Penstemon is dead

The pink penstemon that I got from the Master Gardener Conference in February had been drying and weakening, so it was no surprise that I found it broken off this morning from last night's winds. The penstemon next to it is doing well and in red bloom. (That one was a "stray.")

The Crepe Myrtle is now growing new green leaves. What a relief, as I figured it was dead, too. It's the last shrub to bring up new life in the front yard. So far that means only the three pineapple sages are true goners.

Our recent nighttime fluctuations have stymied much growth. Tomatoes are holding back, and even beans seem to want to hold off on germinating. We are expecting lower temps for the next few days.

Both the yellow palo verde and the mesquite are now leafed out nicely. What worries me now are the four east-side oleanders against the house. They were there when we bought this house in late 2004, but other than grey water I don't spend much time irrigating the shrubs. The oleanders in the back yard, in contrast, have grown and blossomed over the years. If these four shrubs die this year I'll have them all removed and plant some hybrid roses there instead. But other than that, the front yard is coming back to life and so far I haven't put any money into replacing dead growth. What shall be, shall be. There are enough strays popping up that if I let the front yard grow on its own--weeds excluded--the dynamics will change to a more native garden. That's the goal.

Wind!!!

It's 8:40pm and it's windier now than this afternoon!
___

Southeastern Arizona under red flag warning, wind advisory
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, Apr 08, 2009 - 12:21:19 pm MST

SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County will feel strong winds and be under a high fire danger on Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.The weather service issued a red flag warning and wind advisory for the county and much of Southeastern Arizona. Both warnings are in effect until 8 p.m. on Wednesday.A red flag warning is when high winds and low relative humidity levels are forecast, causing a high fire danger.The weather service forecast sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph for Wednesday afternoon. Gust of around 45 mph were possible, too.

Windy conditions are possible through Friday, the weather service said. A chance of rain also is possible on Friday night and Saturday.

http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/08/news/breaking_news/doc49dcf919c296d254980260.txt

Carrots, Beets and Turnips, Oh my!

Kevin dug up all the carrots today, along with one huge turnip and several beets. I came in after him, retilled the soil, added a fresh top and planted more Danvers carrots and a few white-topped turnips.

Corn is coming up but none of the tomato seedlings are doing well. What is the problem with that?

Red flag!

It wasn't easy gardening today. The wind's pretty intense at times.
Some young corn seedlings are coming up. So are two butternut squash seedlings. I hope they don't mind the cooler temps this week.

Kevin planted some potato skins in 4x4 garden box #1...let's see if they sprout. The other potato plants are growing fast!

Meanwhile the northern Plains are hit with yet another snow storm.

Today: Partly cloudy and windy. High near 70F. Winds W at 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Low 43F. WSW winds at 15 to 25 mph, diminishing to 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow: Mainly sunny. High around 75F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Tomorrow night: A mostly clear sky. Low near 50F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
Friday: Windy with plenty of sun. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the mid 40s.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 60s and lows in the low 40s.
Sunday: Sunshine. Highs in the mid 70s and lows in the mid 40s.
___

County under red flag warning on Wednesday, weather service says
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, Apr 01, 2009 - 10:06:03 am MST

SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County, along with most of Southern Arizona, is under a red flag warning until 7 p.m. on Wednesday.The National Weather Service issued the warning because of the likelihood of strong winds and low relative humidities, which can bring high to very high fire danger.Other areas included in the warning are southeast Pinal County, Graham County, Santa Cruz County, eastern Pima County and Greenlee County.The weather service says sustained wind speeds on Wednesday will be in the range of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph.

“Areas of blowing dust are possible with these gusty winds during the afternoon hours before they diminish after sunset Wednesday evening,” a according to a wind advisory from the weather service.

Apple blossoms

The mesquite also has catkins now.

There may even be some life in the little crepe myrtle afterall.

But now I wish more of the tomatoes would just take off and grow! The cooler weather this week seems to have weakened them all.

Gone for three days and more stuff is blooming

The pint-sized tomatoes all survived 2.5 days of neglect.

The smaller tree has its leaves out.

The mesquite's leaves are sprouting.

African daisies are now in purple bloom as well as the smaller purple dot flowers.

It's very windy on this late afternoon.

_______
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/03/22/news/doc49c5e54d79a97914348252.txt

Windy, fire conditions likely in county today
Published: Sunday, March 22, 2009 2:15 AM MST

SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County is under a fire weather watch today, according to the National Weather Service.
The watch comes as a low pressure system moves into Arizona, bringing cooler temperatures and possibly strong, gusty winds, the weather service said.
The fire weather watch was issued on Friday.
The weather service says that low humidities and strong winds are expected and may produce fire weather conditions.
The weather service is forecasting winds of 20 to 30 mph today, with gusts of up to 45 mph beginning late this morning and going through the evening hours.
The minimum relative humidity during that time will be 10 to 15 percent, which, when combined with the strong winds, causes red flag conditions, the weather service said.

Planting more corn

The large 6x14' garden bed is now complete. After 4 cu ft added to the bed's soil yesterday I planted white corn. That will mature in 93 days. I'm sure something else will start growing there from the compost as well, like Husky Cherry red tomatoes and a few butternut squash plants.

It's hitting the upper 80s now. The tomatoes are loving this.

TodayMar 19
Mostly Sunny
84°54°
0%

84°F
FriMar 20
Mostly Cloudy
78°51°
10%

78°F
SatMar 21
Mostly Sunny
77°49°
0%

77°F
SunMar 22
Mostly Sunny / Wind
75°42°
0%

75°F
MonMar 23
Sunny
64°39°
0%

64°F
TueMar 24
Sunny
69°42°
0%

69°F
WedMar 25
Sunny
73°45°
0%

73°F
ThuMar 26
Mostly Sunny
75°47°
0%

75°F
FriMar 27
Sunny
76°48°
0%

76°F
SatMar 28
Sunny
79°46°
0%

79°F