I'm BACK!

Hellloooo internets! I am sorry I have been away so long. Lots of things have been happening so let me update you.

First things first, I am sure you are all just dying to know what happened to the little garden that could.

Well, the cucumber plant produced some interesting looking cukes. They didn't turn the dark green color that we see in the grocery store and their texture was different than what I expected. They weren't as crunchy but the skin was so thin that you didn't have to peel them you could just chop them up and eat them so that was cool. Check out the bounty that was the cucumbers.

Do you think these weird shapes are a result of project artificial insemination?

Then there are the tomatoes. The desert reds didn't come in very well. I think it may have had something to do with the great caterpillar infestation of June 2011. I have no idea where those little suckers came from but there were tons of them and they were very well camouflaged.

I e mailed the long suffering Ben from Harvest to Home and he sent me some stuff to put in the water and that seemed to do the trick. Alas I believe it was too late because we mostly got tomatoes that looked like these

But we did get a few of these

Unfortunately I can't find any of the pictures of the yellow pears except for the two nestled next to the cucumbers in the prior picture. They turned out well. The flavor was good. They were sweet and perfect for dipping in hummus or adding to pasta or salads or just eating them straight off the vine. I didn't have many to share because they were small and they went quick. Maybe two of those next year and skip the desert reds.

The guys from Harvest to Home felt bad about how the thing with the cucumbers went down so they offered me a Fall garden box. I am very excited about that. They have broccoli, cauliflower, lettuces, spinach, herbs. Lots of stuff. I am not sure what I am going to try out this season so stay tuned for that. If you want to grow your own garden give Dave or Ben an e mail and they can set you up. infoAZ@harvesttohome.com

Now, harvesting the garden wasn't the only thing I have been doing these many weeks that I have been away not blogging.

We have been up in the mountains.

Look at these pups after a long day running around the watering hole

 Then Mike found a crawfish spot and we had a nice crawfish boil.

Yumm!

And then we found an Arizona Black rattlesnake in our bunkhouse. He probably wouldn't have come inside but someone left the door open all night and I am sure the snake thought it was a great idea to curl up in the shelter of our bunkhouse all camouflaged looking just like a rope on the ground.

Here he is giving us a last look before heading in to the woods

Also I got a new helmet! So now Mike will let me ride the 4 wheeler. I know, it is quite the fashion statement. And, bonus!  I can go a lot faster now that I have some goggles to keep the bugs from smacking me in the face.

We rode the bikes to the top of Diamond Point to watch the sunset. My guy's idea. He is such a romantic.

So, that was pretty much our Summer. Now that we are heading in to Fall, I can't wait to post about some of the cool events that will be happening. Fall is my favorite time of year! The cooler weather we have been panting and waiting for is on the way.

Some events I will post here but check out my other blog Cheap Thrills in AZ. This is a collaborative effort with my friend Beth. We are going to find and review some cheap things to do in the Valley.

From the depths of despair....a cucumber rises

Well, it has been a while since my last garden post and I am sure you are all just on the edge of your seats waiting to see what has transpired at black thumb central.

The cucumber plant has lost it's luster and is now in the death throws from who knows what. I was out checking on him this afternoon and lamenting to the dogs about how we won't be pickling or having fresh cucumber salads when low and behold....!

What do I spy??? A full fledged cucumber!

 

 

 

 

 

I believe this is one of cucumbers from project pollination. I didn't post about this but here's the short version.

All of my cucumbers were going from the cute little cucumber buds to, uh... dead so I did a little googling to see what could be causing this problem and gardeners around the valley suggested that they are not getting pollinated because I don't have very many bees. The suggestions ranged from hand pollinating and planting some bee attracting flowers. I did both. I planted these pretty flowers in hanging pots on the patio

And then I crossed my fingers and hoped that some bees would get interested and come my way. Ha ha just kidding.

Of course, we all know that would not be the end of project pollination. I couldn't just sit by and do nothing so I read up on how to tell the difference between a male cucumber flower and a female cucumber flower and then I read about how you can hand pollinate them. I tried it on a few of the flowers. I believe the giant cucumber pictured above is the product of my intervention and there's one more that refuses to succumb to whatever else is eating the cucumber plant. See the sad pictures below.

Come on buddy, LIVE!

What is eating you my friend?

 I tried to get a shot of the one little cucumber that is trying to grow but it is pretty windy today and I couldn't get a clear shot. Plus he may be camera shy because he knows what happened to the other cucumbers buds that I took pictures of.

The tomato plant, on the other hand,  has been very prolific! Here is a shot of the whole plant exploding out of it's cage.

Yowzers!

 

And here are a few pictures of the future pear tomatoes. There are lots and lots of them.

Now, the desert red tomato was looking like he wasn't going to do much producing so I tied back the pear because he was totally being a cage hog and now we've got a few reds coming in. Most notably there's one that I have spotted that I will give you the last two weeks of pictures so you can see how he is growing.

May 22nd

May 29th

So, I am holding out hope that the cucumber will make a comeback but if not the tomato will more than compensate!

Oh garden, my have you grown!

I know I have been a little slow in posting, it has been a busy few weeks and I have been out enjoying these beautiful days before we are hit with the sweltering heat.

While I have been out gallivanting around the garden has gone from being a cute little bunch of leaves to a full fledged monster of buds and flowers! Here are some pictures.

Remember this little guy? Well, he is now a full fledged cucumber plant!

 

 

And remember this one? We thought he was a goner a few times but look at him grow!

I also noticed a few new developments on both plants. We have some cute little pre-tomatoes and pre-cucumbers coming in. I have, of course, taken pictures of these future salad ingredients.

Well, helloooo little cucumber

Can you see those two delicious little orbs in there? They are well camouflaged.

Also, David from Harvest to Home checked in on me to remind me to do an extra check on the water supply during these hotter days and to make sure we are still growing. After seeing the monster cucumber plant he offered his wife's pickle recipe. I will for sure need it.

So, that's it for now. I have three sets of eyes watching and waiting patiently for me to finish up so they can go on a hike.

Who can resist these cute little faces?

The little garden that can!

So, we had a little bit of a scare at black thumb central. The tomato plants had some yellow spots on them and the leaves at the bottom of the plants were crumbling and dying.

Oh NO!!

 

 

I sent Ben at Harvest to Home a panicked e mail with pictures of the damage and he responded quickly and calmly. He told me to look for bugs (didn't see any) and then to spray the essential oil spray on the affected plants. He reminded me to DILUTE the oil this time and to spray either at night or in the early morning. 

I sprayed the spray on the tomato plants and now look at them!!

Ta-DAAAHHH!

 

 

I would like to do a little comparison of the before and after.

 

 

Sad diseased plants

Happy perky plants!

Ben came by to see how the plants were doing (how's that for service?) and he was very happy about how they are looking. The cucumber plant has become a monster. Here's a before and after taken one week apart.

Last week, not yet at the top of the trellis

This week! Holy cow! 

As you can see, the cucumber plant is growing like crazy, his little feelers are grabbing on to everything, including the light fixture,  the tomato plant, the dogs if they stand still for too long.  We had to move him to his own little section of the patio.

I can almost taste the fresh tomatoes and cucumbers now. Yummm!

Easter Weekend Fun!

There are lots of fun things to do this Easter weekend, that is... besides eat lots of Easter candy.

Mmmmmmm Chocolate Easter Eggs.

What?! Oh, ok here we go!

First up, if you would like to take a little trip up North, Sedona has a few things that might pique your interest. They are having an Art and Craft show featuring more than 35 artisans and their crafts. There will be paintings, leather, jewelry, wood, metal, fountains, carvings and many Native American artists too! Click here Bell Rock Art Shows. Another reason to head to the beautiful red rocks would be to see Strauss's Capriccio at the Metropolitan Opera.  The concert  is on April 23rd and begins at 10 AM. Tickets are $18.

Of course if you don't do either of these, Sedona is a great place for hiking, rafting, fishing, shopping and eating. Pretty much my top 5 favorite things to do. 

Ahhhh Sedona. 

If you aren't feeling like taking a trip to the North how about heading to Tempe for the 15th Annual Art Museum Short Film and Video Festival? It begins at 8 PM on April 23rd and it is FREE! The event celebrates the artistic & creative endeavors of individuals with different visions & levels of experience, bring a lawn chair or blanket and maybe a little bug spray, it's getting a bit buggy out at night. For more information click Here

Nelson Fine Arts Plaza-Photo Credit Ken Storch

 One other event in Tempe is at ASU Gammage. David Sedaris will be there on April 22nd at 8 PM. Sedaris is one of America’s pre-eminent satirists, with sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, Sedaris gathers odd, shiny facts and foibles, from working as a Macy’s Santaland elf to moving to Japan to quit smoking tickets are $29-$59 click Here for more info.

Also, it is a wonderful time to go to the Desert Botanical Garden.  The Spring concert series is going strong. This Friday features Jazz/R & B artist Dennis Rowland. Tickets are $15-$21 and they do recommend reservations. 

Just one variety of the many blooms at the DBG

And for the sports fans, now that the Coyotes are out of the playoffs,  it is time to turn our attention to baseball!! The D-backs are playing some serious ball. This weekend they are playing at the Mets but Monday they are back in AZ for the week playing the Phillies and the Cubbies. Click Here for the complete schedule.

It's getting hot out there so get out and enjoy the pre-100's before it is too late!

Snow in April? Really?

Myko making a run for the tennis ball before it hits the snow drift

Well folks, we had some actual bona fide weather this weekend! Snow showers in April here in AZ! Here are some snowy pictures to enjoy.

Spring wonderland

Myko debating the wisdom of her summer hair cut

Lily mid-shake

Some of us are not as thrilled about the snow as others. 

The next morning I could hear loud thunks as the snow dropped off the roof, the sunshine sparkling off the icicles.  The blue sky was a beautiful contrast to the green of the trees adorned with little bursts of white stuff. I guess this will probably be the last of it until next year.

Oh! And we had a wonderful surprise when we found some tulips coming up. They looked pretty sturdy even after the snow but they still haven't bloomed. Any time now.

Bring on the Spring!

Garden update and Weekend goings on

Well hello! Just wanted to update you all with some new garden pictures. I can not believe how big it has gotten! The cukes are crawling up the trellis and the tomatoes are getting taller. There are lots of flowers on the cucumber plants and a few on the tomato plants. Check it out!

Hello there little cucumber to be

 

Look at them go!

A lonely little tomato flower, hopefully he will be joined by lots of BUDdies- get it? heh-heh

 

Now, on to the events for this weekend!!

Here's something that you film aficionados might want to take a look at, it's the Arizona Film Festival. There will be over 150 films by independent producers from around the world, premiere screenings, filmmaker presentations and workshops. This event starts today and goes until April 20th so you've got some time to get down there and check it out.

If you like good food get yourself on over to the 2011 Scottsdale Culinary Festival. The festival begins today and runs until April 10th. The festival features Demonstrations, Great AZ picnic, Le Tour Culinaire, Southwest Festival of Beers, Wine Country Brunch, Best of the Fest, tastings & Epicurean events. Holy cow! How could you think of missing it? YUM!

Also,  Country Thunder  started today! If you haven't gotten tickets yet it isn't too late and there are still lots of acts left to see. Toby Keith, Jason Aldean, Little Big Town and tons more!

And one last event that is FREE! The Tempe Town Lakes Regatta. The Canoe racing, outrigger canoe competition, music & entertainment go from 8AM to 5 PM on April 9th, bring lawn chairs and blankets and, uh, maybe an umbrella. 

Even if we get a little rain this weekend, go enjoy some cool stuff.