Back and forth, back and forth with the weather!

 Woke up to high dense clouds which means it's cooler but likely no rain. It may have rained while I was asleep, can't tell from the ground. According to the weather, next week is going to be hot as in summer weather temperatures. I was considering planting lettuce seeds in the south bed, not so sure now.

After reading another article on how to grow radishes I chose to pull the ones in the south bed and then just tossed them on the compost pile. Looked at the north bed and said, 'what the heck, might as well'.

So I put them back in the north bed between the two rows of seeds I just sowed.

Even in the picture you can tell the roots aren't forming like they should and it's all tops. Shade is the culprit.

Still not convinced they'll do well there if they haven't done anything now. Just something to do. The peas are growing well and so are the potatoes which I decided to start covering with soil. Didn't pack it down tight just enough to be firm. 

   The thing about peas is, when they put their first tendrils  out it corkscrews around as it grows, looking for something to latch onto. Once it finds something it gets a growth spurt and puts out another one, which is why they're such fast growers. So the tendril that connected at the top has now pulled the pea up and is following the line. There's another one off to the left you can't see that I am hoping will catch the first rung of the cage. The other pea on the far left has a tendril out as well so I added a cage there as well. 

 

I then trimmed the cilantro by a few branches since I made sure to buy avocados and tomatoes today, hoping to make some guacamole.

The potatoes I took a hard look at and realized they were big enough to bury some of the stem. The soil technically is too heavy which is why I didn't pack it very hard.

I loosened the soil in the hole as well just as a precaution and because it needed it. The picture on the right is the plant that was on the right after I pulled some of the lower leaves off.

I just don't know what to do about the tomato, it is going completely bonkers and in order to thin it out I have to be very selective with the branches. Any branches I take off may have potential for fruit, thus reducing production. But if I don't take off branches it crowds itself out and can cause other issues.

It's just turning into a monster! Will make an executive decision about that tomorrow and hopefully will get some lettuce seeds for the south bed.

In flower news, we drove down a street we used to take all the time to go grocery shopping and one of the yards had absolutely gorgeous roses in full bloom! They were spectacular and since I was driving I couldn't take a picture. It's an odd sort of balance as that property sells second hand/refurbished washers and dryers on the garage side.

I did get a picture of the iris that had the pot cracked and realized that the dirt I saw further down the sidewalk was likely from another planter.

This is where the plants the manager is growing are all clustered on the table and chairs and the small table. We do what we can with what we have and hope for the best.

Time, money and energy are usually in short supply at sometime, it is all a balance of the three and sometimes all three are at the same short level. See quote above.

I also realized that anywhere else that is not Southern CA would not have that show of roses this time of year. I am lucky enough to have such a climate to see beauty in the early spring like that.

Clear, dry and wonderful

 Yes indeed, the weather has changed back again so out to the garden with the sprayer I went. Not surprising, south shade bed is fine, potato and North bed were dry. Because that's what happens.

 

 

It was later in the day than usual since we had to go out and get some groceries hence the shadows being a bit longer. I do hope the onions sprout, those would be more useful than the radishes frankly. I just picked two nice white ones that were of size and only yesterday threw out the two bags of premade salad that had gone yucky. What to do with two lone radishes?

They likely could have stayed in the ground a bit longer but by now, you know I'm an impatient gardener and have nothing better to do.

By the time I get more money next month I'll really need support for the peas and the potatoes and will budget accordingly. I know exactly what I need and where to find it, price is approximate but close enough for budgeting.

Found another flower that was blooming. In advance of the rain the manager put her potted plants out at the edge of the lawn for rain yesterday.

I love striped and speckled, variegated flowers. This is a particularly cute geranium that, despite it being a geranium, I would have in a pot for my porch as well. I will never put them in the ground, they will take over. She also has a bearded iris that sadly got kicked/knocked around but the stems are still intact. They haven't bloomed yet but will take pictures when they do.

Spring makes me ache for flowers in a garden of my own. I would have my iris bed, my bulb beds (can't  have just one of those), my roses and a wildflower garden. The 'wildflowers' would consist of my favrites, Bachelor Button (Cornflower), Salpiglossis (look it up they're incredible!), poppies (for the bees), lupine, Cosmos, don't know what else. Likely would get separate packets because I don't trust pre mixed selections. Usually too heavy on lupin and cosmos and cornflower.

Oh, the roses... so hard to just choose a dozen or less to put in a garden. I have my sentimental favorites but fragrance has to be in all of them. Almost all the colors possible and it all depends on your climate zone which ones would do the best.

So, my Spring wishful list and pining away for a garden of my own. Won't be so wistful when summer is here, I'm sweltering and don't want to go out in the heat.

And it rained, and was windy and thundering.

 It was wonderful. The rain started about mid afternoon, light sprinkles then morphed into a steady light rain. By late evening it really came down. I really should have held off watering but compared to the rain, I didn't do much. It is blustery and cloudy today so don't have to worry about the beds drying out.

I decided I wanted to try more seeds so rummaged through my collection and saw the Red Burgundy Onions. What the heck, give it a try.

The soil is very much wet, I used a chopstick to run a trench and even looked up how deep they needed to be planted. I only hope that the weather will cooperate and the soil will be okay. Onions do better in more acidic soil and mine is not alkaline but not high acid either.

The front row I decided on Crimson Giant radishes. Almost pulled out the Easter Egg but thought I'd give these a go.

In the future I will be marking the white packages with black pen, I took a picture of both rows but you can't even see the pencil in normal daylight. Oh well. Oh... popsicle sticks, have to remember that for marking the rows. Not like I have copious amounts of garden to do so, that's why I take photos.

Didn't water after planting as the soil was perfectly fine for moisture.

Everything else looked fine, still fussing over how much grit and rock is in the potato bed and still holding out for the radishes in the south bed. I discovered something yesterday when I was digging the soil after transplanting the peas.

Digging around the tomato and hearing the light crunch of hitting roots I discovered this:

Now, what the heck is that you say? It's no bigger than about an inch but since it came from the vicinity of the tomato I am concerned. It could be early signs of root knot nematodes on the tomato.

Without taking it to a lab and having them dissect and look at it under a microscope I am only going by my past knowledge of seeing infected roots.

 

As a precaution the the tomato plant will be pulled at the end of the season and won't plant any tomato or pepper in there unfortunately. The tomato is still looking great and when I pulled the pepper plant I didn't see anything. It could just be swollen roots but not going to take any chances. The radishes are doing well and we will see what happens with the seeds I put in.  

If they grow.

 

So I will monitor the tomato plant and if it starts dying prematurely that can't be explained by overcrowded branches or other reasons, yanking it. The tops can go in the compost pile but the roots will definitely go in the trash. I will also dig around and see if any other roots come up looking like that.

Having the rain is wonderful being in a desert climate it is just so refreshing and hope we have more days like this. As our weather goes, it will be like this for a day or two then run weeks without any and by then it will be summer and that's the end of the season. Sigh.

Rain, rain, come over here, we like having you near.

At least it's cloudy, rain coming soon.

 As soon as I say 'wait and see' for the weather, it does what it's predicted. No rain but definitely still blustery and cloudy. Love the wind because I know it brings different weather, I had to wear my long pants again today because it may not get to the high 70's.

So out to the garden I went. Everything chugging along, soil still 'moist' from watering yesterday but due to it being sunny and now cloudy I decided to water anyway. The pea I tried to support had been blown sideways so twisted it up to try and get it to stay.

Honestly considered getting my wire cutters out and opening that cage up flat but it's technically not mine. Didn't get a chance to go to HD yesterday, made a half hearted look at what Target had in their seasonal/garden section. Disappointing for actual gardening as suspected. Might go for a walk up the road to the little nursery and see what they have.

I am disconcerted every time I dig into the soil with the trowel and hear that 'scrape/tink' of hitting a small rock or pebble. I pulled pea sized rocks and slightly bigger out of the potato soil when I was loosening it. I did the same in the north bed and accidentally chopped one of the smaller pea sprouts. Oh well. I then decided to transplant the remaining one in the front over to the corner of the potato bed.

 

At least in the corner there I can set up a couple of stakes, I'll get some shade in the summer with the sun overhead even and now I have room to plant something in the front of the other bed. You can see how dark the soil still is but it's not very wet hence why I watered anyway despite rain coming in.

The lawn was wet as well which means the gardeners turned the sprinklers on this morning. Any water is better than none. Definitely getting darker outside from cloud cover, may have some sprinkles in a few hours. 

There was a flower blooming on my morning walk with Rocky but pictures on my phone didn't do it justice. I thought it was a Freesia at first but then got closer and realized I was wrong. I love Freesias.

The name of this one escapes me but now I want to go see if there's freesias somewhere so I can plant them. Way too late in the season for us though. Sigh.

It's finally raining!!! Due to the wind it's blowing around most of it but love that smell, the wind and everything. Sigh.

I got a better look at the azalea and am incorrect that it is an Alaska. It's a single flower so it's likely a Mrs. G.G. Gerbing. Had to look it up because it's been so long since I was working with Azaleas every  day I've lost a lot of the names.

Anyway, wonderful weather outside my window and keeping the blinds and window open for the breeze and smells.

Another clear and breezy day and an executive decision.

 So forecast says there may be rain tomorrow or Tuesday. It is clear and moderate to strong breezy today we will see if any clouds roll in later on.

Everything is chugging along and had to make a makeshift support for the south bed pea. Will be going out today to get some stakes or try to find that square cage. I only need something about two feet wide and the white trellis fabric in packages is 6 feet by 4 I think. So will need four stakes and that for two beds.

That bed was still very damp so no water there, just splashed water on the potatoes and the other bed. On the peas in the north bed I made an executive decision to move the larger of the front plants to make a row of three in the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The soil is thankfully  very soft so just dug the trowel in as deep as I could in a cone around it, did a hole about the same way and plopped it in. Had to move the soil around in the front to level things out and compensate for the loss of soil.

Still waiting for that little seedling to make itself known as to what it is. I am still holding that it's a tree seed that doesn't belong there but will wait. In my digging at the front I  uncovered a pea seed that was barely opened, oh well. Don't really need anymore pea plants. I need to figure out something short that can grow in the front and may have to wait for the peas to get big enough before deciding what. Hate to see good soil just sit fallow if the season is right for planting.

Got a better picture of the azalea and the yellow flowering aloe. The birds were out everywhere picking up the tree seeds and other stuff, glorious morning for being outside.

 

And of course the potatoes and tomato are going crazy as they should. that tomato I am just trying to figure out how to keep it from taking over the world. Especially if the peas start growing that close they'll just all intermingle.

 I pulled the logs off the bed since I don't need the shade anymore or delineating separate seed beds. Those radishes... just don't know what to do, will likely pull them and leave that area empty since it's so close to the tomato.

I wanted to grow tomatillos but have no room now. They are a plant as big as that tomato, being related, and even the potato bed would be too small. The south bed again, the carrots and radishes are languishing in the shade and the cilantro is going crazy.

Had to throw out the previous cilantro because I didn't use it in time and it wilted in the fridge. 

Okay off I go for errands today and hope to get some garden things while I'm out.

Still warm and clear, greenies are happy. Spring is here!

 Despite it going to be warm again today when I went out there, everything was still very dark and damp looking so not watering. Especially the shade bed, I got out earlier than usual because I knew it was going to be warm.

The radishes in the south bed are not forming bulbs. Usual culprit and likely not enough sun, not going to stress about it. I am going to be concerned about the carrots though. They have a longer growing time and I remember those are the Thumbelina or the other short variety. If it's all a wash this year will definitely add in more organic matter and bone meal for root crops next time.

And of course the potatoes are just busting out all kinds of leaves. Not much of a stalk on them so nothing to cover at this point. Those are a summer crop anyway but can hardly wait to see if I get any sweet golden tubers. Given my success with the radishes it may end in disappointment.

 

Not exactly sure what that tiny seedling next to the pea is on the left. I found a Chinese Elm seedling coming up somewhere else and yanked that one quickly. Will see about this one when it gets the second set of leaves. That pea in the shade though is just boosting fast definitely have to go find a support for it.

The Rhaphiolepis (Indian Hawthorn) are blooming like crazy and the bees are out taking advantage of them. The Alaska azalea is also blooming it's branches off making a wonderful white show in the shade. Got a picture of the little red rose that's blooming on the way to the garden. 

I also got a picture of that other aloe. In my year of being here and walking around I don't recall seeing it bloom but may be wrong. Not blooming is okay for a plant that you want to use for the leaves but note the color difference between sun and shade from the other plant. It is happier in a partial shade situation to give it the best color on the leaves. This plant though is a train wreck of a potted one that was just left to itself. And another example of your surroundings reflect how you feel. If this was better cared for it would make people not feel so old...I hope?

Now we come to the educational gardening portion. Tomato issues that I didn't have last year.

It's called 'cat facing' and here is the wiki description of possible reasons, all of which have happend or are present in my situation.

"This condition is usually caused by unfavorable growing conditions like drops in temperature and poor soil."

"While it is uncertain, temperatures below 60 F. (16 C.) for a number of successive days when plants are immature — about three weeks prior to blooming — appear to coincide with tomato catfacing fruit deformity. The result is incomplete pollination, which creates the deformity. Physical trauma to the blossom can also cause cat-facing. Additionally, catfacing may appear if the fruit has exposure to herbicides containing phenoxy. Excess nitrogen levels in the soil media can also aggravate the issue as well as aggressive pruning"

There you have it. All of the above. Since that plant was put in later in the year I didn't have wonky weather to deal with, the soil was new but still poor, and we can rule out the herbicide use of course. And that last sentence right there.... excessive nitrogen and aggressive pruning.

Now you can still eat them as long as there is enough fruit to eat. Those are my two largest tomatoes and given the issue with the radishes and nitrogen, the nutrient level tests... we will see what happens as the season progresses. Sometimes catfacing can be caused by thrips but I haven't seen any evidence of that and large red flags for the other causes.

All of the radishes except for the first two as well as the cilantro I cut have been tossed sadly. I'd like to know what people with large gardens do when they can only cook so much and then have fruit and leaves yet to use. If I ever get to that stage in gardening on my own land, I'll let you know.