May Garden Journal

I thought it would be fun to keep a journal of my gardening photos all in one convenient place. Photos, along with a few notes and dates, will help log my progress in my garden. I have never taken time to write notes on my efforts or track when I fertilize, and often forget to write down planting dates and what I planted. A photo journal with notes will help me out. 

Part of the enjoyment of gardening is looking at gardening photos; your own photos and others photos. Am I right? So I am going to keep my photo journal here on the blog so you can have a look when you want also. Putting monthly plant photos in a post will also not clogging up my main page, if I added a few at a time, for those that are not interested in seeing them.  

Last 2 weeks of May 2017

I planted this toothache plant for fun. But it could be useful, as it is said that chewing the leaves or flowers will numb your mouth. I plan to try it.....someday. ;)

And the artichoke still hasn't bloomed!

This is mullein and I am quit proud of it. It doesn't grow here in the AZ desert but it does in the high country. I  have tried many times to grow it by planting seeds, and I even took wild mullein from up north and transplanted it here. Most of the transplants grew to my surprise, but it never reseeded as I hoped they would. So, here is what must be a seed left in the compost and redeposited here, growing! Love those kind of surprises!

   

I can almost see this loofah growing! Getting really tall.

Grandkids and I dug these new potatoes because they had push up through the dirt. The light was causing them to sprout and try growing babies. 

Patty pan squash

This is a monster size swiss chard.... or is it collards? How do you tell the difference? I should write things down.

It must have gotten an extra dose of fertilizer. So far it is showing no signs of distress from the heat and it was 107 when I took this pic. 

 Fig Tree

Holly Hock

Crookneck squash began fruiting about the first of the month.

Garlic harvest, about 40 heads. Most are smaller than I had hoped for. The water line for this bed blew and I didn't notice it. I think it must have gone almost 2 weeks before I realized something was wrong. I immediately started watering it but by then the damage was done, they stopped growing and kept dying back. So I harvested them - about a month early.

This tomato is a cutting I took from my daughters plant this early winter/spring. She has no idea what kind it is but the tomatoes are grape size and ripen a purple color. They taste amazing! And it's hardy, she planted it last spring, it lived through and produced all summer, practically unheard of here in the heat. Then it made it through the winter and continued to produce! It must have created it's own micro climate it's so huge!

 Though she put a large tomato cage around it at planting, it has escaped and is flowing over on all sides. Here in the dry heat it works out well to have it piled on top of itself and not tied up on supports. This offers protection from the hot sun. I call it 'super tomato'. I hope these cuttings do half as well as the mother plant.

Here's a pic of the super tomato, that's one plant, last month with my g-babies ;). My daughter actually cuts this plant back because it gets so large! I have never seen anything like it. I think she has fed it all purpose organic fertilizer twice in the year plus of it's life. Also the first time she has grown a tomato. 

A close up of super tomato.

Sweet Potato

Little watermelon, the first to make it. The others didn't get pollinated.

First 2 weeks of May 2017.

The cotton is for a Kids Club project. Looking forward to seeing what color the cotton is.

I somehow missed writing down my planting date for this bed but I believe it was about a month before this photo. Plants are really struggling. Not sure why, but perhaps because I harvested last of cabbages, broccoli and brussel sprouts the day before planting. Beans don't like brassicas, but what's the problem with the sunflowers? I have had 6 foot sunflowers here in previous summers.

I sprayed a plant with water to kill the spider mites on it that was next to this artichoke on a day that was 108. I must have gotten water on the one choke and it sunburned. It seems fine now, growing and pushing up through the burned dry petals. 

Bell pepper that lived through the winter; second spring fruiting.

First fruits for the artichoke. I'm going to let it flower now after eating the first one. Next year I should get a lot more.

3rd spring for the peach tree.

Loofah vine, my first time planting one.

Fig tree transplanted from the neighbors last summer. Wasn't sure it would make it in the heat but it did. Not many figs on it but it leafed out beautifully. I may have fertilized too heavy last fall.

A cutting of Spearmint I took from a large planting in Strawberry, AZ last summer. I rooted it in the house, then moved it outside where it became infested with spider mites. Looking good now.

First spring planting in this new bed. 

Kale looking good considering it has already hit 108 this spring. 

Asparagus crowns planted Jan this year. Jersey Knight and Martha Washington. And a crown I have been struggling to get growing for TEN yes 10! years! 18-20 years ago my mother brought me some crowns from my grandmothers garden in Arkansas. My grandmother had passed but my Aunt had moved in her home and had kept the gardens going. I planted the crowns and had great success with them. Then we moved and only one crown survived, and I have been babying it and pleading with it not to die. Yes I prayed over it too! Well it seems to love this new location and is doing nicely. So happy!




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