long weekend update

Called it for the backyard for the summer. Pulled out the tomatoes and peppers, cut down the 12-foot hollyhock, cut back the Maximilian sunflowers (including the ones in the side yard, which has been impassable from them since July), put away the cages/bamboo stakes and most of the hoses/sprinklers, dug up some of the ever-fabulous Bev's perennial arugula volunteers for Cynthia and Steve. Picked up a new Dramm watering wand (gift card from Jim for Newman's), 8 Lacinato kale starts (Agua Fria Nursery) and 4 cota plants (Plants of the Southwest). Kale went in the raised bed, where the tomatoes were. Cota went out front in the sidewalk bed.

Kale:



Cota (note one of the transplanted daisies behind on the right):

weekend update

Decided that the daisies and the sages in the bed by the front door just weren't getting enough light — after the locust leafs out, it's a pretty shady spot. So I moved them to the bed by the sidewalk where, hopefully, they'll be happier with more sun.

I'm incubating a plan for the front-door bed ...

a bad year for tomatoes

So the tomatoes pretty much all crapped out this year. All I got was about 2 dozen Sungolds. Peppers also wussed out. Got 2 tiny jalapeños. Boo. Not warm enough.



The perennial arugula from the ever-fabulous Bev volunteered across the walk into the "yard," though. So there's that.

weekend update

Bad news: Tomatoes and peppers in the side bed are still tiny. Peppers:



I cut the crack-in-the-sidewalk volunteer arugula down and put it between the tomato cages. maybe i'll get some volunteers over there. Sungolds:



Good news: Hey, look! Dill volunteers!



Bad news: One of the Robesons is also struggling.



Good news: ZOMFG, more arugula than you can imagine. Thanks to the ever-fabulous Bev for the perennial arugula! Also, other herbs are doing well.



Here's a shot of the dog lawn, mid-June. Not 100% sure how she got in there, but the flagging tape caught her collar for a nanosecond on the way out, earning us a GSoD. You can see the clover has really filled in.



Bad news: It took me 3 days this long weekend to pull up/cut down the shin-high pigweed that had sprouted up since then. Also: took down the flagging tape.


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Good news: Buffalograss!



Good news: Hollyhocks!




Good news: Roses and Primroses!