June 19

One of the greatest things in the world is to be able to walk out to the garden and pick your dinner or at least part of your dinner.  It's the payoff to the hard work of gardening.  While I'm still waiting for tomatoes, the carrots and potatoes are enough to hold me over.  With homegrown garlic and onions one of my favorite things to do is simply roast them in the oven with some fresh herbs.  Roasting intensifies the flavors and sweetness of the vegetables.  It makes a nice dish on its own or as a complement to any meat dish. 

As for my tomatoes, as you can see, they are a ways away from being ripe but I have lots of fruit on the vines.  Since tomatoes don't usually set much fruit in the hottest part of the summer, it's nice to know that I have something to look forward to as the temperature goes up. 



July isn't something most of us look forward to.  After the fireworks of July 4th celebrations I think most of us want to hibernate away from the heat.  While I know it's tempting, there are still things you can do in the garden.  The monsoons are coming and it is a nice time to plant native or drought tolerant perennials.  The monsoon rains (assuming we get them) are perfect for jump-starting desert adapted plants.  Also plant melons and squash.  Native Seed Search in Tucson has many varieties that have been cultivated by Native Americans for centuries that are specifically adapted to monsoon rainfall.    They also have a store in Tucson if you happen to be driving through.

Just remember if the rains don't show up, you will have to water.  Everyone do a rain dance!

Native Seed Search
http://www.nativeseeds.org/
Store location and mail orders:
3061 N. Campbell Avenue. Tucson, AZ 85719
Phone: 520-622-5561
Toll Free: 866-622-5561
Fax (orders welcome): 520-622-5591
Summer Store Hours (June 1st - August 31st):
Monday thru Saturday - 10 am - 5 pm.  Closed on Sunday.

My Garden

Dayglo

Old-Fashioned Iris

Instant Smiles

 My official start of spring is when my iris start to bloom.  After freeing them from the jungle of Bermuda grass, they took off and are rewarding me with an embarrassment of riches.  Most of my iris are named varieties but I have quite a few of the old-fashioned purple and yellow iris that have been gracing yards since the beginning of growing iris.  While they may not have the fancy ruffles, variegated colors and clever names of newer types, they are reliable, very hardy and drought tolerant.  Most of mine flourish with rainwater and no fertilizer.  Yet, as the picture shows they still put on a dramatic display every year.

Potatoes & Carrots

I planted peas, potatoes, carrots and lettuce a month or so ago.  Due to some problems with the drip hoses, the lettuce was disrupted twice and had to be replanted but is finally growing well.  The culinary sage that has been in the ground two years now has flourished and rewarded me with a beautiful display and food for insects and hummingbirds.   Planted last fall the garlic will be ready to pick in a few weeks.  Good thing, I ran out of home-grown garlic a couple of months ago.

Garlic

Sage

This is the time of year everyone rushes to get their summer vegetables in but remember the average frost date is mid-May so don't forget to keep on eye on the weather and be prepared to protect young plants.  Yesterday I picked up a few tomatoes and peppers to go in the garden but will wait until next week to put them in.  Sweet potatoes are also waiting in the wings.  I started mine (well, they really started on their own) from grocery store potatoes.  The roots have really started to grow the last few days with the warm weather.  Sweet potatoes grow well here and boy are they good eating!  I don't have quite the same luck with regular potatoes.  This year though they are looking really good so I have my fingers crossed that I will be feasting on them soon.

Carnival Song

This is the time of year when you know that the garden will be great.  The time before the weeds overwhelm you, when the heat saps your energy and you don't have to even start thinking about what you are going to do with all the extra zucchini.