Still wonderful weather.

 Which means watering. Due to shopping didn't get out to the garden until after noon. One thing I noticed right off is how flat and crusty the soil was in the north bed. The only things growing there other than the tomato are the peas and marigolds (well, weeds too but those I didn't plant).

I was in a rush to get the watering done given the late hour so pictures are after watering. I really wanted to scratch the soil to loosen it up but didn't dare. So far four or five marigolds are up and nothing else. The radishes should have come up by now at least!  One thing about this soil is if you think you've watered enough, think again and keep watering. I watered what I thought was 'really well' and then scratched the soil, it had gone down maybe a quarter inch. Alrighty then!

This means that I practically obliterated the mounds around the potatoes. Which means getting something to hold dirt in vertically is even more important. You can see the difference in the color of the dirt on the right side, the bright white line next to the border is dry dirt so what looks like reasonable soil is actually damp not dry.

Not much else for pictures. The Birds of Paradise are completely done blooming. They are definitely winter bloomers for us and they're done by now.

Wish there were pre-made wire forms to use as potato towers. All the pictures I saw were also lined with straw and the center filled with soil. The potatoes were planted around the perimeter so the tops would grow out through the straw and the potatoes would grow in the soil. Not enough room or money for that. I discovered a $20 bill stashed in my wallet which would be about how much chicken wire and a pair of wire cutters would cost... then again we need to do laundry.. 

Gardening is a hobby and not as needful as laundry for sure. Will see what the budget says later. I want to be a successful gardener but am working with less than ideal situation and tools. That's all the difference in the world for success sometimes. Opportunity, access to proper equipment, time and money. Rarely do all of those coincide in order to have the results you are expecting.

Continuing to continue on best I can.