Still just holdin' on.

Will have new glasses in about ten days so I'll be able to see what I'm doing a lot easier. That includes seeing seedlings that are almost non-existent to the average eye, or the less than acute elderly eyes. 

Flowers are blooming, peas are growing and just realized I forgot to take the coffee grounds down with me. Oh well, will do that after I finish this.

Definitely needed watering this morning and almost put the shade cloth back up but I'm calling the onions and radishes in the north bed a no go. The radishes just didn't do well exectp for in front of the tomato. Maybe I should have planted them there? It's getting too late in the season for planting them anyway.

Couldn't get a close shot of the iris or epi due to cat. The pine tree though looks like someone (probably the gentleman that planted it) came out and pulled all the brown branghlets off. Looking even sadder now.

 The Red Shouldered Hawks have settled in a nest at the highest safe point in the Eucalyptus tree. Hearing the call multiple times now so he must be circling overhead. I saw one land in a nest yesterday it's absolutely wonderful! So many different birds this time of year I could list what I've seen but then if you aren't familiar with birds, doesn't do much good.

Meanwhile in the garden:

 

Looking very dry and hot, ground is smooth which is not a good thing for seeds to try and break through.

All that's coming up is the marigolds with enough space in between to plant other flowers or whatever. Not many 'small' veggies to plant in the middle of spring and certainly very few herbs so flowers it will be. Something bee/butterfly friendly without being invasive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the onion seedling a little easier in the right picture in front of the lettuces. It's going to interesting to see what survives the next few months when it really starts getting warm. At least I have the seeds I need for fall planting. Might need some other ones as well. It may be cheaper to buy seeds than pre-grown and watching them grow but it sure isn't for the impatient gardener. Or for places like mine where the soil and weather are less than ideal.

I'm seeing all kinds of ads for raised garden ideas, using pots and containers and everything to get off the ground and more controlled. Can't do that here and it limits what you can grow in them. Can't do squashes or cucumbers...(which now I think about it there's a bush variety of cucumber... hmmmm) and not that I'd want to grow corn but that is definitely a larger plot of land plant. Root crops, herbs and a few varieties of tomatoes and peppers are about it and of course flowers. 

All the pictures you see of wonderfully healthy and thriving gardens with dozens of different vegetables are on a large plot of land, maybe 20 x20 feet or more. It's also in the middle of summer when everything is growing AND it likely has been 'groomed' to get rid of anything less than spectacular looking. I always thought gardens grow that way everywhere and took very little effort. Riiight.

That's another thing, huge amounts of different types of vegetables, my advice is unless you are growing for selling at a market or have dozens of people with wide variety of tastes..grow what you will eat. I don't eat or have the room to grow/store/prepare rhubarb, kale, turnips, beets, kohlrabi, cabbage, corn, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli. I don't mind eating the last five but don't have the room. The other ones, no room and no taste for them. So I'm limited on what I choose to grow and am able to grow. Beans! I'd love to try beans and it's a good time of year to plant them. I just might yank the peas in the north bed and try to rig a trellis for beans. Really... beans are supposed to be easy, what could go wrong?