I did it, worked hard and ignored my previous plans.

 I decided I was tired of looking at the zucchini doing nothing so picked the last fruit, cut it down and ripped it out. I also cut the tomato bush back a lot. There was a LOT of greenwaste.

Two kitchen size bags stuffed with clippings of tomato on left and the entirety of the zucchini in the right. I also brought down the jar of soil/water from the tests I did months ago. Threw that on the compost pile. It was looking rather swampish and something you'd see from an underwater video from a murky river somewhere.

When I ripped out the zucchini one root just kept going and going...the picture on the right up above with the longer trail of dark dirt, that was the track the root left behind. This is the root that caused it.

It's about 18-20 inches long, the small green leaves are the stem it was attached to. It was running basically in the same direction as the plant was grown, nice shady soil that stayed moist. There will be a lot of digging with the cultivator to pull most of those remaining roots out. Nothing like the plant helping you cultivate.

Now as far as the tomato is concerned. That is just pumping out leaves and flowers at the tips so I got tired of seeing that, trimmed out the bottom and shifted some of the branches with tomatoes on them to be more exposed. About 4 or 5 small tomatoes on there right now and I really really should get some fertilizer because I don't think they're going to get much bigger at this rate. I will likely pull up the pepper plant tomorrow or in the next few days.

Taped up the hose more and it didn't appear to be leaking when I used the hose, but I didn't use a lot of pressure either so will see day after tomorrow what it does. The weather still holds with overcast and in the 70's, slightly breezy but I worked up a sweat not having worked that hard in a long time so I'm pooped and likely will get a nap. I've got a headache now, probably from wearing pants that are too tight and causing pressure issues. Gonna be an interesting day.

So now I need to wait for the pintos to come up and see what they do. Anything in the legume family are 'nitrogen fixers' helping the bacteria in the soil feed the beans and in turn the plant provides carbohydrates to the bacteria. This isn't just a one shot and toss the plant, this only works if you chop up the plant and cultivate it back into the soil. Now if it was done right they need to be coated with a specific innoculant rhizobacteria but considering I didn't have that or do that, will see what happens when they get fertilized. Wrong time of year to be planting but as I pointed out, San Diego does not follow the usual weather patterns of the rest of the country.

So a lot of 'do as I say not as I do' following a gardener with insufficient supplies and energy. Anywho, now planning on what to put in the zucchini bed other than the three small patches of beans. I put the trowel in that bed just to let people know it's mine. Need to get a sign that has 'Pat's Garden #36' (my apt mumber). I staked my claim and it's still mine even if there isn't anything in it.

So, what to do... till it under with compost and organic fertilizer and wait until spring or do that and grow something. With the way the numbers were in both beds they really need to get boosters of nutrients before anything else goes in...oops already put beans in, oh well. I'm soo bad at following my own advice.

Flowers and bulbs need to be in a location that is appreciated by more than just me. The problem is not wanting to haul dirt and planter up the stairs. Have to see if there's a spot I can put a pot for bulbs that will be appreciated by everyone.

 

Okay lunch time again. Feed body and soul to keep the mind going.