Recent days and today: Progress: [more]

Our favorite tomato plant, cherry, first planted in March, producing fruit all the way until January, surprised me today. As I’ve been preparing the in ground beds for the spring, I decided to finally let go of this plant, as it has been diminishing, I decided to pull of the roots to… [more]

The Marglobe tomatoes transplanted in September did really well for so late in season. They saw very little pest pressure, and the warmer than average temperatures surely helped. A lot of fruit set, but took a noticeably longer time to begin reddening than tomatoes grown between March and August. Also, there were… [more]

The pole beans growing in the center in-ground bed are yellowing. I think it might just be the end of their life cycle. But it could also be that those beds have been subject to holding water. Something about the slope of the lawn and the fact that some sprinkler pvc was… [more]

I moved the avocado plant to a 4.5 gallon bucket from a 1-gallon grow bag. I used a mix called Gary’s Top Pot, but with a bit more sand and pumice. I want it to be pretty fast draining. This plant grew in a glass of water by the kitchen sink for… [more]

This week I’ve started a lot of seeds. In addition to the Desert Willow trees I started in a 4-cell 4″ deep tray, and the two 6-cell trays of White Grano and Red Burgundy onions, today started some brassicas and tomatoes. I am especially excited for the Sungold Tomatoes. I’ve heard that… [more]

I have two trays of seedlings I’ve started hardening off this week. Both of these were done with re-used potting mix, and the results have been mid. Part of that though is I oversaturated them with water a couple of times early on. Using bottom watering, I left them sitting in it… [more]

I started gardening in March with no experience. I thought I’d learn how to grow plants. It turned out to be more about building systems that make plants grow. By the end of the season, the biggest shift wasn’t yield or technique. It was how I think about the work. Soil, water,… [more]

The second photo shows the peppermint I’ve been growing indoors under the grow-light, and the other two show the wildflower strip on the south side of the house. We have a few blooms in December. I don’t know how much these will die back during the cooler months coming up, but I’m… [more]

After looking at the soil, I am changing the schedule for watering the lemon tree from every 2-days to every 4-days. I thinned the celery in the grow bag further. I don’t remember why I planted so many. It’s the first time I’ve grown this so I think that I looked up… [more]

This morning I carefully scratched two tablespoons of 6-3-3 Down To Earth citrus fertilizer into the top of the lemon tree pot. I watered it in with half a tablespoon of Epsom Salt to the gallon. I let the water drain through and out the bottom completely, then watered again. It was… [more]

The compost pile was at 111°F this morning. I added more cardboard to cover exposed areas and to help hold moisture and heat. I collected a full trash bag of leaves and started a second batch of leaf mold. I watered the lemon tree with half-strength Jack’s 20-20-20. I also used Jack’s… [more]

The compost pile was at 110°F this morning. After moving the thermometer slightly, it read 114°F. It’s been holding roughly this range for four days. I’d like to see it climb into the 120°F to 135°F range, but from what I’ve read it’s better to give it a few more days before… [more]

The compost pile reached about 116°F this morning. I noticed a small sprout in the lemon tree pot and initially worried it might be coming from below the graft. After digging carefully, I found an acorn instead. At some point it must have fallen into the pot and sprouted. I pulled it… [more]

The compost pile hit about 113°F this morning. I gave the potatoes in grow bags a deep soak, along with the south-side wildflower strip. I watered the rest of the garden as needed. I applied a small amount of insecticidal soap to the grow-bag potatoes and an even lighter spray to the… [more]

The compost pile is holding at about 106°F in the hottest section. I’m hoping yesterday’s turning didn’t slow it down too much. I plan to leave it alone for a few days and see if it climbs higher. I watered the lemon tree again after a few dry days at the surface.… [more]

The beans in the strawberry patch have wide spacing between leaf nodes and very little foliage for plants that have been growing for about two months. I pruned off several of the oldest lower leaves that showed rust-like damage, which I suspect might be mites. I scheduled a three-round insecticidal soap treatment… [more]

I watered the lemon tree today after the top inch or two of soil felt dry. It had been five days. I used about two cups of city water that sat in the can overnight to let chlorine off-gas. I’ve read mixed opinions on how fast that actually works, but it costs… [more]

I added Langbeinite (the Down to Earth brand) to give the potatoes more magnesium and potassium. I scratched about a tablespoon into each grow bag and into the three in-ground spots, then watered everything in. The compost pile reached 78°F today, up from 68°F yesterday. I’m happy with that jump. I diluted… [more]