It's aliiive! And weed, plant and growing issues 'next door'.

 So the zucchini took thankfully, should be ready to harvest in a few days due to the weather slowing down a bit due to a storm down in the gulf. 70's, humid and overcast, possible thunderstorms 'in East County' which is where I am, likely further east into the mountains.

Success!

Baby one coming in, ummm.

Not a good shot in the second picture but baby female zucchini look rather...suggestive. Hahahaha!

Also a comparison picture between the two plants that are side by side, started out roughly the same size and look what they are doing.

They should both be looking like the one on the left. The one on the right is stunted and weak looking, that's the one that's been producing mostly male flowers. This is why we have no clue why two boxwoods died in the middle of a twenty foot hedge. Soil, watering, vertilizer, grade of the land...all makes enough of a difference to have two plants look so different. That picture on the right looks like one plant and yet, they aren't.

I hope by the end of the season to stitch together all the pictures  I took of the tomato and pepper over time. I tried to take a picture every time from roughly the same angle to do that. Also a close up of the mature plant on the left compared to the one on the right down inside.

It isn't exactly a bush, nor is it a true vine. it grows along a main stem along the ground which as I mentioned way back when I planted it, some people train it so that stem is upright. I didn't have the right tools or supplies to do that so this is it. The other one is barely even spreading and I wouldn't be surprised if it died much sooner than the other one. Meanwhile, in the other beds, the mint is dying a horrid, lingering mealybug infested death. The spurge that was taking over is no rotting and dying as it is supposed to do and the lady pulled all the grass out thinking that would help. 

I am having technical difficulties with blogger uploading photos for some reason. Will keep trying so I can show what a mess it is.

 

Spring annuals finish up within three to four months, depending on care and weather This is September 1 and I started my beds end of May, so we'll call it June 1. That's three months and a booming garden is happening for me but not so much for the other bed. I will hopefully be able to edit this so I can add in the pictures. Really kind of important to see the difference.

So, like people, plants need care and feeding, regular attention in order to be healthy and thrive. People would come to me and ask why their plants are not doing so well, I ask if they fed and watered them. 'Food'? what is 'food'? Fertilizer.. plant food...you took a tomato plant home and just planted and watered it expecting a bumper crop? Watering too much, only  used manure in the soil because 'that's what my father did'... the soil said it has fertilzer for three months....sigh ::facepalm::.

Same old story too often told.

Oh I can tell it's moving toward fall, the hawks are back in the morning and the parrots are migrating back and forth in morning and evening. Wonderful way to mark the change of the seasons, though I'd rather have something other than parrots, I'll take what I can get.

Parrots? In California? Oh yes most definitely, there are wild parrots that have moved in over the decades from Mexico. Either Green or Red Fronted Amazons, the nursery had two of them over the years and in a closed space, the screeching is deafening. Dozens of them squawking and screeching flying overhead is different.

The job I interviewed for is a 12 acre nursery that, despite being in the 21st century still does not have a labeling system, barely functional computers and three times during my interview one of their employees came to the door asking for ID and price on something. Reminds me of when I started at Andersen's 20 years ago. IF they decide to hire me I need to pass a walk around plant ID test, crossing fingers if that happens. My recall on plant names isn't what it used to be and I tried to be positive and let her know I still had it but am a little out of practice. I did let her know that a passion vine was mislabled and was able to find the possible correct name for it. They even asked me what variety of aloe that a customer wanted and I admitted succulents were not my strong suit. I could tell you it's an aloe but that was it.

Off I go into the wilds of concrete and steel jungle.