Home again
Apr. 10th, 2007 05:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumIt was a good trip. The school was interesting, and no harder than I expected.
I saw old friends, made some new ones, enjoyed late spring in the desert.
But home is nice to come to. Nothing died in the yard while I was gone, no, that's not true. The evil patch of St. Augustine, invading the SW corner of the yard, creeping in from the neighbors (they who let Token out to the street) has been slaughtered.
But the plants of desire, are all alive. The plum I grafted last spring bloomed while I was gone. There are a few blossoms left (and a couple opened in the days just before I left). Fruit has set.
The non-jonquils (the package claimed they were, but the habit, and the flowers, are wrong) have trived. I bought a package of four, two years back. Three survived the first summer/winter. Now I have seven, perhaps eight.
The serial planting of freesia is galloping along, and we will have color until at least the beginning of May. The basil seeds have sprouted. This year there will be enough for pestos, and pizzas, and cheese sandwiches. I will flavor soups, manufacture insalate caprese toss it into pastas, whole, and use it to finsish tomato sauces, and brighten salsa cruda.
The crab apple I potted up (it's a bonsai in training) is running riot, and the wisteria has leaves now.
And the grapes. All four had bud-break before I left. Right now the not-chardonnay has ten small bunches of grapes, the cutting-grape has four bunches, of good size. The tokaji, and the birdshit grape don't appear to be setting forth any buds. I don't know how old the tokaji is, but the birdshit is about six, and has had some hard years. Twice I thought it had died off on me, but grapes are tough, and it came back.
The anaheims are putting forth blossoms, and with some fertilizing (orchid food, well diluted, and spread with a hose-sprayer) they should provide peppers for chiles rellenos and let to ripen I'll have lots of dried california peppers for seasoning mixes, marinades and spicing pickles/kimchee.
I have carrots, for seed, garlic almost ripe, and just dug the leek trough.
Crawling among the lettuces I saw a ladybug nymph, and one of the mantids. I no longer see any aphids.
It's good to be home.
I saw old friends, made some new ones, enjoyed late spring in the desert.
But home is nice to come to. Nothing died in the yard while I was gone, no, that's not true. The evil patch of St. Augustine, invading the SW corner of the yard, creeping in from the neighbors (they who let Token out to the street) has been slaughtered.
But the plants of desire, are all alive. The plum I grafted last spring bloomed while I was gone. There are a few blossoms left (and a couple opened in the days just before I left). Fruit has set.
The non-jonquils (the package claimed they were, but the habit, and the flowers, are wrong) have trived. I bought a package of four, two years back. Three survived the first summer/winter. Now I have seven, perhaps eight.
The serial planting of freesia is galloping along, and we will have color until at least the beginning of May. The basil seeds have sprouted. This year there will be enough for pestos, and pizzas, and cheese sandwiches. I will flavor soups, manufacture insalate caprese toss it into pastas, whole, and use it to finsish tomato sauces, and brighten salsa cruda.
The crab apple I potted up (it's a bonsai in training) is running riot, and the wisteria has leaves now.
And the grapes. All four had bud-break before I left. Right now the not-chardonnay has ten small bunches of grapes, the cutting-grape has four bunches, of good size. The tokaji, and the birdshit grape don't appear to be setting forth any buds. I don't know how old the tokaji is, but the birdshit is about six, and has had some hard years. Twice I thought it had died off on me, but grapes are tough, and it came back.
The anaheims are putting forth blossoms, and with some fertilizing (orchid food, well diluted, and spread with a hose-sprayer) they should provide peppers for chiles rellenos and let to ripen I'll have lots of dried california peppers for seasoning mixes, marinades and spicing pickles/kimchee.
I have carrots, for seed, garlic almost ripe, and just dug the leek trough.
Crawling among the lettuces I saw a ladybug nymph, and one of the mantids. I no longer see any aphids.
It's good to be home.
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WAAAAUGH
Date: 2007-04-11 03:34 am (UTC)The only positive is that I may not have to hit the flourishing burdock babies with RoundUp, they're all wilty and turning brown.
I hoping the friends I have who start lots o'things had them in a warm enough space to stave off the iciness.
Re: WAAAAUGH
Date: 2007-04-11 04:35 am (UTC)We lost a bunch of melon volunteers when the freeze came in January, but it would take an incredible freak for us to lose anything which goes dormant to frost.
TK