Journal Entry 2012-04-02

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.

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Journal Entry 2011-05-06

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

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Journal Entry 2011-04-02

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 [Note 2018-12-16: don't remember what the Oasis was supposed to be.]
  

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
  

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Journal Entry 2011-04-01

Gardening in the High Desert

Seedlings that are up [sprouted] inside

Peat pellets
• 3 purple cone flower
  
• 1 white cone flower
  
• 1 vera tomato
  
• 2 cells curly parsley
  
• 2 cells tarragon just breaking ground
  
• 2 bee balm monarda
  
• 3 cells gama grass
  
• 3 tall vine tomatoes
  
• 1 dill bouquet
  
• 3 cells chamomile
  
• 2 Joe's Long Cayenne [pepper]
  
• 4 Shasta Daisy
  

Bedding Tray
• 4 Clumps garlic chives
  
• 9 Tam Jalapeños (2 not doing so well)
  
• 3 culinary sage
  
• 6 pomadore [tomato] (1 not doing well)
  
• 5 flat leaf parsley
  
• 10 Salvia Blue Bedder
  
• 3 red pear [tomato]
  

Purple Basil Tray Almost ready to transplant Tam Jalapeño Flat (6) not germ yet

Outside Status
• Spinach in ground has germinated
  
• 1 pea has pushed san aside
  
• I covered rows with some ferny weed leafs - hopes that hides them until they are too big for the birds to care
  
• Garlic beds doing well
  
• Weeded - lots of ferny things - pulled ones closest to the individual garlics
  
• No weeding for daffs, but I did feed and water ones buy west fence and the volunteer daffs and crocus
  
• Old Biddy followed me around and scored a big, fat caterpillar. That's about 4 I've dug up so far this year
  
• Read certain butterflies like to lay their eggs on parsley, so I think I shall plant more parsley. And cilantro, too. Maybe a whole swath in my tinny "wildflower" garden
  
  Watered
  • Bed 2 and 3
    
  • All Garlic
    
  • Volunteer daffs
    
  • Daff bed West
    
• Corn stubble - chickens have worked over the stubble - no over-wintered bugs there!
  
• Ferny weeds along the north and east corner - these will be the backdrop to wildflower are. I know some caterpillar eats them
  
• Watered and turned compost - not steaming, yet, but smelling more strongly of ammonia. Something is alive in there
  
• Ordered floating row covers. Hopefully they'll be here soon. I am ready to direct sow seeds.
  
  Direct Sow Candidates
  • White Sage
    
  • Sunflowers
    
  • Peas
    
  • Spinach
    
  • CA Poppies
    
  • Salvia
    
  • Turnips
    
  • Rutagega
    
  • Law Grass
    
  • Morning Glories
    
  • 4 O'Clocks
    
  • Lettuce Mix
    
  • Wild flower mix (in rows, so I know they aren't weeds)
    
  • Malabar spinach
    

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Journal Entry 2011-02-05

Gardening in the High Desert

• After a week of being gone on travel, it is good to come home. I am amazed at how well things are growing in my mini green house
  
• At 8 am, it is still slightly below freezing. If it gets into the mid 40's, I will set out toms for some natural light. If it gets to 50, will set out basils, too.
  
• The 5 of 6 Striped Cavern (hollow stuffing tom) and 5 of 6 Alaskan Fancy planted on 1/16 are well ready for transplanting to cups today
  
• The peppers have not germ's. Going to put my heat pad under them this week and see if I can coax them along.
  
• Toms in cups need transplanting to bigger cups (Tco Bell cups) soon. I can see their roots against the translucent walls. A few have opts that are expanding beyond the drainage holes
  
• I know that, for most places, I have started toms way too early. What I need, however, is toms that are mature enough to set fruit when I set them out, so that they will be able to fruit before the summer temps go crazy. I am hoping, hoping.
  
• Before we had a fence up, Alaskan Fancy had set a dozen fruit. I have 5 plants now, and we'll start another 6. They are determinate, so once they set and ripen fruit, they won't be useful - except maybe as hosts to horn worms. I love the hawk moths.
  
• Hawk moths like sunflowers, too so a sunflower "tomato cage" should be quite an invite for them. Mybe will be able to go out on a moonlit night and photograph them this summer [2012 Note: did not]
  
• Need to plant seeds closer for things like basil that can be done in pairs, or further apart for toms, because it's hard to cut them apart when they are so close [Referring to seeding in flats]
  
• Ivys are growing horizontal - move them to shelves with limited height - move taller toms to top shelf. I'm going to be out of room real soon.
  
• I have lots of south facing windows. Maybe that's where toms go during the day. They could get 8 hours of light that way.
  
• When IS our last frost? April? May? Will have to look at my next journal
  
• Chickens and little birds love my old Christmas tree. Need to move it into the chic hen run for them to enjoy
  
• Had a happy Imbolc earlier this week. Would have been better at home, but still good.
  
• Will Thyme and Oregano grow like weeds?
  
• Wildflower area needs to be chicken proof as some items could be poison
  
• 9:29 am and into the fourtys, now. Time to get out and about. Bring chickies warm water. Check for eggs, water things, etc. Take pictures. But first, breakfast!
  

Backyard [not garden] Temperatures
00:17 24*F
3:21 18*F
4:06 18.3*F
6:42 16.9*F
11:39 86*F (full morning sun)
16:15 59.2*F
16:45 54.3*F
20:02 34.7

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Journal Entry 2010-12-05

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 good stuff  

[Note 2018-12-12: Ah, the year of the 400 garlic bulbs...]

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Journal Entry 2012-12-09

Gardening in Middle Tennessee
Filled the bird feeder twice this week. Need to buy some chicken scratch two makes in with the sunflower seeds. Will attract different thirds – and be much cheaper, two. I have a lot of seeds that are six years or older. I should do a germination test.

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Journal Entry 2008-05-06

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?

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Journal Entry 2008-04-06

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 those 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.
  

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Journal Entry 2008-04-02

Gardening in the High Desert

Garlic

• 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 tough it really is.
  
• Got to sleep good, go to work early, go home early and then take lots of photos of the garden tomorrow
  
• More peas are up
  

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