7/4/22: I just published this post now, had many more pictures to add, but never got to it.
The pic above is from 5/31 and it shows that I’ve had little time to cultivate and clean up. On the left is a cherry the gophers killed.
Haven’t even had time to take new pics. Maybe this eve, although I’m busy getting sugar sorghum and hulless pumpkin seeds planted. So late again …
6/5/22: Been so incredibly busy and behind schedule, still got lots to transplant. But all in all, I’m very happy with the garden, especially since I’ve had so little time.
Penstemon Sunset
This picture is from April but had to include it here because it’s so pretty.
Penstemon in April
Boysenberries and peppers
The boysenberry planted last summer is doing great and has already multiplied. And they have berries too. Hopefully, the lizards and birds leave a few for me.
7/4: YES, I got to eat some berries! DELICIOUS!
Under the baskets are a couple of bell peppers. Under the colanders are winter squash and/or watermelons.
Berries, peppers, figs …
The east herb bed
A large willow provides afternoon shade and off to the side is mint in pots. In winter I planted cabbage and chard, unfortunately way too late. I already planted a few tomatoes between the cabbages. In the front are radishes, onions and strawberries.
I have hundreds of various basil seedlings but may lose most of them if I get them in the ground at all. Too busy.
7/4: The tomatoes I had planted had all their leaves eaten, no idea what did it. The cabbages are STILL growing, in July.
The herb bed
Cauliflower
I’m surprised it’s forming a head in this heat! This variety seems to do better then the purple cauliflower that’s going to seed so quickly. 7/4: It’s still out there!
Cauliflower
Cabbage and Yarrow
I’m excited to see the lavender yarrow. It’s usually mostly white and I don’t know why the colors change. Am thrilled to have at least three large established yarrows.
Under the colander are radishes, hopefully. Haven’t looked in a while.
The colanders remind me to water, it protects the seedlings from critters and especially quail, provide shade, and are a MUST HAVE around here.
7/4: The yarrow is mostly white now.
Yarrow and cabbage
Cornflower and Pomegranate
Love those blue flowers with the red pomegranate flowers. The cornflower barely survived when I planted it out last summer, way too late. What a stunning surprise to see it thrive this year!
Cornflower and pomegranate
Fig with fruit
This fig has been really taking off! Grew at lest a foot this year, I’ve been giving it a lot of water.
7/4: I had to take the water tank next to it out of the garden because this fig is growing like crazy. Hopefully, I’ll get to harvest some of the many figs!
Fig with fruit
The fig in front was completely frozen
It came right back and I’ll have to transplant the fig close to the fence. Wish it wasn’t so hot. Maybe I’ll wait till fall.
7/4: I should have transplanted it a month ago, now they’re so large, growing so fast and way too close together.!
The frozen fig recovered
The new tree was planted in winter 20/21
I can’t remember what it is! I’m beating the birds to the fruit. Found one on the ground a couple of days ago and to my surprise it was edible.
Now I have to eat a few every time I’m in the garden! They look and taste like apricots, although still sour.
7/4: It’s a mix between apricot and plum and absolutely DELICIOUS. When they ripen the texture changes from apricot to plum and they are so juicy!
New apricot / plum tree
The new Peach Tree (2020)
It doesn’t have a lot of peaches, but I’m really hoping that they’ll be ready much sooner than the older peach tree. Last year it had a few peaches too, but they disappeared before we could taste them.
7/4: They’re getting bigger and hopefully will be ready to eat soon.
2020 Peach Trree
Parsley, thyme, fennel, berries …
The parsley is going to seed already and I’m hoping that I’ll have many volunteers in the future. I’m so happy I made a couple of parsley dishes. On the right is the fennel that took over the dill and fennel is growing EVERYWHERE now.
7/4: Am still trying to get rid of all that fennel coming up everywhere. It will be BANNED from the garden. I’ve moved a few seedlings to the little pond and they barely survived.
Parsley and fennel
My most reliable fruit tree, the Peach
Planted in 2016, this peach tree has been a reliable heavy producer. 7/4: Still have lots of fruit despite the wind. Can’t wait for November to harvest.
Peaches
Can’t wait for plums!
Last year I got NO plums, but it looks like we’re on track for another record harvest this year. The plum tree has been an excellent producer. The critters loved them too and I used to wrap the branches in Agribon (ag blanket), but two years ago the critters figures out how to get in.
7/4: Tomorrow large fruit protectors should be arriving. They just turned blue and the birds are already feasting while they’re still very sour.
The plum is loaded
Red Hot Poker
Got these plants from a master gardener quite a few years ago and even the gophers can’t kill them.
Red hot poker
The Pomegranates are setting fruit
7/4: The constant wind this year took a toll on the pomegranates and I lost many of the flowers. I’m going to try to to water a lot and they should produce more flowers.
Pomegranate flowers and fruit
I’m so pleased to find this site. You have a more extreme version of the climate I have. It’s great to see what works for you as I am always looking to future proof where I live (likely turning from dry mediterranean to desert in the next 100 years).
I read in one of your earlier posts that you were going to build a resource of techniques, strategies and species that you have employed. Are you still thinking of doing so? If so Id love to see them.
Hello Damian,
I definitely “want” to create more resources, but unfortunately have had so many things happen.
Totaled my truck in June:
https://repairthebrain.com/corporate-welfare-hit-a-black-bull-and-totaled-my-truck/
Still have to update this post, but I’ve been overwhelmed by litigation, flashfloods (lost my road and the county won’t fix it), and for the last 12 days I’ve spent almost all day every day trying save homeless and severely mentally ill Elliot’s life:
https://repairthebrain.com/arizona-mohave-county-leaves-mentally-ill-homeless-to-die-in-the-desert/
I filed my EMERGENCY Motion last night, but the Kingman superior court refused to file it, so the saga continues.
It’s very difficult for me to establish priorities and I have too much empathy and compassion to leave Elliot to die in the desert like literally everybody else, including the agencies required by law to pick him up for evaluation and treatment.
However, I DID somehow manage to start desert mimosa and Joshua Tree seeds. And as of last week the few plants I got started on the 2 acres I bought last year for a demonstration site were still growing.
Fortunately, we’ve had the absolute BEST summer in the 22 years I lived here, with the occasional monsoon rains and much cooler temperatures. That’s what the weather here USED to be like in the 90s.
Also, while I despise FB, I do run this gardening / permaculture group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/highdesertpermacultureandgardening
My plan is to mostly post on FB links to my posts here, but I just don’t have any time. And because I suffered brain damage (working memory), I have a very hard time with fixing my websites, learning the Divi theme and plugins and organizing.
But I WILL get there if they let me live long enough 🙂
Here is where the resources are SUPPOSED to be:
https://highdesertpermaculture.org/Resources/
There are a few posts, but I have to figure out how to make them show up at that link! Am new to BetterDocs.
It would actually be very therapeutical for me to POST resources as I very much enjoy working on POSITIVE change, but trying to figure out why the posts don’t show up is stressful for me, especially right now.
Where are you located?
I live on top of a hill in south western Portugal, the most southwesterly point in continental europe. Its always been a dry and extremely windy site and as we arent connected to mains have lived many years exclusively from rainwater harvest. This has grown gradually less reliable and Im increasingly looking at fog capture (right by the coast).
I did a road trip through the werstern USA and clearly remember the amazing spicy perfumed smell of the region you live in. We have something similar here. Dry adaptation must really drive those amazing scents. Sorry for your troubles of late and thanks for the links as well as getting back to me!
Email me directly if you need a hand with the linking things. Im a web developer by trade and would be glad to help your knowledge get out. No charge.
From Germany originally, I’ve been to France and Spain, but I’ve never been in Portugal. My sister moved there with her baby after Chernobyl since it supposedly didn’t get any fallout. Moved back to Germany after a few years, communication problems I think. They were in a rural area.
In the 80s I lived near San Francisco at THE foggiest place for a while. Back then we didn’t think about fog harvesting. Then I moved a few miles south, bought a house from a prize-winning dahlia grower and he left many of his plants, they loved the fog.
But I didn’t grow food because I was so grossed out by the bugs, especially earwigs. Everything was so green. And we didn’t know how toxic conventional food is.
So you’re in an arid coastal climate. The desert mimosas would probably do well, if they like your soil. Ours is extremely alkaline, around 8.7 pH. They would make great overstory trees. My seedlings are a few inches tall now and I’m wondering when to transplant.
The desert willows and bird of paradise would make great windbreaks and pollinators. The bees and butterflies love them. There are some other native yellow flowering plants that turned my orchard into a Monarch butterfly habitat last fall.
And pomegranates for food.
What is your pH?
But there’s also the issue of introducing non native species to your area.
And I’ll send you an email for the links, thanks!