I was very thankful this week for the thunderstorm which brought my Kansas garden corner some much needed rain. I’ve had a couple of days of cooler weather and I’ve been out weeding with my hoe. I just wonder, is the ability to use an old-fashioned hoe a lost art? My hoe is old – it came from someone two generations older than me, and I’m no spring chicken. For all I know, it could be an antique. I shall have to photograph it for you sometime.
I’m very encouraged by my experiments in compost making. Pictured here is part of raised bed #2 with a 4 inch deep layer of my home-made compost. I wasn’t brave enough to mulch with the compost around my precious tomato plants. Being new to the art of composting I just didn’t know if there could be any problems. So far everything looks fine, but that’s one science experiment I don’t want to conduct! Speaking of science experiments, my self-seeded tomato plants are overtaking the ones grown indoors in flats. They haven’t yet caught up with the 3″ potted tomatoes from the garden center, but it could still happen. I’ll keep you posted.
Here’s a fun link I came across this week, courtesy of a friend on Twitter (I don’t remember which one – I should take a note of that). Use it to answer the question – what’s your type of garden?
I’m mulling over a question I want to answer for one of my readers who claims she has a brown thumb. The question is, “What can I grow and succeed with in Phoenix, Arizona.” I will be scratching my head, researching, and speaking to some people who know the answers to bring them here to Melissa from Raising Them Green. I’ll be interested to learn the answer myself.
Please enjoy your garden. I always love to hear about what is happening in your own little corner so do leave a comment.
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We've got bugs eating our potato leaves. Not sure what to do about that. And today it's just cold and rainy. 57 degrees in June? For a high? Crazy!
Tiffany, have you seen the bugs? What do they look like? The easiest, and safest, pest control is to remove the bugs by hand – get kids to help if you can. Failing that, a soap spray can work – you might google for it. I don't usually bother to remove them unless they are causing a lot of damage – at least a third of the leaf surface.
Cool and rainy can be a nice change, but not if you've got something planned for warmer weather!
Let me know if you need more rain. We’ve had lots. ;o)
Tell the reader who asked you about growing plants in Arizona that there is no such thing as a brown thumb. You just need to know what works for your area and respect your growing conditions. She should look up her local cooperative extension. I copied one of their links for you. Desert Gardening for Beginners: http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/pubs/dsrtgdn.htm
Thanks Cristina, you helped me check out whether comments are working here! Thanks also for the extension service link.