The little garden that could.

We are officially sitting in the middle of the horrendous convection-oven Hell heat conditions that comprise Phoenix in June. Now that we're easily crossing the triple-digit threshold (and are well into the triple digit teen temperatures), I was fully resigned to the fact that the roommates and I would be going into pure, straight-up survival mode with the plant residents in the garden.

I was wrong.

This morning I pulled three big okra pods and a little yellow crook-neck squash out of the beds.  Checking the other plants, we have a jalepeno plant in flower, and the other bell pepper plants are holding their own.  I thought all forms of life just stopped growing/moving/changing once we hit 110 degrees here.  I'm excited to say, I'm pleasantly surprised!

I'm currently constructing shades for the boxes to remove some of the stress of full-on noonday sun. The eggplants won't make it if I don't.  There are signs of life from the second round of carrots I sowed a while back, so I'm trying to protect those as much as possible.  We're watering twice a day now, morning and evening, so hopefully the shades will help with water retention.  The tomatoes in their planter, I've moved from the backyard to the front porch, which receives dappled sunlight throughout the day, thanks to our lemon tree.  This was on a recommendation that we may actually be able to continue producing tomatoes if they're out of the direct sun and everloving Hell heat.

Pics to come!  And then that's pretty much going to be it from me, for awhile.  Stay cool.  I hope that wherever you are, your gardens are full... and if you're sharing the Hell heat with me, that you're still experiencing some degree of produce bounty. 

See you on the flip side in September!

Summer gardening... in Arizona

Apologies for having been unintentionally avoiding this blog, as I'm currently setting up shop for The Other Big Project (also known as Jen Anderson Writes a Book... for real! Check it out). Gardening has continued even though blogging about gardening has not.

So, a quick recap of the winter garden.

Tomatoes: Hanging in there. Producing tiny delicious golden pear-shaped tomatoey drops of goodness.

Potatoes: While the experiment was fun and the process was interesting, the yield didn't really make it worthwhile (I ended up with 4 little Yukon Gold tater nubbins, the largest about as big as a ping pong ball). I think it came down to having enough room. I could have planted something more prolific and higher-yield in the same spot and gotten quadruple the return.

Kale (and Swiss chard): Stellar. Delicious. SO MUCH LEFT. The end.

Beets: Didn't grow.

Carrots: Didn't grow (I was surprised by this. You'd think of all the things that would do well...).

Peas: Didn't grow. <hangs head in silent fail pose>

So apparently some kinks to iron out for next cold-crop season.  But here's a preview of the summer garden, which is off to a fantastic start!

Yellow crook-neck squash: Grew the newest batch from seed (the transplant failed). One plant is huge, and producing already! The other seedlings are looking healthy.

Okra: Same story, one is inching slowly but surely upwards, and the other looks healthy but slightly stunted.

Jalapeno peppers: Plants are hanging in there. Need more fish oil emulsion.

Eggplants: My new roommate has a friend who rehabilitates plants she gets free from garden stores, the ones that are on the way out. We've got some strong-looking Japanese eggplant transplants from her, and I'm excited to see how they do.

Yellow peppers: Again, from the Plant Whisperer friend. Cautiously optimistic (there are no pepper-plant-loving poodles around anymore).

Herbs: From the Plant Whisperer, we also received a healthy basil plant and a healthy mint plant. Can't wait to use both.

I did re-sow some carrots, just to see if we can get a crop through before it's outrageously hot.



What I'm hoping to construct.

I'm currently working on constructing a burlap shade to protect our little vegetable friends from the raging convection oven nastiness that is Phoenix in June/July/August. We might be at a standstill for a bit, just focusing on keeping everything alive.

Here's hoping! And actual pictures coming soon!

 

What are you growing in your summer garden?