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]

I pulled some grass-type weeds and a few clover patches around the roses and strawberries to keep them from crowding the plants I care most about. I’m still pretty relaxed about weeds overall. They’re just plants we happen not to want. A little plant life is better than bare soil. I only… [more]

Today I fertilized tomatoes in grow bags and in-ground with a tablespoon or two of 50/50 Trifecta and Bonemeal. I used the same very lightly on the south side wildflower strip, and here and there in the south and southwest planter. Then I fertilized with fish fertilizer all potatoes, leafy greens, and… [more]

I pulled out one tomato plant from the latest batch. It wasn’t diseased, but it wasn’t growing well or setting fruit, so I chopped it and added it to the compost pile. I also pruned a few green branches from the in-ground tomato plants, mainly the lower ones. I turned the compost… [more]

Ivy and I planted some seeds in a tray we hope to later transplant to her garden bed outside on the hill. Snapdragons, Chamomile, Iceberg Lettuce, Cress, and Swiss Chard. This is also a test for the viability of the Peat Moss I had in a bag from months ago. About 3… [more]

We had more rain than usual this month, combined with cooler weather and shorter days. I haven’t needed to water as much. I saved a few 5-gallon buckets of rainwater and used them over the past week for container plants and the seedlings under my desk. I cleared out several plants that… [more]

Pictured above are some of the wildflowers Ivy and I planted a while back. I finished cutting down the tithonia, composted what made sense, and put the rest in the green bin. I pulled back the straw mulch and added a small amount of Trifecta and a 1-inch layer of Black Kow… [more]

I fed most plants with a light round of Jack’s 20-20-20. A few potato plants in the south-side grow bags are showing some wilting and brown leaf edges, which surprised me given the cool weather and daily watering. I usually water grow bags lightly each day, not deeply, but the low humidity… [more]

I fertilized most of the garden with Trifecta and fish fertilizer. Some of the lettuce grow bags got Jack’s instead. I planted wildflowers on the south side, on the hill, and in the front yard on the north side. I prepped several 1-gallon pots with coco coir, sifted amendment soil, pumice, perlite,… [more]

I gave most plants a light calcium nitrate foliar spray. I hit the basil and pumpkins hardest because they’re aging. The pumpkins on the hill look rough. Pest damage, powdery mildew, and yellowing. I pruned them and used Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew. I changed the bottom hill sprinkler zone back to 1… [more]

I planted soft-neck garlic in grow bags using FoxFarm potting mix for the first time. I mixed in leftover grow-bag mix, some lime, pumice, bone meal, azomite, and a 4-3-3 granular fertilizer. I spread the leftover fertilizer mix—about two cups—around the rest of the garden, roughly a tablespoon per plant. I soaked… [more]

We got a good rain last night. I followed it by feeding almost everything with Jack’s 20-20-20, using light to medium amounts depending on the plant. I planted some narrow-leaf milkweed on the hill, but there weren’t many seeds in the packet. The wind during the storm, probably around 20 mph, knocked… [more]

I planted chives in a 10-gallon bag and scallions in a 15-gallon bag with coco coir, pumice, perlite, and mushroom compost on top. I planted celery in a 10-gallon grow bag after removing the top layer to get rid of small roots. I added coir, pumice, and mushroom compost. I planted three… [more]

I removed two in-ground tomatillos and one from a grow bag. Two more in grow bags are on their way out. They produced small fruit and got hit hard with powdery mildew and leaf curl. Beautiful plants, though: long, searching branches that probably stretched for more light. I’ll try again next spring.… [more]

I mixed Trifecta, Azomite, and worm castings and gave each established plant about a tablespoon. Younger plants got half that. I watered everything in with fish fertilizer and Jack’s. I skipped the strawberry patches except for a bit of Jack’s 20-20-20. It’s a heavy round of feeding, but I want the plants… [more]

9/21 to 10/5. In a two week period the pumpkin went from ~2 feet to ~9, all the way around the top of the arch. These leaves were so big and healthy. A couple of things learned here. First, when we grow pumpkins next year on the arch we need to get… [more]