Rain Delays

It has been raining on and off for the past few days and the temperature has been cold. Sometimes it is a hard rain, sometimes it is just a sprinkling. All of it is too wet for me to go out and get to work on my garden. I put on sweaters to keep warm, make hot green tea, create stews and bean soups in my crockpot and look outside at the raindrops as forlorn as a little kid. I'm glad that I did go out and feed the roses and citrus tree during a break in the weather. With all this rain to active the granuals of the plant food, they are going to get a big boost this early April.

I have purchased the 26 cinderblocks that I need to complete the raised bed project and they are stacked up near my garden area. More rain is predicted for this weekend and on through Tuesday. So for now, my cinderblocks will remain in their stack in the backyard.

I have not purchased the additional soil and compost that I will need for the two raised vegetable beds, but this is gardening. Things will happen in their own good time. Meanwhile, my little pepper plants remain in the small pots that they were purchased in and they seem to be doing just fine. If there is a good break in the weather, I will have to check out the local nursery and search for a few of my favorite fresno chiles. I miss having them in my morning omelettes.

Preparations for Spring Begins

There was a massive thunder and lightning storm that lasted most of the night. This means that the soil in my gardens will get a good long soak and be easier to work with in the next week or two. More rain is promised later in the week. Its been a very warm and dry winter, so cool rain is most welcome.

Since there was a break in the rain this morning, I decided to start work on getting my pepper bed prepared for the spring planting. Many vines and weeds had sprouted up in my raised bed, but as usual, they all came out easily from both the bed and the gravel pathway. The four peppers that I had overwintered got a bit of a pruning. They are still producing pods, but not as well as they could be. I am considering pulling them all out and starting over with fresh plants. It will mean another trip to a nursery, but what gardener doesn't enjoy that???

As you can see, I still am sporting a single layer of cinderblocks around my raised bed. In order to give my peppers more root space and perhaps allow them to be more sturdy, I am considering buying a second layer of cinderblocks for the bed. I will need 26 bricks to complete the project. The cinders are very inexpensive, maybe 20 cents each. Upgrading my garden space should not be too difficult, except for finding the time to get the work done.

New Pepper Plants!!!!

Another wintery storm is blowing through our area. The rain was pounding on my windshield as I made my way to the Fullerton Arboretum and the Annual Chile Pepper Sale. Amazingly, the outdoor lot where the sale was being held was packed with people despite all the rain. Since it was Friday, the first day of the sale and in the morning, I was able to get good healthy plants of the peppers I wanted. They cost a little more than what I would pay at the Home Depot or my local nursery, but the selection was incredible...and I'm very tempted to return tomorrow and pick up a few more plants...but I'm going to try and be good to my pocketbook.

I bought blushing beauty, ariane, corno de toro (red and yellow), fatali, a gypsy, long thick cayenne and a fish pepper. In total, I bought ten plants. This might not sound like alot to many growers, but I have a very small garden plot that I can fill and I need to be selective of what I put in. There are a few more chiles that I want to grow, but I should be able to find them at the regular nursery. I'm glad that I decided to grow more bells and medium heat chiles this year. I feel that I will get more value from them in my kitchen this year.

Monster Tomato and Pepper Sale is Coming

The dates that I've been waiting for! The Fullerton Arboretum Monster Tomato and Pepper sale will be taking place in the Garden Shed March 16th - March 19th! I missed my chance to buy pepper seedlings locally last year due to not watching the Fullerton Arboretum website and deeply regretted it.

This year I have my eye on Fatalli, Chilepins, and Cayennes along with Blushing Beauty Belles, Corno de Toro Reds or Yellows, Gypsy Hybrid and hopefully an Ariane. I want to grow a few more bells to cook with and more medium hot chiles...but I will always include a few hotties to dry into powder. I probably won't buy all my peppers at this event, but a good portion of them certainly will find a home in my little salsa garden this spring.

http://arboretum.fullerton.edu/BulletinsDetail.asp?BB=37

Winter Harvests

At this time of year, I normally do not have peppers in my garden. The earth is fallow, allowing all the winter rains and sun to aid it in its rest. Due to the atypical warm temperatures this year, I still have peppers ripening in my plot. I harvested two red bells that I will use in our meals this coming week. The plant itself is not looking that great so I am considering on pulling it later this week when I do my general weeding and maintenance of the bed.

I am wondering if I'll have the time to put in that second layer of bricks in my raised bed this spring as I had planned. I was hoping to give my peppers a bit more root space and to allow for more sturdy plant supports. Now that our rains have arrived, I have less time to spend in my gardens. Demands of work are keeping me inside my art studio as well.

I also harvested a lemon from my citrus tree in the backyard. Our little eureka lemon is putting out many flowers and new green lemons and several of the larger fruits have started to ripen. This one will go on top of our salmon fillet tonight.

Treasures from the Nursery

The sun was shining and the birds were singing. I felt the call of the garden and ended up gardening for most of the day. Due to the heavy rains last week, all the soil was loose and I was able to dig easily. So I moved two of my semi-dormant roses into better positions in my backyard. I had two lavender roses side by side, now one of them is next to a red rose. I also moved one rose over by a foot and this created a planting space for the rose I moved across the yard. I have spaces for three new roses this year and I managed to find three bareroot roses at the nurserys this afternoon...not an easy feat for this time of year. They are all in cardboard pots waiting to be placed in the earth.

I picked up another pink jasmine vine at the nursery today and planted it beside the trellis that I had placed next to the a/c unit last summer. As the vine grows and fills in on the iron trellis, it will create a natural living wall and block my view of the a/c unit. I want to put in another of those trellis on the other side and put in another pink jasmine. The jasmine blooms when my roses are dormant, which gives my garden a little brightness and scent during these winter days.


While at the nursery, I also picked up a few new herbs for my patio herb garden. Lemon Thyme, French Thyme, Chervil, Marjarom and Garlic Chives. They should fill one of my patio pots and it will go next to my kitchen door as usual. I have missed having fresh herbs for my kitchen, so I'm greatly looking forward to having my little patio herb garden back.

I still have peppers growing in my raised beds, amazingly enough. Two red beauty bells are ripe and ready for harvest and I still have more habaneros, piquins and tepins ripening. I believe that I will keep a few of them in pots for next year, but if I have the time next week, I will clear out my plot and start getting it ready for spring planting. There will be no pepper plants available for at least another month, but when the time comes, I want things to be ready.

Wildfire

A wildfire broke out near my home and is still burning around 5 to 10 miles away. The air has been filled with smoke and your eyes burn if you go outside for any length of time. The light has a strange red cast to it, as if the entire day is that moment at sunset when the sky changes color. I've been worried for my home, but it seems that the wind has shifted and the wildfire is now headed away from where I live. The 1500 people that were evacuated from their homes have now returned. We are safe this time. Wildfires are a norm here in California, but usually they don't break out near my house!

All my roses have been pruned back to give them a dormant period. Most of my chiles are removed from their beds, except for a few that I have chosen to overwinter. There is a little color from the chinese flowering maples that I have planted, but for the most part, things are very brown and colorless.