April 2018 – Andrea's Garden Journal

April 28, 2018

Tasty Watering!

I have a love/hate relationship with watering. I love the productive results of watering but sometimes, it takes more time than I have minutes in my day. Yes, I sort of have a makeshift automatic watering system for use when I have to be out of town, but because my beds shift around so much and I have multiple plantings in each bed that have different water requirements, it’s best to hand water. It’s also a much more efficient use of our water resources to water when the plants actually need to be watered. I’m not aware of a timer (at least not in my budget) that will water based on weather and individual plant needs.

But, there is a definite upside to gardening: NIBBLING! It won’t be long before my watering sessions also become mealtime! Look what’s coming my way:

And this is just the sweet stuff. It won’t be long before I start keeping a salt shaker in the garden as well! The thought of juicy, warm tomatoes straight off the vine is making me hungry . . . but that’s for another post!

Happy Gardening!

April 27, 2018

Bee Happy!

Random shots I took this evening while wandering around the yard. The bees are loving my garden this time of year. Plenty of blooms to keep them interested. And given that one of my tomato plants has it’s first fruit, it’s just not the lavender these helpful guys are interested in!

These are a hybrid grape tomato that I took a gamble on and planted far too early (March 3). We had a faux Spring and I was itching to get dirt under my fingernails. So, I threw several hybrid grapes into my front flowerbed. I buried them so that only the top two sets of leaves were above ground. Then of course, Spring left us and we had two light frosts. While stressed, the tomatoes seem to have held their own. Now, they just need to hurry up and ripen!

The roses are going insane! In close competition are the Iris:

At one point, I contemplated only growing edibles or plants with a purpose (like my Chinese Soapberry Trees). But, I just didn’t have the heart to rip out such colorful blooms. So, I combined the two! If you look closely behind the lavender, you’ll spot chives and oregano. Not pictured, but under the roses is a bed of strawberries that serve as ground cover.

And the best part of this colorful chaos? People who stop to admire the garden are often so caught up in the flashiness that they seldom look down and spot the weeds!

And did I mention how happy the bees are?

April 22, 2018April 22, 2018

April 22, 2018

A close-up of one of my lavender plants. I have several planted here and there in both the front and back yards. The bees adore them which in turn, benefits my squash and tomatoes – plenty of pollinators in my yard! Apparently, it’s a bug repellent as well and if it will keep the flies and mosquitoes at bay, I’m all in!

But the real reason I have lavender is that I love the way it looks and smells. Sure, it’s edible and I can cook with it, but I seldom do. I’ll probably collect a few bundles of flowering stems to hang in the closets and pantry to freshen them up, but that will be the extent of it’s practical use in my home.

Sorry I don’t have the scratch and sniff app on my blog because the plant in this photo is particularly fragrant! Happy Gardening!

April 22, 2018April 22, 2018

Forgotten yet Flourishing

These are two of my winter beds that have thrived on neglect! On the left is a bed of garlic (and yes, that is indeed another rogue lemon balm plant growing out of the side of the planter) and to the right is a bed of New Zealand Spinach. I planted the garlic late September 2017 and other than watering it during long dry spells and pulling a few weeds, I’ve ignored it. The New Zealand spinach is a mixed blessing. It may be the only thing growing in my yard that the snails and slugs won’t touch. It’s also pretty much a perennial here in Central California and self-seeds itself quite easily. The problem? It’s not our favorite vegetable. Eaten fresh, I usually hide it in spicy stir-frys. When it starts to grow out of it’s home (like now!), I will harvest it, clean it, blanch it, and freeze flat in quart size freezer bags. During the winter months, I’ll toss a bag into a pot of vegetable soup or use it as a filler in lasagna.

When I harvest the garlic bed, I’ll start training the New Zealand Spinach into the garlic’s former home and sow some of the seeds that I harvest. I’ve found that while the New Zealand spinach can stay in one place, the older plants tend to get tough and bitter, so I like to keep my bed rotated with younger plants. Several years ago, I had almost no time for gardening so I let the veggie beds go. I came back the following Spring to find that the New Zealand spinach had taken over all but one of the beds! Like I said, it’s a mixed blessing!

If you are having trouble locating seeds, please send me an email and I will happily send you a few seeds to get you started. My original seeds came from John Jeavon’s Bountiful Gardens in Willits, California. Unfortunately, they no longer sell seeds retail but I am happy to share. Obviously, my quantities are limited but I will put your name on a waiting list for the next seed collection if I am out of this years supply.

April 21, 2018

First squash of the year! We had a really mild, wet winter which has meant a constant attack by the slimy hoards! I have lost 4 squash plants to snails and slugs already – and you can see that more than one of the leaves has been munched upon despite the moat of Sluggo around each plant! I don’t normally have more than 2 zucchini plants growing at a time, but given the current climate, I have 6 that have survived the sluggy onslaught. What could possibly go wrong? I may be doorbell ditching bags of squash with all of the neighbors in another month! LOL

April 14, 2018April 14, 2018

First Iris of 2018

My first iris of the year popped out on Friday the 13th. They seem a bit behind this year compared to my neighbors. Hopefully the late bloomers will once again conspire with my roses to create a gaudy flash of color in the yard! (Guest appearance by Jesse the cat)

April 14, 2018

Mutant Orange!

This crazy mutant orange was the only fruit my tree produced this year! My mandarin and clementine trees were loaded with fruit, but my orange tree seemed to put all of it’s energy into producing this giant orange! I suppose I should have cut it open to see if it was normal, but I gave it away as a joke gift.