Re: Newbie in Las Vegas, year 1!

**sanderson** 4/15/2014, 1:14 am

Awe. Cuties.

I'm not sure about the tumbler and the 108* temp it achieved. That may be from the sun heating the container rather than microbial decomposition. If it's cooled down overnight you may need to add an activator like blood meal or alfalfa pellets. I hope Camp can comment and let me know if I'm correct or not. My large compost bin is in the shade and reached 160*, and 151* after rebuilding inner to outer, upper to lower, according to the Berkeley instructions.

brainchasm 4/15/2014, 3:12 pm

Went to Home Depot, and bought a Dwarf Improved Meyer Lemon, and a Dwarf Bearss Lime, and a couple pots.

Undirted them as best I could (holy root system!), soaked them overnight, and repotted in MM in their new pots. Put them in place outside, and watered. And then watered some more.

We shall see...

Still debating on whether I want to try a banana plant this year.

It'd be a Dwarf Cavendish. Gros Michels are too hard to find, and the sellers seem sketchy a lot of the time.

**sanderson** 4/15/2014, 4:01 pm

I want a Lemon tree, also! I'll be watching for your updates. What size pots?

brainchasm 4/15/2014, 4:08 pm

They're about 10" outside, 8.5" inside. I'm hoping the roots don't get too hot. I may have to rethink their position.

**sanderson** 4/15/2014, 4:37 pm

They are smallish. Hmmm Thick pottery? Glazed? My unglazed pottery evaporates the MM quickly compared to the plastic pots, even with thick wood chips. I was thinking of applying Varathane to the outside. I have to go to HD for rental cleaning supplies so I think I will take a look to see if they carry Dwarf Bearss Lime.

brainchasm 4/15/2014, 4:55 pm

Pots aren't too thick, I guess. Glazed outside, unglazed inside. Built-in water tray/reservoir thingie.

Lemon:
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Newbie in Las Vegas, year 1! - Page 6 13880406594_3ff4509ba4_c

Lime:

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I just added the pine straw as a mulch. I wonder how they'd do if I just put them in the ground with a bunch of compost...

**sanderson** 4/15/2014, 9:01 pm

No, those pots are what I was thinking Thick clay, exterior glaze. About the water thingie, my plants in pots with trays got soggy, stinky roots (athlete's foot!). I removed all the trays (I have 43 pots), added wood chip mulch and they all recovered.

I don't know about direct planting. I'm afraid your LV soil would suck the water away, even with compost! What a Face

brainchasm 4/19/2014, 1:00 am

**sanderson** 4/19/2014, 1:35 am

Brainchasm, I loved your video. Even the cucumbers. Very Happy

I hope folks remember that this is in Las Vegas!! Bad dirt, metered water, hot summers. I call you the Poster child for deserts.

PS No bees like me? Get small paint brushes to help with pollination. I bought a pack of various artist brushes and use the smaller ones on tomatillos, cantaloup and cucumbers, the larger on squashes.

brainchasm 4/19/2014, 1:48 am

Thing is, I had plenty of bees last year...not sure what's up. Sad

**walshevak** 4/19/2014, 7:00 am

Purple opal is purple from the first true leaves. So the green basil is something else. You are doing a terrific job on the garden. And the shade garden may do better as the sun gets hotter. Do you have to provide any midday shade for the summer in the other beds? Keep up the herbs and learn how to use them. You may surprise yourself.

Kay

**AtlantaMarie** 4/19/2014, 8:18 am

VERY nice setup, brainchasm! And very nice tour.

Basil - the green is Genovese.

I'm really impressed. And I agree w/ Walshevak - keep the herbs. Someone you know will love them if you don't.

Silly ex... What was she thinking...?

Goosegirl 4/19/2014, 9:24 am

Love your setup Brainchasm!

GG

brainchasm 4/19/2014, 6:50 pm

Gah, seriously, I should have gone into the palm tree seedling business. Every day I go out there, if I look hard enough, I'll find AT LEAST half a dozen of them in my garden plots. Day after day...

CapeCoddess 4/19/2014, 7:02 pm

brainchasm, would you please post the link to your video? I can't get it to work on my tablet from the forum and I'd love to see it.

brainchasm 4/19/2014, 7:03 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:brainchasm, would you please post the link to your video? I can't get it to work on my tablet from the forum and I'd love to see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fhe4moFOBg

Smile

CapeCoddess 4/19/2014, 7:46 pm

Wow! beautiful! Love love love the grids. That was so much fun to see a garden in a climate so completely opposite to mine. You have things growing at the same time that I would never think of putting together. Like your peas, lettuces and radishes are growing while your peppers and tomatoes are growing. in 80 degrees? I don't think I could even do that here.

Thanks so much for the tour! Nice job!

brainchasm 4/19/2014, 9:54 pm

Radish harvest time!
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How about that crazy purple one?! They're all French Breakfasts, from the same seed package, but I guess there are variants. I shoulda let it go to seed, and then I coulda maybe had purple radishes going forward, but oh well.

The overall small size is because I failed to amend the MM before planting. I was so happy that I had actually cleared all the dead stuff out, I totally forgot to top up the beds with compost. Lesson learned!

CapeCoddess 4/20/2014, 7:57 am

YUM! My radishes have been less than stellar so now I grow them just to get the seed pods which are delicious. Brainchasm, tell me how you made your grids?

**AtlantaMarie** 4/20/2014, 8:43 am

Those are beautiful, brainchasm! Windmere was kind enough to send me seeds for some. Nice to know what they'll look like. How do they taste? (I've never been a big radish fan, but willing to try again.)

CC - Seedpods? Huh? What do you do with them?

CapeCoddess 4/20/2014, 8:47 am

AtlantaMarie wrote:

CC - Seedpods? Huh? What do you do with them?

I eat them right off the plant or put them in salads or stir fry them up, just like you do with beans and peas. I also grow spring planted daikon radish to pods as my spring isn't long enough to accommodate the root. they both make beautiful flowers and the bees love them!

**AtlantaMarie** 4/20/2014, 9:06 am

Hmmmm... Wonder how they'd be in a smoothie? Thanks, CC.

CapeCoddess 4/20/2014, 9:14 am

AtlantaMarie wrote:Hmmmm... Wonder how they'd be in a smoothie? Thanks, CC.

spicy! Personally I wouldn't use them in my smoothies. but they're great as a snack.

brainchasm 4/20/2014, 3:48 pm

CapeCoddess: redwood lath from Home Depot or Lowes, a sawzall, and VERY STEADY hands...
Basically had to double saw notches in the lath, usually four at a time, but only half to 2/3 the way through.

AtlantaMarie: I ate the littler ones, and they were pretty spicy/bitey! That's no surprise in my environment though. Even my basil gets bitey rather quick. Fuggedaboudit if they actually bolt. Smile

**AtlantaMarie** 4/20/2014, 4:08 pm

Good info. Thanks guys!

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