Trying to Add Color to the Desert

It really is a desert here. Most people would balk at living in it. Once upon a time, I would have too. But it has grown on me. There are little things that you find to love. A game store. A park. A book store. Maybe a thrift store or two. The people you meet and interact with. It is a lot of sunshine, and maybe not enough rainbows, but it is home. And that means that I am setting down the details that I enjoy. Learning what works and what doesn't. 

So... I'm adding color! Our front yard isn't so much a yard. It is a lot of rocks and weeds. I see neighbors adding greenery. One is growing tomatoes! In her front yard! And I thought... I want to do some of this.  My back yard shows a lot of greenery, but my deliberate planting has failed in a lot of ways. So I told my husband I was ripping up the front zone. That I wanted to move things and plant things. My daughter and I did it in spurts because of the heat. 

Day one - gardenia bush! I LOVE the smell of gardenias. They are small white flowers with a huge scent. Pollinators love it too. My husband bought me two. I got one in the ground and had to stop. The heat and high UV is killing me here. 

Day two - mandevilla and another gardenia bush! We got the rest of the zone cleared of the weeds and put in those two bushes. Then came the top soil and watering. While we were at it, we even moved my peppers up front. Some of them. I'm desperate to keep these alive. They were given to me with so many tiny leaves, and then the heat hit us hard and they started to shrivel. Even if they are meant for full sun, apparently that doesn't count in this town. Shade is key! So we moved them into the shade out back and they lasted.

But they haven't grown since and haven't all gotten their leaves back. Not sure if these will survive, but maybe after moving up front and in the ground we will have a better shot keeping them alive. 

Day three -  This day had to be postponed. I sprained my wrist while working Day 2. Had to put on a brace as it swelled and hurt to bend it. 

Fast forward a few weeks... I have added everything I originally planned on putting in there. I have learned that shade is for all plants. Including those that normally love sun. Why? Because we live in the desert and it is too much sun! 

I planted a pot of lettuce too, from seeds and now have seedlings starting. Here is to hoping that we can grow our own and be having salads soon. And to adding a little more greenery to our desert home! 

A New Aspect to the Daily Grind

I have never thought I had the green thumb skill. I couldn't even keep a bamboo plant alive! But that doesn't mean I wanted to sit back and only watch others grow things. I had hoped that one day I could have a garden yard. Pretty flowers. Edible plants. Everything one might only dream of. Fast forward and that has not been a thing. The plant that lasted the longest for me was a succulent. Until the little pot it was in broke. Despite moving it to another pot, it withered away too. 

This year was different. Prices of produce, and the skimpy things you could find in stores, left a lot to be desired. Which solidified my resolve. I was going to put more effort into growing things myself. Would it work? Eeeehhhh maybe not. But I was going to give it my best effort!

I had seen shorts made by Creative_Explained on Instagram. The guy is awesome! He breaks down the process of seed starting and growing. I have used some of these already to try to grow things.   

My first plant was the cucumber. I was SO proud of how big it got. And it even flowered. Then, one of two things happened. Either it became diseased, or I over-watered it. I'm not exactly sure which... But it showed me I could do this!

So I started another plant. Sadly, something kept getting into the pots and pulling out the seeds.  I did get the watermelon started, but it didn't last long. Instead, I now have potatoes sprouting up. 

I have about 3 spuds growing that I saw when I transferred this to a bigger pot with more soil. I started this one from a potato we got at the meat market. It had started growing on my counter and has taken off from there. 

Then came the onion. This was also started from an onion we had purchased and then I sliced off the root side and planted it. Green onions (or chives) will grow the same way! I have had success with that in the past. 

Some wild flowers are growing from seeds I was given. Another happy experiment!  

Some helpful tricks I'm learning to balance in the process are adding cinnamon to keep away rot and mold. The brown flakes you see were from crumbled cinnamon sticks we were given. Also, if you soak banana peels in water for about 2 hours, you can then use that water to add potassium back into the soil. Used coffee grounds are also helpful. Soak in water, strain that out into a spray bottle and use it to benefit the plants nutrients and growth. I have to learn how to properly apply these techniques in a balanced way though. That might have been what killed my cucumber. Not balancing the 3 just right.  

Despite the ups and downs, I have taken this as another task to my day. One that can be disappointing when things don't grow. But can also bring great satisfaction when they do. It pushes me to try harder. Research more. Do better. Some days, I don't want to do anything. There is a lot pressing down on me lately, but this little change in life has helped me fight those down days. I can't wait to see what I can do later on!