Pigeons. They look so innocent on the utility wire above my back-yard. Closer to the ground, it’s a different story. Pigeons are the messiest birds I’ve ever dealt with. What’s worse, they recently decided that my porch roof beam was the perfect place to roost. Since I’m less than enthusiastic about having to climb a…
Before this summer’s monsoon season, I lost an entire barrel of spaghetti squash plants. Borers got to them. So, I re-planted the barrel with O’odham Vayo beans. I watered them. And watered. And watered. It was getting to the point of being ridiculous. Was this impressive growth of Vayo bean vines ever going to produce…
The remnants of Tropical Storm Simon love Southern Arizona. To the tune of 1.40″ in my rain gauge since yesterday afternoon. And it’s starting to rain again. Simon, how can we miss you if you won’t go away? Here’s my front yard, shortly after Simon said, “Rain on Tucson!”
Tucson’s long, hot summer of 2014 almost made me give up on container gardening. Take, for example, my hot pepper pots. I watered and watered and watered them. (Why am I doing this?) The pepper flowers kept drying up and falling off. Result: No summertime peppers for my omelettes. Then came fall. And guess what’s…
It’s official: Tropical Depression Odile was a No-Deal. After spending several hours weeping over Tucson, she decided that we weren’t supportive enough. So, Odile headed east and dumped her sorrows all over New Mexico and West Texas. While Odile was still trying to gain our sympathies, she left scenes like this. Baja Fairy Duster in…
Yes, it’s still summer. And, yes, it’s still hot as blazes. But September is just a few days away. Which means that it’s time to get the early fall garden planted. What’s in mine? I’m starting lettuce and greens in the big pot. Still-producing lemon basil plants surround it… What’s in this basin? Carrot seeds…
Mid-afternoon thunderstorm rolls in, ruining my plans to take a nap. Outside, there’s the sound of raindrops soaking the hardscape. Like the brick edging around one of my garden basins… And the front walk. It’s getting the rain-hammer! Uh-oh! More thunder outside. Here comes the rain — again.
So much for trash-talking the clouds. One of them took umbrage and thundered at me. That cloud invited its friends over for a party, and rain it did! Half an inch in less than an hour. After checking the rain gauge total, I trained my camera on the side-yard garden. Chiltepin pepper plants with prickly…
Our monsoon season was off to such a promising start. Then it took a one-month holiday. Here in drought-stricken Tucson, we were beginning to wonder what we said that so greatly offended the summer rains. And then they came back. Sunny skies haven’t stopped the storms. Here’s the closeup view from my studio window… There’s…
This past Tuesday, we had one inch of rain in less than an hour. What does such a big downpour look like? Well, it looks like this in my rain gauge… Now, let’s tour the earthworks that were installed during my Watershed Management Group workshops. East side of front yard… West side of front yard……
Late June in Tucson. When the cicadas raise a mighty ruckus. And the hot-dry times seem like they’ll never end. My okra basin? Filled with drama queens that swoon in the midday sun. Time to build those oh-so-delicate plants a found-object shade cloth structure… I diligently seeded this basin throughout April. (Too cold for the…
A couple of posts ago, I talked about the need to have my mesquite tree trimmed. This begs the question of what happened to the cut branches. Well, a couple of things happened to them. Two of the big branches are going to become walking sticks. Here’s one of them, in a still life I…
In the summer of 2007, I began volunteering with Tucson’s Watershed Management Group (WMG). The WMG uses a learning-by-doing approach to solve soil and water resource problems. And I was having one right here at home. After I bought this place in 2004, I started planting a xeriscape. In addition to planting low-water use plants,…
You can’t call them shrinking violets, but they are in full swoon. They’re the flowers on my spaghetti squash plants, and they don’t live long…
Earlier in the week, I blogged about the about-to-bud flowers in my squash barrel. Looks like they’ve taken the hint… Over in the pepper pots, it’s ripening time! If memory serves correctly, these peppers are pretty hot. Looks like it’s time to brush up on my salsa-making skills.
Nearly two months ago, I seeded my squash barrel. Then it was waiting time. Would any of the seeds sprout? Did they ever! The spaghetti squash plants are growing like crazy, and now they’re flowering. One flower so far, and a bunch of buds that should open in the next few days… Over on the…
One of the most nerve-wracking aspects of gardening is the waiting that comes after seeding. You water, water, and water the bare ground and wonder if anything will sprout. And then it does. The basil was a little sluggish, but here it is, at long last… Okra is also taking its sweet old time about…
Earlier this year, I lamented the sloppiness of my front yard mesquite tree. Has the tree cleaned up its act? Nope. Take a look at what’s all over the branches. Not just spring leaves, but the beginnings of quite a pod crop… And where are all of those yellow fuzzy things going to fall? All…
The winter of 2013-14 was a warm one in Tucson, Arizona. To the point that my hot pepper plants survived the brief cold spells of January and February. But for some yellowing in aged leaves that are about to fall off, the pepper plants are in great condition. And they’re producing! I’ve been pleasantly surprised…
With daytime temperatures reaching the nineties, my gardening thoughts are now focused on summer. Time to get the summer seeds planted, starting with okra in this basin. The lattice of branches is there to keep the feral cats out… Can’t get through the summer without basil. Seeds in this pot… Now, a quick check on…
The gales of yesterday brought a stranger into town. Its name? Well, it’s called Rain. A real rarity around here. It left a little bit of evidence in my garden… A few minutes after I took this photo, the rain ran away from Tucson. So much for our warm welcome and unforgettable hospitality. In other…