A Challenging Year

After the pleasant warm days the latest cold storm did not help the vegetable garden in the least. I cannot remember another year of such gardening grief... freezes, winds, birds and insects. Can this be a harbinger of things to come? Only time will tell. But, as a group, gardeners an optimistic crowd...always envisioning luscious fruit and vegetable yields, lush leaves and flowers as a result of the care given to their gardens.

If this type weather is to become the norm here, in the desert, it's up to us to devise ways of coping with our new more intense weather patterns. I refer you back to the book, Extreme Gardening, which gives lots of tips. As for our garden, these are the things we are currently trying: Framework to fit each raised bed. We decided the only way to keep the sparrows out of the vegetable garden is to cover each bed with netting. Also, during periods of frost, it will be easier to protect the plants. Project underway . The warm season garden will be planted upon completion of this project. We have added a heavy layer of mulch plus manure under citrus, olive, apple and pomegranates. ( conservation of water and some nutrition ) We have planted cacti starts throughout yard ( from pieces broken off in windstorms ) General yard clean-up...removal of loose objects throughout yard. Resetting of irrigation timers... we use the date of the equinox as our guide. As the period of daylight increases, so does the requirement for more moisture.

Meanwhile, I continue hoping that this year was but a deviant year..that next year will certainly be better. AND, THAT'S what I mean by being an optimist!