August - September temperatures

A cold front is due mid-week to bring more seasonable weather.


August

Sat
1
OBSERVED
Hi
101°F
Lo
70°F
Precip (in)
0in.
-- row 2 --
2
OBSERVED

Hi
97°F
Lo
72°F
Precip (in)
0.01in. -- row 2 --
3
OBSERVED

Hi
100°F
Lo
68°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
4
OBSERVED

Hi
101°F
Lo
69°F
Precip (in)
0.01in. -- row 2 --
5
OBSERVED

Hi
99°F
Lo
71°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
6

OBSERVED

Hi
97°F
Lo
74°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
7
OBSERVED

Hi
98°F
Lo
68°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
8
OBSERVED

Hi
95°F
Lo
67°F
Precip (in)
0in.
-- row 2 --
9
OBSERVED

Hi
95°F
Lo
63°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
10
OBSERVED

Hi
94°F
Lo
68°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
11
OBSERVED

Hi
96°F
Lo
71°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
12
OBSERVED

Hi
94°F
Lo
68°F
Precip (in)
0.28in. -- row 2 --
13

OBSERVED

Hi
83°F
Lo
66°F
Precip (in)
1.16in. -- row 2 --
14
OBSERVED

Hi
89°F
Lo
66°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
15
OBSERVED

Hi
94°F
Lo
67°F
Precip (in)
0in.
-- row 2 --
16
OBSERVED

Hi
95°F
Lo
67°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
17
OBSERVED

Hi
97°F
Lo
65°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
18
OBSERVED

Hi
98°F
Lo
68°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
19
OBSERVED

Hi
97°F
Lo
68°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
20

OBSERVED

Hi
99°F
Lo
68°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
21
OBSERVED

Hi
96°F
Lo
68°F
Precip (in)
0.10in. -- row 2 --
22
OBSERVED

Hi
86°F
Lo
69°F
Precip (in)
0.08in.
-- row 2 --
23
OBSERVED

Hi
89°F
Lo
64°F
Precip (in)
0.26in. -- row 2 --
24
OBSERVED

Hi
88°F
Lo
65°F
Precip (in)
0.01in. -- row 2 --
25
OBSERVED

Hi
88°F
Lo
66°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
26
OBSERVED

Hi
95°F
Lo
65°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
27

OBSERVED

Hi
95°F
Lo
63°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
28
OBSERVED

Hi
96°F
Lo
67°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
29
OBSERVED

Hi
95°F
Lo
63°F
Precip (in)
0in.
-- row 2 --
30
OBSERVED

Hi
95°F
Lo
64°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

31
OBSERVED
Hi
95°F
Lo
64°F
Precip (in)
0in.


September
Next Month

Sun


Mon


Tue
1
OBSERVED

Hi
93°F
Lo
69°F
Precip (in)
0in.
Wed
2
OBSERVED

Hi
91°F
Lo
68°F
Precip (in)
0in.
Thu
3
OBSERVED

Hi
95°F
Lo
63°F
Precip (in)
0in.
Fri
4

OBSERVED

Hi
90°F
Lo
62°F
Precip (in)
0in.
Sat
5
OBSERVED

Hi
86°F
Lo
64°F
Precip (in)
0in.
-- row 2 --
6
OBSERVED

Hi
90°F
Lo
60°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
7
OBSERVED

Hi
88°F
Lo
62°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
8
OBSERVED

Hi
87°F
Lo
67°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
9
OBSERVED

Hi
91°F
Lo
61°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
10
OBSERVED

Hi
92°F
Lo
63°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
11
OBSERVED

Hi
90°F
Lo
64°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
12

OBSERVED

Hi
83°F
Lo
59°F
Precip (in)
0in.
-- row 2 --
13
OBSERVED

Hi
88°F
Lo
59°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
14
OBSERVED

Hi
90°F
Lo
59°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
15
OBSERVED

Hi
90°F
Lo
64°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
16
OBSERVED

Hi
90°F
Lo
60°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
17
OBSERVED

Hi
89°F
Lo
58°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
18

OBSERVED

Hi
87°F
Lo
61°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
19
OBSERVED

Hi
88°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0.08in.
-- row 2 --
20
OBSERVED

Hi
89°F
Lo
56°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
21
OBSERVED

Hi
92°F
Lo
59°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
22
OBSERVED

Hi
85°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
23
OBSERVED

Hi
83°F
Lo
62°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
24
OBSERVED

Hi
88°F
Lo
52°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
25
OBSERVED

Hi
90°F
Lo
57°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --
26

OBSERVED

Hi
93°F
Lo
53°F
Precip (in)
0in.

27
OBSERVED
Hi
94°F
Lo
55°F
Precip (in)
0in. -- row 2 --

Today
Hi
95°F
Lo
64°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
29
Hi
93°F
Lo
63°F
Precip
0 %

-- row 2 --
30
Hi
86°F
Lo
59°F
Precip
10 %

Our rain average this month has been 0.08 inches. The average is 1.28"
FORECAST: Updated Sep 28 07:11 a.m. MT

Hydroponics Workshop

Today I attended a free hydroponics workshop in town.

The main instructor was Jeffrey Ofstedahl from the Center for Academic Success, a public charter school in town. He teaches middle-school students science. He kept us all in awe with his enthusiasm.

Jim and Gary from the master Gardeners were also there. I also met a retired colonel who owns 1000 acres of ranchland right on the border. I chatted with him a bit. "Before the border was built we had about 1000 illegals a week. Now it's down to around 300" he said. He feeds his cows only grasses, nothing artificial is added to their diet. During the break he called his ranch to check on a cow that was due to drop her calf today. (She was still pregnant)

I picked up a lot of knowledge today from this workshop. Lunch was provided as well, although it was just a sandwich buffet with fake cheese and bologna; "school lunch food"

We even were given free seeds, and then were encouraged to take more as there were still many packets for the taking. I grabbed some turnips for Kevin and planted spinach when I got home.

The workshop was made possible through a $2,000 environmental education grant to the Nimon S. Hopkins Conservation Education Center from Southwest Wings that provided funding for the materials. Kelly Savage, a spirited woman I recognized from last year's Southwest Wings festival, was the co-instructor today.

My poor garden just looks so dead and dry this season. Kevin doesn't seem to water it daily like he used to. My strawberries are dying and I don't know why; they were still multiplying like crazy two weeks ago! I am still ahead of the game but all these dying plants in the garden look so sickly. We are still getting hot temperatures so we have at least another month of growing weather. http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/09/27/news/doc4abf24c4c11bd434122976.txt

Northern Arizona's first night of frost this season

Freeze warning for higher elevations in Ariz.

Sept. 22, 2009 07:01 AMAssociated Press

The first day of fall feels more like the first day of winter for some in the mountain West, with light snow in Colorado and freeze warnings for higher elevations in Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada and Utah.
A winter storm watch has been issued Tuesday for Boulder, Colo., and surrounding areas in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

Light snow was reported Monday in Vail and other mountain towns, and more was expected Tuesday. At least 3 inches of snow fell in parts of the foothills west of Denver.

Temperatures in Denver dipped into to the upper 30s overnight, and low 30s in Flagstaff, Ariz.

The cold weather and snow have prompted Colorado's Loveland ski area to turn on its snowmaking machines earlier than planned.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/09/22/20090922AzFreeze22-ON.html

The end of the gardening season

Even though we haven't had any frost yet, the vegetables look pretty dead. The tomatoes and peppers are wilting. The strawberries from last year are already drying up. Only this year's growth is healthy.

Beans are drying up before they can grow pods, same with the peas. I'm not sure what is going on. The only thing we were able to successfully grow this year were the peppers.

The jujube tree in the front yard already lost all its leaves. The quince is still holding strong. The apricots look tired and so does the plum and peach tree. Even the grass is turning yellow. The grass only looked lush green for a week in late July when I returned from my roadtrip.

The small acacias are all growing new leaves and should be fine for another month.

The only thing that is doing well are the root vegetables. Even the potatoes seem to be in hibernation.

It's a Texas Mountain Laurel!

The little sapling is a Texas Mountain Laurel. Two, in fact. And now there's a third sapling growing in the same area that may have to be transplanted. That seed must have been in the soil since last year as I don't remember planting any of those this year. They are not easy to grow, and the spot they are in is a stubborn spot for plants; a small rosebush five years ago died and the spot's been empty since.

The little horned toad that I keep seeing in the front yard had babies. I saw one little baby hop along the perimeter fence yesterday afternoon. I hope the little guy makes it into adulthood.

My tomatoes continue to rot on the vine. Green peppers are ripening, strawberries keep growing new runners and the garden's keeping me busy, but I must say that this year's harvest seems puny compared to last year.

My quine tree's leaves are starting to turn yellow, but so far that's the first sign of autumn approaching. The lantanas are still in bright bloom and spreading nicely. I should have at least one more month of color in the front yard.

I hope we get that rain tomorrow as forecasted. The oleander along the eastern fence are starting to show drought stress.

There's a sapling growing in my front yard!

And, unfortunately, I don't remember what I planted there.

I actually have two saplings coming up in the front yard, in different locations. It's either a mimosa or a palo verde.

I really like my front yard this year. Although I am saddened by the loss of my feathery Lindheineri, I will plant them anew next spring in a different location, some place more isolated so that their graceful stems can flow more freely in the wind.

Agaves, Yuccas and Red Birds of Paradise

My front yard is slowly turning into a drought-tolerant garden. I now have over 13 agaves growing there, most of them year-old offshots of parent plants. Five years ago I had five agaves.

The African daisies are slowly dying off. As perenials they have lived their normal lifespan of four to five years. A few newer plants are still thriving and most likely will go to seed, but I am no longer wishing for more new growth. I feel about African daisies as I do about the coreopsis: they are prettier in someone else's yard.

The garden is clearly in transition, just as I wanted. I don't want petunias or zinnias growing, plants that need more water than the lavender, salvias, lantana, verbena, orange honeysuckle, penstemons and Red and Yellow Birds of Paradise. What is growing there now are all offspring, or young seedlings from fresh seed, most of them strays. I have done little to the front yard this year as far as planting new bushes. (The exception was yesterday's transplanting of agave offshoots) and the natural look seems more attractive, more normal in this high desert. I have the showiest front yard in the street. The red, yellow and orange lantana are getting large enough to demand attention. The black swallowtail butterflies love those flowers.

The desert willow seedling that found a home near the four-year-old mesquite tree is now six inches tall. By the end of the year it will be a foot tall; next year it will be three feet tall. There are also various seedlings from the blue and yellow palo verde showing themselves throughout the gravel. In another five years the front yard will be canopied in various feathery shade shrubs and trees, just as I like it to be.

My one concern is my older yucca. It has brown spots on its older leaves. I've cut off the fungal spots and am keeping an eye out on it for the next year. The yuccca is now about three feet tall and four years old, planted in the spring of 2005 when I was conducting all kinds of experiments in the front yard.

It looks like Hurricane Jimena is going to bring rain this way by the weekend. I hope so, as the Bermuda grass is drying up again.

As for the vegetables, it's been a dismal harvest. Only the green peppers seem to have done well. Tomatoes, squash, carrots are rotting or growing mold before they are ready to be picked. This fall I'm going to do a thorough fertilization and organic treatment of the beds.