Caliann's Garden

First canning

2009-06-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

I canned my first pick-ins of green beans. I got 5 quarts from two pickings. It's been a long time since I canned last. I used to can a lot when the kids were small. Mainly jams and jellies. But now that I'm raising my own veggies it's nice to be able to preserve the bounty. As I go along I'll be able to estimate how many veggies I need to plant to be able to preserve them through out the summer months, that will give me an idea for next years planting. I've been trying to figure out what all I can do with the squash that will be getting ready soon. I still have time, their still just now getting blooms. The weather has been unseasonly cool so things have sort of been at a stand still. My corn is a "hit n miss" because of the temperatures being too cool. At least I think that's what the problem is, course I could have bad seed or something... we'll see!

Bean pick'in

2009-06-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos of my bush green beans. They taste so good eaten raw right off the vine!

2009-05-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

Bush Beans and Tomatoes are starting to really grow now! I have flowers on the beans and baby tomatoes growing. We had some very hot weather this last week and that really got things goin!
Oh, the orange buckets are full of water for watering of course. That way I'm not dragging the water hose all over.Flower bloom on bush bean. I can't wait. There's nothing like green beans straight out of the garden. Cherry Tomatoes. Lookin good!

2009-05-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

Are you having problems with earwigs? Well they were eating up all my little seedlings that I had just planted in the garden outside. Step 1: fill a small bowl (mine is styrofome) about 1/4 fullStep 2: Close the lid, but leave a small opening at edge for bugs to crawl in. Put in garden anywhere you see earwig colonies, right next to the plants you suspect them eating on.

The nex day you'll see some, leave it alone then check the next day and the next. Pretty soon you will see a pretty full bowl of the earwigs, maybe even some nasty ants too.

2009-05-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

This is my garden layout this year. I made 3 square foot garden boxes. In the first one I planted bush beans by seed. The second one has okra and peppers. The third one still needs planting. I had to put some sticks in the ground by my squash hills to keep Lucy from digging in them. It has worked so far. I can't seem to keep the earwigs (bugs) from eating the squash seedlings. I'll have to go to the garden center and just buy some that are already big and strong enough and have gotten a head start. I have to find a natural way to kill those critters!!

Spring 2009

2009-05-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

BUSH BEANS-TOP PHOTO AND TOMATOES WRAPPED WITH PLASTIC. THIS IS GOOD FOR PROTECTION AGAINST THE WIND. WE HAVE HAD A VERY WINDY SPRING!

New Seeds

2009-02-05T17:54:00.001-08:00

My new seeds arrived yesturday. I better get my seed trays and pots rounded up so I can start planting next week (second week in February.) Our last frost day is usually March 21 according to the local extension pamphlet.
The seeds I'm going to be planting this spring are:
* Tomatoe-Brandywine Red (Heirloom/Pole)
* Spinach- Renegade (organic)
* Peas- Super Sugar Snap
* Bush Beans- Nash (good for warm climates)
* Corn- Sweet Temptaion Hybrid
* Peppers- Dolcetto Hybrid (Italian variety)
* Peppers- Sweet Banana
* Cucumbers- Pickling Alibi
* Watermelon- Everglade Hybrid (seedless)
* Lettuce Salad bowl mix
I will be seed starting the Tomatoes and Peppers next week.

Christmas

2009-01-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

HOPE YOU ALL HAD A WONDERFUL CHRISTMASS!!!!!!!!!!!

Winter Carrots

2009-01-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Well I'm still pickin carrots! I added the photo of last months carrot patch. I hadn't picked any for a while and when I went out to the garden today I thought I would pull a couple up to see how mature they have gotten since the last couple of weeks. I think the carrots will probably last me for a while. I think I'll just pick a few each week to see for myself how long they can stay in the ground till they're no longer edible.

Winter is here!

2008-12-13T13:02:00.001-08:00

Well I've still got Carrots. And I thought I'd better pick all the Lemons off the Lemon tree today because of the freezing temps that are expected overnight. There was definitly a chill in the air. I also pickup some more Swiss Chard and Lettuce. I think I'm going to make a soup for dinner tonight with some home made bread maybe it'll warm us up.

There's just not anything to write about as far as gardening, and with the Christmas season upon us I've got to get the rest of my shopping done. It seems that's the only thing on my mind right now. I've got nine Grandchildren I buy presents for and I've got to get movin' if I'm going to get it done before Christmas eve.

Oh, I am still adding to the compost bin a lot. Mostly kitchen stuff. And everytime I go to "Starbucks" I get a nice big bag of their coffee grounds to add to it. I dug through it the other day and it's "cookin" good. Maybe come spring I'll have compost to brag about. God Bless Ya'll

Carrots

2008-11-19T17:23:00.001-08:00

I went out and thinned out some of the carrots. I couldn't resist keeping the teeny tiny ones. They taste good too. The fatter one is the "thumbelina" variety. The other ones are the usual ones that grow to about 7" long. We'll see how they grow now that they have been thinned out.

Just Garden Rant

2008-11-12T18:40:00.001-08:00

Just a little fall color in the flower bed. There's nothing to do these days but rake up the "sticker ball's" as we call them (chestnuts). I wish I could of planted some more fall veggies but my husband has big ideas for the garden area. He has a big amount of dirt which he is going to spread all along where my summer garden was. This way it will bring our back yard more level with the rest. That's o-k cause I've got big plans for a completely different garden I want to build for spring. I really want to put in raised beds using the "square foot" garden method. I have several books on it and really want to try it. I think it will be less work for me in the long run. The gardening is very theraputic for me as I have osteoarthritis and it keeps me moving. But the rototilling and hoeing just makes matters worse for my hands, so that's why I decided for the alternative method of Sq. Ft. gardening. I know when the frames get built and the soil put in all I'll ever have to do is just plant the seeds. I think it will be less up-keep and more organized. Wish me luck!

Carrots

2008-11-12T18:32:00.001-08:00

I dug around the carrots just to see if any were ready yet. This row is a "Thumblina" which are about 2" round and short. I think I'll pull a few up tomorrow for my salad at lunch time.

Fall Lettuce

2008-11-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

My little Gnome watching over the lettuce. Probably making sure no rabbits come along...

The lettuce has been growing great. I'm surprised there aren't any worms or bugs trying to feast on it. I tried to grow lettuce before but always failed, probably because I always planted it when it was still too hot. I just wish I still had some summer tomatoes to go with it.

Fall veggies

2008-10-22T09:17:00.001-07:00

Carrots 52 days old. At 65 days I'm supposed to be able to start picking, we'll see. Swiss Chard and Leaf Lettuce at 50 days old. I've already been picking the Leaf lettuce and eating nice salads for lunch. I've gotta get a move on pickin the Swiss chard. First I have to figure out what I'm going to cook, using it.

The Peppers and Bush Beans are still hangin in there. I'm really going to miss the green beans when they die. They are probably my favorite veggie.
The days are getting chillier, fall is definetly in the air. The afternoons are still nice and warm though!

Fall leaf lettuce

2008-10-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

I went out to the garden this morning and picked my very first leaf lettuce. I had a very good salad for dinner this evening. I wasn't sure if I would have any luck growing it, thinking maybe it's too hot here in the valley (zone 9). But I had very good luck! And no bugs ate it before I could eat some of it. The spinach I planted the same time didn't even come up. I think it was just too hot still for the spinach to survive.
Those green beans I planted months back are still producing. I just love them. Next year I plan on planting several long rows of them and trying some canning so I can have some during the winter months. Yum...

San Francisco Trip

2008-10-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

There's not much happening in the garden, so I thought I would post some pictures of our trip to San Francisco over the week-end. These sail boats are docked next to "Pier 39" a.k.a. a really touristy place to go!! Lot's of eateries and shops. This coming Friday I'm going sailing with Family and Friends in the bay- I'm really looking forward to it and also seeing some really exciting "Air Shows" with planes doing acrobats. This week-end is "Fleet Week" in San Francisco so there will be big Ships in the bay and Airplanes up above putting on some really great shows. I will post pictures after I go...
I thought this would make a pretty photo of some of the flowers along the walk way of Pier 39.
I had to stop at this little fruit stand. I wonder if the fruit was grown in San Francisco or further south where the weather is not as windy. Anytime I've ever been to San Francisco it is always windy no matter what! They do have their occassional mild days though, and sometimes a freak day where it is actually HOT.

Washington Apples

2008-09-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of a Washington Apple compared to the apples I get down at the local grocery store. My husband just got back from a business trip there and brought back a box of these beauties. It's circumference is 14" round! I could probably make a pie with 2 of them. Sorry to say I don't know the name of the apples...

2008-09-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

The pumpkins are turning orange. The weather has been cooler too. It's feeling a little like Fall. The leaves are starting to come off the trees little by little. It's a great relief from the hot temps we had just a couple weeks ago.
My little Swiss Chard seedlings are getting along o-k. I'm already collecting recipes for them when they get mature enough to pick. I love fall/winter veggies. They are so packed full of the antioxidents we need to ward off flu bugs and such. Most of all I love the soups and stews we get to make when the weather gets cold. Yum..
Carrot seedlings. I had to build a sun shade for the top of my carrot bed so the hot sun wouldn't burn them. I think it's working pretty good, there's no sign of heat stress. I planted spinach on sept. 2 and I didn't have hardly any come up. There was 2 or 3 and they aren't doing too good. Anyway, I planted some more seeds just yesturday. We'll see if I have any luck. I had such pretty spinach this last spring, I may only be able to grow it in the springtime...I'm going to experiment some more.

Drying Gourds

2008-09-12T19:54:00.001-07:00

I finally cut all the gourds! I didn't realize how many I had. I grew some last year and only got about 4. I planted them too late and I think that's why. I made sure this year I planted them on time. I'll have to find a dry place in the winter months to store them so they can dry out real good. That will take about 6 months or so. I had this spare lattice leaning up against the garage so I thought I would just tie them all up there.

Zucchinni Bread

2008-09-07T15:26:00.001-07:00

Oh! What to do with all the Zucchinni squash. I'm starting to shred it and then put in the freezer. I'll be able to bake zucchinni bread this winter. My plants are still producing although they are starting to slow down a bit. The Patty Pan squash is still growing well. It's growing in with the gourds.

2008-09-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

I have Pumpkins! It was hiding under the Gourd leaves. I didn't think I was going to have any. I planted two mounds and I've seen blossoms but didn't see any little pumpkins. Now they are finally emerging like "surprise"! It doesn't look like I'm getting too many though. The weather has been hot, hot! I've had to go out and make some sun covers for my tiny carrot seedlings that are just now peeking up. With the dirt at such a warm temperature it only took about 6 days for germination. I've got seedlings coming up everywhere cause of the heat. I hope I have timed it right for the fall planting. Remember, I'm just a beginner. Our local Ag. County Extension information sheet says now is the time for fall planting, I just hope the seedlings don't get burned up before they get a start. We'll see what happens.

Fall Planting

2008-09-01T19:14:00.001-07:00

I just got my packet of Fall seeds from "Parks Seeds". I'm planting carrots in a raised bed with three different rows. They are: "Royal Chantenay" which grows about 6-1/2" long. "Scarlet Nantes" which grows to 7" long, and "Thumbelina" which grows just 2" round.

The other Fall seeds I'm going to plant are: Spinach "Melody Hybrid", Lettuce "Salad Bowl Mix", Kale "Italian Lacinato", and Swiss Chard "Ruby". I'm planting these all in a 36' raised row along the edge of the garden alond the levy of the almond orchard.

Garden Blight

2008-09-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

I think my bell peppers are getting burned by the hot summer heat. Maybe I have to plant them in a different spot next year. Some of our temperatures reach triple digits and stay that way for days sometimes weeks at a time.I'm seeing a few aphids on my zucchinni squash and some of the gourd leaves. I spray them off the fruit and some of the leaves I tear off if theres too many aphids on them. It seems to work pretty good, but I have to really stay on top of it everyday to make sure they don't take over.

Compost Bin

2008-09-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

I decided to make another type of compost bin. I had one of the rubbermade type ones I bought from Wal-mart, and it fell apart. As I kept filling it up it started coming loose at the sides that snap together. What a waste of my money. I've been reading a lot of information on composting, and I should always be "stirring it up" which I never could with the Wal-mart brand. I had some old pallets out back, so I put them together at the corners with wire then I added some plastic type chicken wire on the sides to keep the small stuff from falling out. When you turn the compost your supposed to start from the sides and work towards the middle. If you do it everyday it's supposed to speed up the process. I'm already seeing some good stuff happening.

Next, I want to rig up a wire frame to put all the leaves that are going to be falling soon. You run over them with the lawn mower then empty them in the wire bin. This is a good "soup" to make for worms which you want a lot of in your garden.

Tomatoe Sauce

2008-08-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

What to do with all those tomatoes? I finally put a batch of them together and made home made maranera sauce. Into a large pot cook: 1 large onion, about 6 cloves of garlic, and enough olive oil so nothing sticks to bottom of pot. Throw the tomatoes in to a food processor and pulse till it's really juicy. Pour into pot with onions and garlic. Then add spices like some italian seasoning, throw some fresh basil and bay leaves while your at it. Salt, just a dab of sugar and cinnamon. Cook on low and stir occassionally. Go about your business then come back and stir some more. The sauce will render down with just a lot of pulp in the pot (about a couple hours). When it's done you have to strain the pulp from the juice. I get another smaller pot and lay a large screen strainer on top then ladel the pulp making sure to squeeze all the juice I can out of each ladel full.

It should be very thin with just a little of the paste left on the bottom of the strainer. Be sure to scrape this off in to the pan. That's the good stuff.

2008-08-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

Still getting lots of veggies. Weather has been warm as usual, although today was a nice break from the heat being only in the 80's. Seems like I have to water everyday too.

After I pulled out some of the squash (it was taking over) I'm not so bombarded now with an over abundance. And the Okra is almost as tall as I am. It's not bushy, just tall and spikey. I go out everyday and still pick a few, I just have a small row. I planted some more Sugar Peas the other day and their sprouting pretty good. I miss having them since my other crop died down from the HOT weather. I hope it will be a good time planting now for a Fall crop, we'll see.

2008-08-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

My dwarf lemon tree is looking very nice this year. I have much more lemons than last year. They won't be ready for awhile though. The other picture is of my dried corn and the empty spot where I pulled out the squash. The Gourd plants are huge and beautiful. I have lots of gourds too. I think I'll leave the corn to dry real good so we can use them for Fall decorations.

2008-08-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

My squash was taking over!! I had to pull up a couple of them. That's o-k, I've still got three left. Every thing I'm cooking in the kitchen seems to have squash in it... I'll miss it when the season is over. I know one thing, it has made me get more creative with different ways of cooking it, cause with the vast supply of it you just can't eat it the same way every time!

I BEEN BUSY IN THE GARDEN

2008-08-03T20:20:00.001-07:00

I've got great green beans, red bell peppers, and tons of squash. That's my beautiful Grandaughter poseing with the squash. We cooked up some Squash Gumbo.
Saute: onions, and minced garlic in some olive oil. Then add some chopped squash and red bell peppers. Just to al'dente then throw in the chopped tomatoes and there you have it. You can always throw anything else in that suits your tastebuds. Anything goes, when it comes to fresh veggies from the garden.

HARVEST IN FULL SWING

2008-07-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Squash, Okra, Gourds, and Corn. I just harvested the onions.
My bush beans are looking real good. No beans yet though.

MORE PICTURES

2008-07-01T19:45:00.001-07:00

Sunflower is going through changes now. Tons of seeds. Yummy Bush Beans
Birdhouse Gourds

VEGETABLE BOUNTY

2008-07-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

I've got squash comeing out of my ears!
Lotsa' squash... I have 5 plants.
Here's a Bee pollinating a squash flower.

PERFECT FOR PICKIN'

2008-06-24T12:56:00.001-07:00

Here are some of my Veggies:

Zucchinni Squash, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers and Okra. I can't wait for the round Summer Squash to ripen up, it's my favorite. I cook it by slicing it thin and dip in an egg bath then flour it and fry it up. Yumm!

Here's my corn still on the stalk. Everyday I see a change. The Gourd's are growing too.

THE HEAT IS ON

2008-06-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

My Bell Peppers are getting bigger and the Tomatoes on the vine are ripe for picking.

I have Corn! The weather is so HOT now, and corn just thrives on the heat. So far things are lookin pretty. No bugs or worms (knock on wood). Just when I think the sweet peas are all done producing, I keep picking and eating new ones everyday. They just keep hangin in there. And boy are they sweet. The two zucchinni squash plants I planted just to the right of the peas are getting really big. I have five zucchinni plants throughout the garden and they are just taking off with the heat. They taste so good. I might make some zucchinni bread soon!

Butterfly Video

2008-06-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

More Veggies

2008-06-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

Zucchinni Squash-ready for pickin'
Bush Bean seedlings. I planted these where the spinach was.
My corn is starting to show silk. Now that the weather is really hot, it will be exciting to see how good it grows. With all the wind we have had I wasn't sure what was going to survive in the garden. My tomatoes should start to ripen now. There's some very large green ones. I'm excited to harvest some fresh from the vine. There's nothin like a homegrown tomatoe, especially with the samonila scare we've been having with the store bought ones. They are saying not to buy any unless they are attached to the vine, or they are grown in a green house, hot house, and not to purchase them if they are from Mexico and Arizona.

Butterflies Galore

2008-06-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what the name of this particular Butterfly is. I "googled" butterflies and looked at a few photos. It could possibly be a "Western Tiger Swallow tail". They are flying everywhere in my yard. They are strongly attracted to the marigolds in my vegetable garden. They must of came out of their cocoons today with the weather being really hot and no wind today finally!!

GOT GRASS?

2008-06-06T17:03:00.001-07:00

WHEAT GRASS THAT IS...my seeds are growing fast! I need to plant a whole flat cause to get a 1 oz. shot glass of juice you need to cut about a handful to juice. I think I'll have to order the seeds because I never see the seed packets anywhere. The packet I got has a website on the back, it's "botanicalinterests.com
I've got baby zucchinni.
My sunflowers are so pretty. Can you spot the Bee? I took a video of him working but the video was too blurry darn it.
My cherry tomatoes just now rippened. We need some hotter weather for them to really get going.
Check out my baby green bell peppers.

Garden Color

2008-06-01T11:52:00.001-07:00

I took this picture today because of the pretty colors. Then I noticed my Husbands toy car on the right of the photo. Gosh, why was that there???

Corn, Okra, more squash, Sweet peas, growin still...

SPROUTS

2008-05-28T16:58:00.001-07:00

These wheat grass seeds were started just 2 days ago between some paper towels which were kept moist.
So after they sprouted I then put them in a plastic tray with potting soil, then put in the kitchen window. I should start getting the "grass" from the wheat seeds very soon. Yummy!

Wheat Grass and Bush Beans

2008-05-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

These are the green bean seeds that will be planted after I pull up the spinach. And I'm germinating some wheat grass seeds. I thought I would give them a try and just let them grow from the window sill of the kitchen. I got curious about wheat grass because they sell it at the "Jamba Juice" and "Juice it up". So I seen the package of seeds and bought it thinking I should see if I can grow them, and use the juice at home with my own juicer. Now I've found out I can't actually process the wheat grass in my juicer cause it can clog it up pretty bad. I may have to buy an actual wheat grass juicer.
Wheat grass also known as "liquid sunshine" is one of the most nutritious foods available to humans. It detoxifies the blood, and the chlorophyll in wheat grass juice has antibiotic properties and creates an unfavorable environment for bacterial growth. Chlorophyll can inhibit the activity of some carcinogens, and wheat grass juice is an appetite suppressant. It improves the bodies ability to heal wounds, and helps purify the liver. It improves digestion and keeps hair from greying. Wheat grass juice absorbs 92 of the 102 minerals in the soil and contains almost all the vitamins used by humans. There's a lot more information to add on this subject but you get the idea about the benefits of this little grass.
Germinating seeds between wet paper towels then put in zip-lock bag.

Fresh spinach for lunch

2008-05-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Fresh from the garden.
Spinach, Sweet Peas, and Basil grown from my garden and freshly picked for lunch. My tomatoes are not ripe yet so these are from the Farmers market.

Rainy day today...is this sunny California?

2008-05-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

Its a rainy day today in the Central California valley. We had tremendous wind this last week then a weather system that brought us rain. No complaining here about the rain, but please don't bring the Wind! We even had a couple of tornados down in southern Calif. I know all our gardens could use the wet rain. Yippee, I don't have to water today!
My first Sunflower. These aren't tall guy's. I'm glad I planted the medium height one's, cause the gail force winds we just had would have knocked the tall ones completely over.
It looks like I have purple dirt. It's just the way the sun/cloudy light came through the lens I guess. This is my spinach. I'm learning that this is probably what it looks like when it "bolts". We've had some pretty hot weather and I'm afraid the spinach time is up. I'll pull it up and harvest the leaves and plant bush beans in it's place. I've been cutting spinach leaves for a while now and using in some great salads.
One more view of the spinach with the red and yellow onions. I hope my onions get a little bigger, they just seem a little slow in getting fatter at the bulb. They don't get a full day of direct sunlight so that is probably the cause. My neighbors are huge and falling over already, and she has them in direct sunlight all day long.

2008-05-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

SWEET CORN IS LOVIN THE HEAT...
UH-OH WHAT'S BEEN EATIN THE SQUASH LEAVES? I suspect white flies. I've seen them on my tomatoes too. Guess I better get the soap spray, I hope that takes care of them.
I GOT A BETTER CLOSE-UP TODAY OF MY "BLONDE" BUMBLEBEE.

I HAVE SWEET PEAS! I just discovered them. They were so hidden or I just wasn't lookin for them yet. The HOT weather really brought them to mature.

I think summer is here. It's 90 F. today.

2008-05-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

I took this picture today of a BLONDE Bumblebee. Yea, he's blonde. This is the first year ever, that I have seen this little guy. He is always buzzin around this particular bush (sweet broom). There aren't any blooms on the bush yet but he's always there.
SUNFLOWER just starting to bud.
Little tomatoes

GARDEN VIEW
SPINACH AHND ONIONS
OKRA

It's warming up really quick. The vegetables are lovin' it. I'm looking forward to some fast growing food! My soil isn't the best, so it will be a surprise if I get any good results with anything as I'm not an experienced gardener. Before I planted anything I added compost to the soil. But I think it needed more of something else to make it more loamie.

Things are growin.

2008-05-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

Watermelon
Sweet Corn
Zucchinni Squash

Red Finch

2008-05-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

I took this picture today of this Male Red finch. I have lots of them around. I just can't seem to ever get any decent pictures cause I don't have a super duper camera with a close-up lense. This bird feeder is right outside my window, so I was able to get a pretty good close-up.

Birdies flew the "coup"

2008-05-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

My baby birds flew from their nest yesturday the 3rd of May. This picture was taken just a week a go. They grew so fast! Their still learning to navigate through the yard cause I still see them. When I go out into the yard "Mama Bird" sees me and perches on a branch real close to try to distract me from them... I don't bother them though, I don't want her to get stressed and draw attention to them cause my cat might take advantage of it.

New Seeds to Plant

2008-05-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

I bought these seeds the other day thinking I'd like to plant them. Now I have to find room though. The weather is warming up very fast so I better hurry.

Gourd Seedlings

2008-04-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Here are gourd seedlings that I started in trays under a grow light. They grew tall and lanky and didn't transplant very well in the garden.

I planted these gourd seedlings in the garden about a week ago. I think they do better planted directly in the ground. I planted some seeds in seed trays a few months ago with a grow light and they became very scragly. I transplanted them in the garden and they just didn't do well.

I planted the same kind of seed (Burpee-large bottle mix) last year and was very pleased with the seed. I planted a little late though (end of June) and all I got was three gourds.

Baby Birdies are growing.

2008-04-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the "Black Phoebe's". They are still babies but are growing very fast. I have counted 4 so far. Last year their Mama had 5 in the same nest. Just last week they all fit inside the nest and I could barely see them. This week they are on the edge. It's amazing how fast they are growing.

Good day to plant

2008-04-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

My Spinach is starting to grow, now that the weather is warming up! I purchased the small seedlings at the local "Lowes" store.

I took this picture of the little Black Phoebe bird that adopted a vacant Swallow's nest. Her babies are hatched and starting to peek their beeks over the edge. She made a nest last year and had about 5 chicks that barely fit in the small nest as they were growing. It was amazing how they just up and flew away one day. I watched them as she coaxed them out of the nest and they followed her out to the almond field next to my yard. There they stayed for a few days learning how to fly. I would see them periodically over the summer months. It was awsome.

I finally got to transplant my Bell Peppers. It was a very sunny morning. I planted a row next to my climbing sweet peas. I also planted some sweet corn, okra, and squash from seed. I will be looking forward to seeing some sprouts in about 10 - 14 days there a bout. The temperature is in the 80's range but next week supposed to cool down again in the 70's.

Bell Peppers and Squash seedings

2008-04-24T17:48:00.000-07:00

Bell pepper seedlings (Big dipper from Burpee)
and Summer Squash (Early White Scallop)
I'm waiting for the wind to die down so that
I can get these out into the garden...

If the wind don't die down I'll just be stuck in
the house with my Starbucks and book!

Cool misty day today for sunny California

2008-04-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Now what do I do today? It's a little cool. I don't know if the sun is going to come out. I want to get some sweet corn planted today. We'll see...