August 13

2006

2007

2006

Gardening in the High Desert
Bloom/Harvest

• Something is eating my lovely pepper
• Basil blooming nicely
• Tom blooming, bust still no fruit
• Harvested one small Ziploc [bag] of regular sweet basil and one of the giant, curly leafed one
• Beans blooming, but only one very slender one out yet

2007

Gardening in the High Desert
Bloom/Harvest

• Veg Bed #1
• Green toms - only 2, I think
• MG [Morning Glory] has 2nd real leaf
• Other 2 vining things reaching for the sun - about 2" tall
• Veg Bed #2
• Alaskan Fancy - 10+ green tomes, some have turned that pre-ripening light white green
• Tom that I thought was a yellow pear has decidedly round fruit forming
• Stunted sun flower blooming under Marigold and Cosmos
• Buds ready to open on Marigold
• Many tiny wax beans
• 2 Cukes growing strong
• Veg Bed #3
• Black eye peas - more nearing harvest; only a few blooms now
• 2 two little yellow squash and 1 zuke ripening
• 2 sunflowers blooming - took pictures - they are about 3 ft tall with 4 inch blooms - need to find out how long it took from seeding to flower. [later, undated note] 2 months from seed to bloom
• 10+ green toms of various kinds
• Lemon basil ready to shear back again
• Regular basil ready for another harvest
• Flower basils are pretty much done [2013-08-11] I usually plant some basils in strategic places around the garden and let them bloom - they attract enormous amounts of pollinators - and in the desert, we need to bring in as many as we can find

Journal

• watered orchard & veg beds
• Took lots of photos - some at night
• Apple Tree Thoughts for Fall Planting
• Grand Gala (pol. grand gala, granny smith)
• Sept Wonder Fuji (pol. grand gala, granny smith)
• Red Fuji (pol gran gala, granny smith)
• That's about $70 for 3 trees
• Sunflower saving strategy - cover ripening heads with paper bags sprayed with deer-off

April 06

2008

Gardening in the High Desert Planting

• 10 Sun Seed dwarf sunflowers (Territorial packed for 2006), 4 - 5 ft tall, 12-15" heads
  
• 60 tall sugar snap [peas] around the most easterly "dead tree"
  
• Mammoth sunflowers planted 4/5/08
  
• Sun Seed sunflowers planted 4/6/08
  

Should have started some of each kind of sunflower yesterday to compare germ [germination] times. Oh well, maybe I will plant more out today. I could turn tho into a formal sunflower trial, but really, all I want to do is kinda see if early April is OK for starting them. If I sow the long season ones (i.e. Mammoth at 80 days) throughout April and May an the beginning of June, I should have some in bloom from the middle of July to September. Of course, pushing it for the ones to ripen at the end of the season - just like pushing to plant at the beginning of the season, well before "Last Frost."

Sweet potatoes barely holding on Can they survive my neglect and abuse for another month and a half? Going to find them a nice sunny place this year so they can run wild. I'm amazed that they had any tubers at all last year Maybe this year they'll have eating sized ones. Anyway, they are green and lush out i the grade so even as an ornamental, they are worth it. I can't believe I still have descendants from a sweet potato from our first Thanks Giving. Makes them a little more special. History, small miracles, and good food - major parts of what makes gardening so important to me.

Need to plant more

• Peppers
  
• Toms
  
• Basils
  
• Other herbs
  
• DONE - Sunflowers (outside)
  
• DONE - Peas
  
• DONE - Wildflower mix
  

Notes

• Planted peas along the watering line, but am now wondering if I should have planted them closer to the tree trunk.
  
• Had some left over wild flower seed from I don't remember when or where. Planted on the west, in front of the ring of daffodils around the most westerly dead tree.
  
• Sunflowers in the most NE corner. Will plant more of the short kind along the eastern fence so they won't shade the area for corn too much. Tall ones along the back. Do I really think I can get 100 to grao and bloom? Of course, at this time of year, all things are possible.
  
• DH says to grow some hot peppers. Maybe I'll get some seed at Walmart
  
• Between the wind, the general desiccation, and the fast draining sand, it's a wonder anything germinates here
  
• Watered and fed backyard trees
  
• I should plant a bunch of marigolds, although something ravenously devoured the flower petals, it did grow well and bloomed ok. And whatever ate its petals did not eat other things int he garden.
  
• Watered wildflower bed and sunflower areas again in the afternoon
  
• Watered trees in the front years
  
• The wind is howling outside, but here in the house, it is quiet. The boys [Dear Husband and Dear Son] are napping, the dogs are outside. Baby plants sit in the warm sun in the southern window. The world is at peace.