Nothing is better than spring gardening season in the desert southwest. Mid-February is typically the last frost date and planting can begin. This year has been unseasonably warm with temps hitting the upper 80's already. Warm soil means prime germination for many spring veggies. In January I got busy building and prepping 5 new raised beds with visions of bountiful summer crops dancing in my head. The beds are on the west wall of the backyard close to the existing beds. They will get eastern exposure and relief from the harsh afternoon sun. They are filled with a mixture of native soil, my compost, Kellogg garden soil and Kellogg compost. I also sprinkled each bed with heaping handfuls of bonemeal and blood meal and mixed well. I installed a drip system from leftover pvc pipes and everything is on a timer so I can travel without fear. On Feb 8 I started planting. Every day I hover over my new starts and seedlings protecting them from bugs and those pesky birds. I planted tomatoes (20), peppers (jalapeños, Anaheim, yellow bell) from transplants. Tomatillo seeds, carrots, radishes, herbs, cucumbers, sunflowers, various annual flowers, nasturtium, marigold, bush beans, pole beans, peas, zuccini canteloupe, kohl rabi, potatoes ( in a separate container), spinach, head and leaf lettuces. I love spring gardening.
The old raised beds are still going strong with the Cascadia snap peas being the center of attention. They are prolific and fat and juicy. I snack on them straight from the garden. The broccoli is still producing and very tasty. I have one more cauliflower to harvest then I will plant something else there. The lettuces are hanging on but starting to bolt in the heat. The carrots and kale are growing and cilantro doing well. Also have lots of onions and garlic.
New tomato bed. Early Girl, Lemon Boy and Cherry. I planted them using the trench method. I snipped off the lower leaves and laid them in a trench mixed with crushed aspirin, eggshells, tomato plant food and Epsom salt. They are growing well so I think this experiment just might work. Along the wall I planted lots of Cascadia peas.
Cucumber bed. Poinsette, Sumpter, Boston Pickling, Homemade Pickles varieties. Also mammoth sunflowers. I made a yarn trellis for them to climb. There are carrots and lettuce and spinach in there too. Also marigolds and nasturtiums in every bed.
New raised beds. There is one more not in the picture. I can't wait to see it all fill in. I'll keep you posted.
