Friday, May 14, 2010

More garden wanderings

Pole beans are coming up nicely. We're trying a different support system this year- an A-frame trellis that will hopefully be sturdier than the rebar-and-string supports we tried with the snap peas. Speaking of which, there are about a dozen volunteer snap pea plants coming up. It isn't the right time of the year for them, but I'm leaving them alone to see what they will do. There are also melon seedlings coming up under the lemon tree, and lots of green tomatoes. The nasturtium border looks pretty ratty, but I decided to leave it in place and see if it works to shade the landscaping bricks so that the tomatoes and other vegetables don't suffer as much from reflected heat. (This was a tip I learned in a gardening seminar we took through Phoenix Permaculture Association)

I pulled out the sweet peas that were under the peach tree yesterday, which have pretty well stopped blooming and are dying back anyway. These are volunteers that have self-seeded every spring for several years, and it isn't even the best place for them. There isn't much for them to climb on, other than the peach tree, and they block the entrance to the gazebo. I think I'll save some of the seeds and put them in the pots under the old gazebo off our back patio- see if they will grow up the metal supports.

The grape vines on the arch behind the pool have really taken off...one of the vines has reached the top of the arbor already. They seem to be doing much better than the older vines along the fence behind the lemon tree, perhaps because they get more sun.

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