Welcome to my Gardening Blog.

In October of 2012 I moved from Anaheim CA to the Mojave Desert. So the older posts will reflect my gardening before the move, and my newer ones are after the move. Now that I have a huge yard and sandy soil (the opposite of what I had in Anaheim), I have to learn how to adapt.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Morning Glories

Yesterday I finally got the morning glory seedlings planted along with some bush beans.  The wind was blowing and sand kept getting in my eyes, but I had to get it done as I had soaked the seeds over night and I didn't want them to rot. I still have lots to plant but I'm running out of season and the hot weather is starting to be oppressive.

Last week I also planted coleus and snapdragons around the pepper plant containers. 

Here are some recent sunset photos. The view from my yard is stunning.

Creasote Puff Balls

Joshua Trees are native to the Lucerne Valley

Mojave layers

Pink Sun

Gorgeous Sunset

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Garden Update

Gardening has been a challenge. My friend had mercy on me and bought me some chicken wire, so now I've protected the sunflowers and the pole beans from the rabbits.

Some plants will always remind me of my mother, and such is the case with portulaca aka moss rose. In the past I've always bought the seedlings at the nursery but since money is tight this year after our big move, I went with seeds instead. I'm happy to report they have sprouted in the container I put them in. The beets in the same container haven't made an appearance yet, but I'm thrilled to see the teeny tiny moss rose plants coming up. The package said 'easy to grow' but I had my doubts.

I have about six gourd plants now. The baby bottle gourds still haven't germinated. It is hard to keep everything wet enough in this sandy soil. We have well water, so I'm not worried about the water bill, but whenever the water runs so does the electric pump, so I'm worried about the impact on my electric bill if I water too much. We've barely had any rain this year. And I think the rainy season is already over.

My big treat this week was getting a red yucca plant after I saw them growing outside of a fast food restaurant.  They have long stems with red orange tubular flowers right now and the hummingbirds were feeding from them. So I thought it would be a good addition to my Zen garden. The best part is the tag says it is a native, so once I get it established I won't have to baby it.
Pole Bean Seedling


Gourd Seedling

Portulaca or Beet Seedlings?