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.
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
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.
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.
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