May 23rd - Sudden temperature spike and its effects on the garden

We went from 60ºF days and 40º-ish nights (sometimes dipping into the 30s) to three days of 100º+ (actually reaching 110º for two days), then 65-70º nights. The ducks were panting in the searing heat, so we made a secondary pond for them and added shade cloths, as well as hosing them down with cool mist during the hottest part of the day. This seemed to help them a great deal.

So... after the three 100+ days, we had a 90º day, then suddenly down to the 60s with high winds. The effects have been fast and very destructive. Two rose bushes are going down, exhibiting what could have been overwatering, though our watering has not been excessive - but the early and slow Spring with very cold nights has caused basic mold leaf spot on most of them. What I see now may be possibly fungal wilt, which no doubt may have been caused by an increase of soil bacterias with the high heat spike. Wysteria is going yellow and dying off, tire garden shows all sorts of wilt, and now two of the apple trees are yellowing. The photinia is showing iron deficiency in its leaves, so we will need to add more nutrients to the soil. The sage bush I had tried so hard to save is yellowing as well.

The one good thing I have seen is suddenly there are some bees now, no doubt from the warmer nights.

I have been wondering while watching things wilt around me - are we over-watering, under-watering, over-mulching? But what is fascinating is that the neighbor's Oleander trees are all yellowing, and shrubs down the block as well. Young trees down the street are also showing the same symptoms. So the only thing we have in common across the board is simply the sudden temperature spike, and through my research, I am seeing firsthand that it can be terrible to plants that have been under colder conditions, as they have not been preparing for the sudden heat. Protection by yellow clovers and vetch seems to have helped some plants; I am glad they popped through the mulch as early as they did! And our wonderful grape vine is holding strong and working on its grapes!

Last night it was back down to the 40s, today, with wind, it is 50º out... Day by day, it seems... The answer here seems to be constant work on making micro-climates to help plants stabilize during this kind of weather.

May 1st - Ducks are here! Our little trio, one male and 2 females, came two weeks ago, and are getting to know the yard and their favorite spots. This little family came from a giant flock of around 50 ducks and geese that were penned in a desert hell, with a mud pond with no vegetation. They were all rescued by Animal Acres in January, and we made our plans to find a small group for the garden. Their very first act was to begin eating the slugs in our mulch, and just a few days ago, I saw them finally begin to try out some berries - something completely foreign to them. During the heat of the day, they are behind the larger bushes. I have started to build small plant cages to keep them from trampling seedlings, and as we begin to plant out new veggies, we will have to fence off parts of the garden until the plants are large enough.

April... Things are really coming to life. Though we had two near frosts in March (in which we had to cover quite a few seedlings to keep them safe), the turn towards Spring seems to have been made. Nights are around 45 or so, days are around 70. We have constructed an archway into the rose garden and have trained the roses to climb - which they are doing vigorously. A Mourning Dove has made a nest there and is currently on it night and day. Frogs are in our rain barrel, and as soon as we free them, they go back in!

I have to say - now that we are fully into the garden-mode, we have connected with the seasons and the earth in a way beyond words. Attention to Sun, light, temperature, soil, moisture, growth patterns, micro-climates - it's all on our minds at all times. Watching seedlings sprout, growing in their pots - how much light and warmth they need or not. Windbreaks or shade teepees on new seedlings. Right now I am nursing a pot-bound sage bush that has nearly died three times. I planted it 2 days ago, and I've had to construct a shade teepee until it is strong enough to handle the Sun.

The tire garden is coming together, full of flowers and cold weather lettuces, kale, broccoli, beets and other seedlings. As it only gets morning sunlight, it should stay cool enough throughout the Summer to keep salad foods going. I'll be putting a step-by-step on the Tire Garden next month as soon as it is finally finished!

Ducks are joining our family soon! Until the pond is finished - which will be the workshop planned for May, we have a large 'pond tub' for them to play in. We'll be observing them in the garden, seeing if they like the clover and dandelions, as well as assorted berries we've been planting for them. They will also get a mixture of standard feed, but we hope they will be snacking on the snails and slugs we have in the garden. In Permaculture, ducks are the ultimate in pest control - so we'll learn a great deal from them!

We should be getting them next week, a little trio rescued by Animal Acres.

Orchard Update

March... We began experiencing an early Spring in February, and with all the rain, the Hairy Vetch has begun to go crazy (see above photo). As a fantastic green manure/living carpet and mulch - it's wonderful - BUT it's been climbing on everything; other sprouting plants, such as Calendula and Yarrow, are getting smothered, not to mention budding Blueberries, Blackberries and Strawberries. As it rips easily without being damaged, we used a great deal of it in our Sheet Mulch Workshop.

We have just begun shaping the Orchard in our next step to turning it into a mini-food forest.

A Food Forest (in its very perfect form) can be seven layers: Tall fruit trees, then dwarf and semi-dwarf trees, then shrub layer such blueberries and raspberries, then an herb layer, then ground cover such as strawberries, below that is a root layer and then there are the fruiting vines that can climb the trees.

My plan this year is to tame it a bit - though I placed stepping stones last year, the plants exploded between them and walking through the Orchard became very tough by late Summer. So as I began to plant flowers (we visited The Theodore Payne Foundation for native perennials) the thought occurred that a forest path would work best. Using old plastic bags and assorted rocks and cement pieces, I routed my path. Then with wood chips to create the first layer over the bags and between the stones, I created the a walkway that will allow me access for the rest of the season. To the left is a budding dwarf Almond tree we planted last year. I have ripped down the vetch around it and mulched the base.

To the right is the path covered by wood chips. Already it gives off a fantastic forest feel, and once the shrubs begin to grow tall, it'll be a wonderful place to visit. Plans are now in gear for a cob bench!

Planting new seedlings this year is quite different from last - with the wind in high gear, all the sprouting greenery has kept the new plants safe, whereas last year, I had to put rocks around every seedling to keep them from getting knocked over!

To the left is the surviving Borage from my Winter Journal, in full bloom...