Surprise, surprise, surprise!

One of the many benefits of chop-and-drop gardening is being surprised by volunteers I didn't plant. There are tomatoes, larkspur, nasturtiums, and hollyhocks everywhere, but here are some of our most recent gardening surprises:

Oregano

Broccoli that came up after I cut it to the ground

I planted the basil, not the squash.

Eggplant that came up between pavestones

Carrot in its second year, I think.

Chop, drop, and grow

April 27, 2016

One of my favorite permaculture gardening techniques is "chop and drop". Instead of digging spent plants out by the roots, cut them off at ground level. Leave the roots to compost in place, and chop up the leaves and stems and drop them wherever you like.

This has several advantages, not the least of which is I am a rather lazy gardener and it doesn't take a lot of time or effort. It doesn't disturb the layers of beneficial microbes, bugs, and worms; you're less likely to damage the roots of desirable plants; it recycles nutrients back into the soil so that less fertilizer is needed; and it provides a cooling, moisture-conserving barrier that is very helpful in our summer heat.

Sometimes I chop-and-drop in place, but often I take plants I've allowed to go to seed from one place, and chop and drop them somewhere else in the garden. For example, here is some assorted lettuces that I allowed to go to seed...

Lettuce and larkspur

 ....and here is one of the places I decided to chop-and-drop them, at the edge of the side patio. I think that would be a nice place to find lettuce growing once it cools off in the fall.

Chopped-and-dropped lettuce

Part of the fun of gardening for me is finding surprises, and letting things go to seed, followed by chopping, dropping, and scattering usually creates the conditions for many future surprises. Rather like the proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

Today's harvest: tomatoes, zucchini, beans

Protecting blackberries, protecting ourselves

We originally planted one blackberry bush in a raised bed next to our side patio, but realized later that wasn't the right place for it. It was too small a spot for both fully grown rose and blackberry bushes. In addition, it necessitated running a bloody gauntlet first through rose bushes to get to the blackberries, and then through the blackberry bush to pick asparagus. Blackberries spread like crazy, and we found ourselves transplanting not one, but several plants to different locations in the yard. It particularly seems to like this spot next to the block wall in the northwest corner, near a drainage swale. It usually flowers in April and starts setting fruit, which ought to mature in May and early June. However, we were disappointed to find that the fruit dried up before fully ripening. Last year, we learned from gardeners in a Facebook group that blackberries do best when shaded from direct sun, so Mike engineered a shadescreen on a PVS pipe frame and we were rewarded with several dozen tasty berries. This bush has outgrown that particular design, so this year we used the frame from one of our pop-up canopies and put shade screen over the top instead of its cloth cover. This is 30% shade screen from Arizona Bag Company, instead of the denser Home Depot shade screen we used last year, so we will observe carefully and put a second layer on if it appears to be needed. I like the look of this shadescreen better as it's less noticeable.

We're also tying bits of colored yard around the fruiting canes (another great suggestion from Facebook group members!) in order to more easily identify the fruiting canes which should be removed after they've finished their job.

It's a lot less dangerous to pick them here, and hopefully we will be able to enjoy lots of blackberries this year!

And the race is on...

April 19, 2016

Apricots and peaches are getting close to ripening. Who will get them first, us or the birds?

Apricots

Peaches

Looks like the birds beat us to this one. We picked the remaining apricots today and will let them finish ripening indoors, away from bird beaks!

We may have eaten a few while they were ripening on the counter.

New beginnings

April 12, 2016

It's always fun to wander around the garden and look to see what I notice today that I didn't notice yesterday. Sometimes it's something new, and sometimes it's seeing the changes in things that were already growing. Here are some of today's observations:

First artichoke of the season

First zucchini of the season

Baby green beans

Figs are beginning to ripen

Blackberries are setting fruit

Tomatoes are everywhere!

Apricots

Almonds

Peaches

Plums

More springtime pictures

April 7

I've been trying to post a picture once a week from the same location in order to keep a record of the changes in our garden as the year progresses. I've been taking a picture from our side patio door, but I've had to modify the angle a bit since we've added the pergola. I think this one will work fairly well...it's taken only a few steps out the door.

April 7

Above is another option, but it involves standing on a ladder in the front yard and taking it over the fence, which involves a little more planning.

As the roses, nasturtiums, and bachelor's button fade, other things are coming into bloom, predominately larkspur. Mexican poppies are still looking good...no sign of flea beetles yet. We have blackberries in several locations now, which have a lot of blooms that I hope will grow into tasty blackberries. Last year we learned that we have to provide them with some shade while the blackberries are developing, or they will dry out before ripening.

"Iceberg" climbing rose

Larkspur

Blackberry blossom

Mexican poppies, yellow water iris,  and honeysuckle

April 7

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I completely blew off the month of March as far as blogging goes this year due to a couple of out-of-state trips followed by a bout with a nasty virus that sapped my energy for writing, much less gardening. March is usually the most dramatic month in terms of changes, so here are a few photos showing the transition.

March 9 overview

March 14 overview

March 23 overview

Citrus blossoms

"Mr. Lincoln" tea rose

"Pink Promise" tea rose

Tea roses

Bachelor's button

"Don Juan" climbing rose

Figs

Last-to-bloom pear

Snapdragons

New pergola

Water iris

Water lilies

Roses, bottlebrush,  and nasturtiums behind the pool

Ahh! Enjoying the last days of spring weather