Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Planting more grass seed

I am taking a risk here and planted more Tall Fescue against the northeastern backyard. That area had been solarized with heavy plastic tarp for three months and the ground looks 100% weed free. So, to keep it weedfree this morning I planted a thick layer of seed there. Then I laid a clear, thin plastic layer on top of the seeds to prevent the birds from eating a big share of the seeds.

We are back to warm and mild temperatures for a few days. Too bad some of the plants froze, like the potato plant and now my aloe vera that I forgot was outside against the northwall.

I will clean up the backyard today to get it ready for the winter. The plastic tarps I bought to solarize the vegetable garden proved to be too weak to hold up to our winter winds and are now rumpled up around the beds. I'm sure the people who walk in the back alley must think we are real hicks when they see the stuff in the yard, all garden related.

Several large dead tumbleweeds gathered along our northern fence, too. I was able to throw one in our dumpster and had that hawled away today, but two more are now waiting to get torn up and fitted for the next trash pick-up on Friday. I'm going to throw away non-compostable organic stuff in the dumpster as I get them; I'm not going to have the pesky plants collect in the backyard like they did while I was gone. It took me four months to get rid of all that bagged yard waste earlier this year.

Leaves and shredded paper turned out to be good protectants against the frost, especially in the front yard. Although some of the paper flew against the northern fence, most stayed in the pots they were placed and kept the plants warm enough. The freeze did not kill any of the young potted Texas Mountain Laurel I've been growing from seeds I got from the trees in town.

My only mystery is my sunflower. I kept it upright for the birds but when I did my usual daily round around the garden this morning noticed it was completey gone, stalk and all! I'll be!

It should get colder again next week. Kevin saved hamburger grease he wants to roll in some seeds, so that will be the food for our feathered friends.

December

Mon
1
OBSERVED

Hi
70°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Tue
2
OBSERVED
Hi
75°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Wed
3
OBSERVED

Hi
68°F
Lo
41°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Thu
4
OBSERVED

Hi
65°F
Lo
41°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Fri
5

OBSERVED

Hi
66°F
Lo
39°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Sat
6
OBSERVED

Hi
70°F
Lo
39°F
Precip (in)
0in.

7
OBSERVED
Hi
65°F
Lo
41°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

8
OBSERVED
Hi
59°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in.

9
OBSERVED
Hi
50°F
Lo
35°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

10
OBSERVED
Hi
57°F
Lo
29°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

11
OBSERVED
Hi
67°F
Lo
36°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

12
OBSERVED
Hi
72°F
Lo
41°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

13
OBSERVED
Hi
63°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in.

14
OBSERVED
Hi
54°F
Lo
44°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

15
OBSERVED
Hi
61°F
Lo
38°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

16
OBSERVED
Hi
61°F
Lo
43°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

17
OBSERVED
Hi
64°F
Lo
40°F
Precip (in)
0.12in. -- row 2 --

18
OBSERVED
Hi
52°F
Lo
37°F
Precip (in)
0.07in. -- row 2 --

19
OBSERVED
Hi
57°F
Lo
32°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

20
OBSERVED
Hi
62°F
Lo
32°F
Precip (in)
0in.

21
OBSERVED
Hi
64°F
Lo
32°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

22
OBSERVED
Hi
68°F
Lo
40°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

23
OBSERVED
Hi
55°F
Lo
43°F
Precip (in)
0.01in. -- row 2 --

24
OBSERVED
Hi
61°F
Lo
34°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

25
OBSERVED
Hi
57°F
Lo
46°F
Precip (in)
0.02in. -- row 2 --

26
OBSERVED
Hi
50°F
Lo
26°F
Precip (in)
0.11in. -- row 2 --

27
OBSERVED
Hi
38°F
Lo
22°F
Precip (in)
0in.

28
OBSERVED
Hi
54°F
Lo
24°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

29
OBSERVED
Hi
65°F
Lo
35°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

Today
Hi
69°F
Lo
38°F
Precip
0 %
DaylightRemaining8 hrs11 mins

31
Hi
69°F
Lo
39°F
Precip
0 %
Lengthof Day10 hrs8 mins

Monday, December 29, 2008

My potato plant froze!

Of all the plants I protected over the weekend deep freezes, I forgot about the young potato plant in the back yard. When I went to check on it yesterday, it was completely shriveled up from the cold, and broken off.

Mark another "F" for my Master Gardenery!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

24F at 5am

Hard freeze for Tucson tonight
Tucsonans are warned to protect their pets, water pipes and plants
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Looking for snow?

The highway up Mount Lemmon remained closed Friday night because of snow and icy conditions. Only residents and people who work on the mountain were being allowed up, and only if they had tire chains or four-wheel-drive vehicles. To check on whether the road is closed today, call 547-7510.

Preparing for hard freeze

Pet owners should either bring their animals indoors or make sure they have shelter with warm blankets to shield them from the cold.

Homeowners are advised to cover exposed pipes with insulation or towels to prevent them from freezing and bursting.

If pipes are not wrapped, it's best to drain them or leave a tap dripping in the fixture farthest from the water heater, which allows water to run through the pipes.

Anyone with an in-ground sprinkler system should drain the system.

Additionally, outdoor plants need to be protected from the harsh weather by covering them, but not with plastic.

It's going to be cold overnight tonight, with the National Weather Service issuing a hard-freeze warning, so Tucsonans should take steps to protect their pets, pipes and plants.

The hard-freeze warning lasts from 11 tonight through 9 a.m. Sunday. Cold, drier air is moving in behind a storm system that brought rain and snow Friday.

Temperatures are forecast to dip into the mid-20s overnight in Tucson, the weather service said.

Today will be cool as well, with highs in the upper 40s. Things should warm up a little by Sunday, with highs in the mid-50s and a low overnight temperature in the low 30s, the weather service said.

Residents are urged to take precautions in preparation for tonight's hard freeze.

Snow fell Friday throughout Southern Arizona, with 3 inches falling in Oracle, north of Tucson. Parts of the Tucson area had scattered reports of light snow falling. Sierra Vista had a trace of snow, the weather service said.

Mount Lemmon's snowfall total was not available Friday night.

Meanwhile in Flagstaff, the roofs of three businesses collapsed under the weight of accumulated snow. City officials ordered businesses with flat roofs to either remain closed or remove the wet, heavy snow.

Flagstaff has recorded nearly 34 inches of snow in December, including about 10 inches this week, the National Weather Service said.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/fromcomments/273482.php
http://www.post-trib.com/news/1350857,ice.article
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/12/ice-paralyzes-area-roads.html

Friday, December 26, 2008

Freeze Warnings tonight

Dec 26, 8:31 PM EST
Storm blankets West with snow, ice glazes Midwest
By SANDRA CHEREB Associated Press



RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Yet another snowstorm closed highways in parts of the West on Friday, the latest in a tiring week of bad weather, and a dangerous sheet of ice in parts of the Midwest contributed to a looming flood problem.


Winter storm warnings were in effect Friday for parts of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and the western Dakotas, and a blizzard warning covered the mountains of southwest Colorado.


"It's going to be a heck of a storm," said Chris Cuoco, senior forecaster for the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, Colo. "We're expecting significant snowfall in all the mountains of Colorado. Even the valleys are going to see 4-plus inches of snow."


Up to 20 inches of snow was forecast in parts of the Rockies, along with wind gusts of up to 80 mph.


The Utah Avalanche Center on Friday renewed its warning against travel in mountain backcountry, saying up to 3 feet of new snow in places, plus strong wind, had overloaded layers of very weak snow and raised the threat of avalanches.


A Utah avalanche killed two people earlier in the week, and a snow slide in California's Sierra Nevada killed one man Thursday.


In the Midwest, freezing rain glazed streets and highways in the Chicago area. The Eisenhower Expressway - Interstate 290 - was closed for a time because of the ice, and the village of Lemont blocked off all its major intersections.


The full length of the Indiana Toll Road, more than 150 miles, was shut down for about two hours Friday morning because it was "an entire sheet of ice" with numerous accidents, said state Trooper William Jones. Indiana also closed a 10-mile section of Interstate 69 just north of Fort Wayne.


Seven Indiana traffic deaths were blamed on the ice Friday, adding to four weather-related deaths in that state earlier in the week. In Indianapolis, a fire engine slid head-on into a tree, sending four firefighters to a hospital with minor injuries.


Temperatures could reach the 50s and even 60s in the region Saturday, after subzero readings

earlier in the week, and a possibility of 2 inches of rain was forecast in Indiana.
The National Weather Service issued flood watches for much of Illinois, saying "the potential exists for very serious and potentially life threatening flooding."


Utah officials shut down Interstate 84 at the Utah-Idaho state line Friday because of the weather, and some state roads were open only to vehicles with tire chains or four-wheel-drive. Colorado closed at least two mountain pass highways.
Heavy snow and whiteout conditions in the Sierra Nevada on Thursday led authorities to intermittently shut down Interstate 80, the busy main link between northern Nevada and Northern California. The mountains around Lake Tahoe received about 2 feet of snow, bringing totals at some resorts in the past two weeks to 10 feet.


"This is one of the snowiest Christmas holiday periods I can remember," said Kent Hoopingarner, general manager at Homewood Mountain Resort.
In eastern Washington, Spokane reached a snowfall total for the month of 46.2 inches, a record for December, said Laurie Nisbet of the weather service.


Farther west, the weight of snow, ice and water over the past week collapsed the roof of a high school in Olympia, Wash. There was severe water damage but no injuries, fire Lt. Ralph Dunbar said.


Snow and ice weren't the only problems. The weather service confirmed that it was two small tornadoes on Christmas Eve that caused scattered damage in Alabama.


Slippery roads and cold have been blamed for 11 deaths this week in Indiana; eight in Wisconsin; five in Ohio; four each in Kentucky, Michigan and Missouri; two in Kansas; and one apiece in Illinois, Oklahoma, Iowa, Massachusetts and West Virginia.



http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WINTER_WEATHER?SITE=AZTUS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT



______________________

Weather service issues freeze warnings, frost advisory for Southeastern Arizona
Published: Friday, December 26, 2008 5:00 PM MST
SIERRA VISTA — The National Weather Service is warning of freezing temperatures in Cochise County and other areas in Southeastern Arizona.The weather service issued several notices on Friday afternoon:• A freeze warning in effect from 11 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. on Saturday• A frost advisory from 11 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. on Saturday• And a “hard freeze” warning from 11 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. on Sunday.The warnings come as cold air coming in from a departing winter storm system brings the colder nights. Moisture from rain and snow in the area also will interact with the freezing temperatures, which brings the frost advisory.A frost advisory means that frost is likely and untreated roads, bridges and overpasses may become “slick and hazardous,” the weather service said. Drivers are urged to use caution, and some outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered.A hard freeze warning means temperatures at or below 28 degrees are expected for several hours. The warning is given to help people prepare to prevent bursting outdoor water pipes and protect plants that may be killed because of the temperatures.Warmer, drier air is expected to move into the area on Saturday night. Saturday is expected to be mostly clear, though cold.On Friday night, sustained winds between 19 and 22 mph are likely, though the winds will be decreasing in speed throughout the night. The weather service says a new snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches is possible overnight.

http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/12/26/news/breaking_news/doc495570230e273218541154.prt
http://www.post-trib.com/news/1350155,tollroad26.article

Winter Storm Warning for Arizona

It finally started drizzling around noon today, with heavier showers now. This is the first storm we actually got this week; the other two storms blew past this part of Arizona.
___

Published: 12.26.2008
Winter storm warnings issued for Arizona
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOENIX — Much of northern and southeastern Arizona were under winter storm warnings on Friday as a powerful storm moved across the state.
The National Weather Service said its winter storm warning was posted until 12 p.m. Friday for elevations above 5,000 feet an until 4 p.m. for areas above 5,500 feet. Meteorologists in Tucson said the storm will bring heavy snow to areas above 5,000 feet through Friday afternoon.
Four to 8 inches of snow was predicted for elevations from 5,500 to 6,500 feet and 7 to 13 inches was predicted above 6,500 feet.
Forecasters said snow levels on Friday could be as low as 2,500 feet, although most accumulating snow will still remain above 5,000 feet.
A strong cold front located across northwestern Arizona was poised to push eastward across the state.
The National Weather Service said snow levels will fall rapidly overnight as the colder air moves into Arizona with widespread moderate to heavy snow falling across the warning area.
The weather service said up to 3 inches of snow could fall in southern Gila County above 3,500 feet. Several inches were expected in the Globe and Miami areas.
Travel in the state’s higher elevations is discouraged, with snow and icy conditions reported in the Flagstaff area, although Interstate 40 is open. Similar conditions are reported in Show Low and higher elevation highways east of Globe.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/273343

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

BRR

We are expecting three storms to blow through this week. The first one came Monday night. The second one is due tonight, and the third and coldest one on Friday. Lows after that will be seasonably cold and in the upper 20s.

I took all my citrus trees in for the season. Now I hope the cats don't use the plants as litter boxes!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Our first frost

As expected, we got our first thick frost overnight. I brought in the smaller citrus trees but wrapped the two bigger ones in an old sheet. They did fine.

All the tomatoes died in a freeze last week and I pulled them all out on the 15th. It's barely going to hit 60F today. Winter is finally here, but not as bad as it hit Chicagoland yesterday.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Wintry weather coming

I checked on my tomatoes today...most have them have died. A freeze must have gotten to them.

Wintry weather ahead for Cochise County, agency forecasts
Published: Friday, December 12, 2008 5:03 PM MST
SIERRA VISTA — The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory and hazardous weather outlook for Cochise and Santa Cruz counties.The wind advisory will be in effect from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.The weather service said a strong low pressure system will be over the western United States over the weekend, which includes Arizona. Wind speeds are expected to increase as the storm tightens, with the strongest winds likely in northern Greenlee County, the weather service said.A chance of rain and snow will arrive with the storm, as temperatures dip, with highs in the mid 50s and lows in the 30s.The weather service said that on Saturday through Thursday the chance for precipitation includes the possibility of snow in elevations above 5,000 feet. Sierra Vista is around 4,600 feet, and Bisbee is about 5,300 feet.Drivers are warned to be prepared for the possibility of snow.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Freeze Warning

The county is forecasted to get low temperatures after midnight in the 20s. Just in case, I covered all the garden beds in the backyard with the plastic, wrapped the citrus trees in a blanket. They are right up against the south wall of our home and should be protected. I took one of the smaller limes inside, a small pepper plant, and my beloved Iraqi acacia trees in as well.

I need to find better clamps for the tapr, though. The breeze these last two days have blown the tarps off both mornings.


Tonight: Mostly clear. Low near 35F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow: Mainly sunny. High 59F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow night: Clear. Low 38F. Winds light and variable.
Thursday: Sunshine. High 67F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Plenty of sun. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the mid 40s.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Morning drizzle

KVOA announced rain east of Tucson during its 5am broadcast. An hour later we had a light drizzle with dark clouds moving in. The temperature gauge read 50F with 65% humidity at 6am. Winds blew in strong gusts but the plastic covers over the garden beds remained intact!

This is the same weather we witness move over Sonora on Saturday. Rain was already forecasted for Tucson the next day. It's finally arrived now. A cold front will follow, which means I have to concentrate on finishing the plastic covers over the beds to keep the more sensitive vegetables warmer a tad longer. I still have tomatoes coming up, but at a slower rate lately due to the cooler nighttime temperatures.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Unseasonably warm temperatures

November was milder than normal. Some nighttime lows were 20F warmer than they were three years ago when I first began keeping records of our daily temperatures. My tomato plants are still flowering and I have three green pepper plants growing new flower buds!

Nonetheless, I spent yesterday afternoon covering the winter garden with 3.5mil plastic tarp.


November

Sat
1
OBSERVED

Hi
81°F
Lo
53°F
Precip (in)
0in.

2
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
55°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

3
OBSERVED
Hi
79°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0in.

4
OBSERVED
Hi
75°F
Lo
53°F
Precip (in)
0in.

5
OBSERVED
Hi
67°F
Lo
46°F
Precip (in)
0in

6
OBSERVED
Hi
66°F
Lo
37°F
Precip (in)
0in.

7
OBSERVED
Hi
67°F
Lo
41°F
Precip (in)
0in.

8
OBSERVED
Hi
73°F
Lo
39°F
Precip (in)
0in.

9
OBSERVED
Hi
70°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

10
OBSERVED
Hi
63°F
Lo
43°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

11
OBSERVED
Hi
61°F
Lo
39°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

12
OBSERVED
Hi
66°F
Lo
40°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

13
OBSERVED
Hi
76°F
Lo
44°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

14
OBSERVED
Hi
75°F
Lo
44°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

15
OBSERVED
Hi
66°F
Lo
42°F
Precip (in)
0in.

-- row 2 --
16
OBSERVED
Hi
69°F
Lo
37°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

17
OBSERVED
Hi
75°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

18
OBSERVED
Hi
75°F
Lo
43°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

19
OBSERVED
Hi
79°F
Lo
42°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

20
OBSERVED
Hi
77°F
Lo
47°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
21
OBSERVED

Hi
63°F
Lo
37°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
22
OBSERVED

Hi
73°F
Lo
39°F
Precip (in)
0in.
-- row 2 --
23
OBSERVED

Hi
71°F
Lo
44°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
24
OBSERVED

Hi
72°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
25
OBSERVED

Hi
67°F
Lo
47°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
26
OBSERVED

Hi
70°F
Lo
50°F
Precip (in)
0.27in. -- row 2 --
27

OBSERVED

Hi
59°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0.06in. -- row 2 --
28
OBSERVED

Hi
57°F
Lo
37°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
29
OBSERVED

Hi
59°F
Lo
39°F
Precip (in)
0in.
-- row 2 --
30
OBSERVED

Hi
63°F
Lo
38°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Fall colors

It's taken a while, but one of my trees in the front yard is finally in its autumn yellow. Its neighbor, same species, is still very green. The yellow tree is the smaller of the two, with bark damage that may have been from a wind storm five years ago, before we bought this property. The broken bark may have stunted the tree's growth. If it lives a few more years I will be surprised. But as long as it grows leaves every spring, I will let it live.

The crape mertle nearby is in a pretty red now. My oak seedlings are all red and orange Next year they'll get bigger pots. My red and purple sages are all in new bloom again.

At 6:30am it was 44F outside with 44% humidity. It's unseasonably warm sofar this month but more appropriate temperatures are due in by T'Day.

Chicagoland already had its first snow Monday night. Porter County, IN had five inches of snow Tuesday morning. No thanks!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Freeze warning

Watches and WarningsHereford Forecast /O.NEW.KTWC.FZ.W.0002.081107T0700Z-081107T1500Z/
COCHISE COUNTY-
228 PM MST THU NOV 6 2008
...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM MST
FRIDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A FREEZE
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM MST
FRIDAY. WITH DEWPOINT TEMPERATURES CONTINUING TO FALL...WIDESPREAD
FREEZING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN COCHISE COUNTY
TONIGHT. IN MID-OCTOBER AND THIS MORNING...SEVERAL STATIONS IN
COCHISE COUNTY EXPERIENCED FREEZING OR NEAR FREEZING CONDITIONS.
FRIDAY MORNING HOWEVER WILL HAVE WIDESPREAD TEMPERATURES FREEZING
ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTY...RATHER THAN LOCALIZED AREAS OF FREEZING.
A FREEZE WARNING MEANS SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE IMMINENT OR
HIGHLY LIKELY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL KILL CROPS AND OTHER
SENSITIVE VEGETATION. TO PREVENT FREEZING AND POSSIBLE BURSTING
OF OUTDOOR WATER PIPES...PIPES SHOULD BE WRAPPED...DRAINED...OR
ALLOWED TO DRIP SLOWLY. THOSE THAT HAVE IN-GROUND SPRINKLER
SYSTEMS SHOULD DRAIN THEIR SYSTEMS...OR COVER ANY ABOVE-GROUND
PIPES TO PROTECT THEM FROM FREEZING.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

October Temps

October


Wed
1
OBSERVED
Hi
84°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Thu
2
OBSERVED
Hi
85°F
Lo
61°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Fri
3
OBSERVED
Hi
82°F
Lo
58°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Sat
4
OBSERVED
Hi
80°F
Lo
60°F
Precip (in)
0in.

5
OBSERVED
Hi
74°F
Lo
56°F
Precip (in)
0in.

6
OBSERVED
Hi
77°F
Lo
51°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

7
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
53°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

8
OBSERVED
Hi
86°F
Lo
55°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

9
OBSERVED
Hi
83°F
Lo
59°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

10
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
60°F
Precip (in)
0.12in. -- row 2 --

11
OBSERVED
Hi
74°F
Lo
53°F
Precip (in)
0.10in.

12
OBSERVED
Hi
68°F
Lo
42°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

13
OBSERVED
Hi
67°F
Lo
38°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

14
OBSERVED
Hi
68°F
Lo
40°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

15
OBSERVED
Hi
76°F
Lo
46°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

16
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
52°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

17
OBSERVED
Hi
81°F
Lo
49°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

18
OBSERVED
Hi
85°F
Lo
54°F
Precip (in)
0in.

19
OBSERVED
Hi
84°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

20
OBSERVED
Hi
85°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

21
OBSERVED
Hi
83°F
Lo
55°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

22
OBSERVED
Hi
77°F
Lo
52°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

23
OBSERVED
Hi
79°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

24
OBSERVED
Hi
82°F
Lo
49°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

25
OBSERVED
Hi
80°F
Lo
45°F
Precip (in)
0in.

26
OBSERVED
Hi
85°F
Lo
52°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

27
OBSERVED
Hi
74°F
Lo
54°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

28
OBSERVED
Hi
79°F
Lo
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November

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Saturday, November 1, 2008

Gulf Fritillary


I spotted this guy in my front yard, resting on the pineapple sage. It took me a while to identify it. I haven't seen this species in the area yet.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

End of year review

The Mexican sage in the front yard is over three feet tall and in full purple bloom. Its oval shape adds symmetry to the area.

The Tecoma stans are also in orange bloom again, next to the bottlebush tree that is also trying to bloom for the third time this season.

I also notices a stray sumuc tree near the palm tree. I'm letting one near the juniper shrubs grow but this one most likely will be pulled out. I'd rather see palo verde germinate than sumuc in my front yard! (The fall foliage won't be bad, though.)

The lantanas around the smaller shade tree have stopped their bloom, but they have a nice spread. I hope they can survive the winter so I don't have to cut them back so harshly like I did earlier this spring. (My yard had been neglected while I was in Iraq).

There are almost too many YellowBirdsOfParadise coming up in the front yard. I have let them grow so far, as they may also be IRaqi acacias. Two of them are over a foot tall and should do well indoors in a few months. The two that are in a 5-gallon pot will be my permanent container trees. If they survive the next two years I'll be delighted.

Parts of the yard look overgrown and I am guilty of allowing the heliopsis go to seed. Earlier this summer the yellow flowers were overtaking the front yard! I'd rather see more echinaceas grow; I really like those daisy-like flowers with their happy heads.

All the red sage brushes are also growing nicely. They are now over two feet tall. Even the Texas white sage has finally caught up in growth with its neighbor the Texas sage. I love the purple blooms of the white sage. All it takes is some extra water and the shrub's in bloom the next day.

I don't plan on adding any more plants to the front yard. I nursed the yard the first two years, now I will let some stray seedlings take over. It looks like I have another palo verde growing near the bottlebrush tree anyway. In ten years that tree will overshadow the nearby velvet mesquite that found its home in our yard in 2006. It's grown three feet and branched out since then and should be a nice filtering shade tree in a few more years.

The pineapple sage plants (three) have grown into a nice red shrub. Right now the plants are finally in bloom, but it's too late for the hummers this year. Hopefully the plants can survive the winter and come back to life earlier next year.

Same goes with the beebalm. The plants suffered from some kind of beetle infestation that ate the leaves. The blue sage next to it wasn't affected, but the balm never reached a lush, bloomy stage like I had hoped. I hope the balms survives as well for next year.

Next year I want the front yard to clearly be a butterfly/hummingbird mecca.

The century plant that grew a stalk in June is now in decline. It should be dead by the spring. Its pup is in a 1-gallong pot that I will replant sometime next year in memory of its mom. I love agaves and yuccas as accent plants.

I miss the ocotillo that was blown over in a storm in November 2007. None of the branches survived to grow into a "living fence" but I do hope to purchase another ocotillo in the spring to accentuate the small cactus garden near the palo verde.

The front yard won't be the same in ten years. All these seedlings will take over, and the two decidious trees in the front yard will be dead and gone. (I never would have planted those trees in the first place)

The roses will go, too. I am not a rose fan. The shrubs require more care than is necessary. the shrub will die a natural death. As long as the shrub is alive I will water it.

I also wouldn't have put all this cheap gravel down, either. I'd rather have used smaller pebbles. What's on the ground now resembles more river rock, the cheapest rock one can by at homebuilding stores.

The mimosa in our parking lot is also four feet tall. If Kevin had it his way that tree would be gone as it's right in the middle of our parking area. With four cars we need all the space up front. I didn't plant the tree but hope in another ten years it provides our cars with some much-needed summer shade.

The small turpetine bush that took hold in early 2006 (before I went to Iraq) is now a foot tall and in yellow bloom. It's a pretty specimen that thrives in full sun. It picked a nice spot, near the palo verde, to grow.

The smaller blue palo verde, that grew more like a psychotic wild plant with branches in every direction, is starting to take on a more tamer appearance. I had the plant heavily pruned a few months ago, to remove rampant and dead branches, and it's now grown upward rather than sideways. Blue palos are slower to grow than yellow palo verdes, but I planted the blue to take over the deciduous tree in ten years. (I want all the plants in my front yard to be native plants and not plants that need special care to grow).

The two saguaros are still alive but they don't seem to have grown any. The bunny-ear cactus also hasn't grown any more pads.

As for the back yard, it's now covered in Bermuda grass. I'm letting the grass grow to seed so it can reseed itself, although with our cooler nights I don't think the grass will spread much more above ground.

The Paulownia tree's offshoot is now also over two feet tall. I wouldn't have planted the parent plant but it was there when we moved in and it's provided the squash garden with much-needed summer shade, too. So it's earned its position in the back yard.

The corn was a disappointed. All that labor that went into growing the corn and most of it succumbed to beetles and fungus. Next year the corn will be planted a month early, 1 March, to avoid the July beetle infestation.

Tomatoes were another disappointed. We didn't have a bumper crop of toms this year. All original plants died off by August without bearing much. The few fruit that did mature went bad on the vine. Perhaps the location was too shady for the toms.

The stray toms that grew out of the compost pile in July, however, are still growing fruit and growing into healthy red fruit. Lesson learned: don't plant the tomatoes until 1 July when the monsoon hits! Otherwise we spend too much $$ on the water bill.

Beans and peas were a success, and so were the Detroit red beets that I have learned to love.

I planted too much Romaine lettuce that went to bolt before we ate any of it.

But I will plant more spinach!

Red cabbage is another vegetable I want to do well with.

The strawberries are all reproducing very well in the containers, but the containers are too tall and deep. I should have picked shallower containers for the Quinalt varieties.

The red potato plants that grew from a tuber didn't live long enough to produce enough potatoes. We got a handful from the one I planted. What went wrong? Was it the summer heat? I will try again with another tuber soon. The few that grew were delicious.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

There are things growing in my compost!

After a three-day cold snap after Hurricane Norbert two weeks ago, we are back with beautiful autumn weather: highs in the 80s, lows in the 50s. Today I planted Bloomsdale Spinach, Detroit Red Beets and White Globe turnips in Bed #1 for a winter harvest.

As I added watered coffee grounds to the tin can we use as a compost pile, I noticed many seedlings growing. They are all cotyledons so I have no idea what they will be (green beans?), but for now I will let them be. There is nothing growing in the plastic bin we use as a compost container.

The stray tomatoes are now ripening. Kevin will use them in the chili this weekend. In the front yard we have Pineapple Sage in red bloom. The Iraqi acacias are all still doing well.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

A cool-down is coming

I started a substitute teaching job at a local school district. This 12-hour day has kept me busy even on weekends, just trying to get caught up with the book material, grading papers, etc. My garden has been neglected.

But...the stray tomatoes are finally turning orange! That means by the end of October we will have fresh ripe tomatoes and Kevin can make his chili. Many of the bell pepppers died on me while still bearing fruit. The beans are still coming, though but even they are starting to wear thin on us as we have a whole refrigeratore full of beans.

Metereologists have said that this summer was a mild one. We only had four days above 100F and ample rain during the monsoon. The gardening season is coming to a close. But I'm still fighting mosquitoes, moths and praying mantids. (The latter are welcome, the others aren't.)


September

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Saturday, September 20, 2008

Temperatures are cooling off

We had our first sub-60F overnight low on September 12th. The highs are still in the lower 90Fs though.

Yesterday Kevin cut down all the infested corn stalks. We will throw them all away. The stray tomatoes are bearing large tomatoes, the shell peas are coming up, and our turnips are HUGE! I will soon start my fall crops. I have carrots and onions coming up too, and the strawberries keep on growing new runners.

I noticed a small colony of Praying Mantids by our front door last night. There were at least four outside staring at the bugs around the front door's light.

Monsoon ended as well on the 12th, but I am still using harvested water for the garden.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Weather during the monsoon

The backyard is finally looking green, but I still have bald spots and patches of tumbleweed and punctureweed to get rid of, all manually. I don't even want to calculate the hours I spent on the backyard. Only my aching back knows!


Our beans are coming to an end, I picked the last few beans yesterday. The Husky Cherry Reds ar still growing and so are the lettuces, peas, spinach and cabbages although the damn cabbage looper has eaten a few too many holes in the outer leaves to my liking. And I'm finding lots of wooly caterpillars in the garden.


July


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August

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Monday, August 4, 2008

Four hours of heavy rains

After a week of a reprieve from the monsoon, we were hit hard last night, starting at 7:20pm and raining past 11pm. It was a slow-moving storm from the south. The rain gauge said we got an inch.

The oldeanders and photinias are still looking good with their red and pink blooms. Several of my flowers in the front yard are on their second bloom: the pincushion, salvias, heliopsis and lantanas are back in color. I also discovered a new palo verde seedling growing not too far from the parent tree. Three more Yellow Birds of Paradise are also growing. (They probably won't make it through the winter, but I will try to keep them warm enough).

The front yard is slowly going through a change. There will be more trees and shrubs in full growth next year at this time. I will let the flowers and shrubs that don't make it die a natural death and replace everything with more native shrubs. I will most likely still recycle my shower water for the foxglove and daisies.

The grass in the backyard is also coming along. I de-weeded another hour this morning, threw down more Bermuda seeds in the bald spots. Sadie and Sara like to dig in the fresh soil, though so I have two holes I will eventually have to redo before the fall hits.

Nonetheless, my hard work in the back yard is paying off. The yard looks good and cultivated!

Next year we will finish off the northeast corner of the yard where all the rocks were strewn by the previous owners. There are heavy weeds there as well: silver nightshade, tumbleweed, morning glory, burclover. My big focus is the pricklythorns. I've made a noticable reduction in the amount of goatheads the dogs bring inside. I rip out every plant I can find, especially those in yellow bloom. The tumbleweed will be next, but I will do better once the plants are a few inches taller and are easier to pull out by the roots.

This rain should revive the beans, peas and the seedlings growing in the containers. If only the tomatoes would flourish! We will be eating beans for several weeks.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Remnants of Hurricane Dolly

We had strong rains all weekend long, starting Friday afternoon. Our gardens were flooded and some of the vegetables are starting to turn yellow from too much water. The added rains are great for the Bermuda grass I have in the back yard (the lawn is about 1/4 done as I solarize small sections at a time before laying the seed down).

We continue to get beans every day, both Waxbeans and Bush beans. The pole beans just recently started coming out. We have had two ear of corn already although the most has yet to be harvested. Cabbage, lettuce and beets are still coming.

I hope the rains continue as the monsoon has brough life back to the Photinias and Oleanders marking our perimeter. They are finally showing new buds this year. The Oleanders even have red blooms on them.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Wax beans

Yesterday we ate our first batch of yellow wax beans. Yum! There are more wax and green beans to be harvested and more peas should be ready in another two weeks.

I planted more snow peas that should be harvestable in 55 days. I will continue to plant as much as I can for as long as the weather allows.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Our first harvest

Last night Kevin made a rice medley that contained spinach, sweet peas and two tomatoes from our garden. The sweet snow peas were delicious! I can't wait for more garden nibbles. The Romaine lettuce is ready for harvest. Just the pole beans are still without fruit. The sweet corn is a month away from eating.

Only the cabbage seems to have fallen victim to the cabbage looper.

Monsoonal rains arrived ten days ago. I haven't watered the yards all week and even rolled up the hoses for the season.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Sadie

The last two Saturdays we've gone into town to check out the Swap Meet. One can find good deals there, from used garden tools like tillers to used clothes, books and guns. The vendors vary with each week. Yesterday there was even one vendor selling used XXX adult videos, and several curious middle-aged men were standing under that tent.

We had seen a new tiller last week for $175 but didn't have the cash on hand. This week we did, but this time the vendor wasn't there. Another couple was selling their tiller for $75, but they didn't bother to wash the dirt off the machine, nor put air in the tires. "It needs a new pull string" said the man, "but I can start it up for you!" We passed.

A little disappointed, we stopped at our favorite feed store to stock up on dog food. We feed our dogs only the best, from Nutro to ProPlan or Eukanuba. It all depends on what's on sale each week.

I looked around the racks of dog food and noticed a three-month old sable German Shepherd Dog puppy that one of the clerks had brought in. She had her litter of pups on sale since early May but at that time was asking $500 a pup, a bit steep for me. But this time she was asking $300.

I showed Kevin the little pup and he almost fell in love right there all over again. I could see it in his eyes, the way he looked at that sable bundle. I talked to the seller some more, asking quesitons about the parentage. She had only one more pup left. She lives on five acres in the country not too far from us, with several horses and five dogs.

The little pup's name was "Chinky," a name I knew I'd immediately change. She didn't look "Chinky" nor would I ever use that name in reference to any one else.

We left the store with the puppy. I held her in my lap as we approached our street.

What to name the puppy? We went over some German names.
"I like Rommel" but that name was better suited for a male puppy. What about Gretchen, Gertrude? Edie?

"Sadie" said Kevin as he turned into our street.
"I like that!"

So Sadie it became.

The clumsy little girl jumped to the ground as we got home and I took her to the back yard where the two unsuspecting dogs were. Sadie yelped in fear at the sight of the approaching dogs, and placed her tail between her legs.

Luckily, there were no fights, just curiousity. Later there were a few attempts by all dogs to initiate play. Sammy growled at Sadie a few times in that Back-off-kid look I've never seen him use before.

Kevin was so excited about the little dog that he tried to call his best friend Tom in Bisbee with the news.

Kevin was in love, taking the little pup everywhere, even to bed later that night where Sadie whined all night long. I kept the light on until she fell asleep. Having her whine was like having a newborn back in the bedroom again.

Today was more of the same between the dogs. Sammy and Sara perhaps were annoyed that the pup was still there today, but they seem less annoyed with her, and when we are in the living room all three dogs are a mere feet away from eachother. When we went on our nightly walk Sadie tried to keep pace with the two big dogs, sometimes getting too close to Sara.

As long as I'm not working fulltime, I will devote some time to training the little pup, perhaps even check on a Schutzhund club in the county. There's one in Elfrida but that's a 90 mile drive one way and tuition for the training will be several thousand dollars, money I'd rather spend on my own education.

But Sadie is now in our lives and will hopefully enliven us for many years. She's already shown a keen intelligence, curiosity and self confidence for her tender years.

"We should have bought her sister too" added Kevin tonight. FOUR DOGS? Has Kevin gone insane?

No doubt talking about having a pure bred German Shepherd Dog these last few years has gotten to Kevin. I'm glad. I think Kevin and Sadie are going to be inseparable soon.



Friday, June 20, 2008

Beans and beets

I didn't realize I hadn't posted in three weeks.

The triple-digit heat is here. Most of my tomatoes are surviving by the shade of the hedges they are near. If they don't stay warm and moist during the heat of the day, the tomatoes wilt. When we were gone a week for a carcamp in Northeastern Arizona, we came back to wilted tomatotes. They all recovered and are fine now, but our sweet peppers dropped their blossoms and won't bear any fruit for a while.

The beets are still doing well, which is amazing as beets are cool-weather plants. The beets are under the shade of an old futon frame I placed over the cabbage/beets/spinach. All three veggies are doing well; nothing has bolted yet.

Another thing that has amazed me is the corn. I planted an old packet dated 11/2006 a week ago and by gawd the corn's sprouting! With lows at night in the low 70s everything is just taking off. We have five stalks of sweet corn (planted 4-28) that are now over 3' tall. The butternut squash is also growing fast.

Only our pole beans are still philosophizing about whether they should grow beans or not. Both the pole and bush beans are vegetatively growing tall, it's just that they haven't borne much fruit.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

My garden is growing!

We were gone a few days, camping in the Whites, and returned to see the Sunset Coneflowers in bloom. Our Century Plant is also growing a flower stalk...and the rest of the flowers are filling in with their yellows and reds and blues. In another month the front yard will be in complete lush!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Heatwave

Today was the second day of upper 90-degree weather. My tomatoes are already showing heat stress by wilting. I spent a good hour this morning trying to find materials to shade my raised beds that have sprouting beans. My cool-weather beets, cabbage and lettuce are even more vulnerable now.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Temps in the upper 90s

We have a heat wave, with temps in Tucson reaching the triple digits. It was 90F when I left the house at 11:30am. It was so hot I let the dogs stay indoors with the back porch door open.

Most of my green beans are now sprouting and in another month every other bean I've planted will be ready for harvest. So far the cool-weather veggies like beets and cabbage are still growing, but I worry about their progress after this heat wave, which is to linger until Thursday. I placed an old wooden futon frame over the beets and cabbage.

The rest of the garden is looking great. The sunflower heliopsis are in full bloom and it looks like my asters will soon pop open.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

The Bugman

He lectured our class today, Carl Olson, on bugs, a UA assistant researcher out of Tucson. "There is no such thing as a bad bug" he said, and repeatedly stressed the importance of staying away from chemical pesticides. Stomp on bugs, keep a clean habitat (prevent the bug's habitat) and don't provide food and water and you shouldn't have a bug problem, he added.

Although he came across at first as overly-biased, in the end I understood Olson's passion and actually agree with him 100% on how to best manage a bug problem. His idea about pesticides is similiar to my idea of pharmaceuticals: the majority are unneccessary and only profit for the drug-makers.

Olson was very animated throughout the class. He was gracious enough to stay an extra 30 minutes to answer questions about ants, termites and spiders.


http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/columnists/113192.php

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds make the Southwestern garden. They show up in mid April and stay until just before the first frost in the fall.

My garden is a regular stop-over for hungry hummers. I have several feeders for them filled with sugar water, and many more plants in the front yard just for them. They appreciate the agastaches, pestemons, Cape Honeysuckles, jasmins, bee balm and pineapple sage I got just for them.

I enjoy watching the hummingbirds. This morning one little bird flew around the sprinkler water as I misted the front yard after sunrise. The little bird never stopped, but it was apparent that it was refreshing itself in the mist as it flew from flower to flower.

I also have a two-gallon "pond" between two euliopsis and another terra cotta tray that I fill up with fresh water every day for the other birds that come by every day. I also have various seeds out for the hungry finches, thrashers, doves, Gambel Quails, ravens and wrens that I have spotted in the yard.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

This MG course is addicting

I always seem to head straight to Lowe's after class to get more plants for the gardens. Today I spent over $103 on MORE young peppers (not the sweet bell kind, but hotter ones grown for salsa and chile!) and some bee balm, coneflowers, and four bags of soil.

Kevin agreed to help with the container construction, and we also agreed on getting 4x4 boxes that would make gardening easier rather than using long rows. I have a list of close to 20 vegetables I plan on trying out, from the usual beans, tomatoes, peppers and peas that are already growing in small boxes, to lettuce, spinach, cabbage, beets and squash for the latter months. The west end of the back yard will be utilized for the garden, still allowing the dogs their run area, but allowing the plants some shade from the tall hedge shrubs along the west fence. Our summers are too hot for the plants to survive without some afternoon shade.

Today we talked about garden pests. Mel, the woman I worked with last Earth Day, brought in a few pests for us to identify. Next week we talk fruit and nut trees.

My fruit trees aren't looking too good right now. The Santa Rose plum looks like it's dying from the top down. None of the trees remaining in the back yard have sprouted new branches this year except my apricot.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

BUSY!!!

I seem to spend four to five solid hours in the gardens lately. The weeds are as pulled as they will be so far, but lately it's been my little vegetable garden that has been keeping me busy. I moved all the pots closer to the Italian Stone Pine, which offers shade for my transplants in the afternoon. The sun's already too hot for the plants to thrive in without shade every day.

Today at the Earth Day/Farmer's Market I picked up several packets of free seeds, including bee balm and chaste tree that I have been looking for, along with desert and firecracker penstemons, desert marigolds and a few others I've not heard of before. Free seeds are such a great deal!

My bell peppers that I planted from seed in early April are now coming up as seedlings. We have various types of tomatoes and won't need any more, but this year I am also trying various beans and peas to go with the toms and peps.

I really enjoy gardening and don't know how the garden will thrive once I go back to work.

Friday, April 11, 2008

A busy day in the garden...

I worked almost non-stop for six hours planting, weeding, uprooting, transplanting around the
garden. Most of the plants that Mom gave me yesteday now have a place in the yard. She brought me a Lisbon Lemon and Bearss Lime; now I have five citrus trees which should be enough. My big love are the small Keylimes for margaritas and spicy dishes.

I also found a stray Parry's Penstemon hiding in the junipers. How long had that thing beed there? I uprooted it and planted it in the front yard.

I also watered the palo verde to the point of saturating it, drowing out a scorpion and several cockroaches around the stem. (Scorps eat roaches).

I found some Greek oregano that had survived all these years with neglect, so together with some sweet basil and cilantro that has a new home.

I don't have much more work to do in the front yard. What is planted there now will have to survive.

It's the back yard that still seems to be a weedy mess no matter how much I till. Three ant hills don't make my job there any easier.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Master Gardener Class #6

Today we covered vegetables. It was no surprise that the majority of the 22 students also had a garden and tomatoes and peppers were the favorites. I am going to experiment this year on vertical gardening to yield more in a small space.

I will also experiment with spinach and lettuce and place them under mature tomato plants so that the cold-growing plants thrive under the shade of the tomatoes.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Two more citrus trees

I went crazy Friday and bought two citrus trees from HomeDepot: a Lime Bearas and a Rio REd Grapefruit tree, to replace the ones Kevin murdered while I was in Iraq.

The two sycamore saplings and two sumac saplings seem to have survived their transplants well.

Friday, April 4, 2008

MG Class

We talked mostly about drip irrigation systems which didn't interest me much.

But afterwards I did a shitload of work. On Thursday I murdered all my north-facing English Ivy along the wall, transplanted three young Texas Mountain Laurel trees I found in the south yard. Today I bought two more raspberry plants, a lime tree and a red grapefruit tree.

My fingers are sore from all the transplanting.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Ants!

This morning I was busy with removing the old (dead) citrus trees that have been in containers in the front yard for two years. As I removed my beloved lime tree, out from underneath the large container scurried large ants moving larvae around! They disappeared into the cracks of the house outside, but I quickly got some ant dust and dusted the two corners by the front door.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Things are coming alive

Some of the plants that I swore off as dead two weeks ago are showing new sprouts: my Yellow Bells, Potato Bush and all the yellow ventana are still alive!

The mesquite tree that decided to grow in our front yard three years ago is now shooting buds.

All the sages are growing tall and growing flowers. Both pecan trees are now in leaf form. Too bad neither has grown any at all, though.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

My third MG Class

Last Wednesday's class was taught by "Turfman" Dave from New Jersey. We were warned that he tends to talk "about 50% facts and 50% fiction" and to not take him too seriously. As soon as he started the class, I knew why.

His Joisey accent had me in internal stiches and I thought he was a riot using graphic metaphors to get his point across. But that soon wore out fast, especially after he kept us past our usual 11:15am break and made us sit still until 11:45am.

"But my eyes are turning yellow!" I protested, referring to my full bladder reaching emergency capacity.

"Ok, we need to take a break here" Dave replied "to ease this emergency!" and I trotted to the restroom. As soon as I got out of the stall there were six other women in line.

Dave gave a great hands-on about the four basic grasses found in southern Arizona: Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, buffalo grass and short fescue.

The class was to end at 1:05pm but Dave kept us in the classroom until 1:40pm. Some people walked out due to other commitments, but the rest of us survived the ordeal. I was starving when we were finally released for the day. It was a very intense 3.5 hours about grasses.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Non-native species

Council wants faster response to invasive species
Published on Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Cronkite News ServicePHOENIX — Arizona needs a faster, better-coordinated effort to fight invasive plants and animals and should do more to educate the public about the threat, members of the Arizona Invasive Species Advisory Council said Monday.

Today, the council will begin public meetings across Arizona to gather feedback on draft recommendations for a comprehensive invasive species action plan. The group plans to finalize its proposals by June 30.Ed Northam, a council member and president of the Southwest Vegetation Management Association, a statewide organization that promotes awareness of the invasive species threat, said the problem could worsen as the state continues to grow.

“People are coming in and out of Arizona all the time, and the potential for them bringing something new in is very high,” Northam said. “We’ve got a history of 120, 130 years of non-native plants coming into the state, and now we’re beginning to see some of those were mistakes.”

Invasive animals and plants can harm the environment and the economy and threaten human health. Their effects can be widespread and devastating.African buffelgrass, which is spreading in the desert of southern Arizona, grows quickly and burns at such a high temperature that the thing most likely to grow back is more buffelgrass.

The quagga mussel reproduces rapidly and consumes large amounts of the phytoplankton that are at the bottom of the food chain. The mussel has been found in lakes along the Colorado River, in the Central Arizona Project canal and in Lake Pleasant north of Phoenix.

The state has already spent more than $700,000 over the last two years fighting the glassy-winged sharpshooter, an insect that threatens the wineries of southern Arizona by spreading a type of destructive bacteria.“

In California, that one bug hurt the state’s economy by hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Ed Hermes, spokesman for the Arizona Department of Agriculture, which is a leader on the council. “Just by investing some money up front we can avoid that type of devastation.”

Gov. Janet Napolitano created the council by executive order in 2005 and made it permanent last year, just after the quagga mussel was found in Arizona.The council’s plan calls for more cooperation among state, local and federal agencies, and among ranchers, landowners and other interests. It also encourages state agencies to establish a hub for invasive species management and research.

Fred Amator, a council member who represented the Arizona Crop Protection Association, said the center would help the public learn more about invasive species.“There is a lot of data out there on some of these different invasive species, but they haven’t really reached the public, nor have they reached some of the agencies that may be able to help,” Amator said.

Another recommendation would provide $1 million to help agencies fight harmful plants or animals as soon as they’re detected.That money is unlikely to come from the Legislature anytime soon because of the state’s budget deficit, Hermes said.“We don’t have the option of hiring more staff to deal with this increasing problem,” Hermes said.

“We need to look at what we have and do more.”Northam said the funding could come through federal grants, private donors or non-governmental organizations.He said the key is getting a handle on the problem before it spins out of control. This could help avoid the spread of diseases that non-native animals first brought here and later transmitted to humans, such as West Nile virus, he said.

“There’s a lot of diseases that can come in through the Third World that we typically don’t have to worry about here,” Northam said. “You just ignore that, you’re leaving the door wide open for something that would be much cheaper to prevent than cure later on.”

Give your inputThe Comprehensive Statewide Invasive Species Management Plan was developed by the 21-member council as a coordinated approach to preventing or controlling the spread of invasive species and their impacts in Arizona. A downloadable version is located at www.governor.state.az.us/AIS. A public meeting will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday in Tucson, at the University of Arizona Controlled Environment AG Complex, 1951 E. Roger Road.For those who can’t attend, input also can be submitted online at www.governor.state.az.us/AIS by clicking on the “Submit Electronic Comments” link or by mail to Brian McGrew, Plant Services Division, Arizona Department of Agriculture, 1688 W. Adams, Phoenix AZ 85007.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/03/18/news/doc47df6f5c3b4b5767292853.txt#blogcomments

Record low temperatures...BRR!

I brought some of my seedlings in and placed them in the south-facing window sill. I hope they didn't get frost-bitten. All my plants outside were cleared of dead leaves a few days ago. I'm glad I postponsed my tomato planting!

A warm-up is expected tomorrow, with highs back in the 80s/50s.

___

Record low temperatures felt in parts of county
Staff report
Published on Tuesday, March 18, 2008
SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County chilled Monday, reaching record lows in some parts as a winter storm moved through the area.The National Weather Service reported a low of 27 degrees Fahrenheit at its station at Sierra Vista fire station No. 1 on Fry Boulevard, which matched a previous record low.
Rice-size hail falls in Sierra Vista on a cold St. Patrick’s Day. (Mark Levy-Herald/Review)

The meteorological support team at Fort Huachuca’s Electronic Proving Ground reported a record low of 26 degrees, according to its planning forecast.At the Bisbee-Douglas International Airport, the low on Monday was recorded at 27 degrees. It was unknown if this was a record low.

The storm also brought flurries of snow to the area throughout Monday, but there were few areas in Bisbee and Sierra Vista where snow gathered on the ground. Snow did collect at higher elevations.

There were no known problems related to the weather in the Sierra Vista and Bisbee.A warming trend is expected through the rest of the week, with highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s expected starting Wednesday.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/03/18/news/doc47df6f06d992f878528355.txt

Friday, March 14, 2008

Weeds

My back yard is a mess. I can't even identify all the stuff growing there, but it's all weeds and they all need to go. Every day I pluck weeds for an hour, shortly after sunrise when the soil's still loose from dew. By 9am it's already too hot and dry to work much else in the yard. I don't even recycle the weeds and through them in the dumpster when there's room. I have goat heads, dandelions and other desert weeds like desert broom.

I started a compost pile two days ago, using an old tin garbage pail we bought as a small fire bail. Overnight the pile settled to half its size. Filled with dead grasses, kitchen scraps, dead leaves and water, the compost should work itself into usuable compost in a few weeks if the daytime heat remains. The pail is covered to keep the heat in.

The front yard has plenty of leaves I will recycle. I'm now removing the dead leaves to reveal new growth on most of the plants. Even the lantana that I thought had died shows some new leaves. Only my Yellow Bells are dead, the crepe myrtle as well, but the sages and lavenders and penstemons are doing well.

I'm not sure I'm going to replace any of the dead plants just yet, as I will try harder to make the front yard more xeriscape and use less water. What water the front yard will get will be recycled shower water.

I planted six new agastaches yesterday that I got from High Country Gardens. (They are expensive but carry an awesome line of xeriscape plants ideal for the high desert). They are in the same area my other agastaches were (wonder why they didn't survive?).

One of our pecan trees is looking sicker and sicker each year. The smaller of the two always blooms later than its partner. Its bark broke down to the cambrium a few years back (from a wind storm?) and it seems to have done some permanent damage to the tree. The previous home owners cut the tree's damaged branches off exposing the tree's south side to the sun, but it's also the south side of the tree that is mostly bald. I don't expect the tree to live much longer.

Neither pecan has yet had any nuts, so both are most likely male or female plants.

The acorns I planted in Texas are still sprouting. The acorns were in coffee cups that I kept wrapped in a plastic bag in the back of the van during my trip across Texas. Although suffering from lack of sunlight--the seedlings are all white--they should hopefully continue to grow well now that they are on the back porch. Maybe one of the oaks will replace the pecan tree in a few years?

I will continue to de-weed the back yard every day until the majority of dead grasses and weeds are gone. Once that is done hopefully the maintenance of the yard will be easier. I will be as holistic as possible and avoid pesticides.

A cool front is expected Sunday afternoon with rain possible that night. That would be ideal as it hasn't rained here in a while and the soil is very dry. We keep getting Red Flag warnings for high winds, though.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Monsoon season

Start of Arizona’s monsoon will now be determined by calendar
Published on Tuesday, March 11, 2008

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s monsoon, that annual period marked by sometimes violent thunderstorms, powerful downpours and flash floods, will now be more predictable — at least in some ways.The National Weather Service this year is abandoning its decades-old system of using dew points to mark the onset of summer thunderstorms. Instead, the agency will simply set a date to mark the season’s start.

“We want to get the focus away from how we determine when it starts and when it ends and put the focus on awareness that our most violent weather occurs during the season,” said Tony Haffer, meteorologist-in-charge at the Weather Service office in Phoenix.

The Weather Service announced the official span of the rainy season on Monday: June 15 to Sept. 30. On average, the monsoon starts in late June to early July and typically ends in early to mid-September.By setting dates, the Weather Service and public-safety agencies can better prepare people for the risks of summer thunderstorms, Haffer said.

The calendar-based system more closely resembles the widely accepted hurricane season. Haffer said hurricanes can develop outside that season, just as monsoon storms will likely develop outside their new season.The change also reflects advances in weather-forecasting technology. Haffer said the old dew-point system was based on equipment and knowledge available about 50 years ago.

Dew point is a measure of the amount of moisture in the air, specifically the temperature at which water vapor will condense into water.The system also varied around the state. Tucson used a dew-point temperature of 53 degrees to mark the start of the season, adding to the confusion.

The new dates will apply statewide.A monsoon is defined as a shift in the prevailing winds, in this case from the west and northwest to the south and southeast. The shift brings moisture from the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Mexico.In Arizona, the highest rainfall amounts during the monsoon occur in the mountains, and in the southeast. The driest areas are along the Colorado River valley in the far west.

http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/03/11/news/doc47d625f1ac91e019295488.txt

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

My second MG class

Today's class was all about plant phsiology and taught by PhD grad Rob who looked like a combination of Rob Reiner and the guru Andrew Weil with bald head and full grey beard. He was so knowledgable on plant make-up that it was intimidating. He spoke as if he was lecturing to a graduate-level class of botanists. The pre-test I had to take as new student during break didn't make me feel any better: I missed nine out of 20 and most dealt with plant make-up.

As soon as I got home I felt energized to gather as much dead leaves and start on a compost pile. Kevin had saved the vegetable cuttings from the weekend and I collected old leaves and fresh weeds for the rest, then dumped them all in the tin garbage pale in the back. In a few weeks I should have some fresh compost in this heat.

I removed as many dead plants from the front yard. I received six plants from High Country Gardens today which I will plant in the front yard tomorrow. I watered the fruit trees in the back with harvested water. One of the ruit trees is dead and will be replaced with a peach tree later during the monsoon season.

The back yard continues to be a haven for weeds. The best thing I can do is till the entire back yard one day with a rented tiller. That will require some dedication. Without a tiller I can't see the backyard to be cleared of all the love grass and dandelions.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

My first Master Garderner Class

I missed the first class on the 27th since I was still in Texas, but last Wednesday's class was interesting. We covered xeriscaped gardens, just something up my alley. As I had suspected, I am doing everything right. My problem with the garden is that the previous owners put this riverrock down, rock that is too big for convenient gardening. If I had it my way I'd have all the rocks removed and chat put in, something smaller and easier to handle.

The course also let me know how much I know and how much I don't know.

Pruning, seed archiving, soil samples, pest control are all subjects I can't wait to learn more about.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Back in Arizona

It's been a long, freezing winter for the desert plants. Now that I am back in AZ I have a lot of pruning to do. My vines all suffered freeze death in parts and need to be cut back. The sages are doing well, and the lavenders are all showing new growth.

The healthier of the two trees is already budding, the smaller tree is still thinking about it. With each passing year the smaller tree is taking longer to bud; I don't think it will live much longer and need to start thinking of a replacement. Removing that tree could alter the plants underneath it, plants that have depended on partial shade all these summers.

My yards are infested with dandilions, the first time I can remember the yard having so many of them. Perhaps all the desert brooms I pulled last fall enabled the dandis to take over?

The three Texas Mountain Laurels are all doing well and survived the few freezing nights earlier this winter. They should make it now that the worst is over for them this first year.

I don't plan on planting new plants this season. I will replace some of the citrus trees but from here on out I will focus on the established plants from 2005 when I last planted the garden. Those plants that survived the dry summers will flourish and are more prone to do well with lack of water; I will no longer water my yard as before EXCEPT for the grey water from the shower.

Temperatures are expected to warm back into the 70s/40s by this weekend. If that persists I will start my tomatoe garden again, using coffee grounds as before that yielded such a bumper crop the first time I used coffee grounds.

My Master Gardener Course starts today, every Wednesday from 10-1pm through May. All that knowledge I will gain will help me better assist in my garden. I will use this journal as documentation.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

There's an acacia seedling growing in my coffeecup!

It's the one planted two weeks ago. I hope this one makes it. The paper coffee cup is inside the van, staying warm and moist in its cup. Hopefully now that I am in warmer climes at least one seed will survive and prosper. I am determined to have at least one tree grow from the many seeds I collected last summer.

The question now remains: where would I plant it?!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Cochise County Master Gardener Course

starts 27 February, from 10am-1pm every Wednesday through 28 May.

Friday, February 1, 2008

The acacia seedlings died

From the cold, most likely. I planted two more yesterday, now that it should start warming up again.
My acorns are probably not going to sprout, either.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Two months away

My garden is in Arizona and I'm still in Texas. However, since I love growing things I have collected various acorns, placed them in old coffee paper cups and now have about nine acorns growing roots on my balcony. I don't even know all the species, but the majority of the acorns are from my neighborhood. In another month they should be ready for transplanting.

The rest of my garden is dormant but in March I'll be back in full swing. In June when the overnight temperatures get warm, I will plant my first acacias. I can't wait!