Newbie in Las Vegas, year 1!

15 hours later (11pm) and still 120degF.  Was really hoping to see it jump back up to 138!  Maybe a couple more days.  I guess I'll plan on turning it Saturday regardless (unless it's going crazy).

If you have a small pile (less than 3 x 3 x 3') it's not going to reach high temps as it progresses and you turn it. 120*F is a decent temp.

Bad news: still didn't heat up.

Good news: still didn't cool down!  Still 120degF this morning.

sanderson: the last pile I made went crazy, and while it obviously processed some of the stuff down, when I spread it out and whatnot I also added to it (twice).  I guess I was surprised that it didn't ramp up again with new material in it, especially since it was already inoculated by actinomycetes - when I broke the pile down last time, it had a hot white dusty heart!  that's when I knew it was a good pile.

I'm so engrained in Berkeley that anything else is like a foreign language. Once a pile is built, nothing else should be added. Only water if it gets too dry.** Composting by any method takes time, so pile is only as old as the most recent addition. I would love to see a photo of the block compost bin.

** Yes, there are other exceptions. Just keeping it simple, today.

I hear ya sanderson, and I'm of the same mind, except the last additions were literally the last things that I was going to be able to add.  They definitely couldn't have made a pile by themselves, and I'll have nothing more to work with until spring, and likely not much then.

So anyway, got home from work today and the pile has cooled to 110degF, so I kept it in my mind to turn it while I was working on the irrigation system (I still think the pile might have been a touch wet).  Tore it apart, plenty of actinomycetes or whatever looks like ash, gave 'er a good stir, and stacked her back up.  7pm, 80degF.  Let's see what the morning brings.

But back to the garden!  All my stuff showed up and I had time this evening, so I got to work on the irrigation system.  Finished one bed completely, and have one half of a bed to do from scratch, and one entire bed that just needs to be converted.  Going to look up ways to attach my 6mil plastic to the hoops, etc.  Oh, and the cattle panel...it's 6'2" at the top of the arch. I'm 5'10".  Girlfriend is 5'8".  Basically, it's going to work so perfectly, you'd think I placed the beds on purpose two years ago, just to get this effect!  Maybe I did...  

My friend helped me transport my cattle panel, my new irrigation parts showed up (including new timer), and so on and so forth.  Friday is a gym day, so not sure how much I'll get done in the garden, but I fully expect to be completed Saturday...Sunday at the latest.

Ecoscraps? I think it is a very nice commercial compost. A bit heavy when wet so I like some home made chunky compost with it to keep things fluffier.

Yeah, was the best I could find out here.  First year there was chicken manure, and mushroom compost, and a bunch of others so five-blend was easy.  This year I couldn't find anything that wasn't just forest scraps.

Las Vegas is not exactly a composter's town. Not a lot of green grass and fall leaves to rake up! You may need to do a search for horse manure, chicken manure, hay or straw. Found someone with worms for composting on Craig's List.

Any other Farmer Markets in the summer to collect the culls and rotting summer produce?
http://lasvegasfarmersmarket.com/LasVegasMain.html

The Rodeo Nationals Final is in Dec. Maybe some bedding hay and horse manure to build a Dec compost pile. Found this feed store with bales of alfalfa and grass hay. V & K Wikimoto Feed Store

Construction complete!  Ready for planting!

Plastic sheeting is in the garage, but we're still having mid-80s through to next next Monday, so no hurry.  Plus, I am trying to find a novel yet genius method of attaching the sheeting to the hoops.

I may plant today, just peas and radishes I think.  Everything else might still be sensitive to the warm weather.  Well, carrots don't care much IIRC, at least not just starting out.

Compost was 100 this morning, and 100 last night, but while I was working on the irrigation system, I noticed it was in the sun, so I checked again - 95degF.  Yeah, time to give it a stir and water it...and maybe give it a bit of yellow water... 

Stopped by the nursery today and picked up some new/fresh bean booster, and some catnip seeds for fun.

Guess I'll take a look at the map, and get out there and plant something!

Planted lovage, borage, catnip, and cilantro in the "extra" cells in the cinderblocks.

Planted 32 pea plants (looking for 50% germination minimum) in Plot C.  I'll do Plot A tomorrow, and maybe put some in Plot B, maybe not.

Will the lovage, catnip, borage and cilantro germinate now, or in the spring?

With our weather, now. If it dies off in the cold, sobeit, but our winters can be managed.

I have room for cilantro in one of the beds that I will be covering during freezes. Catnip, now that grows freely in the flower beds do to fur ball rolling around and dispersing the seeds. She loves to 'chill out.'

brainchasm wrote:
Plastic sheeting is in the garage . .  I am trying to find a novel yet genius method of attaching the sheeting to the hoops.

Large binder clips. They are tough little things, yet easy to reposition.

I like the arbor over your bench! That might become a nice, cool, fragrant retreat once grown in.

Planted the 32 pea seeds in Plot A last night, as well as 4 red romaines in A and C, 9 spinach in each, 32 of each carrot in both plots, and 32 radishes in both.

Oh and single squares of broccoli and cauliflower in each plot too.  Still haven't done anything in Plot B...I'll likely do beets, chard, and whatever else it takes to finish A and C tonight (sans garlic), and then do Plot B all in one shot this weekend or so.

Planted 18 Chioggia beets and 18 Golden beets in Plot C tonight, along with 4 swiss chard and one last cauliflower.

Then planted 9 Golden and 9 Chioggia beets in Plot A.

This completes Plot C 100%, and Plot A 75%; the last four squares are for the garlic.  I have two months though before the garlic goes in...what could I grow there without depleting the soil too much?  Besides radishes...silly things.

Speaking of silly things!  Three volunteers in Plot C already, most likely sunflowers...rowdy things.  They won't survive the cold though, so I'll pluck them out very soon.  Just funny though, and I want the girlfriend to see them poking up.  She'll be all squeals and grins.

Plot B remains untouched; I'll knock it out this weekend most likely.  I may do the onion squares sooner, just to get them germinating in the warm before the cooler weather kicks in and slows them down.

brainchasm wrote:..what could I grow there without depleting the soil too much?  Besides radishes...silly things.

Speaking of silly things!  Three volunteers in Plot C already, most likely sunflowers...rowdy things.  They won't survive the cold though, so I'll pluck them out very soon.  Just funny though, and I want the girlfriend to see them poking up.  She'll be all squeals and grins.
.

Plant Pansies?
She sounds fun.

And so, the waiting begins...

Wow, the slats you used to make your SFG grid look so nice!

Marc Iverson wrote:Wow, the slats you used to make your SFG grid look so nice!

They're just cheap redwood lath from Lowes, but thanks.

SO MUCH SPROUTING!!!!

Radishes are already up, peas are just poking through, some red romaines are showing, a single spinach plant has made its debut, my first broccoli and cauliflower sprouts are up, borages here and there, and I think a golden beet already!

Still to make an appearance are the rest of the golden beets, all the chioggias, the chard, all the carrots, and all the onions.  I very possibly planted at the perfect time!  We'll see how the season g(r)oes...

brainchasm wrote:And so, the waiting begins...

PRET-TY!!!

A bunch more sprouting...pretty much everything except the onions are up.

So, tangent!

Girlfriend and I are carving up the first of two pumpkins from Fresh&Easy, for jack-o-lanterns.  She wants to keep and roast the seeds, and I want a few just to goof off in the garden with in Spring.

What do we find in her pumpkin as we're cleaning it out?  A seed that sprouted INSIDE the pumpkin, and looks almost a week old or so! 

I free it real gently, and of course, found a square for it in my gardens.   It won't survive the cold, but hey, if it was that determined to sprout, I'll give it a fighting chance...maybe the hoop houses will keep it alive long enough to get a giant head start in Spring!

Also, found a stray seed from the pumpkins while I was cleaning up outside, so poked it into the compost pile for giggles.  The others are washed and currently drying, then I'm going to sugar & cinnamon roast them.