Planting Time is Almost Here!

Spring is running a little late this year it seems, but the warming days are making for perfect pre-planting tasks! Venerable ol' Monkey has been closely supervising the building of some new, decorative rocked beds and container arrangements.

Most of you know that I am into recycling as well as gardening. What better way to indulge myself than combining these two passions into an easy-care container garden?

There are several advantages to container gardening. First off, getting older makes weeding and all that "knee" time a real drag and being able to raise the work area is a delight! As you can see in the arrangement below, old wash tubs and cast off spools are favorites. The whole thing looks pretty ugly right now, but it will be lovely when everything is growing.

This will be great fun for the grandkids too! They are going to help plant most of it in a few days and will find some neat little treasures as they work. While building the retainer walls, I added crystals, agates and even some toys hidden away in the "caves". There are little platforms and empty caves so they can add their own treasures too.

Many standard garden choices do quite well in containers, including most tomatoes, herbs, garlic, lettuce, squash and more. Container gardening, like raised bed planters, requires a good bit less water to get the same results. You must be sure the "pots" have good drainage, plenty of root space and are placed so they won't get overheated in hot climates.

This area is located in medium shade and the ground area should be good for things like mustard greens and lettuce. These cool loving plants don't do well here in the summer and tend to get bitter and bolt right away. I am hoping the heavier shade and higher humidity will allow them to produce up through July, when they can be replanted for fall and winter.

Last year I grew patio tomatoes, green beans (pole and bush mixed) and some bell peppers here. There was not enough sun for the bells... they were tiny and the plants never flourished. This year I am going to try an eggplant, chamomile, catnip, cherry tomato, snowpeas and a yellow summer squash along with greens and lettuce.

This one is going to primarily be for the kiddos anyway and experiments are fun! The regular garden area will get all the old standbys and staples. This year I am getting chickens too... Maybe they can make a dent in the grasshoppers! I also found three of the Golden Orb Weaver egg sacks (see previous post) so my humungoid spiders will probably be around again. They are wonderful on the pests, but I will have to get some shoulder length gloves to keep from being creeped out. lol

I'll post some photos when things get growing so you can see how charming these types of planting areas can be... Until then, Happy Planting!

How does your garden grow?

I'm told every gardener has at least one year like this... I imagine that's supposed to make me feel better as I look at this dismal forest of stalks and can hear the munching of gazillions of not-so-tiny mouths.

Warnings of "don't waste your time this year" were abundant right from the beginning! Nothing seemed to come together easily... from the change to raised beds to the #@*#/! bugs in my seed storage bin, making store bought seed a necessity. The weather was capricious and seemed to have a malicious sense of humor, waiting patiently until each planting was the ideal size and tenderness to easily target with hail or unreasonably late freezes.

The fruit went first. Trees loaded with blooms and tiny peaches became barren wastelands of frozen branches and shriveled nubs of once future preserves, jams, jellies and succulent snacks.

My poor squash never sprouted at all. Peas made a valiant effort and supplied our table for a couple of pickings before hail took out most of them. Snow peas loved the cool weather and were going like gangbusters until a visiting puppy decided that lush half-barrel was just made for digging in. She had so much fun I couldn't even be terribly angry as I walked out the door to see her sitting and grinning proudly, covered in dirt with a mouth full of tasty greens, in the middle of the now half empty barrel. Blatant cuteness has saved many a life.



Sunflowers grew weird with multiple heads and small seed like they had crossbred with wild strains. Mind you, I purchased this seed (Grey Striped Giants) fresh. The flowers were a beautiful array of yellows and reds and brightened the mornings until those pretty little beetles arrived. Short work was made of my tall, svelte beauties before I even knew there was a problem afoot. Winter birds will have a lean time of it this year.


The corn knew better... it barely bothered to break ground. A handful of spindly stalks showed timid faces before the hail beat them to the ground. Late in the season, a few more tried their luck and almost made an ear or two before the final devastation arrived... grasshoppers.

It started with waves of movement as you walked across the yard. The cause of all this activity required close inspection to identify. I have never seen so many or such small grasshoppers in one place in all my life! I frantically put diatomaceous earth on everything without blooms. (Why without blooms? We had a bee colony move into a barrel on the property and I didn't want to risk killing them too.) Sevin dust came later, but even it made no dent in the horde. They grew in size and numbers until I simply gave up.






When people ask me what I am growing this year I sadly reply... grasshoppers... grasshoppers, crickets and spiders.








This year, I have seen grasshoppers and crickets that I have never noticed before! There are the usual assortment of red wing, brown stripe, iridescent blues and greens in abundance.












Now we have a solid black stealth grasshoppers and tons of gorgeous maroon colored crickets that I am told are Mormon Crickets. According to the USDA-ARS "The current upsurge of Mormon crickets in the western U.S. is one of the most severe infestations on record..."




With the explosion of food, the spiders have flourished! These are great giants that give old women and small children nightmares… Huge, fat creatures that I owe a debt of gratitude to for my only crop this year. They saved the tomatoes from the hoppers and sometimes they protect them even from me. It takes me an hour of dread before I can bring myself to approach the rank overgrowth that is my tomato patch. For two hours after a picking I am squeamish and jumpy, feeling crawly and watching for tiny offspring in clothing and hair. Intellectually, I know this is silly but instinct takes over and my skin is hyper-alert to the slightest touch or movement.



These babies have abdomens as big or bigger than the pad of my thumb! Webs stretch three and four feet across, catching even the largest grasshoppers with ease! They are Golden Orb Weavers or Banana spiders I am told by my Cajun hubby. (The egg sack pictured measures about one inch across!) Evidently, they are quite common in the swamps of Louisiana and I'd like to know what the heck they are doing out here in the desert! lol They might have been here, but I never saw anything like this growing up. Probably wouldn't have ever started gardening if I had!


Irrational fear aside, I have grown quite fond of my crop of spiders. I hope they stick around... just not too close... for next year's garden. I really dislike any form of pesticide and they are exceptionally efficient at their jobs.










Actually, I gained a new hobby from all this disappointment... bugs! They are fascinating. Many are stunningly beautiful and some are down right alien looking, like the preying mantis that found my camera interesting enough to stalk.







So, not all is lost and I have already planted my winter greens and am trying for some squash one more time, even though it is a bit late. If they come up I might be encouraged enough to build a couple of hot houses around them, providing frames that could become screened shelters against next year's crop of hoppers. Live and learn.

How does your garden grow?

When I find out how to get the photos and text into proper alignment (it keeps changing when actually posted), I will repost this! GRR!

Gardening with Wildflowers - Phacelia

The vegetable gardens are still in the process of being changed over to raised beds, but our wildflowers are in full bloom. Pictured is Phacelia integrifolia, also commonly known as Scorpion Weed, Wild Heliotrope or Gypsum Phacelia. It is lovely used as an ornamental and is beginning to be widely used as a cover crop or "green manure".

There are about 200 species of the genus Phacelia. They grow wild, are cultivated as ornamental ground cover or in container gardens almost world wide.

When used as a cover crop, they are usually planted in late August in the temperate zones and winter over until late February or very early March. For full benefit as a green manure, they should be tilled or turned into the soil prior to the first blooms. This particular species does not fix nitrogen in the soil, but due to its vigorous growth, will prevent most weeds getting a foothold in fallow ground. The plants do not make a woody stem and break down quickly once tilled so they are a ready source of nutrients for the new spring crop. Their dense growth habits also help prevent erosion and topsoil loss due to winter storms.

They are exceptionally easy to grow in containers. This species is partial to gypsum and caleche or alkaline soil. Many others will do better in standard potting soils. Seed packets and nursery stock will have any special requirements noted in the instructions provided.

The photos are a bit misleading. Each flower is only about 1/4" across and the plant pictured here is less than 6" tall. This can vary a lot with the water and nutrients available, as well as the species. They come in different colors ranging from white to pale pink and pale blue to deep purple.

It is one of my favorites, but some caution is advised. A skin rash similar to poison oak or ivy rashes can occur in sensitive individuals. They can also be somewhat invasive to surrounding yard and field because they seed so readily.

Preserving the Future

Most of us shop for produce in our local markets without much thought to what we are purchasing beyond how it looks and tastes. This has fostered what I consider to be dangerous changes in the way our food is grown and treated for marketing. Genetic alterations in consumable plants (called transgenic crops), hybridization that makes for sterile seed production and radiation treatments that are designed to preserve freshness for unimaginable lengths of time are all a part of some of the most potentially beneficial and frightening changes in our food sources today. If you are unaware of these developments, you owe it to yourself and your family to take a look at the embedded links. What you don't know might prove harmful in the long run!

Making a conscious effort to purchase heritage and heirloom plants and seed will encourage growers to produce more of these varieties. Taking care to note the small stickers on your fruits and vegetables and what they say will sometimes let you know if your market is carrying genetically altered transgenic or irradiated produce. Learn what science is doing to our food, why, the potential benefits and the potential hazards!

Better yet, grow as much of your own fruits and vegetables as you reasonably can. As you harvest your crops, save some of the seed for next year. Over a few seasons these plants acclimatize to your specific area and will develop hardier, healthier plants. Help preserve our food source in this way and you just might be helping to ensure the future of coming generations.

First Bloom of Spring!

Here it is folks! My first bloom of Spring! Okay, so it isn't a garden plant, it's an Amaryllis.
I am completely excited about this one though. I have carried this bulb around for 8 years and it never bloomed again after the first time. I don't make effort to force the blooms the way you are supposed to do and always enjoyed the foliage on its own, so it was never an issue. Much to my delight, it has put off a pup (another bulb) and obviously decided to celebrate the event with three magnificent blooms.

Be sure to come back by towards the end of March, when I will be posting some photos of the progress on the changes in our gardens. It is coming along, but will require most of my attention for a few days and lots of labor! So, until then...

Best planting days for March are:

Root crops: 8th, 9th, 13th, 14th and 17th
Above ground crops: 18th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 26th and 27th
Flowers & Herbs: 25th, 26th and 27th
Transplanting: 18th, 21st and 22nd

Growing Morning Glories

Sometimes you just have to plant some blatant food for the soul! Summer mornings without the colorful riot of morning glory blooms across my back fence just wouldn't be complete.

Morning Glories are embarrassingly easy to grow and add a festive touch to any yard. With a little creative planting you can hide an ugly area or make a shaded arbor to sit under.

Wait to plant them until about a week prior to the last frost in your area. You can check The Old Farmer's Almanac charts and the USDA Hardiness Zones, through the US National Arboretum, for your area's information. International information is also available on the USNA site.

These delicate beauties can vine up to 15 feet and will need support. A trellis, tree stump or old wire fence is ideal. If you have a privacy fence you will generally need to tack a layer of chicken wire, lengths of string or other support near the ground and up the fence to get nice coverage.

The location you chose needs full sunlight and average soil. Loosen the soil to about 2" deep so it will be easy for the roots to grow and will hold moisture better. Saturate this with water a day or two before you are ready plant. Soaking the seeds for about 24 hours in warm water prior to planting softens the outer hull and hastens germination. Without this it can take two to three weeks to see your first sprouts, sometimes longer!

Plant seeds about an inch deep with soil lightly patted down over them. Keep it evenly moist until you see the first heart shaped pairs of leaves. Once established, morning glories are fairly drought tolerant and will require less watering. You will get even more profuse flowering if you lightly fertilize once a month after they start blooming. With very little further care you should have a lovely morning display right up until the first hard frost.

Morning glories are annuals, but they reseed themselves readily. So readily, in fact, that they can become a real pest if you aren't careful! Do not plant them close to trees or shrubs. They will climb whatever they can reach. Their vines become so numerous and the foliage so dense that they can damage limbs with their weight and cut the other plant's ability to receive enough light to survive. Choosing a location that can be mowed right up to the edge of the Glories will help. Regular close mowing helps by preventing their spread into unwanted areas.

Some cut the dead vines away from their support in the late fall and dispose of them. Mine are on a stout fence and I usually leave a season or two in place to achieve a bulkier look. As the vines quickly reach the top of the fence they begin to drape over in a lovely cascade of color. I do gather as many of the seed as I can once all the pods are dry. This helps prevent serious over seeding, which will create problems with next year's growth unless regularly thinned all through spring. Gathered seeds make a nice gift, tied up in a wisp of cloth with a ribbon, to be given to gardening and non-gardening friends. Morning Glory is especially nice for the "brown thumbs" who've never been able to grow anything with success!

The easiest way to collect the seed is to use a cookie sheet. Press the edge of the pan against the plants' support. Begin to crumble the clusters of seed pods with your free hand, catching the chaff and falling seed in your pan as you go. As you fill the pan, empty it onto an old sheet or tarp. When you have gathered as much of the seed as you want, you will then need to clean it. Pull out all the stems and trash you can. A stiff breeze will help you with the next step so you might want to save this action for a slightly blustery day. Gather the seed into a bag and making sure the wind is hitting your back,slowly pour them back out onto the tarp. This is a style of winnowing. What you are doing is allowing the wind to blow away the lighter chaff of seed hulls and debris as it is falling. Once cleaned of debris, bag the seed in air tight containers for winter storing or Christmas giving.