Apricot Beats Plum

This year, the Blenheim apricot won the bloom off competition in the garden. The apricot buds broke on Valentine's Day.  Each year the Santa Rosa plum blooms 1st.  This year I was worried that the tree had died.  It's simply confused like the rest of us - mild winter, no rain, swamp pants season starting waaaaay too early.  The plum finally bloomed on February 23.  Strange.  I thought the date would have been one of the earliest because of such mild conditions.

There was a skiff of rain today.  Nothing really.  All the fruit trees in the garden have below surface irrigation.  I prefer to apply the water by hand to the surface allowing the water to seep in deeply to encourage the roots to push deep rather than pushing up to the surface for moisture.  I'll be switching to below surface irrigation soon to avoid evaporating precious resources.  Surface flooding will only occur when fertilizer is applied every 6 weeks or so.

I'm having problems posting using Googles device.  This post was finally created using the app which is very limiting. Anyone else having a similar problem?

This Date in Garden History

Iceberg Rose Shrub

On January 25, 1999, it snowed in Bakersfield, California.  Today, it did not.  Not even close.  It was74° with not a cloud in the sky following a couple of days of blowing dust.  Yuck.  This looks like it will be the forecast for a long, long time.  No rain or snow in the forecast. Because of the very warm conditions, plants that are normally dormant now have buds bursting.  The roses never really went dormant.  In fact, when I pruned some today there were new leaves busting out along with plenty of flowers.

Ebb Tide Tree Rose

I went ahead and pruned as if today was a snow day.  However, tomorrow I will fertilize.  Some experts warn against fertilizing now because there may be some colder weather ahead.  Some experts say to go ahead.  I chose to fertilize with a systemic insecticide because I have a bad feeling that this year will be a big year for pests in the garden.  I've spotted grasshoppers all through this winter.  It simply hasn't been cold enough to kill those boogers.

This year will really be a bigger challenge with the disastrous drought here in California. We all need to do our part and conserve water more than usual. It will still be more economical to grow my own vegetables and fruit rather than buy expensive produce from the grocer.  However, I plan to solarize the raised beds to burn out nematodes this summer.  If the temperatures remain this warm, I may be able to start that project much, much sooner than the recommended schedule of May - August.  Tomatoes and peppers may be grown in bags of compost this summer to support my salsa habit.

I would like to know if anyone else is noticing the difference in their garden now and if mandatory rationing is expected where you live in California.  Herds are being sold off.  Acres will be fallowed.  This truly will be the year of dust.  Hopefully there will not be a spike in Valley Fever cases.

Good luck fellow Californians, I believe the rest of the world is about to feel just how important California's San Joaquin Valley is for their food supply.

You Little Pansy!

Viola - Jump Up Purple

Because 2013 kicked my butt, I'm determined to start 2014 off positively.  Today I planted pansies.  The sun was bright with no rain clouds for thousands of miles.  Three varieties were planted:  Dynamite Lavender, Jump Up (pictured), and Sorbet White. 

Because I'm still not cleared to bend, my gardening has been modified.  Using long handled tools I prepped the bed then augured the holes for the plants.  As I hovered over the hole, I plunked a plant right into place with the precision (sometimes) of a bombardier.  Loose soil was raked in around to tuck the plant into its new bed.  After a nice drenching of water, snail bait was dribbled out.  I used Deadline (Force II).  In the morning, I expect to still see my pansies with snail carcasses littering the flower bed.

The rain outlook for California in 2014 is tragic.  If you would like to follow the progress of our precipitation, try this website.  Mama mia!  Really tragic. 

Silver lining:  It looks like a perfect year to replace your lawn to conserve water.

 

 

 

Name That Plant

I usually put nursery tags in my Sunset Western Garden book (read: bible) to keep track of names, dates, and miscellaneous junk about plants in the garden.  I have failed. I don't even remember where I purchased the plants.  (I have a good guess though.) This plant was plugged into some hanging baskets this summer and they are still thriving. Nothing was singed by the recent freeze.

I snip off the spent buds occasionally, and feed them irregularly.  What are these flowers?  An easy care plant is something that needs to be trumpeted to all brown thumb gardeners all the way up to professors of horticulture. 

Sweet Peas 2014

Sweet Peas

The sweet peas were planted late this evening using seeds collected from past vines.  More like night since me and old Ajax were out in the dark making sure the seeds were planted on December 1. I'm never sure what the blooms will be like or if there will even be any blooms.  Those danged doves may eat all the seeds.  There may also be a sweet pea bonanza in the spring.  It's a crap shoot. 

Some think the seeds need to be planted in late summer or early fall.  I've been planting them in December for sometime now with fairly good results.   No matter if the seeds are purchased or collected, it's helpful to soak them before planting. Full sun and well drained soil helps.  The vines will need something for the tendrils to climb.  However, they would probably grow like weeds almost anywhere.

Continual harvesting of the blossoms will help develop more flowers.  Once the weather gets hot, sweet pea season is over.  Let the blossoms go to seed and collect them for the next year.

Who doesn't enjoy a nice bouquet of sweet peas?

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

(Owari) Satsuma Mandarin

We've had rain!  Holy cow.  It finally happened.  Wonderfully cool, wet weather has arrived.  The garden has been washed with rain that ran from a soft misty drizzle to a downpour.  It has been great. With that cool weather comes a variety of citrus and I love them all. 

First up are the mandarins.  These have been successfully marketed recently by local Paramount Farms as Little Cuties. They sold the rights to that name to Sun World and now market the name Halos. Fine, I'll grow my own whenever I can. The seedless mandarin fruit is easy to peel and taste like winter time in Bakersfield.  I have always enjoyed citrus.  As a kid, my parents would take us to the citrus orchards for fruit tasting.  Delicious.

In the garden is just one potted mandarin tree that is about 3 years old.  There are over 4 dozen mandarins loaded on the skinny little branches. The fruit stays on the trees until it's needed which is a nice feature. The potted lemons are abundant too. Tomorrow night's dinner is fried Lemon Chicken! The oranges are about the size of grapefruit.  Grapefruit is my absolute favorite.  There are a load of grapefruits to enjoy for many breakfasts this winter.  Limes are next on my list to bring into the garden once the threat of frost and freeze has past.

Garden in the Kitchen

 The hope was to keep the soapstone natural or naked.  I like the cadet blue-grey.  However, a kitchen accident splashing chicken fat all over the stone was the straw that broke this camel's back.  The stone was cleaned, dried, then wax was applied.  The wax makes the surface a little more forgiving to everyday wear.  I like the way it turned out so giving up the naked stone wasn't so hard.  Now I need to  decorate the walls.

Soapstone - naked

Soapstone - waxed

A photograph applied to canvas is something that I'm considering.  An extra large canvas (48" x 36") should work great on one of the empty walls (not shown here).  So I'm thinking of bringing some of the garden into the kitchen and don't know which version of my tomato looks best.

Tomato - bright

Tomato - dark

But 1st I need to find a reliable source to print the photograph to canvas.  Any suggestions or opinions are welcome. 

Garden Update

Red Flame Grapes

This past Saturday (10/26/13), Farmer MacGregor and I took on some much needed garden chores.  He did the bulk of the work because I can't (Surgeon's instructions not to bend, lift or twist - dang.) and I was still decompressing from the Vince Gill "Bakersfield" concert the night before. 

Thornless Boysenberries

The boysenberries had grown into a jungle this summer.  There are 6 plants.  The gravel walkway in the picture above was hidden with the growth.  This variety certainly thrives in this environment. This area was previously planted with azaleas and camellias.   That was very unsuccessful. The canes that bore berries this year were cut down to the ground and removed from the support.  5 new canes were chosen to be attached to the support for berry production in 2014.  The rest of the canes were cut to the ground and removed.  There were plenty of volunteers that were removed.  These certainly can get away from you if you don't tend to them.  Speaking of volunteers...note the grape tomatoes overflowing from one of the raised beds.  I cannot shake those Gold Current tomatoes so I just let them keep producing.

One of the raised beds was prepared for some winter vegetables.  Nothing was planted in rows.  I can't get down there to sow a Jeffersonian garden.  Seeds were scattered for a "natural" look.  On the east side of the bed, lettuce varieties were sown.

Outrageous (left) may be the reddest lettuce variety known! It can be harvested as a leaf lettuce or allowed to grow until the loose, Romaine-type heads develop.  The catalogue uses the name Outredeous but the seed package is Outrageous.  Little Gem (right) germinates in 50 days. It is a very small, green, romaine-type. One of the very best-tasting lettuces. A superb heat-tolerant variety.

The west side of the bed was planted with bunching onions.  These should grow well with the existing garlic chives.  No drip lines were laid out.  The seeds will get moistened by hand until they are established.  Hopefully, the rain will come (it did yesterday!).

Ishikura Onions

 (Allium fistulosum) A popular and traditional Japanese variety for sukiyaki, soup and salads. It reaches enormous proportions (to 2½ feet tall, one inch across) while remaining tender and scallion-like.  It never forms a bulb. Earth-up as for leeks to produce long white shanks. As they sprout, they will be pulled and used as green onions.

All the espalier fruit trees have been pruned and will not be pruned until just before blossom and only if needed.  My hope is that the Warren Pear will bloom - finally.

Neglected Garden

Iceberg Rose

Today I finally had some time to work out in the garden.  Still no bending, lifting (over 5 lbs), or twisting.  This is lovingly known at BLT.  However, the surgeon showed me a few tricks that enable me to work more in the garden.  Everything under the pergola got a pruning*, weeding, raking and fertilized.  It's kinda late in the year to apply fertilizer but one last shot of nutrition before winter arrives may provide stronger plants in the spring.  I don't know.  I simply felt like giving the neglected plants a boost.

In the evening, I started pruning the espalier trees.  The Santa Rosa plum has the top lateral pruned with a mind toward not crowding the 2014 crop.  2013 provided a bounty of plums.  I thinned out the branches but left enough new growth from this summer to allow buds to form in February.  The trees won't get fertilized until then.  It's time for them to go to sleep.  Granny Smith is still providing a nice load of tart apples to help us enjoy this cooler weather.  Dormant spray will be applied once all the trees have been pruned.

*Pruning plants under the pergola consisted of dead heading while pruning the espalier is a bit more sever - but not much.  Harder pruning will occur in January.

Kitchen Update
Now the item that has been soaking up most of my time is the kitchen remodel.  There are a few minor items (blinds, stools, range apron, wall decor) left to complete but the kitchen is fully functional and I love it.  Farmer MacGregor only strayed a little bit over estimates but well below what a professional designer initially quoted.  Today he prepared a rehearsal Thanksgiving dinner to determine how best to use the new range.  It was a wonderful success.

Labor Day

Who takes Labor Day off?  There's work to be done.

Garlic Chives

The garlic chives are in bloom.  Really they are.  Rather than chop the heads off the flowers, I'm letting them go to seed.  This will give me plenty of chives through the winter for baked potatoes and such.  Letting the chives go to seed attracts loads of pollinators.

Butterflies and honey bees love this stuff.  I can only imagine what the honey must taste like.  I wouldn't mind a garlic chive honey to baste over a barbecued ham.  BBQ ham?  Baked potatoes?  I must be hungry.  Hope I can remember how to cook.

Kitchen Update:

Cody's backside poses for the photo while his frontside continues to work.

The soapstone is in and the travertine floor is being grouted today.  Loads left to do:  mahogany butcher block counter top, electric plates, glass and lights for the hutch, cabinet hardware, trim molding,  appliances, plumbing, and counter stools.  But we're moving in the right direction.  I didn't think it would ever be possible but Farmer MacGregor is tired of painting.