urgh

Because of course it's snowing now. Not supposed to hard freeze tonight, but I still fashioned some janky-fabulous-handmaid's-tale-looking-bonnets out of foam sheets for the basil and dill, and wrapped the tomatoes in bubble wrap. In the process, stepped on the rightmost marigold and totally flattened it. Rassafrazza. #nmwx

weekend update

Saturday  Planted the tomatoes, herbs and marigolds in the raised bed. The tender annuals had been sitting out all week, and were starting to look a little ragged. The Persian basil died, of course.

Nestled the dill and basil among the garlic. Hopefully they won't be disturbed too much when it's time to pull the garlic in June. Sungold on the left, Robeson on the right. One of the sage plants made a comeback! Everything planted, new mushroom compost, soaker hoses in place.







All mulched and cages up.


[Click to embiggen]

Sunday  Planted the coleus, impatiens, and sweet potato vine in the front door pot. One of the impatiens and one of the coleus are looking iffy. Note all the chamisa seedlings in the before shot. Also the pinecones left over from Christmas decorations.





Also also Bram "strimmed" (so British!) the backyard and hit the patio + side yard weeds with killer. I assembled the new! firepit and grill we got Saturday at Big Orange. Bram made this to taunt our friends on Twitter:

weekend update

Waterwise plants had been sitting outside for a few days this week to harden off. Planted everything on Saturday. I always assumed the catmint just flops open like that, but someone suggested that neighbor cat(s) may be laying in them, flattening them while having a party. I see it now. Stay away from my new plants, you tecato cats! From left to right: winecup, coneflower, Mojave sage.



Left to right: winecup, coneflower.



Left to right: winecup, salvia Gregii, Mojave sage. Note the existing big Mojave sage far left — I hope the new ones like it here as well.



Also note the yucca — gonna bloom this year!

2019 Garden Fair | weekend update

Garden Fair! Construction is finally done at the fairgrounds, so all the exhibition spaces were back. However it seemed like fewer people and vendors. I guess the past 2 years have taken a toll. Met up with Janet who, based on my stories of previous years' crowds, also thought it seemed sparse.)

But the Farministas were back! I got the usual Robeson and Sungold plants! Plus 2 dill starts! $18 (tomatoes $6 each (price hike!), herbs $3 each, no discount for multiples).

On my way out, I gave Janet directions to NM Plant Co (she was looking to get many many geraniums). Then I headed to Big Orange, got some new gardening gloves and 2 bags of mushroom compost. Swung by Plants of the Southwest, but didn't get anything. Need to get a new straw bale for tomato mulch.

Last stop was Waterwise, ended up with:

• 2 Salvia pachyphylla "Mulberry Flambe"
  
• 3 Callirhoe digitata Winecups
  
• 2 Echinacea purpurea "Pow Wow Wild Berry"
  
• 1 Salvia greggii "FlowerKisser™ Dark Shadows" (purple)

This year's cultivars all sound like nail polish colors, or maybe fruity cocktails. I plan to put them all in the front sidewalk bed.

Weeded the side yard, and some of the back yard by the shed. Then had to get ready to meet friends up at MoIFA for the big Girard exhibition preview. Drinks and buffet dinner afterwards at SFI.

2019 nursery trip

Took my 4 hours of seasonal admin leave this morning and went to NM Plant Co. Was a bit picked over, especially compared to my extra-early visit last year. It rained last night, and was rainy then sunny on and off.

Greeter dog Tag is still a tank, and very good at his job.
Oh hello! Welcome, person still inside your car!

I am Tag, a noble beast.

This way to the greenhouses!

Mostly geraniums and petunias, but still a good selection.

  
[Click to embiggen]

I ended up getting:

• 3 marigolds (to put next to the tomatoes)
  
• 2 coleus (front pot)
  
• 2 white impatiens (front pot)
  
• 1 sweet potato vine (front pot)
  
• 3 Italian basil
  
• 2 Persian basil (when will I learn?)

Total: $25 even.

It hailed on my way home.

2018 wrap-up

So, here's my half-vast 2018 wrap-up post. Not many photos.

Front yard   Front door pot did well, except the dahlia croaked. Sweet potato vine and coleus basically took over, impatiens got kind of smothered.

Side yard   Just for laughs, here's the Maximilian sunflower that always takes over. That's what I get for scattering seed-head stalks under a canale. Note the one stalk trying to get into the bathroom.



Back yard   The east bed did pretty well. The May Night salvia and Dark Tower penstemon kinda smothered the pineleaf penstemon. Had to go in and cut them back, but I may have lost a few pineleafs. Grass plugs didn't entirely survive Taylor's digging. ಠ_ಠ Put up party lights!

Tomatoes did well, but as usual no real heavy production until September. Basil did great! Sage croaked. Only got a few Shishito peppers.

September 30 haul (Krim and Sungold).





October 8 haul (Krim, Sungold, thyme, Shishitos, chives).



October 13 haul, before predicted hard freeze. There were a TON of Black Krim, hiding in the foliage (for scale, that bowl is 13" in diameter).







As requested, shared with the in-laws. The greenish tomatoes were doing great, ripening in the guest room. Until the mice came for them. Rassafrazza.

Weather   On July 23, we got what the weather guys referred to as a "1000-year storm." 3 to 5 inches of rain (depending on which part of town you were in) in ONE HOUR. Our street looked like a river, the arroyos all ran like crazy. Lots of roads flooded, stranding cars on major roads in some places. It was wild and kind of scary.

weekend update

The front-door pot is looking pretty good! Leadwort in front-door bed is doing fine (no pic).



Tomatoes are taking advantage of their new freedom. Got two more Sungolds.



The east bed has also really filled in. As suspected, I put in too much. The Philadelphus should end up taller that all the other stuff, so the proportions are all off now. The "May Night" salvia (purple flowers) are really taking over. I'll take the weed-suppressing cover, though.

weekend update

As promised, The Tomato Lady posted earlier this week that it was time to finally take the row cover off! Man, were my tomatoes squarshed-looking. I tried to free a few ends, hopefully they will spread out some more. Plenty of flowers under there. The Sungold has set fruit and I even found two ripe ones waaaay in the back. We ate them.









I picked up a couple of sage plants and a shishito pepper plant at the Farmers' Market, they're doing ok.

words of encouragement

... from The Tomato Lady: Hang in there!

According to the weather apps, we are almost into the monsoon season here in Santa Fe. Historically it starts around the second week of July — let’s hope so. I for one am looking forward to it — we need the rain plus I would like to see my plants. So be patient if you have your tomato plants covered with row cover. Some of you may be tempted to take them off early but we’ve waited this long and we are almost there.

She must have bigger cages than I do. Get back in there!

weekend update

Tomatoes are getting too big for their wraps. So I polled The Tomato Lady about when it was safe to take off the row cover. She wrote a nice reply saying she'd do a blog post when she took her covers off! Basil is doing well.





I put out the yard sprinklers for the new grass, the existing grass, and to see what weeds germinate. Mostly pigweed and purslane. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of dead-looking grass plugs that revived with a few days of watering. Taylor continues to be a butt about digging up the "lawn."







East bed is filling in a bit more.