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]

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]