December temperatures

We had our first rain since October overnight. I woke up to the wet smell of creosote this morning and heavy fog over the mountains. No snow on the peaks, though! Another storm is brewing over the Sierras right now off California.


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A heatwave

After almost a week of cold weather, we are back to warm temps. It still gets cold at night (but not freezing) I took my plants back outside (all except my Iraqi acacia) and will keep them outside until the day before I drive to Chicago after this semester.

The trees are slowly losig their leaves. Half the leaves are now off the trees but there are still trees who haven't changed color yet. There are still bright green leaves on my fruit trees. The grass is back to being dry brown again, but nothing looks drought-stricken yet.

The garden in the back is closed for the season and I won't be sowing anything until March.

Our first hard frost

Temps were in the low 30s last night coming home from class. Today is no worse. All the sensitive plants are inside. Winds in the last two days have blown a lot of leaves off the trees. It truly feels like Chicagoland weather lately. The last of the dying grasshoppers are left, at least those that Pache hasn't gotten to.

The strawberries all died and so did the rose bush on the east side of the house. I have a hard time growing anything along the eastern perimeter. The neighbor uses weedkiller along the fence that doesn't help much, either.

It wasn't much of a garden this year and it probably won't be again next year. The one plant I'd love to grow is spinach which doesn't seem to thrive here. As for the front yard, it will remain a native plant/butterfly-hummingbird garden.

November temps

01 Nov: 79/36
02 Nov: 76/46
03 Nov: 79/41
04 Nov: 76/50
05 Nov: 78/35
06 Nov: 80/34
07 Nov: 79/40
08 Nov: 76/34
09 Nov: 68/37
10 Nov: 71/28
11 Nov : 67/34
12 Nov: 64/28
13 Nov: 67/25
14 Nov: 70/26

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Chicagoland has its first snow this season

Sleet and snow welcomed my family back in NW Indiana. A warming trend is due back early next week. It seems rather early, even for Chicagoland, to be this cold so soon. We here in AZ are due for a warm, dry weekend. Saw my first couple from Wisconsin this afternoon as we were leaving Applebee's.

The tops of my two trees in the front yard are noticably yellower today than just a few weeks ago.

Ocotillo is gone

I finally pulled out that dead ocotillo from the front yard a few days ago. I am not going to get it replaced. The tomato plants are all dying off from exhaustion without much of a crop this year. I doubt I'll grow more toms next year.

The trees in the front yard are just now (in the last week) showing color change.

October rains and temperatures

We are having autumn rains finally! This is the first rain this month. Will this bring on cooler temps, though? We've had higher-than-normal temps all month so far. It's nice now, but this could also bring dryer days ahead, and potential wildfires later.


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31
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Hi 78
Low 40F

My Burpee blueberry plants have arrived

They were in a small package when we got back from a short hike. The package was not damaged and leaning against our front door. Each foot-tall plant was individually wrapped in packing paper. The roots were moist. Everything looked good.

I transplanted them shortly after dinner.

I was disappointed in the plants once I unpacked them . All six show brown spots on their leaves. Some of the leaves are dead. All the roots are crowded. I paid $12 per plant and was expecting healthy-looking plants like I am used to getting via High Country Gardens. Not so.

I packed each plant into its own five-gallon pot to give them space to grow. I hope they all survive the winter.

Another container (not a Burpee) held eight grubs near the bottom. I fed them all to the birds. If these plants die on me, that's it for me and blueberries in the high desert.

Fall has arrived

One thing about living here in the desert are the mild seasons. It's been two weeks of mild autumn weather. Walking the dogs at night or early in the morning has been refreshing. It's just cool enough (low 60s) to refrain from a jacket, yet warm enough to enjoy the temperatures without bundling up.

Yesterday I didn't walk the dogs until I came home from class at 9:30pm. It had turned windier and lighting was coming up from Mexico. A slight mist fell but it wasn't hard enough to get me wet. It was noticably cooler though. I may plant a few more spinach rows if I'm not working today.

This morning it's raining hard and we have our first below 60F morning. I guess I'm not jogging or walking the dogs today! Hopefully all the shurbs outside are enjoying this extra water.

01: 93/58
02: 94/52 .02"
03: 88/59
04: 84/59
05: 81/61

Time to plant the fall harvest

I dug up the old cabbage patch earlier today. The patch had been abandoned over a year ago and last year's plants were still standing, albeit heavily holed by grasshoppers. I tore those out, cut them up and placed them in our compost pile. I found a few grubs while tilling the soil which I saved for the birds that were watching me from the nearby palm tree.

I tilled enough for two small rows of red cabbage. That's about ten plants. I placed a cage over the seeds so that the cat wouldn't be tempted to pee in my patch (since I caught him in the act anyway; luckily I had a hose ready).

It's still so beautifully mild here. A rain storm allegedly is due later around Tucson but that doesn't mean we'll get one here 75 miles further southeast. There are dark clouds over the mountains, though, and it's hot outside: 77F at 35% humidity so we may get some rain. That's fine with me.

I love this weather. Earlier I got carried away with photographing a few hummingbirds in the front yard.

New blueberries and strawberries

I broke down this weekend and bit on a sale by Burpee for six new blueberry plants. What are the chances the new plants will fall to the same demise as my old plants?

I also bought eight strawberries this past Sunday at Walmart, where, ironically, some of my healthiest plants have come from. (Home Depot has the worst record with me as they tend to overfertilize all plants before sale). They should overwinter well now that they are potted early. Perhaps the cat using the strawberry bed as a toilet is one reason the straws all died save one baby plant.

The cold front never materialized. Instead we've had a hot and dry weekend with more temps in the upper 80s and low 90s. Only the early mornings reveal the onset of autumn but otherwise my garden is doing well. Even Pache helps out by eating a grasshopper every now and then. Many of my tomatoes are just now finally getting red enough to pick.

I am enjoying this warm weather. However, people have told me that we are in for a dry winter again.

Fall is on its way: September temperatures

My fruitless mulberry tree is already losing its leaves. This morning we had a cool, low-lying fog shroud the mountains. A cold front coming in from left-over hurricane Igor is due tomorrow. I am liking the cooler temperatures but I know that the really cold mornings are stil ahead of us.

I was able to jog with Sadie but it really began to rain an hour later. It's been overcast and rainy all day.

01: 94/64
02: 95/64
03: 91/60
04: 93/66
05: 93/58
06: 91/66
07: 88/67
08: 92/66
09: 87/64
10: 87/61
11: 90/49
12: 87/57
13: 94/63
14: 93/64
15: 95/59
16: 96/59
17: 95/56
18: 96/59
19: 92/72
20: 93/66
21: 92/68 .25" rain
22: 76/66 .30"
23: 85/65
24: 92/58
25: 91/62
26: 86/65
27: 86/60
28: 90/63
29: 94/65
30: 94/66

August Temperatures

01: 84/67
02: 90/66
03: 94/66 0.25"
04: 97/66
05: 97/64 0.02"
06: 95/66 .10"
07: 88/66 .22"
08: 87/64 .27"
09: 91/63
10: 94/65
11: 97/65
12: 99/70 .01"
13: 97/70
14: 100/70
15: 96/66 .37"
16: 90/69 .17"
17: 94/69
18: 97/68
19: 96/64
20: 98/69
21: 93/71 .02"
22: 95/67
23: 97/66
24: 94/66 .20"
25: 86/65
26: 89/72
27: 90/66 .01"
28: 87/63
29: 89/62 1.24"
30: 86/62.01"

Rain Month-to-Date 2.89"
(Average 3.85")

Highest: 100F
Lowest: 62F

31: 89/63

July temperatures

01: 95/73 .29"
02: 99/75 .18"
03: 98/69
04: 94/67
05: 95/63
06: 98/62
07: 98/64
08: 96/75
09: 97/77
10: 96/70
11: 88/70 .06"
12: 96/68 .07"
13: 99/69 .27"
14: 98/69
15: 102/72 .09"
16: 97/71
17: 97/72 .01"
18: 99/68 windy
19: 101/64
20: 96/66 .38"
21: 93/69 .04"
22:86/66
23: 91/67
24: 91/67
25: 90/68 .05"
26: 87/71 .13"
27: 80/68 1.06"
28: 86/68
29: 91/69 .47"
30: 88/66 .35"
31: 80/67

Highest temp so far: 102F (Record high 108F)
Average high: 93F
Lowest temp so far: 62
Average low: 66F

Rain this month: 3.45"
Average 3.01"

Blueberries and strawberries dead

The remaining three blueberry bushes that earlier this year still provided me with some fruit have died. Only one strawberry plant remains alive. What went wrong? The bushes were only three years old.

I know that blueberries require acidic soil. That kind of soil is hard to find here in the desert. I added pine needles and coffee grinds to the soil, but that wasn't enough. Will I replace the bushes with new ones? I don't know. Losing plants is almost as hard as losing a pet.

I have been neglectful of the garden this year. The only thing I want to plant now are spinach and lettuce plants in September. It's the only thing I eat now that Kevin refrains from tomatoes, beets and turnips.

The good thing is that with less plants we have less bugs. Despite the hevy rains recently we aren't inundated with June beetles, Spinx moths and toads as in years past. I don't even see a grasshopper infestation. Perhaps Pache is to thank for that.

Gone for a month, now come back to a green front

I spent a month in California hiking the High Sierras. I came back Saturday to fields of green, so green I can't remember it being this green in years. But the green beans I planted before leaving in early July didn't pop open as expected, and many weeds are inhabiting the backyard.

I transplanted my Iraqi acacia into a larger pot yesterday. My Chinese date tree is regrowing new shoots (which I will leave as be) and new perennials have grown. I pulled a bunch of dead Heliopsis, though, as after three years they have done their time. Whatever new will grow, will grow. In a few years the front yard will be a shaded oasis for the desert birds. I see a few new saplings coming up. Any new trees, however, may have to be sacrificed.

Waiting on the monsoon

Clouds have slowly developed volume but no real rain yet. All I see are short, isolated showers in the valley. I haven't planted a garden yet this year to avoid a huge water bill like last year. I intend to plant beans this weekend and leave it at that. With Kevin's diabetes he has been avoiding all the high-carb foods which are not healthy for diabetics: turnips, beets, carrots. He prefers beans and that's it. Even the tomatoes have been neglected.

The simmering heat seems to have done a fry job on my strawberries, blueberries and grapes. Leaves are drying up. The strawberries aren't even growing runners this year to propogate for another season.

The same goes for the front yard, too. I only planted two new plants this year, two pineapple sages that somehow shrivveled up and died. I won't plant anything new up front. I'm even leaving some weeds to grow for birdseed. Butterflies also seem to like the thistle.

The Chinese date tree, however, seems to have come back to life. New leaves are growing from the main branch. It's developed a new secondary branch that is taking a life of its own.

June temperatures

01 - 91/62
02 - 90/55
03 - 93/53
04 - 99/60
05 - 102/61 (hottest day in a year!)
06 - 100/71
07- 104/71 windy
08- 100/62 windy
09- 101/66 windy
10- 95/65 windy
11- 90/64 windy
12- 87/61 windy
13- 86/53
14- 89/53 windy
15- 97/58 windy
16- 97/61
17- 99/59
18- 100/57 windy
19- 99/60
20- 99/65
21- 98/64
22- 100/65
23- 100/60
24- 99/72
25- 97/67
26- 98/69
27- 99/63
28- 100/65
29- 95/68
30- 95/73 0.03" This was all the rain we had all month. The average for June here is 0.38"

May temperatures

01 - 66/32
02 - 71/42
03 - 76/34
04 - 90/40
05 - 93/44
06 - 91/53
07 - 90/49
08 - 92/52
09- 91/52
10 - 85/59
11 - 85/52
12 - 74/43
13 - 82/37
14 - 84/47
15 - 86/53
16 - 86/52
17 - 89/52
18 - 87/51
19 - 87/50
20 - 90/49
21 - 92/52
22 - 90/59
23 - 86/61
24 - 83/44
25 - 87/42
26 - 92/46
27 - 96/52
28 - 97/58
29 - 92/63
30 -92/53
31 - 92/54

My blooms in May

The Chinese date is showing signs of life by sprouting a small branch near the root ball. I'm going to let that dead tree stump remain in the pot for now.

The potato shrubs are in purple bloom. Even the frost-bitten branches seem healthier than expected.

I'm picking strawberries from my Quinalts; so far a hand full! Potato plants are also doing well.

The pine tree in the back years has candles a foot long. The extra rain this season has really caused it to grow tall!

I planted several rows of beans and spinach on Sunday...I just need to remember to water the soil more as I've let nature take its course this year.

I already had a colony of Harvest ants to kill as well as they were stealing all my Bermuda grass seeds! I'll replant more grass this Friday when I'm off work.

We've had some howling winds these past two weeks. With every wind we lose more apricots and nectarines.

April temperatures

The month's ending with a freeze warning! ARGH


01 - 66/40
02- 66/35
03- 70/33
04- 82/42
05- 81/48
06- 75/44
07- 71/36
08-82/39
09-81/37
10-81/41
11-82/43
12-82/47
13-79/41
14-79/42
15-84/44
16-83/40
17-81/51
18-80/50
19-69/53 0.01"
20-81/53
21-77/52 0.09"
22-61/42 0.05"
23-57/39 0.10"
24-71/35
25-79/38
26-82/43
27-84/44
28-85/47
29-77/50
30-57/41

High winds, now a cold front

We had high winds all day yesterday. It got worse last night. This morning I discovered most of the young apricots and nectarines got blown off the trees. The trees would have aborted half the fruit anyway in another month, and there are still plenty of fruit available to grow into mature, juicy fruit for August. I collected all the fallen fruit and composted it all.

I picked a handfull of strawberries and planted two more potato plants that were growing in the compost.

One large turnip plant is going to seed. Hopefully new plants will grow from the seeds.

I also picked a handfull of snowpeas. Yeah!
I also planted new Bermuda grass seed in the backyard, protected by a circular shield so that the birds don't get to it.

The strong winds only blew off two more dead palm fronds. The palm tree desperately needs to be trimmed of its dead fronds.

Today's high is only expected to reach 67F, that's almost 20 degrees colder than on Wednesday.

Strawberries!

It looks like the last of the chilly days are over. My six tomato plants survived the last frosty night a few days ago. Several plants have small yellow flowers. All my citrus trees are outside but one, the lemon tree, looks pretty dead. Only one, Mom's lime tree, is doing well.

My Iraqi acacia lost all its leaves when it went outside.

The Chinese date tree is officially dead. So is my Santa Rosa plum and Granny apple tree, both which pulled out of the soil easily. What killed both trees?

My apricots have little fruit buds now, which will mostly fall off during the next major wind storm. My strawberries, those that did survive (the daughters of the original moms) are in bloom. I found a few grubs in empty soil pots; perhaps it was the grubs that killed off the older strawberries. One of my blueberry shrubs also had a few grubs inside the pot. The tap root had been torn. My potatoes are also popping up nicely.

I planted a bed of Contender beans yesterday, and a small batch of Bermuda grass to fill in a dead spot.

African daisies are popping up, my salvias are in bloom and it's going to be a warm Easter weekend. Even my crepe myrtle is finally deciding to bloom.

March temperatures

1 Mar- 61/38
2 Mar-67/37
3 Mar-72/36
4 Mar-72/40
5 Mar-72/35
6 Mar-70/37 .01"
7 Mar-65/42 .05"
8 Mar-57/38
9 Mar-65/30
10 Mar-58/27
11 Mar-55/32
12 Mar-68/29
13 Mar-70/32
14 Mar-69/41
15 Mar-63/42
16 Mar-68/41
17 Mar-77/35
18 Mar-77/36
19 Mar 71/42
20 Mar 64/36
21 Mar 72/29
22 Mar 79/34
23 Mar 67/42 .04"
24 Mar 65/37
25 Mar 76/28
26 Mar 76/37
27 Mar 67/36
28 Mar 71/34
29 Mar 79/31
30 Mar 85/37
31 Mar 79/44

Potato plants froze

Our freezes the last two nights have killed off at least six of the compost-growing seedlings I planted a few days ago. I guess my efforts to save the seedlings growing in the compost was premature. I have two more Idaho potatoes ready for transplant.

We should be getting a warm-up starting this weekend. Low temperatures should be in the 40s rather than 30s now.

Our winter rain is now TWICE what we got during the monsoon season last year, according to KVOA. I'm already fighting weeds in the backyard, and expect a vicious fight with them all this year. Last year even most of the weeds died in the backyard.

February temperatures

1 Feb- 60/42
2 Feb- 64/36 Precip .07"
3 Feb - 49/43 Precip .35"
4 Feb- 58/39
5 Feb - 63/35
6 Feb- 68/33
7 Feb- 61/41
8 Feb- 55/31
9 Feb- 58/30
10 Feb- 56/37 Precip .16"
11 Feb- 54/34
12 Feb-61/30
13 Feb-66/33
14 Feb-67/34
15 Feb-64/36
16 Feb- 65/33
17 Feb-69/32
18 Feb-70/35
19 Feb- 68/37
20 Feb-62/39 Precip .04"
21 Feb- 60/39
22 Feb- 55/35 Precip 0.01"
23 Feb-52/29
24 FEb-63/23
25 Feb-66/34
26 Feb-64/29
27 Feb-68/36 Precip 0.01"
28 Feb-50/39 Precip 0.07"

Spring is coming!!!

While watering the backyard I noticed that the apricot and nectarine trees are in bloom. The pear tree is also budding. So is the lilac. New growth is also evident in many of the other shrubs in the front yard, especially the Mexican sage. Real green won't be too far behind now!

This has been a great winter for moisture. It's also been a great winter for the weeds. Some are already in bloom!

Dead are my plum and Chinese fig tree, though. I don't plan on replacing either tree. In fact, I'm not getting ANY new plants this year except for peppers and tomatoes. I have enough stray trees growing in my front yard to please me. The strays are all doing quite well.

The year's first seeds

Yesterday I planted several rows of peas and beans in one of our raised beds. With warmer weather back in the 70s and 40s next week, sowing the first crops made sense. We have had a cool and wet winter sofar, the first one in five years.

A closer look at my plants also revealed new growth again. Buds are forming on my roses. New sage is coming up. The older strawberries have died but the newer plants seem to have made it.

It's going to take another month before I can plant the first crop of tomatoes and peppers, but I am going to enjoy putting all my citrus plants outside again.

More rain!

We are definitely in a wet winter, so unlike last year. The soil is saturated and ready for tilling. Weeds are also popping up, and have to remain vigilant to that as well. This Sunday I'm going to plant the first snow peas.

January temperatures

January

Fri
1
OBSERVED
Hi 59°F
Lo 23°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Sat
2
OBSERVED
Hi 62°F
Lo 24°F
Precip (in)
0in.

3
OBSERVED
Hi 65°F
Lo 24°F
Precip (in)
0in.

4
OBSERVED
Hi 63°F
Lo 23°F
Precip (in)
0in.

5
OBSERVED
Hi 64°F
Lo 24°F
Precip (in)
0in.

6
OBSERVED
Hi 68°F
Lo 29°F
Precip (in)
0in.

7
OBSERVED
Hi 64°F
Lo 29°F
Precip (in)
0in.

8
OBSERVED
Hi 55°F
Lo 29°F
Precip (in)
0in.

9
OBSERVED
Hi 60°F
Lo 24°F
Precip (in)
0in.

10
OBSERVED
Hi 59°F
Lo 21°F
Precip (in)
0in.

11
OBSERVED
Hi 65°F
Lo 27°F
Precip (in)
0in.

12
OBSERVED
Hi 67°F
Lo 30°F
Precip (in)
0in.

13
OBSERVED
Hi 63°F
Lo 28°F
Precip (in)
0in.

14
OBSERVED
Hi 58°F
Lo 35°F
Precip (in)
0in.

15
OBSERVED
Hi 62°F
Lo 32°F
Precip (in)
0in.

16
OBSERVED
Hi 63°F
Lo 25°F
Precip (in)
0in.

17
OBSERVED
Hi 63°F
Lo 26°F
Precip (in)
0in.

18
OBSERVED
Hi 66°F
Lo 40°F
Precip (in)
0in.

19
OBSERVED
Hi 64°F
Lo 52°F
Precip (in)
0in.

20
OBSERVED
Hi 57°F
Lo 37°F
Precip (in)
0.01in.

21
OBSERVED
Hi 58°F
Lo 47°F
Precip (in)
0.34in.

22
OBSERVED
Hi 52°F
Lo 39°F
Precip (in)
0.31in.

23
OBSERVED
Hi 48°F
Lo 32°F
Precip (in)
0.02in.

24
OBSERVED
Hi 50°F
Lo 29°F
cip (in)
0in.

25
OBSERVED
Hi 59°F
Lo 26°F
Precip (in)
0in.

26
OBSERVED
Hi 66°F
Lo 32°F
Precip (in)
0in.

27
OBSERVED
Hi 57°F
Lo 34°F
Precip (in)
0.51in.

Today



Hi -
Lo 36°F


Precip
20 %




29



Hi 56°F
Lo 35°F


Precip
20 %




30



Hi 62°F
Lo 39°F


Precip
10 %





31



Hi 62°F
Lo 40°F


Precip
10 %







FORECAST: Updated Jan 28 08:10 p.m. MT

We're in for a rainy week

Southern Arizona expected to see very wet, rainy week
Posted - 1/18/2010 at 7:56AM

TUCSON- KVOA News 4 meteorologists are predicting a very wet week in Southern Arizona as three storms move through the state.

They say residents should expect a large amount of moisture that could result in record rainfall.

A winter storm watch will be in effect tomorrow night above 7000 feet. Those above that elevation could see three feet of snow.

By the end of the week, Tucson could have three inches of rain.

December temperatures

December


Tue
1
OBSERVED
Hi 57°F
Lo 36°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Wed
2
OBSERVED
Hi 58°F
Lo 34°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Thu
3
OBSERVED
Hi 61°F
Lo 29°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Fri
4
OBSERVED
Hi 51°F
Lo 29°F
Precip (in)
0in.

Sat
5
OBSERVED
Hi 57°F
Lo 21°F
Precip (in)
0in.

6
OBSERVED
Hi 60°F
Lo 31°F
Precip (in)
0in.

7
OBSERVED
Hi 59°F
Lo 41°F
Precip (in)
0in.

8
OBSERVED
Hi 59°F
Lo 47°F
Precip (in)
0in.

9
OBSERVED
Hi 62°F
Lo 35°F
Precip (in)
0in.

10
OBSERVED
Hi 65°F
Lo 27°F
Precip (in)
0in.

11
OBSERVED
Hi 64°F
Lo 29°F
Precip (in)
0in.

12
OBSERVED
Hi 64°F
Lo 30°F
Precip (in)
0in.

13
OBSERVED
Hi 63°F
Lo 28°F
Precip (in)
0in.

14
OBSERVED
Hi 61°F
Lo 36°F
Precip (in)
0in.

15
OBSERVED
Hi 61°F
Lo 28°F
Precip (in)
0in.

16
OBSERVED
Hi 65°F
Lo 32°F
Precip (in)
0in.

17
OBSERVED
Hi 66°F
Lo 26°F
Precip (in)
0in.

18
OBSERVED
Hi 67°F
Lo 27°F
Precip (in)
0in.

19
OBSERVED
Hi 63°F
Lo 31°F
Precip (in)
0in.

20
OBSERVED
Hi 63°F
Lo 24°F
Precip (in)
0in.

21
OBSERVED
Hi 65°F
Lo 34°F
Precip (in)
0in.

22
OBSERVED
Hi 62°F
Lo 48°F
Precip (in)
0.07in.

23
OBSERVED
Hi 51°F
Lo 32°F
Precip (in)
0.16in.

24
OBSERVED
Hi 51°F
Lo 26°F
Precip (in)
0in.

25
OBSERVED
Hi 54°F
Lo 24°F
Precip (in)
0in.

26
OBSERVED
Hi 54°F
Lo 23°F
Precip (in)
0in.

27
OBSERVED
Hi 55°F
Lo 22°F
Precip (in)
0in.

28
OBSERVED
Hi 54°F
Lo 32°F
Precip (in)
0.12in.

29
OBSERVED
Hi 52°F
Lo 37°F
Precip (in)
0.03in.

30
OBSERVED
Hi 59°F
Lo 30°F
Precip (in)
0in.

31
OBSERVED
Hi 56°F
Lo 33°F
Precip (in)
0in.