Did you know there are all sorts other vegetables that you can be planting right now? While most people are putting away their gardening tools, there really is no end to the gardening season especially in Southern California. Not in sunny California? Read this great article about gardening with cold frames.
The weed garden (the sunshine makes it look pretty but it is just weeds)
This spring, when most people are starting their gardens, we were so busy with lambing that we never did Read More
Yesterday was the first day of fall and boy could you tell. Today even more. The wind is blowing and it’s chilly. Last night I even wore a sweater. In the desert the weather changes abruptly. September 20th it was hot and sunny. Fall hits and it’s cold…well and still sunny because the desert is almost always sunny. We enjoy clouds and rain and gloominess just to have something different.
The plants in the garden is sighing a big relief just as I am. This summer was a summer from hell. I literally. I mean satan is the only one who could have devised such a summer. Almost every SINGLE Read More
Your Desert Garden – Monthly Do List for July
Grass
- Plant your Bermuda lawns if you haven’t already.
- Fertilize Bermuda grass lawns with 1/2 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.
- Apply iron to your lawn once per month.
- If it’s time to dethatch, do it during May through August. Dethatch every two or three years to rejuvenate the grass.
Trees/Shrubs
- Pick early-maturing deciduous fruit, which are particularly prone to bird damage. Pick before full maturity. Ripen the fruit at room temperature.
- Prune palms when flower spathes show or delay pruning until after the palm has finished flowering to prevent infestation of Palm Flower caterpillars. If palms are pruned in Read More
Most people don’t realize that gardens are a year round deal. Typically we think that we plant in the spring and then that’s it. If you miss the spring planting, you have missed the boat and have to wait until next spring for a garden.
THAT’S NOT TRUE
Gardens are year round. There is a vegetable you can plant every single month out of the year. Even in the hottest month of summer and the coldest month of winter. Especially here in the desert. As a matter of fact, some summer plants prefer the coolness of fall or winter over the blistering desert heat. And late plantings might Read More
I was watching Doomsday Prepper re-runs recently and there was a prepper who had thousands and thousands of seeds stored away in case the SHTF, TEOTWAKI or whatever other acronym you can think of for when the world goes down the toilet. I sat there listening to him proudly extol the virtues of having so many seeds and I thought-you’re going to starve to death before you ever get enough food to grow. It was just so arrogant of him to think all you have to do is put the seed in the ground and everything will just work out. Let me tell you, it won’t.
Welcome to farming-a world Read More
Growing new sweet potatoes is SOOOOOO easy. All you do is first get some sweet potatoes. You can get these from the store or, preferably, from the hundreds of varieties that exist and are available online. Experiment to find which kind you like best and which do best in your area. Don’t be limited to the store variety.
Don’t settle for store bought varieties although these are perfectly fine too.
Also, grab yourself some toothpicks. These grimy things were in our junk drawer from last spring’s sweet potatoes. Read More
Here’s our list of April plantings
April
Bean, bush
Bean, lima
Bean, edible soy
beet
Cantaloupe
Chard
Corn, sweet
Cucumber
Eggplant
leaf lettuce
Muskmelon
Pepper plants
Potato, Irish
Pumpkin
Radish
Summer squash
Tomato plant
Watermelon
There is of course always a risk of frost until the last frost date of April 15 in this area. There is always a risk after that too, but it decreases significantly. By mid may there’s almost no chance of frost. So if you plant warm weather plants be ready to protect them on a cold night. This year I’m betting on no more frosts, but you never know
!
Here’s our list of April plantings
April
Bean, bush
Bean, lima
Bean, edible soy
beet
Cantaloupe
Chard
Corn, sweet
Cucumber
Eggplant
leaf lettuce
Muskmelon
Pepper plants
Potato, Irish
Pumpkin
Radish
Summer squash
Tomato plant
Watermelon
There is of course always a risk of frost until the last frost date of April 15 in this area. There is always a risk after that too, but it decreases significantly. By mid may there’s almost no chance of frost. So if you plant warm weather plants be ready to protect them on a cold night. This year I’m betting on no more frosts, but you never know
!
Trap Crops fit into the realm of companion planting. Though the process may go against a traditional gardeners nature you must place your faith in The Bug Lady and understand the logic.
The concept is to plant a species of plant susceptible to a specific pest to act as a lure for beneficial insects, such as Lupines. The Lupine aphid (macrosiphum albifrons) is specific to Lupines and will not transfer onto your peppers or cabbage. The sacrificial plant is allowed to have a colony of aphids establish. Once the host plant achieves a pest colony the parasitic wasps and predators will also move onto the Lupine as well. Voila, a pocket Read More
Yes, I said toads! A lot of people think toads are pests, but actually they are pest eaters! This is of course if your toads are native as there are a few introduced species that have become invasive. Also, toads do eat ladybugs and a few other beneficials, but considering that they eat a whopping 100 bugs each night (making 10,000 per 3 months)…I think we can forgive them.
Below is a link to a great blog post that details how to attract more toads to your garden. They love hiding spots like half a terra cotta flower pot, rock gardens or toad houses such as the one below.
Attracting Toads: