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| Curly Kale |
The winds are back and there a bit of chill in the air. Last weekend, I pulled out the cucumber vines and the borage plant. The roses are getting ready for their fall blooming. The buds are steadily getting eaten by the snails. I rush to the garden after school to water and the traffic has been bad. The dill has reseeded itself and I am ready to plant some more greens. The one lone tomato plant has fruit on it but who know what the fruit will taste like. We have started a few trays of kale and cabbage seedlings. The trick is always to use FRESH seeds.
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| Cabbage |
You never know what the donated seeds had to go through. Sun, wind, fluctuating temperatures, and moisture. Sometimes you have to pay the extra bucks to ensure that your seeds are 90% viable. I am not going to guarantee 100% percent but as long as you sow them throughout the growing season, you can really maximize the growing potential just by storing the seeds in a cool, dark , and dry place when opened. I can't just go to the nursery and plop like 5 dollars for a few plants. It is not about the money but my ability to plan and start my own seedlings.
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| Lacinato Kale |
The weather has gotten so inconsistent lately. I don't even know what is going on. The Santa Anas? The air is dry and leaves are getting crispy. The bagrada bugs have not made an appearance on my kale yet I have every reason to believe that they will be here soon.
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| DA roses are just in always in season... |
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| Bok Choy |
As a gardener, you consider all your plants to be your children regardless of it being an annual or perennial. You want the best for your plants. The weather has been soaring in the high 80's and low 90's lately. It is not normal to wake up and feel very warm outside when you are only 2.5 miles away from the ocean. What is going on? I used to water every 4 days and now I have to water almost every other day. It has been scorchingly hot. My plumeria tree even has a sunburn. We are facing a drought. I try to water early in the day or late in the afternoon. You can see what happens when you skip watering. The roses start to look unhappy because they are at the peak right now.
The David Austin roses are heavy drinkers. I mean they need to get drunk! The cucumbers need a lot of water as well or their fruit gets stunted. It is really interesting how water plays such a crucial role in our garden. Without water, we can't garden at all. Sometimes I get worried about not getting rain. I also think about all the residue that gets left on the leaves and the fruit. I occasionally hose down all the plants but I try to limit watering over the plants. Mulching is such an important role as a gardener. It minimizes the watering because the the mulch prevents the soil from drying out. I even mulch the roses in the pots. I layer on the composted horse manure. The next time you water, you should really think about how you water your garden. Good soil with a lot of organic material will retain water.
