Seed, Sorrow and Success

Those glossy pictures in the seed catalogs are so enticing! I am one of those guilty to succumbing to their siren call. Summer is the time to decide which seeds to order for the cool weather garden and many vegetable gardeners like to try new varieties, especially if they have been disappointed with types they have planted before. If you want to have a good yield, however, it is best if you stick to the varieties that you have found do best in your own garden.

For instance: Many trials have convinced me that Chandler strawberries give the best results as far as strawberries go. I always plant some Detroit red beets along with Golden beets, because I know that the Detroit variety grows like a weed, here. I avoid regular chard because it grows to a giant size and, for the limited space in a raised planter, takes up too much room. The smaller, colorful chards are ideal and the leaves are SO tender. I have tried many types of lettuce but my favorite is Burpee's Buttercrunch . Perfecto is our favorite radish and even grows faster than Bok Choy, another easy plant to grow here. We like the Touchon carrot. I always include a curly leaf spinach along with other loose leaf lettuce varieties. no problems noted. Have had trouble growing the following: French Breakfast radish, celery ( very bitter ), Brussell sprouts ( aphids) cabbage (aphids) cauliflower ( aphids). Last year's broccoli was great and refused to flower, even after I wanted it to...it just kept putting out sweet delicious buds! ( But I have had aphids in the past on broccoli, also.) I was enchanted with endive but found out that six plants are too many! Two should supply your needs. Just nip off leaves for salads as you need them. We did not like the mushy consistency of yellow pear tomatoes. Winter tomatoes work well, planted in the same place yearly, but watch out for frosts...they need protection!

I have tried the French intensive system , the Square Foot system and the row system in our raised planters and have come up with a cross between all of them, which seems to work best for us: Lettuce, carrots, spinach... French Intensive. Beets, Bok Choy, Radishes,onions... rows, spaced close enough together to allow for development of the vegetable. The Square foot system works best for larger vegetable plants...Summer and winter squashes, melons, tomatoes.
We have a growing tower for beans and peas. Pole beans were not successful ( small yield ) but we always have loads of sweet crunchy pods and peas. Planted directly in planter, in a circle around the pole. ( Burpee Sugar snap and Super Snappy ) Bush beans provided a good supply but took up too much room in the raised planters. Will try in lower planter, next season. Red onions grew easily along with garlic, which were planted along with beets and tomatoes. No gophers appeared in that bed . ( gophers ate the beets, last year )
Onions may have been a deterrent.

I plant individual pockets of parsley, cilantro, basil and other herbs in flower beds. The artichoke and eggplants have their own drips in other locations in the yard. Both of them are handsome plants as stand-alone specimens. When the artichoke died back, my husband thought it was a goner and pulled it out. That plant gave us artichokes for three years! It will have to be replaced.

Borrego vegetable gardeners! Let's hear from you. Maybe we can come up with a list of vegetables that are perfect for our area. We would be especially interested to hear where you purchased the seed or transplant,( or- did you save the seed from original plant ) along with the variety. Send your comments!

Miracle of the Night Music

Everyone I have talked to during the past week has felt the same way as I regarding the last vestige of summer...ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! All last week, night temperatures have been too warm ...in the ninety to one hundred degree category at bedtime. Most Borregans will agree that when nights are cooler, daytime temperatures don't don't make much difference at all ( unless you have to work outside ).

Last night, however, was different. We decided we hated the soft slurp - slurp sound of the swamp cooler and turned off the switch, opened all doors and windows and prepared to sweat it out. What met us was a most outstanding silence...and, as we listened, a soft sound from afar. Had we turned off the radio? Was the television still on? Was someone talking? As we listened, we recognized the sound ...far off coyotes en concerti... the wavering lead tremolo rising to the skies to be then joined by harmonious music of the chorus.
This coyote music differs from the frantic yap- yapping of the chase or the conversational greetings and positional quests we often hear. This was a timeless statement of being and belonging in this place and in this time!

It is an old superstition that when coyotes "sing" it means rain is soon to follow. Last night, the coyotes did certainly sing! Instead of rain, though, we'll just settle for cooler nights!

Borrego Tomatoes

Did you ever wonder why your tomato plant became so big and unruly? Last year, my Heirloom variety, Brandywine, wanted to take over the entire bed ! I resorted to pruning it after it had overgrown the wire cage and, as a result, the yield was less than favorable. The fruit, however, was so tasty and the blossoms so gorgeous ( for a tomato, that is...) that I am trying again this season. There are some things I would like to pass along regarding tomatoes:

There are two types... determinate and indeterminate. Determinate are the bush varieties...translation - small enough for a compact garden. All the tomatoes ripen within a month, more or less. If you plant this type in Borrego early enough, you will probably have a yield before any frost or inclement weather. Try not to prune this type tomato. These plants will grow to three or four feet.

On the other hand, indeterminate varieties may grow to seven of eight feet and usually need strong support. My Brandywine quickly overgrew it's support and unfortunately suffered from the frost. I waited to see if any viable growth was left and pruned off the rest. If I had it to do over again I would have removed the plant and started a new one.

I plan to include a new seedless variety this season...billed as " THE WORLD'S FIRST SEEDLESS TOMATO...SWEET! " It is also indeterminate. We shall see what happens!

( I am also hedging my bet by including one determinate variety. )

More Thoughts on the Fireball

Gosh! I can't seem to get that thing out of my mind!

It was such an vivid startling sight it caused me to muse over what the ancients must have thought when viewing the same phenomenon. That it would have been taken as an omen - no doubt. Did it portend great disasters or miracles to come? Probably - both.

In these times, we are lucky, I guess. More research via Google , newspaper accounts and NASA reports sure gave me something else to think about. One graphic, especially, showing the proliferation of worldwide satellites ( all due to fall back to earth sooner or later ) made me incredulous.

NASA reported the fireball we witnessed was probably a basketball sized asteroid. They also reported on September 23 ( give or take a day ), a "huge defunct" satellite will fall to earth and should break apart on entering earth's atmosphere. SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN reassures us that there is only a 1 in 3,200 chance of being hit by any debris, however. How do you like those odds?

FIREBALL IN DARK DESERT SKY

We had a most unusual day ( and evening ) yesterday, September 14, 2011.

The day started early for us. It was another "go to Palm Springs day" which always start early, includes many lists, orders of stops and general outline for the trip. Our list for the day included three doctor visits, bank, Trader Joe, Albertsons, Goodies Cafe and Home Depot, if time allowed.

Well, it didn't quite work out the way it was planned. We left the last medical appointment at 6:30 pm. ( and I'll bet you didn't think doctors work overtime! ) The office help all left before we did! It was nearly dark.
What a lucky thing for us!

As we drove south on Highway 86, we saw a once in a lifetime sight...A FIREBALL!!! The sky was black. We were near Salton Sea City when I saw a brilliant luminous bluish green object streaking across the sky in a west to southeast trajectory and it was BIG! I yelled to the driver... " Quick, look above us! " He saw it, too, and as we watched , sparks were trailing behind it. It either passed from our view or disappeared near the Salton Sea. I immediately reported the sighting to the Imperial Sheriffs Dept., who seemed to accept the account with little enthusiasm.

The rest of the ride home was filled with speculations. We entertained myriad hypotheses: a plane on fire? a meteor? Rosebowl type fireworks? UFO? Tommy Tickles shooting off homemade rocket? It was then I remembered the date...Sept. 14th. Mexican Independence Day! Huge celebration! Nope - wrong date.

Google informed me this morning what it was... a true FIREBALL! And we were so lucky to have seen it! Everyday brings something new to fill you with awe and wonder. Yesterday was an exceptional extra-terrestrial day for us!

A Grower's Good Advice

Well, I decided to take my own advice during this recent hot spell...take an interest in my indoor plants. I have always liked indoor foliage for many reasons: Plants seem to soften the indoor scene and are actually good for you, in that they emit oxygen and remove air toxins from the room . Plants can also create a focal point or theme for a room . Healthy plants give a room a vitality that cannot be achieved in any other way. They also satisfy a gardener's yearning for nurturing during inclement weather!
Over the years, I have had many indoor plants. I would say the most resilient of any was a Sheffleria I bought as a small plant and placed in the corner of the living room when we lived at the beach. The plant grew and grew, until it was almost ceiling high, thrived when we were absent for months at a time, stayed in place after we sold the house and was still there long after the new owners lived there! That plant was perfect for that particular place!
That's the secret. Some plants have an affinity for a certain place. It's hard to find an indoor plant that really does well in Borrego but, I think that I have found several that do exceptionally well here. Three that I love are Rhaphis excelsa ( lady palm ), Sansevieria ( mother-in-law tongue) and Zamiocula zamiifolia (zz plant).

Presently, I am trying a new liquid fertilizer that I was informed (on good authority ) is used to grow marijuana with great success. I don't know much about marijuana horticulture, but I certainly think it has given my indoor plants a big boost! Botanicare Pure Blend Pro Gro for hydro gardens, soil and coco,is an organic 3-2-4 mix. I only use 1 tsp./gal. of water, so it lasts a long time!

The palm takes more water ( once/week ) than the other plants, which I allow to dry out between waterings. Your finger is your best tester. When the soil pulls away easily and you don't feel moisture, it is dry enough to water. Remember, more plants die by over-watering than are killed by under watering!

The Sleeping Deck

An easy and enjoyable addition to a desert home is a "sleeping deck". We planned the deck before we built the house, but it is a relatively inexpensive addition that can be constructed on most desert homes.

Stairs lead to our deck, which is located over a bedroom. If your home has a flat garage or porch roof that would be another ideal location. The concept is to create a sleeping place higher off the ground, outside, where the cooler summer night temperature creates a more comfortable environment.

But, we have found many other reasons to have a sleeping deck. It gives us more space for overnight guests and family members when they come to visit. Sleeping outside, under the stars in this dark desert gives grandchildren and guests alike many wonderful memories. Flat on your back, looking up into the milky haze of millions of stars is an awesome experience, whether you are six or sixty! We are so used to Orion's path that we can acurately estimate the time from the Hunter's position in the sky!. And...it is cooler on the roof, a lot cooler! All you need is a blow up mattress, a sleeping bag and pillow. No need for any furniture.

We've had some funny experiences on our deck! One grandchild was afraid to sleep there...he thought the "black hole" might swallow him! More than once, we have heard animals of some sort moving around the roof. Regular response to that is, " Why don't you go see what it is?" ( Not me, of course. )The stairs give such easy access, no excuses allowed! One time, my protector tip toed up the steps, quietly, hoping to see what was making the noise. Meanwhile, I opened the door, the dog got out and immediately thundered up the stairs...heart attack in the making and whatever was on the roof forgotten! The funniest event, was when two good friends settled in for the night, marveling at the starry heavens above. Around 3 am, it started to rain, they ran downstairs with their sleeping bags and said they couldn't see anything. In their mad rush, they had put on each other's glasses!

If you are leery of sleeping outside on the ground and want a cooler night's sleep, this seems like the ideal solution!

A Gentle Monsoon

We thought it was not going to rain... A few large drops plopped down during Labor Day. The humidity stayed high enough to turn off the swamp cooler and rely on air conditioning . High temperature at bedtime caused us to continue using it at night time...until, surprise! We were awakened by the sound of rain on the roof. Not the pounding, heavy downpour of the September monsoon last year. Just a gentle steady downpour. ( .11 ", according to guru's report )

The relief every desert dweller feels when the first monsoon moisture arrives is profound. How we love to throw open the doors and windows and let in the heavy sweet fragrance of desert rain! All the plants had started to show the effect of the recent high temperatures. This rain offers them a much needed respite.

In Borrego, the monsoons take different shape. Some are like misty curtains of moisture moving slowly over the valley. Others are breath catching displays of thunder, lightning and rushing water. But ask any Borregan...we all like the monsoon, no matter what it looks like!

The Cool Loop

Well, we did it...found a cooler place for awhile! When we unzipped the sleeping bags yesterday morning, it was thirty-seven degrees and my Borrego weather guru who lives down the street e-mailed me an "all clear"- safe to return notice! She said it was still hot but the humidity had fallen to 8 percent. Great news!

The high Sierra Range is the destination of many Borregans during the extreme temperatures of summer. This year, we decided to visit the June Lake loop - specifically, the Gull Lake area. Elevation, over seven thousand six hundred feet. Four lakes are to be found along the loop road; June, Gull, Silver and Grant. Campgrounds are in many locations along the route and near-by cabins or other rentals abound in the area. The local population is less than Borrego Springs but there are many similarities. The small town flavor and friendly residents welcome all visitors to the area.

The location is perfect for a quiet get-away yet near enough to Mammoth to find any necessity you may require- including a hospital! Bodie, Yosemite and Mono Lake Visitor Center are just a short drive away. Fine dining can be found at the Carson Peak Inn, near Silver Lake or Carlee type ambience at the Tiger Bar. For hikers who detest up hill hiking, there is a gondola which will carry you to the top of June mountain ( restaurant at top ). Lots of down hill trails from there! There is fishing, swimming, kayaking, hiking or other acivities to entertain you. All in all, a great place to enjoy a cool and comfortable time away from Borrego's hottest month.

Back in Borrego, we noted that we had experienced an extreme temperature change during the day...eighty three degrees, to be exact! Ah, Borrego, home sweet home!
The morning paper will be brought in by Lola and Borrego desert living will be resumed. It is always good to get away for a short time but it is always even better to come home again!