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.

This week in fun!

This weekend is jam packed full of fun stuff to do and there is something for everyone.

Check out Chandler's 12th annual jazz festival. There will be more than 120 musicians and the event is free! Here's a link for more info. Chandler Jazz Festival

Another place to go, if you haven't gone yet this Spring, is the Desert Botanical Gardens. They have their concert series going and this week features Domingo DeGrazia, Flamenco, Spanish guitar. I can't imagine anything more lively than some Flamenco music amongst the butterflies and wild flowers. Tickets are $15-$21 and they recommend reservations. Check out the website for more on the concert series and other upcoming goings on at Desert Botanical Gardens

Also, did you know that we have a Japanese Friendship Garden right here in Phoenix? Well now you know! This weekend they are having their annual Children's Day Kite and Koi festival. The event is on April 2nd from 10 AM- 3PM and it is free! I love free! They will have martial arts, face painting, kite making and much more. This will be much fun for the whole family! Here's a link to the Japanese Friendship Garden   event page. Lots of stuff going on this month.

For those of you who would like to take a drive and enjoy a little break from Phoenix, how about the Crush Wine festival in Tucson?  This two day event kicks off with a fun and informal evening in the courtyards of the Tuscon Museum of Art. There will be 150 wines from around the world, food from some of Tucson’s best restaurants and a silent auction.  Tickets are $75 in advance; $90 at the door. I know it is a little spendy but proceeds benefit the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block.  Click Crush Wine Festival for more on this and other happenings at the Tucson Museum of Art

There's also the Jerome Art Walk. This event showcases more than 30 unique art studios and galleries, meet the artists and see handcrafted art including jewelry, pottery, glass, leatherwork, clothing, paintings and sculpture. This is another free event and you can check the details at Jerome Art Walk

There are so many great experiences to be had in our beautiful State. Get out there and enjoy!

Doggy cuteness

It's Alive!!

The garden is going gangbusters!  The cucumbers have survived my "help" and they are flourishing! The tomato plants are perking up and getting bushy. I even see a few little yellow flowers on the pear tomato plant.

I can hardly wait for fresh veggies! No more stopping off at Trader Joe's to get salad fixings.

Here are some pictures so you can see the progress.

The cukes are looking really happy!

 

Tomatoes are bushing out and taking over!

Here they are on the first day

And here they are now!

Also a big thank you to Ben at Harvest to Home. He has been checking in on the little guys to make sure they are still thriving. 

I am very excited to look through the catalog for the next planting season to see what else I can grow.

Garden Update, still alive, sorta

So, Mike has been overseeing "project garden" and last night he came in and asked if I did something to the plants because they look burnt. Oh Nooooooo!

Ben left me some essential oil stuff to mix with water and apply to the plants if I happen to see bugs on the leaves. He underestimated my ability to "help" the little plants even if they don't appear to need help.



I decided that even though I haven't seen any bugs maybe I should spray them anyway. It's all natural essential oils and water and it smells really good, how bad can it be? It turns out that without the proper dilution the answer is, well, kinda bad.

 Take a look at my sad little cucumber plants.

Poor little guy, he didn't know what hit him. 

Here's another shot. You can see they are trying to live. They are perky even though their poor leaves have been decimated by my good intentions. 

He was starting to look so cute too!

The tomato plants look like they escaped harm from this round of my trying to nurture them.

I e mailed Ben my pictures and he responded right away. He was very calm and helpful and said that the plants will probably make it and just give it a few days and send him more pictures. He didn't use the all caps TO YELL AT ME for not properly diluting the spray and applying it when there weren't any bugs. He offered a suggestion on how to use the bug spray when needed. Applying it in the early morning or in the evening is best. Again, WHEN NEEDED. Ben also offered to replace my plants if necessary. How nice is that?

So, all is not lost. The plants look like they will recover and Harvest to Home stands by their stuff.