December 05

2010

Gardening in the High Desert

• Deep watered orchard trees
• Watered garlic & beds 1 - 3
• Watered new beds - hoping to encourage wee germination - then can till in to both kill weeds and add organic matter to sand
• Added one 5 gal bucket sweet smelling compost to two different beds.  There is a lot more to put out.  Then clean coop and start another batch of goo stuff 

May 06

2008

2011

2008

Gardening in the High Desert

• Watered beds, sunflowers, weeds
• Looks like volunteer oregano germinating in bed #1
• Took some photos of strawberry blooms
• Sunflowers planted kind of close, but since it's only one row, hope still will be OK. Need to plant more, more, more. Some for the backyard, too.
• Is the last hard frost gone yet? Can I try toms outside? Time for another sacrificial tom? Time to plant some purple "cool soil" beans?

2011

Gardening in the High Desert
I can't find my garden journal!

• Planted out 4 toms today:
  • Red cherry between beds 2 & 3
  • Super Sweet 100 + yellow pear at end of bed 3
  • Early Girl between half barrels
• Also planted some plants in my sitting area
  • 1 Shasta Daisy "Alaska" [2012-05-06 Bunnies ate it down to the ground]
  • 2 Chamomiles [2012-05-06 Didn't survive not being watered when I was on travel]
  • 2 Salvia Blue Bedder [2012-05-06 Didn't thrive, but didn't die, either. Bloomed for two months or so.]
• And more
  • Culinary sage in the garlic area [2012-05-06 It grew well and has come back this year]
  • Taragon in SE corner of bed one [2012-05-06 Doesn't appear to have come back; something kept eating it]

• Windy like crazy. Sprinkled in the a.m. but not enough to be useful. I manually watered.
• Elm and maple in the back yard budding [2012-05-06 I think they have both finally died :-( ]
• Apple trees about done blooming
• Desert marigold blooming
• Desert mallow has first leaves
• Ate small plate of spinach
• Observed a duck bathing in water tub
• Ducks moved outside today
• Strawberries blooming
• Some type of bok choi has sprouted, as well as some chartreuse lettuce. Very tiny.
• Sunflowers under row covers sprouting. Primarily north fence near sitting area and w[est] fence near garlic
• Pulled weeds - made a path from gate. Also semi-weeded main garlic beds
• Watered and turned compost

December 20

2010

Gardening in the High Desert

• Separated the Ivy into 4 coir 6" pots.  One has lovely long branches - I should cut some and make even more plants.
• Wet, relatively warm weather means more weeds are sprouting.  Good for fallow beds - turning them under.  But not so goo for the garlic.
• Have not planted tomatoes yet, the the urge is strong.  Soon.  Soon.
• Turned my damp compost. It smells so sweet.  Need to sift it and hoe it into my beds.
• Collards are pretty much kaput.  I wonder when I should winter sow them.
• Probably I should start a new JAN-FEB-MAR [hand written book] journal for 2011, but there is still some bit of space to fill in the one started in 2006.  Not so much as to be frugal, although there is that - but more for the companionship of year over year notes.
• Farmers dream of the deep, slow rains of this past weekend.
• Fall planted spinach still small, still green, still growing at a tiny pace.  Will they go crazy in the spring?  I need a LOT of plants for daily salads.  Survived negative temps, they did. 
• Will empty snaffle bottles lined up like wall-o-waters help protect early toms?  Or, if all danger of freezing, really freezing, is past, perhaps I could fill them.  I am thinking that since they are heavier than plastic, they won't blow over.  They should be a decent mini-heat sink and wind break.  And maybe help keep critters out, too.
• Looking forward to spring daffodils.  I wonder if the ones for forcing have had enough chill hours yet?
• DONE - Make new labels for my garden books [journals]

November 14

2010

Gardening in the High Desert.
Sun ~ In my wildest dreams, I did not anticipate that grass would become my number one weed! Crab grass is trying to take over. Weeded the two main garlic beds - primarily for grass. Threw [the grass clumps] in [a] five gallon bucket with some water. Hope freeze, thaw and water will kill it [it did not]. Not adding to my compost until I know beyond a doubt that it won't re-sprout.

WINTER SOWING
Been reading about it at Dave's Garden, and think I shall try it this year [I didn't]. Sow seeds in milk jugs that are left out over winter. Looks like I can plant just about anything using this method.

Spinach is growing slowly. Pea vines are still good, but not actively growing. Will use for chick "greens" tomorrow. Collards are also doing well, although have mealy bugs. Cabbage moth time seems to be over - no new holes on leaves.