And what looked like a lush garden full of vegetables to can, everything just died on us. We got a handfull of beans, a few tomatoes (I just plucked off my second green hornworm today) and a few beets. The only success story is the strawberry patch that has been multiplying like crazy since April. Our weather has been milder than normal and the strawberries are still growing, so this will increase next year's harvest.
This year's harvest, though, was a big loss. The grasshoppers came in late August, Kevin stopped watering the garden, and the locusts came and ate up everything.
This was all so strange. I think part of the problem was this year's compost. The transfer station probably mulched the dead oleander trees that died in peoples' yards after the February deep freeze. Oleander is highly toxic to both animals and other plants. Kevin used the mulch as base soil this year and it went into every patch EXCEPT the strawberry patch and that's the only patch that is thriving this year.
Lesson learned.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Monday, June 6, 2011
My first tomato was harvested!
And soon many more will come up. So far the only insects are the yellow and black aphids and I continue to jetspray the plants as much as possible. Everything is coming up now and some plots are at the full impact zone, giving a crowded appearance.
I bought some butterfly bush two days ago. I'm not sure where to put them; was thinking along the western wall of the house. I need to remove the dead bottlebrush shrub as there's no life in it. The palo verde's end tips have died but it's in yellow bloom right now with new branches growing. The mesquite tree is looking healthy.
Even the potato brush is growing new life. I need to take time out and prune the front yard, remove the dead brush and twigs.
It's been nearing 100F these last few days, with raging wildfires 50 miles to our East and 200 miles to our Northeast that give off brown sun rises and sun sets and hazy, smoky days.
I bought some butterfly bush two days ago. I'm not sure where to put them; was thinking along the western wall of the house. I need to remove the dead bottlebrush shrub as there's no life in it. The palo verde's end tips have died but it's in yellow bloom right now with new branches growing. The mesquite tree is looking healthy.
Even the potato brush is growing new life. I need to take time out and prune the front yard, remove the dead brush and twigs.
It's been nearing 100F these last few days, with raging wildfires 50 miles to our East and 200 miles to our Northeast that give off brown sun rises and sun sets and hazy, smoky days.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
A busy Memorial Day weekend gardening
This time Kevin takes the prize for taking the initiative to get the backyard cleaned up. He was up early yesterday sorting through all the stuff that could be hauled away, from sun-torn frost sheets, broken pots to rotting wood. It all filled his pick-up truck and this morning he took it all to the dump before work.
In another week or so we'll hvae a truck load of organic trash to take to the dump: years of dead branches, palm fronds, freeze-killed vegetation. I'm also going to trim a lot of plants of the dead branches. I could perhaps also rake up all the dead oleander leaves.
He also set up bird netting around one of our 10x4 lot, using the old PVC pipes and getting corners for them. They may not be too sturdy during our winds though, as I've already had to adjust a few beams.
The vegetables are slowly coming up. I'm still fighting a battle with the yellow and black aphids though, and one spinach had sponge fungus that showed up overnight. K also planted the small peet cups of turnips and beets into the eastern lot, and in another week or so he'll have more to plant there as the lettuce, cabbage and other goodies come up.
The older cabbage is looking harvestable.
I took my grapefruit tree outside, the last tree to see sunlight. The plant was shocked by the drastic weather change. The leaves burned and today the leaves have all dropped. It will now regrow hardier leaves and do better now.
In another week or so we'll hvae a truck load of organic trash to take to the dump: years of dead branches, palm fronds, freeze-killed vegetation. I'm also going to trim a lot of plants of the dead branches. I could perhaps also rake up all the dead oleander leaves.
He also set up bird netting around one of our 10x4 lot, using the old PVC pipes and getting corners for them. They may not be too sturdy during our winds though, as I've already had to adjust a few beams.
The vegetables are slowly coming up. I'm still fighting a battle with the yellow and black aphids though, and one spinach had sponge fungus that showed up overnight. K also planted the small peet cups of turnips and beets into the eastern lot, and in another week or so he'll have more to plant there as the lettuce, cabbage and other goodies come up.
The older cabbage is looking harvestable.
I took my grapefruit tree outside, the last tree to see sunlight. The plant was shocked by the drastic weather change. The leaves burned and today the leaves have all dropped. It will now regrow hardier leaves and do better now.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Over 100 beans coming up!
I think giving the soil a break last year has made it more fertile this year. Things are coming up: tomatoes, beans, peppers, cabbage, peas, eggplant, turnips, beets and my beloved spinach which I can't get enough of. Kevin waters the garden faithfully twice a day.
And we haven't had much insect infestation yet, although I saw my first grasshopper today.
We have agreed to extend the western plot by another 10x10 area using recycled soil that has been solarizing for two years. Our back yard is finally taking shape and looking less like a redneck yard with empty pots and garden equipemtn along the fenceline.
And we haven't had much insect infestation yet, although I saw my first grasshopper today.
We have agreed to extend the western plot by another 10x10 area using recycled soil that has been solarizing for two years. Our back yard is finally taking shape and looking less like a redneck yard with empty pots and garden equipemtn along the fenceline.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Aphids!
Yellow aphids have attacked my oleanders on the eastern perimeter AND my little peach tree. Right now I'm getting rid of them organically, with a high-pressure garden hose at close range. Today will be the fourth day I will have done this method, each day decreasing the amount of aphids on the plants. There also seems to be white mealy mites on some of the same plants infected with the aphids.
Otherwise we seem to have little insects so far. But the growing season is young! We seem to finally have a decent garden coming up, with tomatoes growing fruit and our first beans coming up. Kevin planted so many more new seeds in peet containers: beans, turnips, beets and even lettuce will go into the eastern garden, that new plot he prepped last weekend. Planting will begin in early June, so that the plants will benefit from the monsoon as they are strong enough to handle heavy rains.
My spinach is really growing nicely this year. I think this is the best year yet for spinach.
Otherwise we seem to have little insects so far. But the growing season is young! We seem to finally have a decent garden coming up, with tomatoes growing fruit and our first beans coming up. Kevin planted so many more new seeds in peet containers: beans, turnips, beets and even lettuce will go into the eastern garden, that new plot he prepped last weekend. Planting will begin in early June, so that the plants will benefit from the monsoon as they are strong enough to handle heavy rains.
My spinach is really growing nicely this year. I think this is the best year yet for spinach.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
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Prepping the east garden
Kevin continued to prep more of the eastern garden, spreading out steer manure and mulch. His rows of turnips, beans and beets are slowly sprouting.
This afternoon I jet-sprayed yellow aphids off the young oleander shrubs on the east fence. The young peach tree also had black ones. I didn't see any aphids on the other fruit trees, and this is the first time in two years I've had aphids.
My grapefruit tree is showing four fruit growing, the same tree that shows trunk damage to its outer cambrium.
Otherwise, the spinach is slowly coming up. I trimmed down one plant for a salad and a few days later new leaves had come up. I may finally have a steady growth of baby spinach!
I also planted a few more potato skins; I have two plants coming up that way.
I also transplanted the rescued cucumber plant into the large bed behind the pine tree. This was the plant I dug up from the compost tumbler a few months ago.
Tomatoes are also filling in. Today they all received some 30-30-30 fertilizer to blossom more. The bush beans are also slowly dropping fruit. Can't wait to eat the first tomatoes, but I think that won't be till the monsoon hits.
The white cabbage is also coming in nicely. We should have our first heads at the end of June.
It was very windy and dry today, with smoke from the Chiricahua hazing out the eastern sky.
This afternoon I jet-sprayed yellow aphids off the young oleander shrubs on the east fence. The young peach tree also had black ones. I didn't see any aphids on the other fruit trees, and this is the first time in two years I've had aphids.
My grapefruit tree is showing four fruit growing, the same tree that shows trunk damage to its outer cambrium.
Otherwise, the spinach is slowly coming up. I trimmed down one plant for a salad and a few days later new leaves had come up. I may finally have a steady growth of baby spinach!
I also planted a few more potato skins; I have two plants coming up that way.
I also transplanted the rescued cucumber plant into the large bed behind the pine tree. This was the plant I dug up from the compost tumbler a few months ago.
Tomatoes are also filling in. Today they all received some 30-30-30 fertilizer to blossom more. The bush beans are also slowly dropping fruit. Can't wait to eat the first tomatoes, but I think that won't be till the monsoon hits.
The white cabbage is also coming in nicely. We should have our first heads at the end of June.
It was very windy and dry today, with smoke from the Chiricahua hazing out the eastern sky.
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