty basil and rosemary. Some of my plants (tomato plants, strawberries, cantaloupe) just missed me too much while I was on a few vacations and didn't make it through those weeks of deathly-hot weather in June and July.

Next summer, I would like to be more prepared to deep soak (myoporum) and provide shade for the types of plants that struggled/died.

It's August and I am trying to stay on top of the planting calendar for this season! I planted pumpkins (for Halloween carving) and corn (from my farmer friend, Pete) and rainbow carrots these past weeks and they are sprouting. Which also means the birds are excited to steal my recently-sprouted seeds and so they have been covered with netting to protect them. Some birds are just smart and still get some nibbles, so I have replanted areas of the corn twice. My sister also gave me 2 pumpkin starts that she had planted about a week before mine so I planted those as well. My kids hope we'll get a few pumpkins in time for carving!

Yesterday, I gave my garden some Miracle Grow plant food (granules mixed into my watering can). I've tried doing strictly organic in the past, but I want more growth and more success, so I'm trying this out to see if it's successful for our short seasons when time is so valuable.

I've invited some other gardeners in my area to gather at my home this Saturday to begin a gardening group. I hope to learn a lot from their various experience and add more success to my garden beds!

A view toward the east in my backyard.

The tortoises' garden (weeds, dichondra, purple heart, hibiscus, aloe, ruellia. A mostly-shady NW corner of my yard under our HUGE eucalyptus tree.

In the Edible Garden - May 2017

My four garden beds are mostly occupied with tomato plants, but I have one bed dedicated to cantaloupe melons and several other crops going on currently; trellised Armenian cucumbers, multi-colored carrots, bell pepper (no fruit yet), pole green beans, luffa squash, zucchini squash, green onions (always), basil (always) and garlic (I've harvested several small bulbs). Strawberries are still growing in a pot near my porch where they get morning sun only. 

Armenian Cucumber

Armenian cucumber

Cantaloupe melon (aka muskmelon)

Cantaloupe Melon (aka muskmelon)

Rosemary (finally growing well with partial shade)

Basil from seeding mother plant

March in the Edible Garden

It's easy to take more photos of my flower gardens than my vegetable garden. Especially now when everything is small and just beginning for this season. I was pleased with the harvests with the fall garden and while some of those plants are still producing (garlic, cilantro, tomato, carrot, green onion, basil), I tore out a few crops when the weather warmed up (Celery, turned out tough and small) (Snap peas and lettuces, kale, spinach, eggplant) to make room for Armenian cucumber starts from my friend Shirlee and pear tomato starts from my friend James and yellow bell pepper and patio tomato plants from A&P nursery. 

Volunteer Tomato plant from Fall 2016

Armenian Cucumber starts I will try to train up a trellis

Yellow Bell Pepper

Patio Tomato

Cantaloupe Melon from seeds planted 2/8/17, very slow to grow

3 Strawberry plants from May 2016 starts

 I also purchased a few more trellises (raw metal ones in the lumber area of Home Depot, not sure what type of construction work they are actually intended for). In February, I planted luffa squash seeds after soaking them for 24 hours, but they never sprouted. I may try again. I also planted green bean (pole) seeds last week and they sprouted quickly but my tortoises got into them and ate them down to the ground. I am fixing that problem with an additional garden bed by the wall with the trellis.

We have harvested many tiny strawberries and enjoyed the deep flavor compared to store bought strawberries. I moved them back to a place in my yard where they receive afternoon shade since the weather has been hot lately. 

Strongest Papaya Tree

I still have my two Papaya trees growing near my garden. One had it's trunk broken (probably one of my children), but I braced it up with a bamboo stick and it is still alive. I water them infrequently and deeply. It will be exciting to watch them grow taller and determine their genders.

Lilac Vine in Bloom & Sewing Seeds

I love my lilac vine. It's growing great on my south-facing wall near our eucalyptus tree. Low water, fast grower, winter blooms, evergreen, inexpensive.

My husband and I completed 2 additional garden beds (6 foot by 3 foot each) and I've been working in different materials to make up the soil (native soil, composted mulch, steer manure, potting mix I had, etc.) Below is one I get from A&P nursery that I like and I feel like it's a good amount for $6 a bag. Yesterday (Feb 8th) I planted canteloupe in 3 hills in one garden bed.

Today (Feb 9th), my little buddy Hyrum and I planted bell peppers, yellow tomatoes and cherry tomatoes in some little starter containers. I'm hoping that once they are ready to transplant into the garden that I will have harvested the celery to make room for them.

This Winter has been feeling like a perfect Spring the last several weeks. I'm hoping for a long Spring planting and growing season and high harvests!

March Life

The backyard is buzzing and birds are lively. The weather is allowing us to enjoy the pre-Spring growth. 

Sweet peas, spinach, lettuce and cilantro are still providing for our consumption. 

On March 16, I planted yellow squash (2 hills), melon (probably a cantelope variety, packet not labeled), watermelon, carrots and bell peppers. During the tilling process, we had fun with the worms.

Cilantro and new seedling spots.

Spinach, squash seedlings, lettuce and peas.

 Other beauties in our yard.

  

Today

Today I went and looked through my plants. I love to see how much they are growing.
The peas are getting too hot and seem to be frying in the sun. I don't think they will last much longer. I have eaten about 4-5 pods of yummy peas off them, right there in the garden. I am pretty sure peas should be planted in the fall.
The cherry tomatoes are forming and it looks like we should have plenty to eat in the next few weeks. The plants are looking healthy and I have most of them supported by tomato cages.
The corn looks just about the same as it has, just taller.
The cilantro has a wonderful aroma and taste and is ready to be used whenever it is needed in my kitchen. It is not as dark green as store-bought cilantro and has light green speckles. It has not flowered yet, which is when coriander is created.
Carrots have beautiful green leafy tops and I am waiting to see the carrot tops poking up to indicate they are ready for crunching. They should be ready around 65-75 days from planting, which would be in the next month.
Only one better boy tomato plant survived out of four, so I hope that it produces some juicy tomatoes for us. I don't see any growing so far, but the plant looks healthy.
The yellow crookneck and zucchini squash plants are going great, flowering and 2-3 inch vegetables growing below the flowers on the yellow squash plants. I just learned that they often need help pollinating, so I will be working the bees' shift tomorrow morning. To pollinate them, I will take a small stick and get yellow pollen from the male flowers and share it with the lady flowers (those with squash growing).
Bell pepper plants did not grow very well. Some are only 2-3 inches tall, while one reached about 4-5 inches. I doubt anything will happen with those guys.

What I have growing

Carrots

Cherry tomato

Cillantro

Citrus (orange, grapefruit & tangerine)

Corn

Bell Peppers (variety)

Better Boy Hybrid Tomato

Mint

Strawberries

Sweet Peas

Yellow Squash

Zuccini