August 14

2005

2006

2005

Gardening in the High Desert
[Sunday] I won't be building a garden room any time soon, but I wonder how my garden bench would fare outside all winter.
WINTER THOUGHTS

• Bulbs for forcing
• Don't forget that you got a bunch of Christmas stuff last year
• Bus some music or nature sound CDs

2006

Gardening in the High Desert

• Some of the hybrid popular [trees] are 3 feet tall. so hard to start holding back on water, but if I want to see them next year, I better! [2013-08-11 I presume this is so they will harden off for the winter]
• Mulched the ones along the south fence, but still need to mulch the ones against the west (2006-09-03) [Presume that the date in parenthesis refers to when I mulched the ones against the west fence]
• Need to keep pinching flower buds back on the basil.  They looked so naked after I harvested my little bit, but I hear they will grow back with a vengeance.
• [Check marked] Buy bleach, rubber gloves
• MDH flattened out and graded where the chicken house will be, and also the area he wants to put rock in to store his cars
• I so don't want to work today.  Just want to sit in the mellow sun
• Mulch tress n. of metal building 9/6/2006
• Make concrete Garlic signs 9/2/2006 Made a wood one [not concrete]

November 29

2012

Gardening in Middle Tennessee.

Thursday. Most of the trees have dropped their leaves. The nights are down in the low 30's & high 20's. The days are lovely, crisp, and while the mornings have been drizzly, the afternoons have been clear. Sounding like perfect weather for spinach under row covers. Missing my garden, but enjoying being a corporate girl. Still, this time of year begs me to buy seeds! What if I buy them and don't have a spring or summer garden, either? Lots of bunnies & skunks here. Pretty much have to cage in everything...Oddly, no snails. Probably due to the late afternoon robin invasion. "That's where I come from, I'm an old Tennessean..."

April 02

2008

2011

2012

2008

Gardening in the High Desert

• Watered weeds, veg beds and garlic
  
• Some weeds starting to bloom - a delicate lavender one, and one with white flowers. Also tumbleweed now germ along with a new weed that I haven't seen before.
  
• First daffs in garden blooming - pale cream yellow
  
• Weeded all beds
  
• Irises growing like crazy
  
• Large rabbit tracks in the garden
  
• Time to feed and water trees - they are starting to break dormancy
  
• I am thinking of buying some onions and some garlic at the store to grow - just to see what happens
  
• Forgot to water my oregano transplant. Well, I guess we'll see just how bought it really is.
  
• Got to sleep good, gt to work early, go home early and then take lots of photos of the garden tomorrow
  
• More pease are up
  

2011

Gardening in the High Desert

• Water garlic, peas, spinach, daffodils
  
• Pulled grass from 3 west rows in corn patch and added osmocote fertilizer. It is ready to receive seeds
  
• Finalized oasis plan
  

Received from a trade on Dave's Garden from R.X.

• 6 flying saucers morning glories
  
• 6 purple white stripped morning glories
  
• 6 star of yenta [morning glories]
  
• Lots African Marigold
  
• 6 Mexican Sunflower
  
• Summer thyme
  
• Lemon Balm
  
• Anise Basil
  
• Salad Burnet
  
• Crystal White Wax Onion
  
• Pepper Mint
  
• Pkg Scarlet O'Hara [MG]
  
• Pkg Heavenly Blue [MG]
  
• Pkg Tall Mixed [MG]
  
• Pkg Forget-Me-Not
  
• Pkg Purple Cone Flower
  

Sent in exchange

• Spinach - Bloomsdale
  
• Spinach - Matador
  
• Sages - Broad Leaf, Blue Bedder Salvia, Culinary Sage
  
• Garlic Chives
  
• Basil - unknown small leaf, cinnamon
  
• Lemon cuke
  
• MG - ground
  
• Lavender moon flower
  

2012

Gardening in the High Desert
The gale-force wind from yesterday seems to have abated, so maybe today I will go out in my barren garden and see what's alive. Even though there are no veggies to put out yet, the strawberries and irises and daffodils should be making an appearance, along with lemon balm, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.

December 15

2007

Gardening in the High Desert.
Snow has turned to ice on the back patio, but little else of it remains. Nights are cold, but the days are still mostly above freezing. I long to be puttering out in the garden. I haven't been there in a week.

• Does the oregano survive under its light mulch of old iris leaves [2011 Note: indeed, it survives without any mulch, and is now becoming a weed!]
  
• How are the garlic beds looking?
  
• I never did "mow" the strawberries under their shredded paper mulches. Are they still alive and will they return vigorous in a few more months?
  
• And my sleeping trees - did I over water them in the fall - causing them to go dormant too late?
  
• Yes, time to start my indoor herbs before I go crazy with lack of greenery.
  
• We bought a cut Christmas Tree. Next year we hope to buy a live one. But for now, I am already plotting how its dying branches will become mulch for my Black Austrian Pines.
  

December 10

2005

2007

2005

- Saturday

Gardening in the High Desert.
Spent the good part of the morning at our favorite Home Depot.  Spent $700 on wood for backyard fencing.  MDH and son spent the afternoon putting up fence boards.

Stokes seed catalog came Friday.  They had mostly hybrids and I really want open pollinated varieties.  I would like to save seed from year to year.  I may order morning glory and moonflower seeds from them, but probably not anything else.

Bough seed warmer mat kit.  No idea where I will put it yet.  I was thinking of starting some pansies.

Ficus continues to do well.  About once a week they get a deep water of leftover dog bowl water.  Probably several cups.

Sweet potato "eyes" finally sprouting roots rapidly filling up the blue vase.

Continuing to file garden mags and catalogs.  Feels like I haven't really made a dent.

Cinderblock Pond Idea

About 10' x 5' outside dimensions.  4 foot deep - 2 foot in the ground, two foot above.  Fill 3' deep seating ledge.  Not a koi pond.  Maybe some hardy mosquito fish, a few snails.  What about a way for creapy crawlies to exit?  And a shall spot - an island, perhaps, for birds?  Potted plant on island with wick into pond for auto watering.  Step down to be under water about 1 inch.  Platform support to be open on the sides so fish can hid under there.  Pot must be able to handle very freezing temps.  Also need some way of keeping water from freezing in the winter.

So much to do, so little time.

2007

Gardening in the High Desert.
Three years in a row ays that the first snow is around the 2nd week of December.

• Watered housplants
• Watered ficus - not sure how it survives

Guess I don't need to water [outdoor] trees this week.

10 - October 02

2005

2006

2007

2010

2005

The sweet gums [trees] are looking decidedly perky this morning. I was concerned that yesterday's dry winds would have been hard on them, but I guess the cooler temps and deep watering helped them. Of course, I took pictures yesterday. Need to add them to my database.

2006

• DONE - See how deep rain penetrated into the ground – not much; 6” only
• DONE – Buy dirt – 2006-10-21
• DONE – Take a nap
• DONE – Remove clothes pins from fruit trees – 2006-10-04 [used with string to keep young branches spread apart]
• How do I put diesel and oil in the tractor?
• [Plant] more peas, please
• Fall cleanup
• More soap making
• Remove Christmas décor from last year
• Wire fence fruit trees [I have no idea what that means now]
• Cut back viburnums
• DONE- Trees? 2006-10-07 none at HD [Home Depot, probably Carson City] [Black Austrian] pines

So much to do before D leave for trainin in South Carolina – and then a blink of an eye and he's of to Iraq.

Strange, but I think I won't have to water this week.

2007

[Accomplished]

• Watered all houseplantsHaven't been in the garden in 24 hours – miss that contact with the Earth
• Filled bird feeders
• Played with dogs
• Dreaming of Garlic
• Put dead lettuce in compost pile

One place I saw said 12 -15 bulbs of garlic per person per year – seems like our family could eat more than than
Garlic Use – Crush, add to butter, put in molds, freeze, pop out of molds, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Instant garlic butter for cooking. I love it!

I am taking a class on jumpstarting your creativity by studying Leonardo da Vinci – It's been a year or more since I've kept a non-garden journal. I wonder if now is the time to start one again?
A year ago D was contemplating spending a year in Iraq – and now, now what are his plans? I am so blessed to have him home. He planted a tree this weekend.

2010

Big fat drops of rain accompanied by the usual winds. Cooled things down nicely. Still, one should not mistake this little rain as actually watering anything. It has barely wet the surface [of the ground]. Had to run to put dog food and chicken food out of the rain, but other than that, not a big deal. Even when there is lots of it, I've always loved the rain.

08 – August – To Do

2006

2007

Goats

2006

• DONE – Order Garlic before mid-Sept (Ordered 2006-08-12; arrived 2006-09-25)
• DONE – Order the fancy daffs – last spring's were great (Ordered 2006-June)
• Grand Gala Apples are ready for harvest in August in zone 5 (2006-August – no apple harvest this year; 2007-07-29 not this year, either)
• Plant Trees
• [Plant] Winter Rye

2007

• Plant Trees
• DONE – Squash planted mid-June should be ready for harvestsoon (2007-07-29 – 4 zukes almost ready; right on schedule)
• Pick up trash [along fence line]
• Update website
• DONE – Take more photos
• Mulch Trees
• Spray Deer-away

Goats

• Breed angoras in Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov after fall sheering so they will kid after spring sheering

November - To Do - Week 1

2009

2010

2009

Gardening in the High Desert.

• Move bird feeders to garden area
  
• Set up nest boxes [for wild birds]
  

2010

Gardening in the High Desert.

• DONE - Clean, set up bird feeders [for wild birds]
• Mix chicken feed [make 25% corn chicken scratch + 75% chicken layer pellets]
• Feed/Water houseplants
• DONE - Stock up on [wild] bird feed
• Clean chicken coop
• DONE - Mulch strawberries
• Wrap trees
• Deep water pines
• Turn Compost
• DONE - Keep bird feeders filled
• Take more photos
• Feed houseplants
• Deer-off [for trees - keeps bunnies from eating bark]
• Continue planting spring bulbs
• Shred paper for mulch

May 16

2006 - Journal Entry

Mosquitoes: 150
People: 30

The mosquitoes were the unequivocal winner in last night's challenge. Even MDH was chased inside. Tree went un-watered, dog pen was left un-cleaned, dirty coveralls were left outside. Lesson to be learned - don't plan on accomplishing anything when the vampires are out.

Got all 26 of the large poplar cuttings planted out, but only about half of them got all the water they needed. Supposed to be in the 90's today - we'll see if they survive. 2 or 3 of the first 10 (9" cuttings) are looking very poorly, and a few are looking very well. The rest are just kind of hanging out, although their leaves are nice and deep green. These are tough old trees, though, so I am continuing to water them all, even the one that looks pretty much mostly dead. :-) About 50 more 9" cuttings are sitting in water, languishing... way too much top growth for the roots to support at this point.

[Incomplete]

March - To Do - Week 1

2005

2006

2007

2005 - Nevada

• DONE - Research Trees
  
• DONE - Plot the location of things
  
• DONE - Keep tracking weather and wind
  
• DONE - Price tree protection
  
• DONE - Plot shade through a day
  
• DONE (2005-05-23) - Take photos of plants on property
  

2006 - Nevada

• DONE - Continue photographs
  
• DONE - work on website
  
• Plant more peas
  
• Sow more rye
  
• DONE (2006-03-29) - Photograph daffs (Potted)
  
• DONE - Order tree rootings
  

2007 - Nevada

• DONE - (2007-03-28) Start Toms! Red Pear
  
• [Sow] Indoors - Salvia
  
• DONE - (2007-03-31) Take more photos
  
• DONE - (2007--3-31) Work on website