What I See of God's Work in Nature

What Blooms after the Frosts in December around Paso Robles?

2011-12-21T01:13:00.000-08:00

Poinsettia in Mid December at Fat Cat Farm

Spring and summer are bursting with colorful flowers and blooming trees. In autumn, the deciduous trees dress in shades of yellow, rust, red, and gold. It is a season of splendor and sadness, as it precedes the stark bleakness of winter. After the first frosts in December, as I walked through my usual haunts in Paso Robles and looked at my own garden in Templeton, there was little color to be seen, so I went looking for it. I wanted to see just what does bloom here in the second half of December.

My first stop was Fat Cat Farm, about a mile east of me on Highway 46 West. I was sure if anything was blooming anywhere, I'd find it there in the herb garden. I found the last poinsettia (in top picture) on display, and remembered the one in my childhood home that was quite tall, growing in a bed beside our driveway. I also found the plants below, most of which were in the pansy / violet family. Of the herbs, only the rosemary was blooming. Here are the pictures I got at Fat Cat Farm.

Rosemary after First Frosts

Pansies always add a happy face to the garden and provide winter color.

Violas also add cheer -- especially these yellow ones.

Pale Violets at Fat Cat Farm

After leaving Fat Cat Farm, I went home in search of color and was rewarded by my faithful calendula plants. They add brightness to my garden all year, but in winter they and the rosemary are the only things beside the white flowers of the coyote brush and the red berries of the cotoneaster that provide any color other than green.

Calendula adds color all year.

I let the fallen leaves protect my gazanias in winter.

Coyote Brush in Bloom

Cotoneaster Berries

On December 19, I was convinced there must be something else in bloom as winter was about to descend upon us, so I visited the garden at Veris Cellers on Bethel Road, not far off Highway 46 West. I was not disappointed. Although the frost had killed most flowers, some winter flowers were still blooming -- even if some on the same plant were brown. I don't know the names for all these. the leaves on some look familiar but I can't place them. If you know them, please let me know in the comments.

Mums with Sweet Alsyssum at Veris Cellars

White Roses at Veris Cellars

Pink and White Roses at Veris Cellars

Mystery Plant One at Veris Cellars

Mystery Plant Two at Veris Cellars -- Could it be a mum?

White Snap Dragon at Veris Cellars

After leaving Veris Cellars, I was convinced that I might find still some other source of color at the city park in Paso Robles. Here's what I found there. There were some wimpy red roses, but they were gradually changing into these lovely red rose hips. So, even though they don't count as flowers anymore, they do count as color. I also found these red trumpet shaped flowers, but I don't know what they are.

Red Rose Hips at City Park in Paso Robles

Mystery Plant Three at City Park in Paso Robles

If you have some flowers blooming here in North San Luis Obispo County that I haven't mentioned here, please feel free to tell us in the comments what they are, since I'm hoping this can be a resource for people planning gardens with some color all year.

Finally, an Early Evening in the Herb Garden

2011-06-28T01:49:00.000-07:00

I finally attacked the weeds that have been overwhelming my herb garden. This pile shows what I accomplished. The picture below shows the bare ground the weeds were occupying.

The bare ground shows where the weeds used to cover.

What's left is mostly leggy or almost dead calendula -- the yellow flowers. The blue one is the lily of the Nile I planted about two years ago, blooming here for the first time after I transplanted it. I also noticed as I weeded the distinct smell of mint, and discovered some had escaped the pot it was planted in and spread. I didn't care. If I'm going to have weeds, I prefer good ones. The yellow wave in the back of this next picture are the weeds I couldn't get to this evening.

Herb Garden

In the picture above, are some of the surprises I discovered. One was the tall plant left of the blue Lily of the Nile. I have no idea what it is. I planted it a couple of years ago, and I'd thought it was dead. When I first saw it tonight, I thought a tree had mysteriously appeared, perhaps planted by a bird. A closer look revealed it was in a gopher cage, so I must have planted it. I can hardly wait to see if it blooms. Right behind the blue lily is the clump of mint that's still growing in its small pot. To the right of the lily, in front, are two unlikely companions -- a purple bull thistle and a pot of lambs ears. The bull thistle is definitely a weed, but somehow it seems to fit and I didn't have the heart to yank it out. I think its flowers are lovely -- even if prickly. To the right outside the picture I have another lambs ear plant in the ground. When I was weeding part of that side last week, I noticed it had numerous progeny -- even quite far from it. I didn't mind that, either, since I prefer it to the weeds that would displace it were it not there. I wish the little ones much success in their growth. The oregano, marjoram, and thyme are lower plants and they are behind the taller ones that have grown up in front of them. I was delighted to see they have survived my neglect. One thing I've learned over the years is how much neglect members of the mint family can take and still thrive.

Butterfly Bush

The butterfly bush I planted about three years ago has really taken off. It is surrounded on either side by different varieties of sage. It all needs pruning, but only after it has finished blooming. This morning I saw a hummingbird visiting the purple flowers, so I guess it's not just for butterflies. I planted a white version of it on the left side, but it doesn't seem to be growing much or blooming. I suspect it's hidden in the sage and / or the rosemary that has really spread.

As I was pulling weeds tonight, it was very difficult to avoid accidentally pulling up some of the calendula with them. Their roots often intermingled. Also, right near the inside edge of the gopher cage where the tall mystery plant is, was a large mustard growing part inside and part outside the cage. It was also very difficult to extract and separate. I had to cut it down on both sides with pruners so I could isolate the root. It reminded me of the sins that so easily become rooted in our lives and even intermingle with the good things so that they are hard to separate. It often takes drastic measures for the Master Gardener to remove them from us. The picture at left I took of the intermingled roots of weed and flower. The skinny weed stem is at the top of the heap. The broad green leaves are from the calendula plant.

The Apple Tree's Will to Live

2011-05-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted you to see that the delicious apple tree we've been following since it split in half is still alive. I was unable to photograph it while it was in blossom, but I did want you to see that it is leafing out again. This is how it looked on May 13, 2011.

I'm not sure if we should go ahead and let it try to bear fruit this year or not, since it probably should put it's energy into repairing itself.

We now have two other apple trees to care for, a young Fuji and an older prolific tree that looks rather like a McIntosh, but we didn't plant it, so we aren't sure what variety it is. I think it's time to get this book that's just about apples. The reviews indicate it's just the book we need at this point in time. I want the Fuji, which does have some tiny apples on it, to get what it needs to bear delicious fruit, and the older tree badly needs some attention, as well.

Neglected Fruit Trees Can Still Produce Tasty Fruit

2011-03-09T23:10:00.000-08:00

When we moved onto this property, the former owner had planted an orchard. Unfortunately, we were traveling so much those first few years we had neglected it. Also, I was not a great fan of quince, so I never did much with the quince tree, even though it faithfully produced a great crop every year. I didn't know what to do with all those lovely quince, either, every winter, except cook them with apples, raisins and cinnamon for a fruit compote, which was tasty. The video shows how this tree appeared last May.

The former owner also planted a plum tree that produces delicious green plums every year. Only in the past few years did I realize it was there, so it was also neglected. This is how it looked last spring.

These blossoms matured into fruit in the summer, and then in the fall and winter the leaves died, but they didn't fall off. That is amazing, since you can see how twisted the base of the tree is, and how many suckers are growing on it. It seems every time we are about to cut them off it rains. So they didn't get cut off. That's on my "to do" list for the weekend -- if it doesn't rain again. This is how the tree appear last week. In the first picture, taken from a distance, the tree appears almost dead, with all those brown leaves hanging from the limbs.

Now take a closer look. There are some new blossoms that show life is, indeed still present.

A very close look shows the blossoms that still haven't opened, as well as the ones that have. It looks like this tree will thrive this year if the rain doesn't come during pollination. Soon the bees will be all over this tree, as they have in years past.

It is God's nature to want every living thing he created to thrive and bear fruit, even when we haven't done all we can to help it along. These trees were watered once or twice during the entire dry summer and never got any nutritional supplements. They weren't sprayed or pruned. Yet they bore fruit. Their roots went deep into the soil for water and nutrients that God gave them. Maybe if I make a real effort to care for these trees this year, they will not just survive, but thrive.

Some neglected children can be like these trees. I remember when we met my son, who was four at the time. He had been neglected by his mother and his father was in jail. Finally his mother took him, along with his older sister, to the county and abandoned them there. In spite of a distinct lack of attention, his natural and God-given compassion, curiosity, and survival instincts helped him to survive and thrive until he came into our home through foster care, and stayed there through adoption. We did not neglect him. You can read his story here.

This Badly Damaged Apple Tree Still Wants to Bear Fruit

2011-01-30T21:14:00.000-08:00

God seems to have built into every living thing the urgent need to be fruitful. Gardeners are reminded of this every spring after the rains when the weeds begin to sprout everywhere. But it's also true of the larger plants, such as the apple tree you see here. This is a huge tree, spreading as far on the side you can't see as on this side. Since we moved to Templeton in 1993 it has borne truly delicious apples. Unfortunately, we did not have the time nor knowledge to properly prune this tree those first years and last year it caught up with us. Here's what the tree looked like in May, 2010, while it was recovering from a severe blow to its growth which is explained in this short video.

Of all trees on our property in Templeton, this red delicious apple tree was our pride and joy. We counted on its bountiful crop each year. We were sure 2010 would bring us more apples than we'd know what to do with. And then the tree split from the weight between the two main branches. I cannot locate the pictures I know I took when the tree first split and we took measures to tree to save it.

Our friend Tim and my husband tried to tie the tree together and prop up the branches with all manner of improvised supports, since the tree was loaded with fruit we were hoping to save. We thought it might still ripen. But it didn't. Tim was here again yesterday. This is how the tree looked when he arrived. You can see some of the props still there, made from whatever we had at hand.

Kosta (my husband) and Tim decided drastic action was necessary and that there still might be a chance to save the tree. As you can see in this close-up of the limb ends (above), this tree is still alive in spite of all its been through. Were we to leave it alone, it would still try to burst into bloom and bear fruit. That's the nature God built into it. Kosta and Tim decided, though, that the tree needed to save its energy to repair itself if possible, instead of trying to blossom and bear fruit. This is how the tree looked by the time Tim went home. Sad, isn't it?

The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, as Job learned long ago. With Job I echo, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." Perhaps he will yet resurrect this tree and make it fruitful again. It wants to live. that is obvious from its buds. I have given up my expectations, and will be pleasantly surprised if I ever see another of its apples. Meanwhile, I still have the hat I made last year when the tree was in full blossom. If you like, it, you can get one, too, by clicking on the link below.

HAT: HOPE IS AN APPLE BLOSSOM by barbsbooks

A Change in Focus

2011-01-24T10:10:00.000-08:00

As you can probably tell, the squirrel attack left me pretty discouraged. I have no plans for a real garden on the Templeton property this year except for a few herbs and flowers which are already there. I don't have time to feed the squirrels anything that doesn't grow on a tree, and I have a lot of web projects that are mandatory this year. I may grow a tomato or two in Paso Robles if I can prepare the soil, but I simply haven't the time and energy to put in a big garden. Farmers Market, here I come

That does not mean, though, that I won't be observing and appreciating the gardens of others or trying to have producing fruit and nut trees. I have learned much about the power and creativity of God through gardening, and now I will look for his creativity on the land that surrounds my land, the trees and vineyards my neighbors grow, and anywhere else I'm in a position to observe nature. I will be sharing my reflections on God's power and creativity as seen in nature and life as the new focus of the blog and will be changing it's name to more clearly define that focus. The calendula flower in the picture above is the only thing blooming on my slope. It was able to survive the squirrels and gophers, as well as the cold temperatures this January. It brings glory to its Creator. I did not plant the seed. He did, from the parent plants that bloomed last year.

The Ground Squirrels Just Keep On Attacking

2010-08-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

There is no end to their damage. Every day something new is eaten or dead or both. I have moved two tomatoes to a backyard in our Paso Robles location that is so far free of both squirels and gophers. I think I can handle the snails. Those tomatoes I moved were in containers. I moved the smallest of my recovering plants from the large raised bed, where they were all sick, into containers with organic potting soil. The first one I moved last week and it is already beginning to grow as it should. That was the Oxheart. Last night I transplanted the Hillbilly and the Cherokee Purple into containers and they are headed to Paso Robles this afternoon. At least there they will have a chance to grow unmolested.

Meanwhile, each day I've been finding a new tomato branch cut off at the ground and / or a half eaten tomato still hanging on what's left of the vine. I have resigned myself to the fact that's there's not much I can do to save all my best tomatoes from the new bed. Yesterday, I found an actual burrow size hole right under the squirrel's favorite tomato -- my Moskvich -- and they had cut the entire plant off at ground level. I suppose my yellow pear is next. You can see the barriers I tried to erect to make it challenging, but nothing helped.

Meanwhile, I'm getting a few squash, eggplant, and peppers which the squirrels don't seem attracted to -- yet. Meanwhile, almost every young green grape has disappeared from our loaded grape vine.

I ran into some people who have experience eliminating squirrels yesterday, and we will be checking into their advice. I understand there is a trap that works, but you have to drown the squirrels in the trap afterward. I was told by both advisers that the ground squirrels are not only destructive, but dangerous, since they carry plague, rabies, and other diseases. I just need to convince my husband that we need the trap now.

Worst Attack Yet

2010-07-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

Rabbit damage?

This morning when I went out to water, the mystery animal, who I assume is one or more rabbits, had struck again. My lemon cucumber in the middle of the new raised bed had been cut to the ground. The tomato plants on either side of it -- The Moskvich Red and the Yellow Pear -- had each had one branch sliced off at the ground.This is a close-up of the gnawed ends. Below are the overviews that give you an idea of how many potential tomatoes have been lost in one night.

On the side of the raised bed where the cucumbers and tomatoes are growing (what's left of them), I saw a mound of dirt produced by a gopher right under where this one tomato still dangling from a surviving stem hangs over the edge. It, too, shows damage. I'm wondering if the green parts of the tomatoes are as poisonous to animals as they are to people.

It's obvious that hope alone doesn't prevent this damage. I have half the long green cucumber plant left on the right end of the picture above. I decided it needs to be protected. I found a bit of hardware cloth I had planned to make a gopher cage with and put it around what remained of that cucumber. See the results to the right.

But that won't help the two remaining lemon cukes which are in containers. One has always had a cage around it and thus far hasn't been harmed. The cage was supposed to be for the cucumbers to climb on, but has also served to protect it from whatever has been eating the rest. But next door to it in another pot something has been starting to attack. I can see the gnawing. It's finally starting to get baby cukes and I wanted to protect it. I found another bit of hardware cloth that was just the right size to go all the way around the pot, and it's two feet high. I don't think any rabbit will be able to get through or over it. But if it's an animal that can climb, it won't help.

I also decided that since today was overcast in the morning and cool, I would transplant my Oxheart tomato, which has been in a raised bed and not grown more than six inches high since I planted it on May 10. It's obvious it will not grow where I have it. I'm going to give it one more chance in a pot of fresh, new potting soil. I had high hopes for it. This is its new home.

Abundance and Disasters

2010-07-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

For the first time in ten years our apricot tree has actually produced enough apricots for us and the critters to share. So far I've picked four medium baskets full and there are more to pick. We are very thankful.

But when it comes to cucumbers, the critters are not leaving much for us. This is what I found a couple of days ago. As you can see, half the plant has been separated from the vine and is dead. I removed it, and hoped that the new cucumbers you can see growing would soon be ready to pick.

I had hoped it would be just right this morning, and it was. But someone else found it first and this is what was left for me when I picked it. My prime suspect is a rabbit, but I haven't seen it, so I'm not sure. I've never had a coon go after cucumbers before, but there are also possums and skunks in the area, so who knows? I sprayed Liquid Fence on the mulch under and the leaves on the cucumbers and summer squash that remain.

I planted bronze fennel where the other cucumber plant was cut off right above ground level three days ago.

Mostly Maintenance This Week

2010-07-16T22:34:00.000-07:00

Cucumbers are beginning to form, and I've already picked and eaten one of the long ones. The lemon cucumbers are also setting fruit that are almost the size of ping pong balls. The patio peppers are also starting to fruit. The garden is finally starting to produce something I can eat.

It has been hotter that usual, so I've continued to add mulch. The temperatures have been in the triple digits for three days and should be so again tomorrow. I practically melt when I go to the garden. I need to water every day when it's over 100 degrees.

Still addressing tomato problems.

2010-07-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I tried adding an Epson salt solution to my tomatoes and a couple of the squash to see if they would improve. I watered it in well and then mulched with dry grass. Only time will tell now. Did not have a chance to check them today, but I'm sure they don't recover and start growing overnight.

First Yellow Squash Picked Yesterday.

2010-07-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hungry Raccoon - Mine ALL Mine T-Shirt by naturegirl7
Browse other Raccoons T-Shirts

Though I haven't had much time to blog lately, I have been in the garden watering every day and trying to provide what my ailing plants need. On Saturday I gave anything that looks unhealthy some tea made from my worm castings. The tomatoes are getting a bit greener, but they aren't getting any bigger. Many of the tomatoes in the pots and new raised bed have green tomatoes, but some have yellowing leaves, and that worries me.

The weather has been in the high 80s and into the 90s this last couple of days, including today. That appears to make the squash and cukes happy. Still have to hand-pollinate the squash, but at least that works.

Gopher Poster by naturalphotos
View other posters at Zazzle

It appears that the gophers aren't my only enemy. The raccoons have been nosing around the raised beds at night, too. My neighbor heard them, and things keep getting moved or broken (two loaded apricot branches snapped), and I find little holes dug in the edges of the containers and raised beds. I am not happy to think that I'm spending money and working hard to provide the coons with delicacies -- especially when they are so wasteful with what they eat and so unwilling to leave enough for us.

First Little Tomatoes.

2010-06-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I discovered my first baby tomatoes on the Taxi Yellow. The Kerlick Red also has a tiny tomato.

That was the good news. But when I walked outside today, I got the really bad news. Half of our loaded Red Delicious Apple Tree was on the ground. It had split right down the middle. Here are the sad pictures. These are three different views of the tragedy.

For contrast, the bottom picture shows the same tree, happily in full bloom in April. I don't know if we will be able to save the tree or not. We will try to call a specialist tomorrow. I hope we can at least save the half that didn't fall.

Still Have Tomato Problems

2010-06-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

There is still no significant growth in my tomatoes in the tallest raised bed, and their coloring still leaves a lot to be desired.

The Hillbilly is only about 5.5 inches high after a month.

The Oxheart is only about 5 inches. The Brandywine has grown to about 10 inches and the Japanese Truffle to about 11 inches. The other two are somewhere in between.

Tomatoes in the other beds or containers are about a foot at least and most are about 18 inches. These were planted at the same time or later. See right and compare to bed pictured at top. The mesh is to keep birds from eating a tiny seedling. The upside down strawberry basket is protecting a borage from birds until it's big enough to fend for itself.

I'm not sure what to do at this point except keep watching, watering, and hoping. I'll probably try mulching next.

The Bees are a Buzzin' in My Herb Garden

2010-06-12T00:22:00.000-07:00

They especially like these plants now. You can hear the lamb's ear plant (front, next to what's left of the irises) as you walk by it. And the bees are also all over the tall butterfly bush in the back and the sage plants on either side of it.

I'm not sure exactly what kind of sage is on the left side of the tall butterfly bush. I think its Mexican Sage, but I'm not sure. If anyone knows, please leave me a comment. Here's a close-up:
You can see that the flowers are grouped in little balls the length of the stem. I wish I had written down the name when I planted it. Maybe I did and will find it. What amazes me is how much it has grown in two or three years from the four-inch pot transplant that went into the ground here. It's at least six feet in diameter, and that's after a brutal pruning last fall. It's almost completely covering the new white butterfly bush I put in last fall.

Finally catching up.

2010-06-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I planted a hill of Black Beauty zucchini and gave veggies in two older raised beds another shot of fish emulsion. Covered all borage sprouts and yet to be sprouted seeds (newly planted) with Strawberry baskets to keep birds from snacking on the sprouts. I also buried some parts of carnations from pot in herb garden to try to root them (in gopher cages) since the plant in the pot is getting too tall and leggy.

You can see the leggy plant in the pot near the middle. The two parts I'm trying to root are between the pot and the large rock. I'm trying to keep the area moist.

I found a mint that had somehow escaped its pot and started to root -- accidentally pulled it with a weed -- soI planted it as well. Even though I watered it well, it's not doing so well. I'll keep watering and see what happens.

Heat Wave, Planting, Maintenance and Attack

2010-06-08T01:38:00.000-07:00

This past week has seen temperatures rise into the triple digits on more than one day, and high nineties on most of the rest. I have watered faithfully each morning. Sunday morning, against all moon planting advice, I planted one of my green pepper seedlings. Monday morning I planted the other two.

On Sunday my first group of radishes in the ground by the Patty Pan Squash was overtaking the radishes in the raised beds in size. When I went out to water this morning, they had all disappeared and were replaced by a large gopher mound. The good news is that the other Patty Pan seeds had sprouted. It appears that a cople of nasturtiums are in the process of sprouting, as well. We'll see when morning comes.

Vegetables planted in the two oldest raised beds are still struggling and not growing much. I gave them some more fish emulsion to encourage them. The two weakest zucchini plants are on the right on either side of the wire cage in the middle. The two strongest in this bed are in the corners on the left. You can see the difference in size, though all were planted at the same time. The eggplant sits squarely in the middle of this picture, and it appears no bigger than when I first planted it.

The gophers have rejected my bubble gum and throw it out of the holes. I have put it back and plugged the holes from my end.

This Week's Notes on Growth and Problems in the Garden

2010-05-31T13:53:00.000-07:00

Events inside and outside the garden have kept me too busy to keep up with this blog since the last post, but that doesn't mean nothing has happened. The temperatures are rising and have been approaching or in the nineties for the past three days after cooler temperatures at the beginning of the week and a light rain on May 27.

That was the day I planted another batch of radishes close to the ones that had sprouted both in the ground and in raised beds. I also planted lots of seeds that evening, including nasturtiums in various pots and beds. I broadcast assorted flower seeds on the ground, as well, just to see if they would grow and to provide habitat for beneficial insects and added beauty. They may or may not grow, since it's hard to keep them moist all the time in this weather. I might have planted more, but the rain intervened and sent me inside.

I do't know if I noted it here before, but one of the four Patty Pan squash seeds I planted a couple of weeks ago has sprouted. It appears it will be the only one of the four that will.

I have been concerned that many of the plants in the two older raised beds are not thriving as are the plants in the new bed. Here are three of the sickest plants in the middle and most shallow raised bed. the first is a Simpson lettuce, and the last two are Yellow Summer Squash.

The next plants are from the deepest and oldest bed. The ailing plants are mostly tomatoes. I have always grown tomatoes in this bed, and that might be part of the problem. The first picture is the Cherokee Purple. The second is the Brandywine, which appears to be getting worse.

After doing some reading, I decided not enough nitrogen might be the problem, so I poured a fish emulsion solution over the ailing plants (except for the lettuce, which I just poured around them), letting a good amount go into the soil. Then I watered everything in. We'll see if there is any improvement. Almost all of the tomatoes in this bed, including the Amana Orange, Oxheart and the Hillbilly, are having problems. The only one thriving at the moment is the Japanese Black Truffle

I'm not sure what's wrong with the squashes, since they look wilted. Maybe tonight I'll check for insect problems, but I also gave them some fish emulsion.

A Video Tour of the Food Garden as of Today

2010-05-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

This morning I watered everything that needed it and planted some more seeds as companions for the vegetables. These included some nasturtiums, dill, basil, and Pastel Carpet Alyssum. These are not only supposed to help the vegetables by attracting beneficial insects and repelling or attracting the pests away, but they also make the garden look beautiful. The dill seed is eight years old, so we'll just have to see what happens.

I suppose gardeners are always seeing in their mind's eye how the garden will look, not just how it looks at the moment. That vision of tomato vines loaded with plump red and orange tomatoes, squash and cucumbers and sweet peppers growing large enough to eat, all surrounded by colorful flowers -- that what keeps us watering, weeding, and and hovering over our gardens as often as possible.

This afternoon I took a tour of my vegetable garden, as well as the orchard and the flower and herb gardens, video camera in hand. Over the next few days I'll be sharing some of the videos with you. Today we will look at the raised beds and the container gardens, with special attention to new growth. Let's start with the container garden and the vines. I would like to correct one error in the video. I accidentally called a coreopsis flower a calendula in that first group of three container herbs.

The raised bed tour is much shorter, since there are only three of them and you've already seen them in still pictures earlier.

Hope you've enjoyed my tour for today.

Mostly Maintenance

2010-05-24T23:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today I mostly watered, checked my vegetables to make sure there were no problems, and pulled a few weeds in the herb garden. (part of which is pictured here. )

Today I planted my remaining seedlings in pots -- catnip and Greek basil. My borage in the tall raised bed has sprouted, and a few more radishes in the ground have raised their heads through the dirt. Haven't found any dead gophers yet from the bubble gum, but I did put a few more pieces down some holes in the herb garden.

Experiments and Outwitting the Jays and Gophers

2010-05-23T03:37:00.000-07:00

When all other things are equal, I try to plant by the moon. My husband is razzing me about this. He's a scientist and thinks it's all based on superstition. Because the people I talk to in nurseries and at farmers market are divided on the issue, I have tried to stay on the safe side. If there's nothing to it, I haven't lost anything. But to humor my husband without risking too much, I decided to plant the remaining three lemon cucumbers in a six-pack tonight (Actually May 22, since I'm writing this after midnight), not a great day for moon planting. These three plants were in dire need of planting, and were already beginning to yellow, so I felt they would gain more by being set into more nutritious soil than they would lose by being planted on the wrong day. Time will tell.

When I was at Farmers market this morning, one of my favorite vendors who supplies many of my tomato and pepper seedlings, Ralph Johnson, confirmed something I'd read about getting rid of gophers. He says he killed eight large ones by putting bubble gum down the gopher holes. I immediately went out to buy some, and put it in a lot of holes this evening. Time will tell whether this experiment will work.

Today my first borage seeds have sprouted and so did a couple of radish seeds. I knew if they are to remain, I would have to protect them from the hungry blue jay (See picture)who has been supervising my planting from the top of the fence. I contrived a way to prop an old screen door over the largest seed bed, and I propped a couple of flat gopher cages over the radishes about to sprout in the raised beds. I'm hoping these measures will insure that we will actually get some radishes this year.

What I'm Growing This Year

2010-05-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

Every new season I am eager to try new varieties of tomato, as well as the ones I've been happy with in the past. Since nothing -- not even tried and true varieties -- grew for me last year, I'm not counting their failure against this year. So once again I'm growing one each of these: Cherokee Purple, Principe Borghese, Yellow Pear, and Anna Russian. I'm going to give Brandywine another chance, even though I've had trouble with it two years in a row and it's so far not looking as healthy as the other plants this year.

Note: For the first time this year I am going to keep a photo record of each important plant about every two weeks. This will help me not only record progress, but should give me a basis of comparison at each stage of growth with the last so I can catch problems early and begin to deal withe them. The Brandywine has only been in the ground for about ten days. I am watching it carefully and trying to understand why it is not seeming to thrive as the other tomatoes are.

Tomato varieties I'm trying for the first time this year are Royal Hillbilly, Amana Orange, Japanese Black Truffle, Oxheart, Tigerella, Zapotee Pink Ribbed, Moskvich Red, Taxi Yellow, Korkik Red, Ace 55 Red, Roma Rio Grande, and New Big Dwarf Pink. The ones I'm growing in containers include Taxi Yellow, Korlik Red (which is an early cluster tomato, Anna Russian (which did well in a container in a previous year), Ace 55 Rd, Roma Rio Grande (I've grown other Romas in containers successfully), and New Big Dwarf Pink. The rest of the tomatoes are in the raised beds.

Traditionally, tomatoes grown in the raised beds have not produced as much as those in the containers. I'm blaming the soil, since I've normally used a potting soil in the containers, but a mixture of soil, compost, steer manure, and sand in the raised beds. Although I've not emptied and replaced all the soil in the raised beds this year, I am adding plenty of Miracle Grow Organic Choice Potting soil to each raised bed and mixing it with whatever is there. The one that has the least room for amendments is the middle and most shallow of the raised beds. I have not put any tomatoes in that bed this year.

I am also trying to make the most of companion planting in the raised beds. Here's what's in them. First, the oldest raised bed, and the deepest. It contains these tomatoes: Cherokee Purple, Royal Hillbilly, Amana Orange, Japanese Black Truffle, Oxheart, and Brandywine. At the near end of this bed you will see a stone between the two tomato plants marking where I've planted some borage, which should be sprouting soon. This bed also contains two Simspon lettuce (not yet in bed when picture was taken), two French marigolds, and two Italian sweet basil plants.

In the middle bed, which I believe has the worst soil mix, is a clump of chives that is left over from previous years, four Yellow Summer Squash, one Melrose sweet pepper, one Italian Sweet Basit, two marigolds, two Simspon lettuce, two rows of seeds for French Breakfast Radishes, and two very tiny Calendula transplants from the herb garden.

We added a new bed this year, though it was mostly filled last summer after the planting had been done. I noticed the man we hired did not mix the soil well as he was instructed and most of the potting soil was on top with almost a one-to-two-inch layer of sand underneath. I mixed as best I could as I went along. This bed now contains one Burpless Cucumber, one Principe Borghese tomato, one Lemon Cucumber, one Tigerella tomato, one Zapotee Pink Ribbed Tomato, one Moskvich Red, and one Yellow Pear tomato. Companions include two marigolds, one basil, and two of the tiny Calendula transplants.

Although the potting soil is supposed to feed the plants for two months, on the advice of nurserymen, I also added a shake or two of Natural and Organic Dynamite Mater Magic in the hole of each tomato and a a tablespoon or two of Whitney Farms Tomato and Vegetable Food (Organic) to the hole of each squash, cucumber or pepper plant in the raised beds and more if in the pots.

Weather has been mild since I planted. Lowest night tempertures were in the high 30s, but averaging in the 40's, whereas lowest day temperatures were in the high fifties, but averaging in the 70's, hitting low 80s on a couple of days. Today is in the mid seventies. I'm hoping for a great season this year. If I get it, I'll need this mug. You can get yours by clicking on it.

Homegrown Tomato Garden Slogan by thegardenpages
custom imprinted mug on Zazzle

Time to get back to the garden.

2010-05-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy year with many unexpected pressures. Much of my writing about last year's garden (or lack of it) appeared on Squidoo in this lens: My Tomatoes Were Hit By a Late Frost In April. That article shows detailed pictures of every stage of the tomatoes' growth, or lack of it, during 2009. The weather was just not favorable to tomato growth last year. I shared in this article what I learned.

This year I was not very optimistic about starting a garden, either. As April began, after a long and much needed rainy season, this is what my gardening area looked like. You can barely see the raised beds behind those mallow plants that are taller than me. I cut down the mallows, which were too big to pull and growing through the mesh on the bottom of the raised bed that is supposed to protect it from gopher invasion.

As you can see, it would take hours, days, or weeks to remove all the thorns, grasses, poison hemlock, invading coyote bush, and other weeds that had completely taken over. When you consider that I work full time and have other important tasks that leave me short of time, you can understand my discouragement. Normally I start pulling the weeds in January, but when it wasn't raining this year, it was too muddy to work, and meanwhile, the weeds just kept growing with all that rain. I was seriously wondering whether I would have time to do more than clear a bit of space to grow a couple of tomato plants.

Then, a couple of weeks before Mother's Day, my husband gave me a wonderful gift while helping someone who was out of work. He hired him to clear the garden and haul in the soil amendments I would need. This last week, I've been planting. Here's what those raised beds look like now:

Tomorrow I'll show you the pots that supplement the raised beds, and we'll go over the varieties I have planted this year so we can see how they do. You will notice I waited until well after the predicted last frost day to plant this year. I started the week after Mother's Day. It's taken me that long to get all this and the pots planted.

Big Mulching Job Today.

2009-08-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

I acquired about 17 bags of mostly dead grass from dethatching a lawn at our other house this week, and I finally had a chance to spread it today. It hasn't been a great year for gardening this year because of our wacky weather. I have written about my poor frostbitten tomatoes and their slow recovery here. They only really began to get as green as they should be after I used some organic tomato food, watered well, and added some mulch. But I didn't have enough good mulching material because there haven't been any grass cuttings to speak of. That's why we had to get rid of the thatch.

As soon as we brought the first batch of about ten bags home, I applied mulch immediately (after a good watering) to the raised beds on Thursday. Today was overcast, so I watered well again and added more mulch to the container plants, which hardly had any.

I just reread my blog from July of last year, and it's interesting to compare. Almost all my tomatoes have blossoms, but only two that had been set back by the frost have produced ripe fruit so far. We do have lots of peppers about the size of ping pong balls and smaller, and lots of blossoms but few fruits yet on the cucumbers. I'm hoping the lemon cukes will start bearing fruit soon. We had two very small cukes which resemble picking cucumbers, one of which was bitter. I can't remember what variety they are, but I think they were supposed to be bigger. The leaves have never looked healthy, and I don't expect I will get much from it. We have a large variety growing in one of the raised beds, but it isn't producing yet, either.

I have had to slip parts of old pantyhose over my green tomatoes because something -- probably a bird -- is eating them from the top before they start changing color. I'm hoping this will protect them somewhat so they can ripen. I'm not trying to grow anything else but the tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet bell peppers at the moment. The lettuce and radishes I planted in the spring never sprouted. When I bought some lettuce seedlings, we had a heat wave almost as soon as they were in the ground and they bolted. I did harvest some garlic that I planted last fall, and it is very good. As usual, the zucchini is only pretending to grow, so I'm not even counting it as a crop this year. Maybe someday I will learn to grow summer squash here, but not yet. The picture at top shows the attempt to grow summer squash (left pot) and the lemon cucumber as of last week (August 15). The lemon cucumber is about twice as big this week and full of blossoms. The summer squash is still sick, but it is a bit bigger than when this picture was taken. I'll be taking more pictures with the added mulch soon.

Preparing the Raised Beds for Planting

2009-04-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy weekend. Our handyman was available to help me recondition the two raised beds I've been using for about four years now. He also finished a new one that wasn't quite ready to use yet. I think today I will focus on the before planting part of this, even though I did the actual planting on Saturday. The picture above shows Larry working on the new bed. We use four boards to make the frame and then, because we have lots of pocket gophers, we put wire mesh on the bottom and attached it to the sides to keep the gophers out. Larry had to work in the shade because it was very hot out.

After he finished the frame, he took it to the garden and leveled the bottom. It appears he used rocks to get the bottom level, filling in with dirt. This is different than the way the other two beds were leveled, and I hope it works. For the other two, we actually worked on the ground until the dirt itself was level. This new way saves some of the work we had to do for the others.

After setting the frame in place, we had to start filling it for planting. On the very bottom of this one we put some freshly pulled weeds. Over that layer we put about an inch of steer manure. Then we hauled in about three barrow loads of compost . Now it's half full. We need to add some sand and mix with more compost before planting.

The soil in the first two beds, which have been in use for at least four years, was depleted. I couldn't get seeds to sprout at all this year -- not even radishes. When I put my tomato seedlings in last year, they just didn't grow. I finally added milk and fish emulsion and that helped, but I knew I'd have to completely replenish the soil this year. My husband used a pick to break up the compacted soil I couldn't get a shovel through. I had to remove some lettuce I had transplanted in one of the beds earlier and move it into a pot temporarily to facilitate this.

After the soil was broken up, I mashed the clods to break them up. Larry then added steer manure, compost, and sand, and I mixed them up. This brought the level of soil up about four inches to replace the volume that was lost. This is how those two beds looked before I had them all raked level and ready to plant. I will cover the planting next time.