Skills

…and we can’t drive without being distracted.

 

Taste of Summertime

Berries are busting in the garden.  Sweet Pinky Strawberries are taking the lead in production with some bright red berries.  Of course, the pill bugs like them too; so I’m really on a quest on a way to rid the garden of these freeloaders.

Sweet Pinky Strawberries

Last summer, only one berry was produced on our young thornless boysenberry.  This summer looks much more promising.  The canes are producing many flowers just waiting for the pollinators to do their thing.  Everything in the garden is scheduled to be fertilized this weekend including the berries.  I thought berries could grow in a pile of compost (aka horse $h!t) but don’t have the wherewithal to take on that experiment.  These berries will have to settle for the store bought variety I provide.

 Boysenberry – thornless

The boysenberry blossoms remind me of magnolias.  Really they do.

Wisteria and Wildflowers

This morning started out with fresh, cool air that had pushed out the heat from yesterday.  Skiffs of clouds passed over the sun for a few hours until they moved on to leave a blue, blue sky.  One wisteria is doing great.  The other is yet to be determined; but is showing signs of life.  Later in the morning during a hike in Hart Park, I was surprised to see that there were still some wildflowers.  I have no idea what they are; but here they are:

Fiddle Neck?

 Lupine?

 No Flippin’ Idea

 Fiddleneck Purple?

Sure wildflowers are pretty; but I must be a true pessimist.  I see nasty foxtails and other seeds sticking to my socks and scratching me.  I see it in everyone of those pictures. I prefer to think of myself as a realist.

Good day.

Corn, Pill Bugs, and Saturday

Old tomato cages lay over rows of Golden Bantam Corn to discourage neighborhood cats to get “comfortable” in the vegetable beds.  Two rows were planted on March 15 and germinated two weeks later.  The exterior row was planted with Borlotto Solista Beans as companions.  Recent warm (read: hot) weather has turned up the energy in the corn patch.

I believe pill bugs are damaging all the seedlings in the garden.  Sunflowers, lettuce, beets, carrots, beans, and corn have all been hit.  In fact, the entire crop of late lettuce has been mowed down by these terrorists.  No big deal since the weather is turning hot and the lettuce would have been doomed.  Nonetheless, no being should have the bad manners to simply help oneself to the garden bounty without properly asking.  The search for a way to annihilate these interlopers is underway.  Until then each pill bug encountered will meet the same fate…squash!  OR  I could kill them with corn (ala Hee Haw). 

Click on the Hee Haw donkey for a sample.

 

 

Note:  A second planting of corn was made today.  Two more rows with the exterior row planted with Borlotto Solista Beans as companions.

Spring to Summer

The soaring temperatures this week have accelerated the growth of the winter/spring vegetation making their days numbered.  The lobelia and pansies are peaking in the flowerbeds.  They’ve done so well this year that seeds from last year are sprouting in cracks and crevices all over the garden.  

Scotch Moss tucked in between the flowers has done a great job filling in keeping the bare dirt exposure limited.  Sadly, I think it will be toast with extended hot days.  Currently, it’s growing in full sun.  These chartreuse grassy mounds need to be transplanted someplace with loads of shade.  Maybe I’ll plant them under the azaleas.  Pansies will be yanked when they dry out and the lobelia will as well.  These plants simply do not do well in Bakersfield summers.  Fall chrysanthemums that were trimmed back after blooming are really taking off.  They’ll be lightly pruned back at the end of spring with hopes they will thrive in the fall.

 

Gazania Daybreak Petticoat is the choice for the summer replacement in the flower beds.  Park Seed recommends these for gardens around here:

 They make a great permanent ground cover in areas where they are perennial -- particularly southern California and the deep South!

This should work fine until these flowerbeds are scheduled to be remodeled.

Point & Shoot

I have concocted a screwy way to take pictures when my back won’t allow me to get down on the ground with my eye against the camera.  I simply set the camera to automatic, point, shoot, and hope for the best.  Here are some of the results from today’s garden tour without any editing:

Granny Smith Apple

 

Al Kuffa Tomato (harding off)

 

Freesia

 

Merlot Lettuce

 

Golden Bantam Corn

 

Strawberries

 

O’Henry Peach

 

unknown variety Fig

 

George L. Taber Azalea

 

Generally, the images turn out just fine.

Citrus Blossom Time

Longer days, warmer days, and good fertilization along with sweet rain on well drained soil all combined to help create a bounty of citrus blossoms.  The scent will fill the garden along with the wisteria in the coming days.  Most of the blossoms will drop from these dwarf varieties because they are so young; but I’ll enjoy the blossoms for now.

Locally, one of the last citrus tasting events will be held tomorrow at White Forest Nursery.  It’s pretty nice way to sample a variety of citrus to help determine what works best.  A representative from Four Winds Growers is there to provide samples to taste, growing advice, and stock to buy.  It’s a pretty great deal to help get started in growing citrus.

 Variegated Pink Lemon

 

Satsuma Mandarin

 

Robertson Orange

 

 Rio Red Grapefruit

In The Leafy Treetops

  The skies parted for a time this afternoon for a little garden inspection.  After checking the progress in the vegetable beds (nothing to note), I checked  on  the trees to see how they came through the wind and rain storms we’ve had recently.

Granny Smith Apple

Apple buds are plentiful on old Granny.  This year is the best ever; but she’s not out of the woods yet.  There’s more wind to come that will, more than likely, thin out the bounty.  Note the dark sky making a great backdrop for the sun beaming on the buds.

 

O’Henry Peach

In various stages of blooming, the peach tree looks like it may produce fairly well this season.  I’ll be concentrating on creating a thicker canopy to protect the trunk and limbs from the scorching sun.

 

Santa Rosa Plum

A canopy like the Santa Rosa Plum produced would certainly help prevent sun scald on some of the other trees.  The plum made it through the storms in good shape.  Sadly, there were no plums that survived.  Wait a minute.  What? 

 

Santa Rosa Plum

There’s a bajillion more clusterslike this under that canopy.  Many of the tiny plums are sure to drop.  I hope I can at least taste one this summer…at most, jar up some plum jelly.

 

 Warren Pear

A small amount of damage caused by the wind was noted on the Warren Pear.  It didn’t bloom this spring so no blooms to worry about.  It’s getting a nice start on producing a thicker canopy.

 

 Fantasia Nectarine

This tree is the #1 candidate for sun protection.  The nectarine really needs a canopy.  In the meantime, a temporary screen will be erected.  I sure hope more leaves will sprout.  The blooms are similar to the peach tree…if they would only produce a piece of fruit.

 

Blenheim Apricot

Baby apricots made it through the storms!  No fruit has made it to maturity on the apricot tree.  It looks promising for this summer though.  The plum tree bloomed before the apricot; but the apricots are much bigger than the plums.

All the fruit trees were fertilized on February 20.  They will be fed again during the 1st weekend of April.  A six week fertilizer plan should do for now with adjustments when the weather changes and the growth slows.  Just want to track this and see any progress.

 

By clicking on any image a new window should open with a much bigger version.  That is IF I remembered to make that feature available.

No Vine Before Its Time

After the wind whipped through here this weekend, I wasn’t sure much of the vines would remain.  They were really flouncing around for quite a while.  The grapevine  didn’t really budge.  The peas formed a moving green wall.  The birds couldn’t hang on up in the wisteria.  I was afraid the abundance of buds would be heading towards Madera.

It seems the wisteria is undamaged and about ready to pop.  Their perfume is just in time to replace the fading lilacs.

 

The grapevine came through the storm without a scar.  But, I don’t know what a scar looks like on a grapevine. 

Better luck next time Madera.

Against the Wind

I do not like the wind.  It’s destructive, messy, annoying, and (around here) hazardous. 

In December 1977, a bunch of the San Joaquin Valley was blown up into the atmosphere by nasty winds and then scattered to parts as far away as the bay area.  Last night the breeze turned into a wind.  It went on for hours and continued until the rain finally arrived late this afternoon.  I woke up to part of my tender lemon tree broken and hurled around quite a few obstacles and heading out to the street.

The wind chimes were not gently chiming throughout the night.  They were madly clanging to wake even a very sound sleeper like me.  The clapper indicates the wind is coming from the south.

Confirmation from the weathervane indicates that part of the Valley is heading north again.  It seems to be a constant exchange we have.  Guck from the north floats south and fills our skies here until a wind comes through and lobs it back their way with a big “Thank you very much”. Shards from the broken terra cotta will be re-assigned and the bay tree is seeking a new home.

Perhaps if I owned a share of one of those wind mills up in Tehachapi I might like the wind a bunch more.  Until then, I do not like the wind.