Garden Update

When the bees start buzzing around, it is past time to get started with the garden. The photo above shows a bee that is finding something of interest on a peach tree.







Tomato seedlings are doing well. Notice that two of them are blooming already. They are growing in peat pots coconut coir pots. We use an Ikea serving tray to take them outdoors in the daytime, to harden off. It is still too early to put them in the ground, but we have raised beds ready for them. Today the high temp around here is supposed to get to 81F, but there are still freezing temps anticipated at night in the next few days. We could use a cold frame, but why take chances?











Above, are photos of two instances of Cooper's Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi). The proprietor ofa local garden shop (Enchanted Gardens) advised me about these plants a couple of years ago. She assured me that they were cold-hardy enough to survive the (zone 8) winters. The following winter, we had a brutal cold snap, and they died. I got more. This time, we did get some snow and mild freezes, a fairly typical winter in southern NM. One looks quite good; the other looked dead a few weeks ago, but is coming back nicely. By summer, both should have filled their respective pots. When they overflow, it will be possible to lay the trailing foliage in secondary pots. After giving the "runners" a chance to get established, they then can be severed from the mother plant. By placing pots next to each other, it is possible to clone multiple instances.



Likewise, if you put non-gardeners next to gardeners, you get more gardeners.