Is it winter yet? How about now?

 Even warmer today and didn't get out to the garden until noon. Bad on me, but did get out last night and made a decision in the cool of the evening. Chopping and pulling was done. But first the hopeful news, pollination!

Can't tell but I pulled two male flowers and pollinated these two females and another one. Crossing fingers that it took. It's much easier on squash as the flowers are bigger. I almost demolished the first male flower pulling the petals off. 

 

I never got female flowers on the previous plant last year so this is encouraging. There are still a lot of pill bugs milling about and I pinched a couple of them and tossed them behind me. I will bring tiny scissors with me to nip off petals next time to pollinate flowers.

 

I made a decision and hacked down the tomato that was failing. Yes there were some good size tomatoes but as you can see.... not worth keeping. BER (blossom end rot) on all of them.

The soil around it was dry. I watered well day before yesterday and it looked like I hadn't in three or four days. The back side of the other one got cut back as well. Just greatly disappointed in that bed and the other one.

The roots looked fine though. No problems there, but judging from the soil structure it just was not prime soil for them. 

 

Silly me grabbed some coriander seed from the dried bunch by the compost and sprinkled them in the dirt before I watered the heck out of that soil. It may look like it's moist but it is not. didn't hold together at all and had the consistency of bread crumbs.

 

I didn't bring my sprayer down so I just used the hose and got that bed and the north west bed. Which this morning showed no sign that I actually watered. Zero. At noon it had completely dried up and I know I watered there last night. Will have to water again tonight, at least the front of that bed. The other one where the tomato was is fine. Raised bed is fine because it has the benefit of having more mulch and is off the ground.

I can't rip out the tomatoes in that other bed because of the sunflower, it seems to be setting seeds and the zinnias are holding on so everything needs to just hang in there for another few weeks.

It's a long wait for sure for an impatient gardener like me.

Looking at the pictures and seeing that one small spurge growing reminds me how this area looked when I first started my garden beds. Weeds everywhere, beds were neglected... still not prime appearance but it's better than it was before. 

These were taken in May two years ago. I had just started the 'north' bed and obviously these were in the afternoon shade. No border on the beds, Layla was working hers barely and the aloe and window box were still along the wall. Log pile is still there and the lizards still scurry over to it if I get there early in the morning. Will have to take some 'after' pictures of the same angle.

A year ago in May, those same beds were peas, marigolds and peppers. The marigolds succumbed to the gophers as did almost everything else there. That problem is solved now thankfully but the area is reduced. 

I have what I have and am glad for that.