Re: California - What are you doing this month?

**sanderson** 3/9/2017, 6:04 pm

Just remember that when it is 110*F and my plants are just trying to survive, much less produce, your gardens will be envious looking:D !

GWN 3/10/2017, 3:00 pm

Just remember that when it is 110*F and my plants are just trying to survive, much less produce, your gardens will be envious looking:D !

So true, we all have our time. What a great idea to try Google earth. We briefly tried selling our place last summer and the realtor brought in a photographer with a drone to take pictures. I guess when I saw the title of the thread, birds eye view, I thought that that was what you were talking about. Last time I checked my house was not even on my google earth, but worth checking again

**sanderson** 3/10/2017, 3:35 pm

GWN, Can you post one of the drone photos in that thread? I would love to see how you are able to grow so much. Also, what are you holding in your avatar?

GWN 3/10/2017, 3:42 pm

Also, what are you holding in your avatar?

It is a jasper geode. we spent the winter rockhounding. I am not sure if I will be able to find the drone pictures since the house is no longer listed, but I will try.
The google earth photo is taken late in day and is dreadful

GWN 3/10/2017, 4:08 pm

Sanderman I posted it here, then decided it would be better to show the drone picture on the birds eye thread

countrynaturals 3/11/2017, 11:49 am

The weather turned perfect, so I have been playing for 2 whole days, with 3 more to come before it rains again. First, I planted all of my seeds for this year, inside. Then I replanted some radishes and corn salad outside.

Yesterday I dismantled the "greenhouse" and got ready to turn it into a potting shed until it becomes a butterfly house again in June. The shelves needed a few more coats of polyurethane, so I'll finish that up, today. I had a lot of planter plates to scrub and now made a decision about that. One of my shelves got ruined because those plates were too shallow and overflowed when I watered. Didn't notice it until it was too late. Sad

I'm going to start thrift store shopping for soup bowls to use from now on. Also, there's a brand of steamer TV dinners I like that come in perfect plastic bowls to put under containers up to quart size.

Today I'll tackle the outside potting station. It's a big job, so that's probably all I'll get done. My next project will be sorghum and vetch outside. The sorghum will get a bed of its own. The vetch will be green mulch around fruit trees I think. Got an arborist coming next week. I'll ask him first if he recommends that or wood chips.

After all that, I have mulch piles to move, a burn to do, then it will be time to start work on the Rescue Garden. SPRING IS HERE! cheers

CapeCoddess 3/11/2017, 12:27 pm

countrynaturals wrote:
SPRING IS HERE!

Oh thank goodness. I'm so glad you found it! I was wondering where it took off to.

countrynaturals 3/12/2017, 12:12 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:
countrynaturals wrote:
SPRING IS HERE!

Oh thank goodness. I'm so glad you found it! I was wondering where it took off to.

It is very good at playing hide and seek. This is the 3rd time I've found it this year. Rolling Eyes

**sanderson** 3/12/2017, 3:59 pm

GWN 3/13/2017, 9:56 am

The weather turned perfect, so I have been playing for 2 whole days, with 3 more to come before it rains again. First, I planted all of my seeds for this year, inside. Then I replanted some radishes and corn salad outside.

Yesterday I dismantled the "greenhouse" and got ready to turn it into a potting shed until it becomes a butterfly house again in June. The shelves needed a few more coats of polyurethane, so I'll finish that up, today. I had a lot of planter plates to scrub and now made a decision about that. One of my shelves got ruined because those plates were too shallow and overflowed when I watered. Didn't notice it until it was too late. I'm going to start thrift store shopping for soup bowls to use from now on. Also, there's a brand of steamer TV dinners I like that come in perfect plastic bowls to put under containers up to quart size.

Today I'll tackle the outside potting station. It's a big job, so that's probably all I'll get done. My next project will be sorghum and vetch outside. The sorghum will get a bed of its own. The vetch will be green mulch around fruit trees I think. Got an arborist coming next week. I'll ask him first if he recommends that or wood chips.

After all that, I have mulch piles to move, a burn to do, then it will be time to start work on the Rescue Garden. SPRING IS HERE!

My goodness, I am getting tired just reading this California - What are you doing this month? - Page 37 3170584802

....This will be me in a few weeks though

countrynaturals 3/13/2017, 12:25 pm

GWN wrote:My goodness, I am getting tired just reading this ....This will be me in a few weeks though

By then, I'll be kicking back with a cool lemonade, watching my garden grow. Razz

. . . or maybe I'll still be working on compost, mulching, weeding, transplanting, and watering. Rolling Eyes

**sanderson** 3/18/2017, 3:25 am

You know who is missing? Audrey, our No. Cal guru. I wonder how her garden grows? My little seedlings have been out side day and night for several days now. They are still too small to transplant but they are definitely hardening off. I can't believe I had to use bagged compost to top off my beds. The Christmas pile is still sitting in the bin with only one turning. It stayed at 100*F for a month at least. I managed to prune to orange tree before the blossoms opened. I hope the 10 bees ravaging the bolted bok choy and broccoli I left for them, will move over to the orange tree when it blooms. I have some drip irrigation projects that need to be finished before I transplant. I have 3 beds to outfit with 1/4" drips and the BTE with 1/2" drip/soaker line. Not much else going on.

**Scorpio Rising** 3/18/2017, 10:51 pm

sanderson wrote:You know who is missing? Audrey, our No. Cal guru. I wonder how her garden grows? My little seedlings have been out side day and night for several days now. They are still too small to transplant but they are definitely hardening off. I can't believe I had to use bagged compost to top off my beds. The Christmas pile is still sitting in the bin with only one turning. It stayed at 100*F for a month at least. I managed to prune to orange tree before the blossoms opened. I hope the 10 bees ravaging the bolted bok choy and broccoli I left for them, will move over to the orange tree when it blooms. I have some drip irrigation projects that need to be finished before I transplant. I have 3 beds to outfit with 1/4" drips and the BTE with 1/2" drip/soaker line. Not much else going on.

That is a lot! Wow! California - What are you doing this month? - Page 37 370856013

**sanderson** 3/19/2017, 12:35 am

Yes, I'm a little behind on the garden and the spring cleanup in the rest of the yard. Finished pruning the wisteria but still need to do major pruning on the xylosma in the front yard. I did get the 1/2" tubing ordered and a start on constructing the 1/4" drip tubing. Finished amending over half the beds so they are ready when the starts are ready. One day at a time. Very Happy

countrynaturals 3/24/2017, 12:23 pm

Not much to do, here. The rain just will not go away. I have been deep mulching fruit trees, on the advice of a nice, young, soon-to-be arborist. We also have a low, flat stump where a vine maple was lost to a nasty wind last year. I've decided to deep mulch around it and throw flower seeds there to make a zombie garden for the pollinators. I love you

**sanderson** 3/24/2017, 5:09 pm

Love that term, Zombie Garden! My starts are back indoors under the lights until the rain and cold stops next week. The daytime temps will be in the 60-70s so they can go outside during the day, at least. Today I will be dehydrating some early strawberries. Yesterday, we took a drive in the foothills and the Hmong stand was en route home. Yesterday: blue sky and green foothills. Note: The muddy lower part of the photo used to be under water when we got to keep Valley water. Sad

Ducks, seagulls geese and some unknown birds were having a field had in the water and boggy areas. A woman was walking her dog and let him run. He had a wonderful time trying to catch some of the birds. Dog acting like a dog. Splash through the mud!! Don't worry, there weren't any nests to endanger. Many of the geese raise their eggs/young in the City drainage ponds where there is chain link fencing protecting them from predators. Adaptation. California - What are you doing this month? - Page 37 Drough12

California - What are you doing this month? - Page 37 Drough12

countrynaturals 3/24/2017, 7:54 pm

sanderson wrote:Love that term, Zombie Garden! My starts are back indoors under the lights until the rain and cold stops next week. The daytime temps will be in the 60-70s so they can go outside during the day, at least.

Same drill, here. Was it CC who came up with "zombie garden"? I love it, too. Will the originator please come forward and accept your award for best new garden name?

countrynaturals 3/26/2017, 11:30 am

Got most of the trees mulched--just one more fig to go. I also got the zombie garden started. When I went searching for the right place, I discovered that the neighbor's lavender was already in full bloom and loaded with honey bees. There was even a tiny bumbler in there, no bigger than my pinkie nail. Just a few feet on this side of the fence, we had a big vine maple that blew down in a big wind last year, so we cut it down at ground level. This is a perfect place for a zombie garden. The real zombies can hide out down there in the root system and the zombie flowers all around them can soften their personalities so they won't eat our brains. cyclops

Here is the before shot of the stump.
California - What are you doing this month? - Page 37 Stump10

Here is the before shot with the neighbor's lavender in the background.
California - What are you doing this month? - Page 37 Zombie10

Here is after 4 loads of wood chips and several packets of wildflower seeds dropped in. I'll let you know in a few weeks if anything comes up. If not, it will be a well-prepped bed for some future project. Rolling Eyes

California - What are you doing this month? - Page 37 Zombie11

**sanderson** 3/27/2017, 12:57 am

CapeCoddess 3/27/2017, 1:41 pm

countrynaturals wrote:

Here is after 4 loads of wood chips and several packets of wildflower seeds dropped in. I'll let you know in a few weeks if anything comes up. If not, it will be a well-prepped bed for some future project.

This is a great experiment! Love the idea of using flowers. My zombie garden had only veggies - all the old seeds and unwanted seeds from the fridge's lower 40 - dumped into it. It's a fun way to thin out the seed hoard! I think I'll go thru my flower seeds and dump any extras on the space this year.
What a Face

Thanks for the idea!
CC

countrynaturals 3/27/2017, 2:23 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:This is a great experiment! Love the idea of using flowers. My zombie garden had only veggies - all the old seeds and unwanted seeds from the fridge's lower 40 - dumped into it. It's a fun way to thin out the seed hoard! I think I'll go thru my flower seeds and dump any extras on the space this year.

Thanks for the idea!
CC

I was never big on flowers until I started raising butterflies and discovered the plight of the pollinators. Where would our veggies be without them? I love you

**sanderson** 3/28/2017, 3:19 am

countrynaturals 3/28/2017, 12:27 pm

My gardens have taken on a mind of their own and are now evolving in totally unexpected directions. I LOVE IT! I love you

Here's the situation:

I have lots of land, but I have to fight chickens and cats in order to use it. I can't build fences myself, and I can't expect DH to build any more after all I put him through last year, so I had to get creative.

Yesterday, I figured out a way to sandwich garden beds in the middle of a bunch of pots. It worked so well I'm going to do it again, today. I have some old corn seeds from years ago that I'm going to plant in front of the pig peas Embarassed

. Today I'm going to prepare a bed for my long beans, surrounded by bottomless 1 gallon pots that I'll use for herbs and flowers. I can't plant them until next week, after the night temps warm up a little more, but I am really excited about this. I'll post pics, tonight, so you see what I'm doing. Cool

audrey.jeanne.roberts 3/31/2017, 12:14 pm

BIG wind storm yesterday. I had hoped to keep my greenhouse covered until mid-April but hubby and I had to take the cover off in the middle of the winds or it would have been shredded.

We should be okay for frost and I have interior covers I can pull over the beds if we get a rogue freezing night. My tomatoes are about 3 feet high I would hate to lose them now!!!

BeetlesPerSqFt 3/31/2017, 4:57 pm

audrey.jeanne.roberts wrote:BIG wind storm yesterday. I had hoped to keep my greenhouse covered until mid-April but hubby and I had to take the cover off in the middle of the winds or it would have been shredded.

We should be okay for frost and I have interior covers I can pull over the beds if we get a rogue freezing night. My tomatoes are about 3 feet high I would hate to lose them now!!!

Yikes! I've got my fingers crossed for your tomatoes.

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