Okay somewhat long post catching up

 A lot has happened and some of it, it's summer. It rained briefly and in spits yesterday but not enough to wash the car or wet the ground. We're under what's called a heat dome and monsoon season. Not as catastrophic for us as other parts of the world. Just miserable heat for the next week. AC is already on since 11 am and it is now noon.

Let's start with yesterday. Morning walk with Rocky, temps in the mid to high 70's so the rain was more of a spitting and not for very long. The bougainvillea that was wiped out by the truck is coming back Have no idea what that grass or the other plant is in that pot. There was a short garden fence around that planter and it too needs replacing but it isn't the management's problem. Oh that post that was leaning over? Yeah that was pulled up straight and cemented back in.

Little blue mallow survived and is rebounding, needs a bit more sun but if it's blooming it's doing fine. The Angel Face rose apparently bloomed and I wasn't aware. Three flowers on it and because it hides behind some Nandina I never noticed it oh well. Just glad the stupid garderner guy didn't notice it. Yet.

A jump forward to later that day, the sunflower is forming a bud! It is doing it's follow the sun thing so have to take a picture of it midday so I'm not casting a shadow on it.

The zinnias are doing just fine, a bit slow but then it's very warm and I don't have any mulch to keep the soil cool and moist. I'm holding off an extra day of watering on everything because there is still water deeper in the soil. 

I put out bits of tomato and leaves as traps so nothing amazing there. Two scrawny onions left but still too soon to put seeds out for the fall.

 

It's coloring up and not from any damage! YAY!! Nice full size tomato with more coming in behind it!  But for every success there is failure. The bushes in the north bed are just not doing well. I held off watering for an extra day because I dug down and it is still very wet in the shade of the plants. Same with all the beds. The key is mulching and shade to keep the soil evenly moist. 

Oh these pictures are from this morning, the tomato I split was totally gutted the leaves were hardly touched and thankfully, the smaller cucumber I left uncovered was unharmed. Crossing fingers I will leave both uncovered tonight.

 

So yeah, it's doing okay, I cleaned some of the leaves from the bottom of the front plants and disturbed some of the pill bugs there. Looks like I know where they're hiding now for future reference. Also, not watering every other evening and keeping the soil cool and moist is a hindrance  as well. The tomato on the right is in the south bed. Those seem to be doing better now, letting everything go a bit drier than I like but everything seems to be doing okay. Might give the raised bed a spritz tonight just around the cucumbers.

The subsoil is just staying too wet for this bed. I will be using the remainder of the raised bed soil on this and the south bed for sure. The tomatoes on the right side are dull, slightly wrinkled and not growing. Not plump at all even though the plant itself is doing okay. They are so behind on fertilizer and it shows. There is also sporadic damage from worms and the bottom rot, worms can't do anything about unless I get a UV flashlight.

In the meantime, the lady that is growing her little thai peppers on her balcony asked about putting some pots over in the garden. Well I have two plus the raised bed and Layla has two plus her pots so she got permission to put her pots on the other side of the lemon tree. Okay. The buckets I think are going to be planters or possibly compost not sure. I met her this morning when I went to check on things. Her name is Dolores and has decided to make her own bed with scrap lumber.

 Not sure if that's what she told the management about but oh well. I told her when the tomatoes in the south bed along the wall get done she can have that bed. I know it's going to be a few more months but she said 'okay I'll keep an eye out'. No, Dolores, you'll get the bed when my tomatoes are done in about three months. 

I asked her what she's growing in the square pot and she said pumpkin. What? She said she was going to train it up along the wall and I shook my head, pumpkins grow big and apparently she's growing it for the leaves like spinach. Must not be a standard type pumpkin then. Oh and she has ginger in the same pot. I will have to ask her if it's root ginger or leaf ginger. I might ask to trade some tomatoes for a small piece of ginger. Will see what happens. She raked all the leaves together for a bed in the frame for the pot to sit on I guess. 

You know, I'd like to think that my efforts in the garden was noticed and it's made at least one other person try their hand at it. I was tempted to let her have the north bed and then went, no. I worked too damn hard to gopher proof that bed for my use. The other bed is a half ass job and I'm happy with the two other beds. As long as I can get the drainage figured out in the north bed.

So that's basically caught up to today. It's up to 90 right now so staying in and staying cool. Won't be reasonable outside until well after dark tonight. By reasonable I mean low 80's around 8 or 9pm. Yuk.