WELCOME ...A new resident ? Love the desert? Gardening a passion? Live in Borrego Springs? Thought you could not have a garden in the low desert desert? Ever wonder what desert living is like? READ ON !

Raised Vegetable Beds

Raised Vegetable Beds
Raised Vegetable Beds Resting Until Fall Planting Season

Palo Verde

Palo Verde
Desert Native, Blue Palo Verde

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It
View Through A Wet Window

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Worms, Worms, Worms

Nothing else matches worm castings as a natural fertilizer!  I have used them in our strawberry planter for the last two years.  Our stawerries were able to withstand last summer's intense heat, revive during the fall and start producing again this winter and spring!  I had been trying to raise the red worms and provide ourselves with castings and worm tea, but it is more difficult than you can imagine in this hot, dry region.  I had all the necessary items needed - the tiered ventilated  trays, bedding, and ideal shady spot.  I fed them every day with old tea bags, coffee grounds or organic fruit or vegetable scraps... they seemed to like them but trouble lay ahead.  As warm weather appeared and the more than sultry hot desert wind began to waft across the worm beds, they tried to escape their little black enclosure.  Each morning I would find worms crowded around the top of the trays, trying to exit.  Some mornings, I found them underneath, in the bottom tray, where the "worm tea" collects. Once, I found ferocious red ants inside the container, eating the worms! To deter the invading army, I placed the legs of the worm factory in coffee cans filled with water, which had to be refilled daily.  Soon, I was feeling so sorry for the worms ( which were multiplying at an astonishing rate ) and for myself spending so much time taking care of the tiny things,  that I decided to release them...which I did, into the raised planter where the strawberries grow.  I gave the worm trays to a gardener friend  from Encinitas and he loves the worms and castings he is getting for his garden... I am sure the worms love the more temperate climate, too. I know that some of the worms survived along with the strawberry plants, because I find them on the flagstone which surrounds the planter after a heavy rain. Well, enough about my Borrego desert red worms...however, the castings are WONDERFUL!  You can purchase them at The Nature Center and, now, at the end of the season. They are on special - two for the price of one!

P.S.  If any Borrego gardeners are having any sucess raising red worms, please tell us about it.

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A New Borrego Garden Path

A New Borrego Garden Path
New Path Under Construction, Indian Head Ranch

Pathway

Pathway
Easy to Maintain Garden Path

It's a Boojum...

It's a Boojum...
Not an Ocotillo

Boojum

Boojum
Captivating Top Knot

Colorful Vine

Colorful Vine
In a Hidden Niche

Bees and Flowers

Bees and Flowers
Mexican Lime- Bees at Work

Citrus Blossoms

Citrus Blossoms
Exotic Aroma

Ocotillo

Ocotillo
On a Cloudy Day

Four Raised Beds, October

Four Raised Beds, October
Vegetable Garden

Desert Gardening

Desert gardening...what a pastime. Natives anxious to attack with thorns, stickers or burrs - earth always thirsty - critters always a step ahead of you - dainty moths turn into hungry caterpillars - coyote eats up part of the irrigation system - birds sample one fruit at a time - gopher pops up unexpected . Yet the first carrot, pea or tender piece of lettuce, the first lime or lemon of the season, the first cactus bloom , the first bright green mesquite sprig, the first bud on a plant...all give such a feeling of delight and satisfaction. Not to be traded for anything else! (JGP)





Super Addiction

When I started the blog, I thought a few words now and then would suffice...WRONG!

A strange pattern is emerging. Seems that guilt has stepped up to bat. Now, if I don't post every few days I FEEL THAT I HAVEN'T HAD MY FIX! I wonder if other bloggers have noticed this same phenomenom.

Beavertail

Beavertail
Close-up

Borrego Dragon

Borrego Dragon
Huge New Sculpture

The Borrego Dragon Fable

IN THE EARLY DAYS, coyote walked many paths. One day, as he was pursuing his travels, he came to a very wide valley. Others warned him as he approached the valley, " You must not enter this place...NO ONE who has entered has ever returned. It is a bad place, guarded by a giant dragon, who kills all who try to pass through. To continue your journey safely, we strongly advise you to go the long way...around this evil place." Well, coyote listened, for he was very smart and often heeded good advice. However, coyote was also lazy and was often prone to use shortcuts. He figured the valley would save him a lot of time on this particular journey. He looked carefully and saw nothing much to alarm him. He decided to enter and pass through the valley. At first, he noticed nothing amiss. However, as he traveled deeper into that still, quiet place, he thought to himself, "This IS an unusual valley, for sure...I see no movement of any type and I am getting to feel a bit strange about this place." He did notice, however, some tall straight trees which had lost all their leaves and made the place look barren, indeed. OH,NO...he also noticed, under the trees, piles of old BONES... and the more he looked, the more bones he saw. He said, " I sure see a lot of bones, but I don't see any dragon...I'll bet he no longer lives here." And, with that, he heard a thunderous voice which echoed over the valley..." HAH, COYOTE! You should have listened to the advice...You are in my mouth, which IS the entrance to the valley!" Oh,oh, caught in a trap. But coyote is smart and moves quickly...as he heard Dragon's first words, he raced to one of the dead trees and, with a mighty yank, pulled it from the earth. He wedged the tree between the Dragon's jaws and as he did this, many animals of all kinds came running forth...pumas, bears, mountain sheep and more...even the smallest animals, gnats, flies, tics, bees and more...lizards, snakes, toads, salamanders and more...all ran from the Dragon's depths to freedom. Coyote watched as Dragon's jaws closed upon the sharp tree stake. He soon died and from that time to this, many of those same animals live here, in this place...and from time to time, many of the old bones and pieces of the dead trees are found here, in this very valley!

Senita Cactus

Senita Cactus
Plump and Happy

Outlaws

Outlaws
Riders View Borrego's Wilderness (photo by Jeff Divine )