The Vegetable Garden, Big Plans
Staying mostly in the house, due to the heat, but venturing out early morning to pick squashes...only four plants giving us way too many squash! Still picking melons and watermelons starting to mature. I have been pouring over Burpee's catalog, planning next season's garden. Called them and asked if they had last year's seed order on file...they did, and I determined the succulent, juicy melon, a heavy producer, and the unknown in the photo is creme de la creme - the best melon we have ever tasted...and it seems to love Borrego! We weren't much impressed with our cantaloupe, though ( they were too firm, even when ripe ) so have put honey bun hybrid on the list for next season. Fordhook limas , golden heirloom beets, bull's blood beets, super sugar snap peas and am trying sugar snax hybrid carrots. The carrots are longer and thinner than the carrots I grew, this year. The soil in the planted beds is so loose and good, I expect they will do well. Haven't decided yet on chard, lettuce and spinach. Plan to plant herbs where the corn was planted.
Melons are hard to spot, even in the raised beds. The vines are thick and I have been piling vines on top of each other in the raised planters. That method is keeping the melons out of the hot sun but making them harder to find. Every time I pick up vines to look under them, I notice white flies but they haven't seemed to have harmed anything, yet. I am placing immature melons on top of flat rocks, to keep them off the moist soil.
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.
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!
1 comment:
Thanks for this great blog about gardening in Borrego Springs.
More on summer gardening........
August 10, Borrego Springs -
We are havesting the last of our delicious grapes. I have plans to learn more about raisens.
There's flowers and small fruit on crookneck, patty-pan, and spaghetti squash planted late in the spring/early summer.
Pumpkin seeds went in on the 4th of July and are flowering for harvest in October.
So far, "pot stickers" are working well for the white flies, keeping them from doing too much damage to the squash and eggplant.
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