"Do-over" Time?

Some of this spring's harvest

Being a lifelong gardener in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, and having had great success in my first 4 years of winter and spring vegetable gardening here in Arivaca, I really thought I could get the hang of growing a bounty of summer crops pretty quick.    

 

However, the oh-so-humbling truth is that I have experienced an almost complete failure in my summer veggie garden!  The meager harvest from all my spring planting was as follows: 4 medium-size servings of green beans, 2 small squash, and 1 large tomato.  

My only success has been a clump of chives and a clump of French Sorrel that I got from local veggie-growing experts Les and Jay, which have both continued to thrive, though neither has grown enough to harvest from.  Recently my friend Ralphie gave me a Chiltepin plant that was already bearing peppers, which I have managed to keep alive... so does that count too? Sigh. 

The valiant Collards

 

I think it’s been a mixture of putting up too little and/or too much shade cloth, not watering enough, some problems that are just a flat-out mystery to me so far, and maybe a little bad luck mixed in.  Recently, I just gave up and tore out the last of the dying beans and squash, and the winter-planted Collards that hung in there the longest with some yummy leaves… that is until the whiteflies took over.  

 

Thankfully, the cacti, shrubs, and perennials in my native plant ornamental garden have sailed through the heat with flying colors, quite literally, which has kept my spirits buoyant through it all.  I have been delighted to see the Fishhook Barrel Cactus blooms for the first time, and to see how the Texas Rangers and the Sages responded immediately to the big rain of August 31^st with a big show of repeat blooms.  

 

That big rain also made the Sunflowers patches in our "sombrero pond" grow tall and heavy-laden with golden yellow flowers.   It makes my heart so happy to wake up and see them facing east towards the front windows of our house, then gradually turn throughout the day to face Arivaca Creek and eventually the setting sun.

Sunflowers originated in Central and South America, then were brought to other parts of the world by explorers and became beloved by many cultures.  In some traditions they are symbols of good luck, and planting them around your home will bring good fortune your way.  If that is true, then the birds and other creatures who live in the Arivaca Cienega must be the luckiest in town!  What a joy it is to walk through the Cienega at this time of year, and yet another reason for me to be happy about my first summer in the desert. Another sunflower tradition says that if you want to know the truth about something, sleep with a sunflower under your pillow - and the next day, before the sun goes down, the truth will be revealed to you.  Hmmm... I might have to try that one to help me with my veggie growing!

The handful of Purple Prickly Pear Cacti that I planted here and there in the garden finally bore their first fruit, along with growing dozens of new pads that glow in the afternoon sun.  I am so in love with these plants, there's just something about that combo of blue-green and purple on their pads that slays me! 

 

I am also super-psyched about the many brilliant blue morning glories climbing up my cistern cages! Those of you who know how long and hard I've battled the aggressive morning glories and bindweed of the PNW probably can't believe what you're reading, but these blue beauties of the desert are petite and welcome anywhere in my garden.

Other delights are the small purple asters and pepper weed plants that have seeded themselves in several areas around the property, including the formerly barren parking area that I call “the meadow” because for the past 4 years I’ve been trying to turn it into that … plus the native grasses that have sown themselves into formerly barren areas down in the wash and are thriving this summer too.  Maybe there’s a lesson from nature here for me to learn from! 

 

To be honest, one of the most awesome sights in the garden all summer was actually a result of the whitefly-infested Collard Greens: a great big Praying Mantis feasting away on those pests for many days!  One day, I even saw it holding a full-grown grasshopper in its front feet, just chomping away on it like corn on the cob!  Unfortunately I was outside without my phone, so didn’t get a photo of the carnage.  These fascinating insects are rarely seen in urban Northwest gardens, but I grew up watching them in the Midwest as a child, with my own eyes “bugging out” with glee and horror at their amazing hunting abilities.

 

So, hey, come to think of it, it was a great summer in many ways, even in my hard luck veggie garden!  And the failures just make me all the more determined to learn how to do better next spring and summer.  Here's to 2021, I say!  And to get my “do-over” plans started as soon as possible, I will be consulting with Les and Jay next week to see where best to locate new planting beds for summer crops, then will do the work during the winter months and be ready next spring!