Mulching sounded so easy ... it really did. You throw a bunch of leaves and vegetable matter in a pile, let it heat up (how can it not .... it's the desert duh), and turn it and then tada you have beautiful mulch. Well, maybe not.
So the leaves were easy, until my neighbor's tree died, but I got a few. The the vegetable matter, well easy too, at first. potato peels, egg shells, nothing cooked, just green stuff and the pile grew taller ... and then the ants came. Ants, unlike worms, are not welcome in a mulch pile. Oh, I forgot, location - location - location. Never next to the house. So Robert innocent of my intentions, stopped by and ended up moving the mulch pile.
Next, turn it ... oh sure ... it's taller than I am and well, maybe wider ... anyway turning didn't happen. Then use amonia sulfate so it'll heat up. Well it should have been hot, it got up to 118 last summer ... but apparently it didn't. In the fall I trimmed branches and my clever grandchildren patiently drug them to the mulch pile, where I didn't see and they didn't mulch.
Now it's spring ... and the garbage man hates me, even tho I bribe him with bottles of water and soda. My friend sets out cans of .... well, I won't do that, I prefer longnecks anyway. I make my now grouchy grandkids drag the branches to the street and, oh my there's Robert. I'm sure he'll eventually stop coming by to visit his son, but until he does he, and his truck, take the whole mess to the dump ... yeah! The pile is smaller and as I throw a pick axe into it wow, it's dark and rich and yes, it's finally, a year later, mulch.
Or you could spend some bucks and buy a fancy mulcher that turns by itself and deposits mulch in eight weeks, but look what you'd miss!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Gardening in Las Vegas!
Well chemo is settling in but in between being really tired I'm starting to add to my garden.
I started back in February with two raised beds for veggies (one 4 x 8 and one 2 x 8) and one small raised bed (4 x 4) for herbs, both from last year. I built them, actually Robert built them, 12" deep and I (yes me) dug up the ground underneath before I put them down so there would be plenty of room for roots to spread. Pretty cool, just like a box with no top and no bottom with a short post in each corner. Just pine, simple. I filled the beds in with planting mix and buried a soaker hose in both beds before I put the plants in, leaving one end out to attach the hose. My backyard is about 60' wide and 45' deep and gets morning sun and afternoon shade and the beds are vertical to the house. But there are two sides to the house too, and they were not exempt from my planting mania. But first, the back yard.
The raised beds share the back yard with other genres; a fast growing California Pepper tree (30'), a Pomegranate tree (15') a thornless Honey Locust tree (20'), two Thompson seedless grapevines (4 years old with lots of grapes on either end of a disapidated swingless a-frame), two Japanese Honeysuckle bushes and some Trumpet Vines along the side block wall.
In the two veggie beds I put five different kinds of tomatoes, and a green pepper and planted seeds for broccoli and snow peas. I added some bean seeds that came up about a month later but the broccoli is so tall that I can't find them now :{
Last year I put an old bathtub next to the back of the house and bordered it with wood . I put rocks in the bottom ... lots of rocks in my yard, and then filled it with planting mix. I put snow peas and spinach in and now the snow peas are gigornamous and the spinach gets lots of shade and has lots of leaves and is sweet. They key to sweet versus bitter veggies is .... tada .... water!
Next to the back door, by the Rosemary bush and Lilac bush I, okay Robert, built a 4 x 4 bed for herbs. Last year I put in creeping thyme, parsley, cilantro, garlic chives, lemon balm, strawberry, sage and marjoram, oregano, oh and salvia. The oregano, parsley and chives are huge, shading the other herbs. I can't find the cilantro, thyme or the lemon balm. Oh, and overshadowing all of it is, are you ready? An artichoke ... who knew it would get so big? Not me, obviously. When I first started experimenting with gardening I planted catnip (of the mint family) in the backyard. Now it's everywhere, which I love, but it wants to invade my herb box ... oh no! Back foul beast :)
So, right now we're picking snow peas, broccoli, spinach and herbs. Those tricky snow peas keep hiding so I have to enlist the help from my grandkids, who unfortunately keep eating them when they find them ... wretches :). The green beans are coming up nicely as are the cucumbers and tomatoes. I found about 15 green tomatoes of various sizes and shapes. I like to try lots of different plants to see what works, so I have small yellow and red tomatoes, oval red and yellow and big reds.
Yesterday I put in two rows of corn on the right side of the house (along with the berry bushes and one tomato plant), I need to put some fish emulsion down; they like that a lot! That's also the side with my small mulch pile that I started last year. wonder of wonders it's turned to mulch! More later on mulching, but I thought it would be so clever to plant some cantelope seeds in the mulch pile and now I can't turn it because they all came up! But it's all good, I love cantelope and I'll start another mulch pile on the other side.
I also put in somewatermelon and cantelope seeds and oh, okra on the left side of the house. It's the side with a new eucalyptus tree (that leans a lot). My arborist hates me because I now end up overwatering the tree because I'm watering my veggies. He's going to unstake it soon and then I'll have a horizontal eucalyptus *silver dollar* tree unshading my veggies :)
I used to hate okra, it grows like weeds here, but thanks to Trina's daughter, I know how to cook it and I like it much better! I have my pumpkin seeds ready to go, but since we picked pumpkins last year in August I better wait until the end of June to get them started. We ended up with a huge pumpkin patch in July and dead vines in October ... it's so hard to find the Great Pumpkin when you can't hide :( But not this year ... just wait!
I'll post pictures as soon as I can download them ... it's like an oasis and I love it. I'm from Vermont so it's a bit of Vermont in the desert. Unfortunately my honey is allergic to everything that pollinates (everything I grow). He looooves me, but he stays inside a lot.
Mulching next ...
I started back in February with two raised beds for veggies (one 4 x 8 and one 2 x 8) and one small raised bed (4 x 4) for herbs, both from last year. I built them, actually Robert built them, 12" deep and I (yes me) dug up the ground underneath before I put them down so there would be plenty of room for roots to spread. Pretty cool, just like a box with no top and no bottom with a short post in each corner. Just pine, simple. I filled the beds in with planting mix and buried a soaker hose in both beds before I put the plants in, leaving one end out to attach the hose. My backyard is about 60' wide and 45' deep and gets morning sun and afternoon shade and the beds are vertical to the house. But there are two sides to the house too, and they were not exempt from my planting mania. But first, the back yard.
The raised beds share the back yard with other genres; a fast growing California Pepper tree (30'), a Pomegranate tree (15') a thornless Honey Locust tree (20'), two Thompson seedless grapevines (4 years old with lots of grapes on either end of a disapidated swingless a-frame), two Japanese Honeysuckle bushes and some Trumpet Vines along the side block wall.
In the two veggie beds I put five different kinds of tomatoes, and a green pepper and planted seeds for broccoli and snow peas. I added some bean seeds that came up about a month later but the broccoli is so tall that I can't find them now :{
Last year I put an old bathtub next to the back of the house and bordered it with wood . I put rocks in the bottom ... lots of rocks in my yard, and then filled it with planting mix. I put snow peas and spinach in and now the snow peas are gigornamous and the spinach gets lots of shade and has lots of leaves and is sweet. They key to sweet versus bitter veggies is .... tada .... water!
Next to the back door, by the Rosemary bush and Lilac bush I, okay Robert, built a 4 x 4 bed for herbs. Last year I put in creeping thyme, parsley, cilantro, garlic chives, lemon balm, strawberry, sage and marjoram, oregano, oh and salvia. The oregano, parsley and chives are huge, shading the other herbs. I can't find the cilantro, thyme or the lemon balm. Oh, and overshadowing all of it is, are you ready? An artichoke ... who knew it would get so big? Not me, obviously. When I first started experimenting with gardening I planted catnip (of the mint family) in the backyard. Now it's everywhere, which I love, but it wants to invade my herb box ... oh no! Back foul beast :)
So, right now we're picking snow peas, broccoli, spinach and herbs. Those tricky snow peas keep hiding so I have to enlist the help from my grandkids, who unfortunately keep eating them when they find them ... wretches :). The green beans are coming up nicely as are the cucumbers and tomatoes. I found about 15 green tomatoes of various sizes and shapes. I like to try lots of different plants to see what works, so I have small yellow and red tomatoes, oval red and yellow and big reds.
Yesterday I put in two rows of corn on the right side of the house (along with the berry bushes and one tomato plant), I need to put some fish emulsion down; they like that a lot! That's also the side with my small mulch pile that I started last year. wonder of wonders it's turned to mulch! More later on mulching, but I thought it would be so clever to plant some cantelope seeds in the mulch pile and now I can't turn it because they all came up! But it's all good, I love cantelope and I'll start another mulch pile on the other side.
I also put in somewatermelon and cantelope seeds and oh, okra on the left side of the house. It's the side with a new eucalyptus tree (that leans a lot). My arborist hates me because I now end up overwatering the tree because I'm watering my veggies. He's going to unstake it soon and then I'll have a horizontal eucalyptus *silver dollar* tree unshading my veggies :)
I used to hate okra, it grows like weeds here, but thanks to Trina's daughter, I know how to cook it and I like it much better! I have my pumpkin seeds ready to go, but since we picked pumpkins last year in August I better wait until the end of June to get them started. We ended up with a huge pumpkin patch in July and dead vines in October ... it's so hard to find the Great Pumpkin when you can't hide :( But not this year ... just wait!
I'll post pictures as soon as I can download them ... it's like an oasis and I love it. I'm from Vermont so it's a bit of Vermont in the desert. Unfortunately my honey is allergic to everything that pollinates (everything I grow). He looooves me, but he stays inside a lot.
Mulching next ...
Friday, April 11, 2008
Gardening in the Desert
Did you know you can garden in Las Vegas? Well, you can! Over the last few years, since I got rid of the rocks and gravel in my yard, I've planted corn, eggplant, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, watermelon, cantelope, green peppers, hot peppers, herbs, flowers and trees. I've got carrots growing under the rosebushes, tomatoes next to the honeysuckle, green peppers under the plum tree, eggplant next to the pineapple mango (I think it's mango) bush/tree, cilantro next to the creeping thyme and mint and I still have room to plant more.
I now have my old bathtub, we renovated our upstairs bathroom, in my yard and I'm looking for ideas on how to incorporate it into my landscaping plans. Oh, here's a good website fors that kind of thing:
http://www.simplythrifty.com/6-uses-for-an-old-bathtub/
And while surfing for ideas about using my bathtub as a garden, I found this wonderful blog with pictures taken by the author of the blog in New York City ... it is:
http://blogjem.com
So I wanted to add this blog to my blog, but it was so complicated I just started another blog:
http://sretirwriters.wordpress.com
and I still couldn't comment on blogjem.com, but
I found out how to convert my old tub to a garden tub in my backyard, how to convert my old tub to a pond (I don't think so) and how to covert one of my wheelbarrows to a flower garden (we'll see) so now I have to go do my homework.
Do you think I'm easily distracted? Well, um, later.....
I now have my old bathtub, we renovated our upstairs bathroom, in my yard and I'm looking for ideas on how to incorporate it into my landscaping plans. Oh, here's a good website fors that kind of thing:
http://www.simplythrifty.com/6-uses-for-an-old-bathtub/
And while surfing for ideas about using my bathtub as a garden, I found this wonderful blog with pictures taken by the author of the blog in New York City ... it is:
http://blogjem.com
So I wanted to add this blog to my blog, but it was so complicated I just started another blog:
http://sretirwriters.wordpress.com
and I still couldn't comment on blogjem.com, but
I found out how to convert my old tub to a garden tub in my backyard, how to convert my old tub to a pond (I don't think so) and how to covert one of my wheelbarrows to a flower garden (we'll see) so now I have to go do my homework.
Do you think I'm easily distracted? Well, um, later.....
Friday, March 28, 2008
Spring Sprang Sprung
It's spring in Las Vegas. Oh no, wait a minute. It was spring yesterday, and today it's winter and then tomorrow will be, OMG, summer again!
The weather here is unique, no doubt about it, but, just like everywhere else, it's changing. When I first moved here I was amazed, not only by the heat and the terminally cloudless skies, but by the fact that it would get up to 120 during the day and drop 30 degrees to about 90 at night. Now the disparity is much less, up to 120 during the day and down to 105 at night. And worse than that, some of our seasons seem to be disappearing, namely fall and spring.
Yes, that's right, disappearing. I set up my garden every spring, housekeeping stuff. I rake out the leaves from my neighbor's trees, and my bushes. I pull weeds and rerake the rocks in my front yard, trim trees, that kind of thing; and I try to do it before it gets, say 100 degrees at noon. The difference between gardening here and say northern California is that there you have weeks to get it all done before it gets hot. Here, it seems like I have about, um, a few; maybe two days. Yes, that's right, days. On Monday it's 58 degrees and really windy. No gardening today. On Tuesday it's windless, sunny, and 90 degrees. Spring is now over and summer has begun.
Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating, a bit. But unfortunately not too much. I watch the weather channel and I'm glad that we don't have hurricanes, tornados, mud, blizzards or (many) floods but I do rather miss the in between seasons. You know, warmer than winter but cooler than summer. Where did they go? I wish I knew; I'd go and bring them back.
So, if you're visiting Las Vegas and want to come in the Spring or Fall; beware! It's hit or miss, and lately more 'miss' than 'hit.'
The weather here is unique, no doubt about it, but, just like everywhere else, it's changing. When I first moved here I was amazed, not only by the heat and the terminally cloudless skies, but by the fact that it would get up to 120 during the day and drop 30 degrees to about 90 at night. Now the disparity is much less, up to 120 during the day and down to 105 at night. And worse than that, some of our seasons seem to be disappearing, namely fall and spring.
Yes, that's right, disappearing. I set up my garden every spring, housekeeping stuff. I rake out the leaves from my neighbor's trees, and my bushes. I pull weeds and rerake the rocks in my front yard, trim trees, that kind of thing; and I try to do it before it gets, say 100 degrees at noon. The difference between gardening here and say northern California is that there you have weeks to get it all done before it gets hot. Here, it seems like I have about, um, a few; maybe two days. Yes, that's right, days. On Monday it's 58 degrees and really windy. No gardening today. On Tuesday it's windless, sunny, and 90 degrees. Spring is now over and summer has begun.
Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating, a bit. But unfortunately not too much. I watch the weather channel and I'm glad that we don't have hurricanes, tornados, mud, blizzards or (many) floods but I do rather miss the in between seasons. You know, warmer than winter but cooler than summer. Where did they go? I wish I knew; I'd go and bring them back.
So, if you're visiting Las Vegas and want to come in the Spring or Fall; beware! It's hit or miss, and lately more 'miss' than 'hit.'
Monday, February 18, 2008
Multigenerational Multicultural
Sitting in my kitchen this morning it struck me how much our family is like Las Vegas, multicultural. My American Indian grandson is eating his cereal, my Japanese husband is sleeping on the couch, my Eurasian daughter is upstairs waking her two daughters whose father is half-Jewish. My son's two Irish/British/Japanese daughters are off from school today for President's Day. My daughter is mistaken for Hispanic as is one of her daughter's. My half-Hispanic niece is working today, my half-German nephew is on his days off, my mom is German, English and Scottish and my dad was French, English, Indian and Irish. Oh, our dog, is an Akita from Japan, our fish are Siamese fighting fish and our frog is from, well, his mother.
We are five generations here in Las Vegas, all, like most Americans, from somewhere else, from California, Vermont, Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Indiana, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Scotland, France, Canada, England, Israel, and, well you get it, I'm sure. Neither can you tell by looking at us how 'small town' or multicultural are lives are. Our 'small town lives' reside in the middle of a big city. My grandson asks me, "how many toes does a frog have," as I'm reading an article about increasing crime in 'Sin City' the 'City that never sleeps.'
We live the midst of hotels and casinos, night life, and neon excitement, and we feel their presence in our quiet lives, daily. We live in a city of transients; we've lived here since the mid 60's. We go to Chinatown to buy 'nori' and then stop by the Supermercado for 'pico de gallo.' We go to th Haufbrau House for dinner and Soporo's for lunch. We buy corned beef to make for St. Paddy's Day, and hot cross buns for Easter. Appearances can be deceiving.
Oh, and by the way, a frog has four toes on the front legs and five on the back legs.
We are five generations here in Las Vegas, all, like most Americans, from somewhere else, from California, Vermont, Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Indiana, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Scotland, France, Canada, England, Israel, and, well you get it, I'm sure. Neither can you tell by looking at us how 'small town' or multicultural are lives are. Our 'small town lives' reside in the middle of a big city. My grandson asks me, "how many toes does a frog have," as I'm reading an article about increasing crime in 'Sin City' the 'City that never sleeps.'
We live the midst of hotels and casinos, night life, and neon excitement, and we feel their presence in our quiet lives, daily. We live in a city of transients; we've lived here since the mid 60's. We go to Chinatown to buy 'nori' and then stop by the Supermercado for 'pico de gallo.' We go to th Haufbrau House for dinner and Soporo's for lunch. We buy corned beef to make for St. Paddy's Day, and hot cross buns for Easter. Appearances can be deceiving.
Oh, and by the way, a frog has four toes on the front legs and five on the back legs.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Shootings
Shootings at schools. I don't get it. I don't want to get it. Two shootings today, at schools. Palo Verde High School and Whitney Elementary School ... two transported ... one fatality, a 9th grader. A patron gives me a lopsided grin at the announcement ... "Yeah, Palo Verde" is his only response. Where's the horror? Where's the tightened jaw? Where's the pain? A lopsided grin.
"Palo Verde? Oh, that's over on the other side of town" a random wave towards the north. "Up there." So, that's okay? I bite my tongue, may I never become accustomed to violence, so that a casual response sufices. Ninth grade, fourteen or fifteen years old, an unlived life, leaving grief and loss in its wake. Ninth grade, math, science, p.e., movies, boyfriends, girlfriends, going to the mall, giggling with friends, screaming at scary movies, complaining about cleaning up, staying up late, 'whatever', practicing foul language, showing off and then hiding. Ninth grade. Never tenth grade, never prom night, never holding hands, never never when ninth grade ends with ninth grade.
"Palo Verde? Oh, that's over on the other side of town" a random wave towards the north. "Up there." So, that's okay? I bite my tongue, may I never become accustomed to violence, so that a casual response sufices. Ninth grade, fourteen or fifteen years old, an unlived life, leaving grief and loss in its wake. Ninth grade, math, science, p.e., movies, boyfriends, girlfriends, going to the mall, giggling with friends, screaming at scary movies, complaining about cleaning up, staying up late, 'whatever', practicing foul language, showing off and then hiding. Ninth grade. Never tenth grade, never prom night, never holding hands, never never when ninth grade ends with ninth grade.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Windy?
Wow, what a windy night, and we've got another one coming tonight.
Maryland Parkway was dark, parts of Trop and Flamingo were too, and probably other parts of town as well. Driving home after 6 I could feel the wind pushing against my car as I kept reminded myself that the car is heavy the wind won't push it over. On the freeway some slowed down (me) others ran their bumper (the car behind me) because he couldn't get around anyone so decided I was the most likely to move (sigh). I couldn't even see his headlights he was so close.
But I made it home (obviously) early enough to get in a game of raquetball at the rec center before crawling home, into a hot shower and collapsing into bed. No homework then, and the dentist today (groan). But ... it's not cold here ... much ... and it's not windy here ... yet ... and the dentist's ad says that he's gentle ... we'll see and I'll let you know.
Maryland Parkway was dark, parts of Trop and Flamingo were too, and probably other parts of town as well. Driving home after 6 I could feel the wind pushing against my car as I kept reminded myself that the car is heavy the wind won't push it over. On the freeway some slowed down (me) others ran their bumper (the car behind me) because he couldn't get around anyone so decided I was the most likely to move (sigh). I couldn't even see his headlights he was so close.
But I made it home (obviously) early enough to get in a game of raquetball at the rec center before crawling home, into a hot shower and collapsing into bed. No homework then, and the dentist today (groan). But ... it's not cold here ... much ... and it's not windy here ... yet ... and the dentist's ad says that he's gentle ... we'll see and I'll let you know.
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