Newbie in Las Vegas, year 1!

I planted 9 of the dragons tongue in a square and 9 of the 9 of the blue lake bush beans and so far 8 have come up in each square. I soaked my beans for about 45 minutes to an hour before planting. .. so, went out and saw them sprouting yesterday, this morning they seemed to have doubled in size! I haven't watered this week at all, but that's only because we've had pretty steady rain. Going to water them this evening and keep a good eye out. We are putting up our critter fence tonight... don't want the bunnies to get to my goodies! Good luck with the tomatoes... I'm not familiar with Black Krim, so I'm interested in seeing yours!

So, here are my gardens as of today:

From left to right are Plots A, B, and C.



Here is Plot A:



Plot B:



and Plot C:



And finally, here's my Lemon Queen sunflower from Plot C:



It has just stopped tracking the sun in the last day or two, so I am thinking it is done "growing" and will start blooming soon! The top DOES look to be a terminal flower bud, so here's hoping!

I pulled all my pea plants last night; they were pretty much done what with the heat. I may try again in fall, but for sure in spring.

I am not seeing a lot of cucumbers forming...I found a couple little ones, but they went bad and fell off.

I was pruning back the (very vigorous!) melon plant in Plot B the other day, and noticing all the female flowers that were trying to form fruit, pretty much all the size of a grape. I sat there somewhat disappointed, since they seemed really slow to do anything...then I pruned one vine...



They're almost the size of my fist, and there's three or four of them! I HAVE MELONS ON THE WAY!

Your garden looks great BC! Congrats on your 1st year success 

BC, Congrats for what you have done in LV. I'm in awe.

Thanks guys!

I've harvested peas, carrots, radishes, spinach, lettuce, basil, and chard so far. Oh, and one bean. One.

I'm excited for the big payouts though - tomatoes, cucumbers, MELONS!

Here's hoping we all have a good season!

Things are happening!

Lemon Queen sunflower started blooming!



And my melons are getting bigger and bigger!

BC - I think you are right, your sunflower COULD take you! Looks good, and that melon is worth drooling over!

GG

Good consistent watering is fine. Mulch is great. But I still put up shade cloth for at least the next week...

117 degrees, starting today.

I want to hear how the SFGs in Las Vegas are handling the heat. Words of wisdom?
Photos?

So far so good...

I really don't expect much other than survival-mode, but the melons seem to be continuing to grow.

Ambient soil temps before the heat were a constant 79-80 degrees...it's now up to 85, but there's the better part of a week more heat, and that may go up even more.

I put up an extra support, and have shade cloth across the top of the entire plot, 6ft above the soil. The thinking is to let air flow happen, but to shade the 10-2 sun to try and moderate it. I may take that cloth and put it vertically on the west side though, to basically shade all the afternoon sun, since that seems to be the fiercest.

I still see little bees and such in amongst the plants, but I don't expect they'll actually be able to pollinate anything for a while.

I'll try and get some pics later, but my last round of pics in this thread are pretty much what things are looking like.

Just an update:

Not much to say really. I picked a tomato here and there because they finally colored up. The Cherokee Purple I sliced up was good, but they're pretty viciously cracked.

I may be losing a Cherokee Purple plant...it's paled out a lot lately. I gave it some nitrogen, but it's wait-and-see.

Next warm season, I may just grow melons, and nothing but melons. They're determined to take over my beds, and nothing else I've planted has performed as well as them.

My various tomato plants set a few more fruit here and there in this heat. Not sure how they pulled that off, but I'll take it.

Cucumbers still not really cucumbering, just growing at a modest pace.

And that's about it.

I have never had luck with cucumbers yet, not sure what I am doing wrong but I am going to keep on trying!  What all melons are you growing?  We are limited here with out short growing season for melon choices but last year I did get a few watermelons and cantaloupes! 

Hopefully when things start cooling down for you your plants will get some more vigor!  Good luck!

cheyannarach wrote:I have never had luck with cucumbers yet, not sure what I am doing wrong but I am going to keep on trying!  What all melons are you growing?  We are limited here with out short growing season for melon choices but last year I did get a few watermelons and cantaloupes! 

Hopefully when things start cooling down for you your plants will get some more vigor!  Good luck!

I'm growing crenshaws - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjK1xah4EtY

Here's hoping!

 

So, yesterday I finally pulled all the dead stuff out of two of my three plots, picked up the grid and drip systems, churned up the MM and dug out some roots...

and planted garlic!  Heirloom Red Inchelium, 36 cloves, 9 per, so four squares.

That's all I have planted so far, since our overnights are still rather cool, and I don't think anything else would handle the temps just yet.
I may throw carrots in a while, and peas as soon as the daytime air has lost its chill.

As far as last year's gardens, well they honestly kind of got away from me.  My non-productive tomato plants went crazy once summer's back broke, but then it was too short a time for a lot of the tomatoes to ripen before first frost.  I lost the plants, and about 40lbs of tomatoes, in one night.
Because of my lack of diligence, those tomato plants basically smothered my beans, my serranos (which I found hiding under the tomato plants, making little peppers!), my okra, and pretty much everything else.

So things I learned this first year:

1) All the plants and seedlings I don't think will make it?  Yes they will, beyond my wildest expectations, and I better stay on top of them.
2) Less melon plants.  Seriously, it was too much.
3) Have to be super attentive about trellising cucumbers, or they will hide, shut down the plant, and I get few/no cukes. If I even do cukes again.
4) Serranos are boring peppers.  Japanese White Egg eggplants were neater, and I don't even like eggplant.
5) Borage doesn't like getting sprayed with dilute dishsoap/water for the bugs.  Just leave it be. Or don't plant the stupid thing.
6) Sunflowers are cool, tall, and useless.  As were most of my flowers.  Also, marigold seeds will get everywhere.
7) Mini head lettuce was pointless.  Loose leaf was much better.  Once it bolts, pull the effing thing.
Putting live basil from Fresh&Easy in the ground will end up with a massive plant you don't eat, but smells amazing.
9) Lemon basil has no purpose in my kitchen, or my garden.
10) Radishes and carrots were the hit of the garden.  Plant more of them, and succession plant.  Also nasturtiums are delicious, but don't like summer heat.

I'm sure there's more that I learned, but that was off the top of my head.  I'm excited to get into this year, and get my seeds started indoors MUCH earlier!

Brainchasm, I'm glad to see you again. Thank you for sharing your reflections on your first year. When you get it planned out, let us know what you will be growing this year.

For me, more types of tomatoes, summer and winter squashes, and cucumbers, all trained vertically. Corn, 2 types. Dragons, Rattlesnakes and Chinese Red Noodle Beans. The trellises will all be extended from standard 5' to 8' (10' cut to 8"). We have similar weather, you a couple degrees higher in the summer.

Don't be a stranger.

Brainchasm!    
Love your reflection on your year in the garden! You have inspired me to start making summaries of my gardens each year so I can remember why something is or is not a good idea for my boxes!    I have such a limited season that I don't want to waste time or space repeatedly.

GG

The Red Inchelium garlic I planted in my outside plots is already sending down roots, and pushing itself out of the MM a fair bit.  No sprouting yet though.

The single skinny crappy heart clove that I put in a cup under my grow light in the cold garage?  Yeah, has a two inch scape on it, and the roots are piercing the paper cup it's in.

 

 Two weeks old. Red Inchelium Garlic.  The crappy, skinny center clove of the bunch, living in my garage. 

My outside garlics are sprouting now, and all my indoor starts (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers) are all sprouted and chugging along.

My onion seeds are sown, and I'm still waiting on my peas to sprout (not expected before the 23rd).

Here's hoping we don't get a nasty cold snap!

I hear you. The weather is beautiful and I am so tempted to start outside. But, it would be my luck and the freeze would come back. Praying for rain.

sanderson wrote:I hear you.  The weather is beautiful and I am so tempted to start outside.  But, it would be my luck and the freeze would come back.  Praying for rain.

You KNOW it!!!!  Don't give in to the seduction of the sunshine  

Oops.

One of my cucumber seedlings (indoors)....flowered.

Brainshasm, good to hear from you again. That cucumber looks so healthy!

sanderson wrote:Brainshasm,  good to hear from you again.  That cucumber looks so healthy!

Considering I'm just over a month from last frost date for Vegas, and the weather has been ridiculously good, I'm kind of concerned.

They're growing well enough that they need to get transplanted sooner and not later, and our weather is cooperating (almost...the overnight lows are just a tad cooler than I want), but...33 days to average last frost still!

Upside is, the garlic and the peas are out in the bed and doing well!

Doh!  Girlfriend found four more flowers today!