It's hot again and not much else.

 We had to make a run to Costco for water and a few things, it feels like it's about 90 outside but it's just shy of that by a few degrees and technically only going to be in the mid to high 80's. The kicker is the humidity. Right now the humidity is 37% but feels much higher, must be due to them watering the lawns this morning or something.

Anywho, didn't get a chance to go water until around noon and didn't do much else other than weed a little so only a few pictures. Those damn purslane are coming up everywhere in that fence bed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the process of using the trowel a little too quickly on the weeds, I dug up the sunflower on the right side of the bed. Oh well. Still no beans so will try and put some more in there tomorrow. Or maybe the south bed I worked so hard on. No activity in the north bed today but I will bet you there will be something going on tomorrow. Hoping that cucumber takes off soon, technically that should be much bigger than it is by this time of year.

Ah the trials and tribulations of my garden.

Oh on a side note, remember back when I talked about the camellia in the patio and they had to cut down a 5 foot bush because it was blocking the fire extinguisher? I also showed a picture of how they can grow new plants from roots.

Formerly chopped down bush on the right, new bush started on the far left that's been that way as long as we've been here. So yeah, I will have to let whoever know to not chop that down again or dig it up because it's easily managed below the extinguisher height. Unlike roses, camellias are usually grown from cuttings and therefore rarely need grafting. There are a few stubborn varieties but they are mostly for collectors. 

So that's it for today, we're all closed up and cooling off on the first day of July.

More progress, albeit small and stuff.

 Procrastinating on pulling and spraying weeds is a blessing in disguise. I think the pea sprouts are coming up in the south bed!

Barely noticed until I was down almost at dirt level in order to try and hand pick some of the larger weedlings out. Then I saw the little vertical green sprout and yay! In the examination I also saw a pea that had started to try and sprout but was laying on the surface so I buried that one. With the warm weather and increasing sun here's hoping they sprout quickly and I will be needing a trellis soon.

I checked the north bed in the little makeshift shaded spots and sure enough another one was coming up there!

How can I tell? Comparing it to the grass weedlings coming up and the peas poking through it looks closer to the peas. I didn't disturb the logs for fear of dropping one and completely obliterating the small thing.

I need to get some weed tweezers on a long stick. There are trash grippers but those are too big and not accurate enough. I need something like long bbq tongs but with flat tweezer tips on the ends. Hmmmm more McGyvering is called for.

The potatoes are gaining speed and the next tomato is getting better color. I pulled three radishes but should have left one of them in the ground unfortunately. I might try to replant that small one or toss it because it's not really big enough to even eat. The pink one is almost eating size so I'm just going to have to be more patient with these and leave them be. As they thin out I'll replant with some Cherry Belles or whatever I have left.

Watered everything lightly as it was still damp close to the surface, just want to keep the soil from crusting over. Not sure what to plant around them really other than radishes or maybe some flowers, have to wait until they get big enough to cover them again and see what's available. Peppers maybe? Potato plants get about as big as a good pepper or small tomato plant, roughly about 2 feet depending on how much stalk I cover. If I get two approx. 5 gallon size pots and cut the bottoms out and use that it gives me another 12-18 inches of potato growing vertically. Given the hot sun I don't think i want to use something black, and again there's the logs I can use for a makeshift tower around them. So many possibilities.

I watered the 'compost corner' really well also, making sure that stays damp and remembered that deep corner never really gets any sun at all. After research I'm doing it all wrong. Composting should be done in a sunny, dry location. Well shoot. Okay then, stop watering and move it closer to the jade plant. It needs about 4-6 hours of sun so that cinches it right there. No corner for you compost. Right where it is will be fine as long as I can get some sort of containment for it.

Speaking of the woodpile, better pictures as a refresher.

So they cut down a decent sized Liquidamber tree some years ago it looks like. Not going to move all of them as much as I want to because the lizards still live there. Have to leave some for them and because they're in there I don't think I have to worry about black widows or other bugs but will still be cautious. Go lizards!

I saw a hat/headband mounted mini camera like a 'GoPro' at Costco for only $20, then have to find the rig or a way of mounting it which is another $20 on Amazon. Am really tempted to get that and then I can do running commentary videos when I garden and take Rocky for walks. That would be interesting to say the least. 'Old lady learning video causes thousands to get motion sick!' Honestly would try to mount it on my neck/chest area because I move my head around entirely too much. 'Squirrel!'

Anyway, lovely spring day, breezy with sketchy wispy clouds and warm temps, might just get a little rain in the next few days, who knows.

As planned... digging and feeding and watering.

 I got my exercise in! Yeesh! Took the bag of fertilizer and my hose sprayer down but didn't think to bring my entire basket with gloves and pruners which turns out I needed. Oh well.

First off, I startled Meester Leezard (or maybe should call him Woody?) as I got to the garden and it skittered along the wall and back into the wood pile. I then noticed, holes. Or rather divots.

They are too narrow and deep for it being cat digs. I didn't notice any animal prints and the hose was in the aloe which means the other lady had watered. Hmmph. The other bed had some holes as well.

No smell of cat leavings either so it may be possum, raccoon? Human? There is a large chunk of dirt that was tipped up so had to have some strength. The south bed is a lot softer so digging that deep isn't necessary. Oh well, tilled it all in. 

Now as for the other beds that are not mine... looks like melons of some sort maybe cucumber, two onions and then the final sign that she just doesn't have all the brains in there for gardening.

Considering her bed had a divot as well I can't blame the holes on her.

There's a term for what she does and I can't think of it. She just sticks random things in the ground thinking that because it looks healthy it's going to grow. The seeds are doing good but if those are melons she has way too many and most assured most of them will die by summer.

A 'rose cutting'?

 So as I've mentioned, the weeds are also growing like...well...weeds. This is what we call 'spring' in San Diego. After the first rains of the season things are just busting out all over.

'Cheese Weed' or 'Mallow'

The tallest ones are all prickly lettuce and then there's the 'Cheese Weed' which is named for the shape the seed capsules that look like a wheel of cheese. Don't be deceived, I dug all these out because of how big they can get. Easier to do it now.

Dandelion in shade

Prickly Lettuce

Big difference in the leaves for these two. That dandelion is the same one I took a picture of three days ago that was no bigger than the palm of my hand. The prickly lettuce was as tall as my knee this week and ankle high three days ago.

Oh yeah and don't get me started on the scourge of garden and lawn alike.... oxalis (Creeping Woodsorrel)... aka 'clover' as some people call it.

This is the creeping cousin to the other oxalis I used to munch on. This stuff... this is horrific in so many ways. It spreads by runners and when it goes to see the seed capsules are like little rocket shapes that when they pop it can throw seed at least a foot away from the main plant. Yeah this stuff has to go and I am going to have to do it organically. I dug some of it up but just remembered about using vinegar which I have. I don't have a spray bottle unfortunately so have to get that first and will take before and after pictures. I don't usually recommend 'home remedy' things but I have no choice in this since I'm not going to risk overspray on anything else out there.

Meanwhile, back at the tomato:

That's on the topmost long branch coming out, was trying to shift and tuck it in and heard a crunch. Hoping I didn't damage the branch too badly. Going to be about a month before that little baby is ready.

So I cultivated er, hacked with the cultivator in the bed first to get it broken up. The soil hasn't been worked in at least two months so it was not bone dry but just dry enough it was hard and in order to put fertilizer down it needed to be opened up.

Still a bit shady

Fertilizer applied

Almost forgot to take a picture before working the fertilizer in. Did the same for the other bed and worked it all really well before watering it in. Will likely water again tomorrow or day after to make sure (oh and the 30" depth on the bed is correct after I marked off usable area).

Dangit, I was going to do a soil test before putting fertilizer down, oh well. Will do that in a few weeks after it's had time to distribute into the soil. Did I measure how much I put down? Nope.. it's organic fertilizer and I know it needed it so just sprinkled it to whatever I thought looked good. Supposedly this lasts for 3 months, will see what I have in the ground in three months and also see if there's 'fertilizer tea' directions on the bag like there is for the top brand.

Oops, sorry cilantro.

I really need to get an actual camera or learn how to take better pictures on my phone.

 

Was not paying attention and almost dug up the little cilantro seedlings in the other bed. Brains  said, 'small green things like weeds hackychoppy' just before the second swing I stopped realizing what I had just done. Poor things.

After I watered and was digging up the weeds at the back I heard water coming on. Turn around and sure enough, the sprinklers came on. I even walked past the guy and nodded to him as he was turning on one of the other valves on the way to the garden. 

10:20 a.m.

So remember the lady that complained people always water the lemon bush and ruins the lemons? Yeah..the one sprinkler head is aimed right at it for a reason. I had to step over that sprayer and side step to the right to go around the corner to turn off the hose I was using. 'Coiling' up the hose is another matter of course but managed to not get too wet. The tree in the distance is at the end of the sidewalk and the hose bib is roughly across from it on the right.

One of these days I might even try and video my trek from the apartment to the garden with running commentary. As long as there isn't any helicopters, sirens, airplanes, neighbors and such creating too much noise.

Oh drat! Oh, okay... forgot to put the tomato cage back on the bed then realized I had just watered so hopefully cats and other animals might leave it alone. Will find out in the morning.