And watered again under clear skies

 Last time I watered it rained the next day, it's been clear and will continue to be for a number of days. It's kind of windy today so it'll probably get cloudy over the weekend...again.

Photo adjusted for real colors. Honestly, sure HD photos are great but when it takes the saturation way up it's almost  unrealistic. I like my photos to actually show what things look like. So even this photo that I dialed the saturation down a lot is still deeper color than what they actually are in person.

One of the Roma's is already coloring and is not the usual shape for that variety. There are dozens of tomatoes on that vine so looking forward to a bumper crop for sure. The Terra Cotta has some good size fruit coming on as well. YAy! Fertilizer is working!

Individual shots of the plants. The leaf difference on the two tomatoes is more striking as they get bigger and more mature, or that could just be me. The cucumbers are continuing to grow but no tendrils still which may just be my impatience or maybe they aren't old enough. The peppers are still doing well, and since it's been a little over two weeks since the first feeding almost time for another light feeding. Fed first on April 30 then again on May 5, so it's been about ten days since then. I'm not concerned about overfeeding because it's organic and I water a lot. Everything is looking really good though the peppers are still struggling a bit.

There's only one zinnia left, right in the middle, the other three were eaten by whatever was cruising around the perimeter. All well and good, plenty of time to plant other things in front if I want flowers. I was in the pharmacy the other day and they had rather sad and sorry looking rose 'bushes' left over from Mother's Day. I know I could have made a nice planter out of them but it didn't look like they were discounted and I wasn't going to take a chance on spending $20 on a sorry looking rose cluster.

I need to remember to plant sweet peas in the fall though so hopefully have them for Christmas. Years ago the timing would be planting out seeds in October and you'd have flowers by Christmas, I don't think that holds true any longer though. Warm weather has been holding on all the way through to October and even into November sometimes. I don't think I have any seeds left but will check and if not, easy enough to find some before the end of summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another picture of Dipladenia but in full shade this time and the Easter lilies are about ready to pop open. I don't have enough shade unfortunately to have anything on my front 'porch', even plastic degrades faster due to the summer sun blasting heat. Both of these locations get partial sun so it's ideal for a multitude of flowers.  

 Layla returned from vacation. I went out to water yesterday and her beds and pots were all soaked. I'm sure she thinks I ignored her beds but considering I added a cage to one tomato and nothing was completely dead, yes I did water. She even added another small cage to one of the tomatoes she has. 

So that's it for this week, more flowers next I suspect. 

 

More watering and stuff

 Weather said it might have a 38% chance of rain overnight yesterday, I really needed to water the gardens so that's what I did. Wouldn't you know it... sure did rain.... not enough to soak but enough to get things wet. 

Beautiful colors automatically enhanced by phone camera. It's a bit breezy still and the ground that wasn't in the sun was still very wet. I heard a blower and a lawn mower earlier today...had to shake my head.

And of course, I tossed another few handfuls of fertilizer down before watering yesterday. The raised bed plants seem to have jumped an inch in growth I swear, they look a little droopy due to watering overhead but they're fine. The zinnias though..something is eating them. The one down front is barely there, the two at the back are fine and the one off to the upper corner has been munched on. I might be lucky and have two out of the six that actually came up. That'll be fine of course, anything is better than nothing. The garlic is chugging along and hope to have at least one bulb by the end of summer.

The little rose bush is putting out more buds, just love that little thing. I have some rose seeds but don't remember 1, where I put them and 2, whether they are from that bush or something else. Will try again in the fall for another collection.

 

 

Layla's beds are that mish mash that she does. I took pictures as proof I was watering. I then noticed a hole, similar to the one that was at the corner of my bed. The rosemary didn't seem to be dying or having problems so I took a tool and mashed the edges of the hold in to cover it up. Way too small for gopher and from reading, too big for a lizard. I don't know, but maybe? I covered it up because if Layla came back she's probably think it was a gopher and then stick a log into it. 

 

The Easter Lilies are progressing as well, lots of flowers this year and will be a staggered bloom from the looks of the buds. Probably not for another week at the most, maybe by the weekend this week. 

 

So that's all for now, rain, more feeding and oh yes it's going to be in the 80's or 90's by the weekend. Summer coming in like a wrecking ball for sure.

 

 

Watering and stuff

 It's been warm then cool, windy then cloudy then rained overnight then cloudy and warm. So, welcome to Spring...again.

 

 The red epiphyllum bloomed and the roses were mostly done. The picture doesn't do the size of the flower justice. It is bigger than my hand if it was open flat so at least six inches wide if not bigger. That was taken three or four days ago and it is very much wilted and finished now.

 

Definite overcast for at least two days early in the week but the only rain that fell was overnight and it was merely a sprinkle. I think I have an ID on this single petaled rose finally, thank you Google images. 'Dainty Bess'. The petals are slightly different but given it's growing mostly in the shade and has been neglected all it's life it's doing pretty good. Yay! 

 

Two different days and directions but similar cloud layer. It's just been an interesting week for weather for sure. 

 

Layla asked me to take care of her garden while she was away for three weeks on vacation. She's got tomatoes a couple of citrus stems, cilantro from my bed that washed in, I think at least two sprigs of ginger trying to grow. In her pots she has some radishes that are now blooming, I wish I had asked her about it before she left but oh well. It's her stuf not going to mess with it other than watering. I put the small cage on the one tomato but she has three or four more that are spindly and need support. I'm wondering if she was growing them in her apartment or got cuttings from somewhere else.

 

 

I noticed the other day that suddenly there was a small hole at the front of the west bed. Not necessarily freshly dug and too small to be gopher. I was wondering if it was a lizard nest hole but to be sure I used my foot and covered it up. If it's a lizard she'll dig it back out again. I didn't see anything unusual today so am assuming it was just something random.  I know the lizards are out more often with the warm weather so will be seeing some babies in another month.

 

 

Can't tell but I finally got fertilizer. Yay! Nothing crazy just the Vigoro organic vegetable food that was the cheapest option. Will see how much a difference it makes in another week or two. Supposed to use it every 4-6 weeks and I'm going to opt for the 4 weeks schedule as close as possible. Kist scratched it in then watered lightly to get good contact. I tend to go a bit light on fertlizer so I might do it again when I water in a few days. I'll be happy if those peppers look less yellow and the cucumbers start growing more.

I was tempted to buy an actual plant or some seeds when I got the fertilizer but couldn't justify spending the money on that. Strawberries were tempting but wanted to have them in a hanging container, which was $20. When I was working at HD, they were $15. The same size container but not hanging was that lower price so no, not this time around.

 Rocky observing and making noises at the Mourning Doves. The one on the top of the window was a male making small cooing sounds then joined his mate on the railing when I moved the blinds to get a picture.

The oregano is sending up vertical stems for flowering, I looked at the Italian Oregano and other herbs at the store as well but again, not this time around and I was hoping for some lemon Thyme but didn't see any. Multitudes of peppers and tomatoes but I'm socked in with those. Parsley was tempting for the south bed, which reminded me I was going to drop cilantro seeds in there as well. The zinnias are still growing and I tossed some fertilizer (again not nearly as much as I should) in that bed.  So at least they all got a feeding and I can rest a little easier.

Other than the half feeding in the next few days full feeding will be end of May. Seriously that is easing my mind more than I realized. 

 

Still not a whole lot going on

 Weather is being.... sunny and breezy. Was supposed to rain, drizled a bit late evening a few nights ago but that was about it. Not enough to forego watering so did that day before yesterday, the days are kind of blurring together without any doctor appointments or shopping to do. As far as I know the weather should hold being clear and sunny with maybe some clouds by he beginning of the month.

 Trying to use a filter on the phone camera so the colors are truer to what I'm seeing. This is still a bit more blue than what it was. The sky is usually a dusty pale blue and gets lighter at the horizon. I had to take a picture of these cloud formations when I saw them though. Corrugated clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watered day before yesterday, the cucumbers are hanging in there, after and before photos. Everything really needs some fertilizer for sure especially the peppers. Given my past failures, they are extremely heavy feeders and I won't be able to get any for another week.  

The roma is putting out lots of buds and fruit and as I mentioned, it seems like they're a bit more round than I remember but will see what they look like later. The Terra Cotta I actually had to nip off a bud cluster at the top of the taller one. The difference between the two is like older and younger sister, about two inches. Debating on whether to cut the shorter one off given the cucumbers are now in... decisions decisions.

 

 

The Easter Lily has four stalks with a 3  bud cluster and one at the bottom with only one bud. Double the number of flowers from last year. I remember being disappointed there weren't that many blooms on the plant last year so I'm glad to see it was just an off year. There area four confirmed zinnias coming up and perfectly spaced. Considering how many seeds I sowed that's not a very good germination but not sure I would know what to do with twenty some zinnia plants if they had all sprouted. If they all flower well I'll see what colors they are and maybe save the seeds for next year.

 And finally, Rocky decided he was going to just lounge in the shade for about five minutes during his outing. Such a goofy kitty. Seriously, he really does think the entire area is his domain, the people and other cats and dogs are intruders or adoring fans. 

That's all for now.

 

 

 

Amazingly fast germination and things

I planted the zinnia seeds six days ago and they are already sprouting. I'm so used to vegetables taking forever to sprout this took me by surprise but the package says 5-10 days for germination and voila!

But first just another photo of the rose because it's so darn pretty and fragrant....meanwhile back in the garden....

 At least four, possibly five or six (I may have circled a grass sprout by mistake) have sprouted already and if that's all I get I'll be happy. Technically needed to water but it's a bit warm and I already got my exercise for today. That will be a task for tomorrow.  The garlic is thickening up nicely as well but it's still a long while before it's ready to pull up. Hoping they can hang on long enough to develop their bulb.

Cucumbers are out of the window and into the raised bed. I filled the half gallon milk jug with water to at least water them in because the soil was very warm and not that wet. Everything will have to just hang in there until tomorrow for me to water again. I also didn't peel off the casing for the pod because the roots were growing through so well will see how that works out for them. Lots of tomatoes on that roma right now, hoping they all turn out well. I only have $4 to spare and that isn't enough to get any kind of fertilizer for everything. 

Just noticed how I plant everything away from the front edge a bit far, compensating for the plants getting big and healthy. Also a reaction to when I planted squash too close and it ended up hanging over the edge. Hoping the cucumbers climb well on that trellis because there's no room anywhere else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then there's the south bed. This picture was taken around 1 pm and it's already in shade except the front edge. I cannot for the life of me figure out what would survive in only four or five hours of intense sun and only an hour or two of direct sun in the winter. Lettuces and other green things in the winter of course but summer time... it's maddening. Although the tomatillos did really well there as well as a tomato when I first started gardening. Going to be the conundrum of the garden for a long while. 

Meanwhile in someone else's garden hard to see but there is an absolutely flourishing star jasmine on the wall there. I don't know what they're doing but it is overtaking the trellis it's on. It actually looks better than the one growing out in full sun across the street. Need to ask their secret and if they have any spare fertilizer. Hazarding a guess they probably use dish water, coffee grounds and tea bags. 

Anyway, things are planted and growing best they can. Hoping for better things next month.