Tensiometer Installed

Today I installed a 12" Irrometer tensiometer in the SW corner of the Zutano avocado drip line.  This device is designed to measure the force required for the roots to pull water out of the soil.  When the soil is at field capacity, the tensiometer reads zero.  I will monitor this meter daily and record gauge readings to determine when to irrigate.

Lettuce bed ready to plant

Planted 30 lettuce 11/16.  Planted 12 arugula 11/18. Planted 3 spinach 11/20.

Strawberries Fertilized and Mulched

Avocado

Spring leaf tips salt burned. Summer growth okay due to August
leaching. Next year need to leach both late spring and summer.
11/20/13 Update: More summer growth is salt burned.  Several leachings may be reqiured.  Tensiometer installed to improve irrigation.

12 Garlic and 45 Onion Sprouted

Preparing Strawberry Bed

Pruning plants, fertilizing and covering the ground with clear PE
mulch. Plants have many crowns and are already starting to produce.

Seascape Berries Soil Moisture

Compost Full

Used the other can a month ago unscreened. Pretty good.

Eleven Days into Recovery

Roberta II (her new name), is on the mend. Wounds are healing,
feathers are growing back, and she is definitely feeling better. But
she is a bit goofy in her behavior and when out of the cage, she
wanders to her right. Never left. We may rename her Righty if this
continues.

Banana Flower Development

The first three hands of bananas are now exposed and I can see the
next two bulging under their bracts. It is interesting to see the
fruit is developed without pollination. Now the bees are busy on the
flowers at the tips of the fingers. One week, three hands.

Banana Flower

Another first to report! The dwarf Brazilian banana has produced a
flower. The tree was planted 11 months ago and the flower is just 6
feet off the ground. You bet, there will be updates as this flower
develops.

Runt Chicken

Today I discovered the runt chicken had been attacked in the head by
its more aggressive coop-mates. She is seriously injured with wounds
to the top and back of her head and left eye. I've given her safe
haven to recover.
10/20/13 Update: Roberta - her new name, has blossomed.  She not only recovered from her injuries, she blossomed into a laying hen.  She is blind in the left eye, but no longer walks in right hand circles.  We moved her to the courtyard where she has free range every day.  She has the best life of any chicken I know!
PS. don't tell the other chickens that live in the canyon...

Compost

Right can filled to capacity. Begin filling left can next time.

Citrus Planters

New planters for 6 dwarf trees:
Satsuma Mandarin (replanted)
Bearss Lime
Gold Nugget Mandarin
Valencia Orange
Washington Navel Orange
Trovita Orange

Corn Field

Earlivee Hybrid CN204 corn planted yesterday. About 50 seeds spaced
8". Harvest in 60 days just in time for Labor Day. One row of carrots
CR287/P 'Romance' along wall. Seeds mixed with play sand to ease
sowing and spacing the tiny carrot seeds.
All seeds from Territorial Seed Co.

Big Max Pumpkin Sets First Fruit

First Egg, Again

Today I found the first egg from the new crop of hens. It is quite
small as expected, and I found it in the far corner of the run. Time
will tell if the young hens will use the same nest box as their bully
elders.

New Vegetable Garden

Removed two citrus trees and cleared the space above the strawberries for a vegetable garden. Fenced it all in for critter control, and amended the sandy soil with lots of organic matter, sphagnum peat, compost and vermiculite. Used an electric tiller to work it all in and the resulting bed of fluffy soil is wonderful!

On 17-May planted the following:
• tomatillo (2)
• tomato (3) celebrity, HK, one other
• pepper (3) Anaheim (2), Jalapeno
• cucumber (2)
• French green beans (3 rows, 2 varieties)
• yellow onions
• carrot (4 varieties)

Photo to follow.

Bug on Grapes

Taken this year in the evening on Thursday, May 23.

This is the second individual of this type of insect I have seen on
grapes. Unable to identify with UC IPM.

Wisteria in Lambeth, London

Museum of Garden History, London

Two Dozen Seascape Strawberries

Today I found six packs of seascape strawberries at City Farmers. Planted them in the lower bed to fill in most of the space.

Flame Grape Failure

Hi,

I contacted you in March regarding the flame grape vines that did not
bud out this spring. At that time, there was some green cambium
evident. Checking today it is dead. Please advise your refund. I must
say that with both this failure and the seascape strawberries that
were doa, I am very disappointed in my purchases this year. Given the
effort, expense and time lost this season, your policy of item refund
not including shipping leaves me mail-order shy and turning to my
local sources.

Rob Oswalt

A Dozen More Sequoia Strawberry Plants

The bare root Seascape strawberries I planted back in early March are
dead, all 78 of them! They were dead before they shipped. I have since
added 8 Seascape plants and today a dozen Sequoia to fill part of the
bed. I'm also propogating the runners for more plants.

Avocado Trees

Back a month ago, I removed the yearling Hass avocado due to suspected
root fungus disease. Today I planted its replacement in a new spot and
another variety called Fuerte.

Fuerte Avocado

Bird Net Over Berries

Added a 3 inch wide strip of bird net over each row of strawberries
today. Have found 2-3 berries each day half eaten by some critter.
Also refreshed Sluggo lightly.

Henry saw a King Snake today nearby. Perhaps snakes or lizards are
having berries for breakfast.

The battle continues... Lets just hope I don't kill myself in the process.

ps. Pat, it was great to meet you in Coronado a couple nights ago.
Thanks for following this blog!

Seeds Planted

From South to North in upper grape bed, zucchini, watermelon, pumpkin
(Jack-O-Lantern, and Big Max Pumpkin. 7-10 days to sprout. Gourds
between pumpkin from seedling 2 weeks ago.

Hard Shelled Gourds

Four leaf seedlings planted between 1st year Flame grapes. Should be
plenty of sun this summer.

Red Russet Potatoes

Planted today in a well drained bed just below the Rosemary. Thanks
D&D for the seed spuds!

Satsuma Aphids

Aphids heavily infested on new growth. Used water jet to reduce about
90 percent.

3/25 inspection showed return of many aphids. Wiped most with finger.

Grapes

Pruned to two growing shoots.

Seascape Strawberriew

Added 78 new plants bare root a week ago. Still waiting to see signs of growth.

3/25 called Grow Organic to report no growth on strawberries planted 2-1/2 weeks ago. Sales agent indicated there have been problems with Seascape strawberries. Left message and email. Expect response tomorrow.

Asparagus

Courtesy of my neighbor Maggie, planted 12 asparagus today. Four eac
of three varieties. From North to South: UC157; UC72; Sweet Purple 5;
all bare root in a trench 6" deep covered in 1-2" soil. Plan to
continue to cover as they grow to be a mound 1-2" high. Then will
mulch heavily to keep weeds down.

The Girls

Ten Vines Vinyard

Today planted 10 grape vines bare root.
2 each:
Ruby
Black Monukka
Himrod
Flame
Perlette
All seedless table grapes.

3/24 pruned to two shoots. Ruby showing no sign off bud swell. Reported lack of growth to Grow Organic on 3/25. Himrod showing vigorous growth.

Six More Chicks