Looks like a watering schedule has been established

 I watered on Friday and then again today being Sunday so in this heat with my soil unprotected, the beds need watering about every other day. Which is a good stretch, not too wet and not too dry but still no tomatoes!

Healthy and growing good!

 

Peppers almost ready!

I checked where known older flowers were on the tomato and it is still showing no signs of little bulges. Come on tomatoes! Going to have peppers out my ears by the time I get tomatoes. All that green growth and flowers but not producing makes me think there's a bit more nitrogen in the soil than the tomato needs, the pepper pfft, don't care!

 

Zucchini is plugging along.

Flower buds? Maybe???

I should have a good harvest by August it seems, hopefully the tomato can catch up by then.  This is all very exciting for me and I'm having fun chronicling it for posterier   posterity and the edification of any readers.

As I've mentioned before I have not had an in ground garden in decades and even growing in post is exciting. This location though is perfect for summer crops and will have to see how the winter goes. I may not have as much time to garden soon as I have a job interview on Monday that is a 5am-2pm shift. Updates on my other blog as they happen.

The other beds in this garden:

The 'mint' bed

The 'plot next door'

Under that mass of spurge and wild purslane is a tiny mint sprig just plugging along and enjoying the shade. Mint is a trooper and invasive which is why I don't grow it (other than I have few recipes that call for it).

Marigold seeds

Can't help myself when I see something going to seed I want to save them. Seed hoarder? Plant procurer? In any case these are from a pretty much done small planter next to another building that is also next to some overgrown cilantro, remember that post? Well I noticed seed heads and had been considering putting in some 'companion' plants for the tomato/pepper bed. I just sprinkled them in the dry dirt, roughed them over a bit and then watered everything really good.

The general rule of thumb (hahah) is you plant seeds and bulbs three times the depth of the seeds vertical size. Now this is difficult to measure but just remember the smaller the seed the closer to the surface you plant it, usually. Now the issue is that I'm not going to expect these to grow very well as I'm not going to get out there every day or twice a day to water them so if they come up all good, if not, it didn't cost me anything. I was going to put in some sweet alyssum but I know how fast that grows, I don't need to draw any pollinators for my three plants and I don't want to have to deal with it taking over later on.

Wayward branch

Remember my advice on pruning? This is what I mean. This branch was late to the tucking in party and is too long to catch the rung just above it. It is drooping more because I watered it so got my pruners and lopped it off. It had some flowers on it but I think I'm good on flowering branches right now. I might just go find a high phosphorous fertilizer to try and kick it into a higher gear.

On a totally different topic for those who think grass is grass, which I have encountered SO many times in the retail garden situation. 

'I have crabgrass I need to get rid of' 

"Is it crabgrass or bermuda?"

'It's crabgrass'

"Does it have long runners and spreads out or is it bright green with an open flat clump?"

'?? Runners I think?'

"Um,that's bermuda".

 

This is bermuda grass note running stems

 That particular bermuda I believe is a hybrid as it is next to a shuffle board area. The grass is really a mixed mutt of fescue and hybrid bermuda and possibly some rye grass because it gets partial shade.

This is crabgrass (cat for scale, NOT)

 

 

 

Now one of the confusing things about identifying it is people think those spreading stems are 'runners'. When it gets bigger it does look like it's reaching out but it's just a spreading clumping grass.  Get rid of it!

Unless you are cultivating a bermuda lawn get rid of both of them. There is another grass that you don't want but that's something else entirely. Bermuda can take over an area quickly and it is VERY difficult to eradicate. Whenever you look at the instructions and description on anything weed control it will say 'controls' not 'removes' it can kill what's there but not totally eradicate it due to how the running stems grow. Do not ever try and kill it in the fall, you will get a false sense of accomplishment then wonder why it comes back in the late spring. Hit it in the spring/summer when it starts growing and you'll be able to keep it knocked down a lot easier.

Okay grass lesson over. Almost.

A lot of 'new age' 'organic' gardeners are spouting all kinds of words about not growing grass it's a holdover from a time when having expansive well manicured lawns was a sign of wealth. Agreed BUT, there are many insects that use grasses as a source of food and for laying eggs. I am not talking about the harmful ones I'm talking about the little skipper butterflies that you hardly see anymore.

I remember when I was growing up we'd go to the local park in the summer and the grass would be almost alive with the little flitting orange butterflies. They normally use meadows and wild areas but guess what we don't have much in suburban areas?

Fiery Skipper on native heliotrope.

 

 

From Wikipedia:

"The fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae and is approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. The males are orange or yellow with black spots while the females are dark brown with orange or yellow spots. The caterpillars are greenish pink with a black head. The caterpillars are often considered pests and can feed on Bermudagrass, creeping bentgrass, and St. Augustine grass.

Fiery skippers, along with all other species of skippers and skipperlings, can hold their wings in a "triangle" shape. The forewings are held upright, and the hindwings are folded flat. This position is thought to better absorb the sun's rays.

The fiery skipper lives in North and South America, from Canada to Argentina. It is a migratory species."

 See that sentence there about the caterpillers?  Most of those grasses are exactly what people grow in their yards, bentgrass not so much in the west and it's considered a weed but consider keeping a small patch just for the oxygen. There are some meadow grass mixes you can get at the nursery one is a California native grass and the other is Buffalo grass. Now this isn't a manicured lawn type grass, this is a seasonal grass that will be green in spring and some of summer then die out usually over the winter. If you want to mow it that's fine but it's meant to just grow naturally with little care or water.

Growing more native plants is good but you have to be prepared for a down time and that is usually in the summer to winter time. Sprinkle natives, grasses and non natives around for a good mix of plants that a wider variety of critters can enjoy and thrive.

Speaking of that. Another story.

When I was giving classes at the nursery they wanted me to give a class on CA native plants. I knew enough about them but did a little extra research so I could give a more educated class. Well unbeknownst to me members of the local Native Plant Society was in the audience.

I got to the part about saying that native plants have an ugly time and be prepared for when they are dormant. Plant other things around so the garden doesn't look so barren.

Wellllll someone in that group of 'experts' thought I said or meant 'native plants are ugly' and told the manager. SIGH. I didn't say that! I was told to be careful about my choice of words in the future because you never know who's listening. Right. 

So native grasses and plants: good

Saying they are ugly: bad.

 

Peace Out my garden homies!