Small Garden

Usually by this time of year the garden is in full swing and we are getting ready for the fair. There are piles of tomatoes and zucchini and we are canning like crazy and giving the stuff away. This is not the case this year. This past weekend we finally had a break in the hot weather, Sunday was overcast and cool so it was time to work in the garden. The main goal was to move the irrigation hoses around to only water where there were still plants. We also cleared out the weed and dead plants, this resulted in showing how truly small the garden is this year.

So what do we have left...well there is the kale

...and a tomato plant.

Here is Katie with the kale.

Katie with the peppers, there are three plants.

There is a random volunteer tomatillo that hasn't produced yet but looks healthy.

The corn is doing good and getting quite tall. This is all popcorn so we are in the drying out phase.

The pomegranate tree is doing good but no blooms yet. The near by peach tree did have three peaches but the birds ate them before we could get them. 

And here is the wide view of the garden. There are two watermelon plants and a cantaloupe but so far the melons are really small and I don't hold out much hope for them producing.

I had thought last year the garden was low producing but this year makes last year look like a great year. I have not found anyone who has had a good year. There are a variety of possible factors including the severe drought, usually hot weather, etc... Given the current state of water in California if there isn't rain this winter we may not be doing a garden next year just to conserve water. 

Strawberries

My strawberry plants have really taken off this year, a bowl full were collected today and quickly eaten!

Canning progress

Time to update what has been canned but I will start with dried. When we had an abundance of zucchini we made zucchini chips. They were slices and then mixed with onion soup mix then dried, pretty tasty. 

Blueberry Chutney You Can Can

Sweet and Tangy Gerkin Slices The Complete Book of Pickling

Bread and Butter Pickles The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Sweet and Tangy Zucchini Pickles The Complete Book of Pickling

Strawberry Jam from the pectin box

Zucchini Fennel Seed Relish The Complete Book of Pickling

Strawberry Jalapeno Jam

Strawberries

We planted strawberries not too long ago and the resulting plants have been surprisingly productive and large.

As you can see Katie has become adept at finding the small red berries and will do what she needs to do to get them. They quickly go into her mouth so there are not many to photograph but we did catch this one.

We usually get a small bowl for her to collect them in.

She will run back and forth putting the ones she has not eaten right away into the bowl.

Katie does love her strawberries. These are small and sweet and are nothing like what you find in a store.

My front planters are doing really good. The roses are doing well and so is the jasmine which should start blooming soon. 

The second planter has grown like crazy and I did not plant or seed anything in it this year. We have alyssum, desert primrose and sweet peas thriving.

Grape Trellis

Last year I planted two grape plants. We built them a simple trellis last year that consisted of two posts and some line. The grapes did very well and over grew what was built. This year I knew they needed a larger trellis and pruning them was a good time to do it. Our primary source of information on how to prune them and different types of structures to build was The Grape Grower which I easily found at my library. We started with a trip to Home Depot where I bought two 8 foot 4x4's and a roll of 12 gauge tension wire. I use the term we loosly, my brother actually did most of the actual work. He dug two two foot holes on each side of the existing trellis the put the posts in at an angle.

Next we packed the dirt in tightly around the posts to hold them at the angle.

Next two 10 inch anchors were placed outside of the posts.

Next the old posts and cord were removed.

My brother then drilled holes in the posts for the wire.

A length of wire is attached to the post and the anchor. More wire is pulled through the holes then tightened to created the needed tension. 

Next we used some pieces of wood I had in the garage to stake the grapes and train them up. Once we had selected the branches that would be attached to the stake the others were pruned off.

And here it is, my new completed grape trellis.

Seeds, Strawberries and Rhubarb

This winter I have purchased seeds from two companies. My first choice is the Sandy Hill Preservation Center this group provides heirloom seeds and work to preserve genetic diversity. They are a very interesting company from whom we have bought seeds before and been successful. I also support their philosophy and where their seeds are coming from. The second company I purchase from (when Sandy Hill doesn't have one I am looking for) is Johnny's Seeds, they are a traditional large seed company not quite as embroiled in the GMO madness that is out there. The final company I have purchased from this year is Gurneys. I went to them to get the plants I wanted, strawberries and rhubarb. I have found it difficult to find anything other than mainstream items at the local stores and there are very few actual nursery's around any more. 

This last week my package of strawberries and rhubarb arrived. I also ordered some of their strawberry food, a fertilizer designed specifically for strawberries. I selected two types  of strawberries Eversweet and Everbearing. Both should be successful in this climate. I have not had a huge amount of success with the strawberries I have purchased from stores, most have died.

One type of strawberry has been growing but I do not remember what type it is. We did get several small strawberries last year.

The strawberries are under the rose bushes, while some are growing I want to fill this area in and have some diversity.

Each package of plants had about 25 strawberries, so all together I planted around 50 plants in this planter.

Rhubarb is something I have wanted to try to grow, I have heard it will grow out here and there are a lot of foods that can be made with it. I planted the plant between my new peach tree and the pomegranate. If successful these plants can grow fairly large.

In other planting news I did pick up some succulents to replace what was lost this winter. I have four different plants that I have put into pots. I will be keeping them close to the house till the last freeze has passed just to be safe.

Planting and Pruning

Since my floors are done it is time to begin looking outside. We have started looking at seeds and making plans for the yard and things got started this week. For my birthday I was given an Ultra Dwarf Red Baron Peach tree. This tree is awesome because it will only grow to be 5'-8' tall which will work out good in my yard. I decided to plant it on the side of the yard near the pomegranate tree. First I measure for a good location then started digging.

A good sign about my soil is that immediately we saw a lot of worms. Katie loves worms and began collecting them. 

She carried them on the sleeve of her jacket and put them in a bucket of dirt.

The tree went in quickly, here is Katie to show the current size of the tree.

Since I was working in the yard I decided to start pruning as well. I have been hesitant to prune since it has been a very cold winter, but it is warming up a little and I wanted to get it done before things start sprouting. Here is a look at the roses in the front yard. Despite the cold the leaves did not fall off, however the came off easily. I have six bushes three were here when I bought the house and three are new ones I have planted.

Here is a look at the after. The jasmine against the wall is doing very well and has not been affected by the weather. 

Olive watched the fun from the window.

Katie checked out the pruned roses and declared them naked.

I also did some pruning on the pomegranate tree, not a lot but cut off the suckers and some of the crossed branches.

Speaking of the cold, I believe I lost my succulents. I have had a jade plant for about seven years and several plants from the original, they did not like the weather which was in the low teens at night.

Looking around the yard today it was interesting to see what might survive and what might not make it.   I still need to prune the grapes but that can not be done until after the last freeze.