What’s New in the Garden…

Wow!! I didn’t realize that it has been two full months – my Memorial Day post – since I have been able to update my little corner of the inter-webs!!

My little fuchsia is blossom happy!!

An unfortunate and unplanned two month hiatus from the world wide web was thrust upon me as I found myself without internet, television, or telephone at home at the end of May. Unfortunately; my finances were still struggling to recover from nine months of unemployment; three of which without the assistance of State Unemployment Insurance (thank you Mr. and Ms. Congress!) and I had to pick and choose carefully how I budgeted the little income I was able to make through taking odd jobs through TaskRabbit.com.

Lithodora diffusa ‘Heavenly Blue’

The decision of course was that I had to refocus all of my income toward those thing which are absolute essentials; paying my rent and food for myself and my cat. I realized that everything else was a luxury; and that I would have to live without the internet and cable television for a short spell. Thankfully; now that I am three months into my new job, my finances are getting much better and it looks like I won’t have to rely on the garden to provide my food, which is a good thing as a diet which consists solely of pomegranates, strawberries, tomatoes, and some herbs seems somewhat nutritionally deficient for the amount of calories I expend cycling.

A pomegranate in the making

Pomegranate flowers are crazy looking!

So what did I do with all of the ‘extra’ time I suddenly found after checking out of the ‘connected’ world?

For the most part; I spent a lot of time on the bike and starting rebuilding my old bike. I had noticed that since I broke my ankle last September that I had let getting saddle time on the bike take a deep dive. That issue needed to be rectified, and pronto! I created a training schedule for myself; taped it to the front door; and starting tracking my results, it was the motivation I needed.

A training schedule taped to the front door = Motivation!

I had been letting the ankle injury, and its impact on my mental state, guide how I approached cycling. This overly cautious approach was fine in the first couple of months following being cleared to ride again by my doctor; however, I never moved past caution. My ankle is healed; I needed get my brain to be okay with that concept and get back to cycling again. So; I decided to challenge myself, I set two goals for myself: 1) Try to ride 400-miles a month / 2) Complete a 100-mile charity ride/race by November 3, 2014 (my b-day). On June 6th, I got to work getting back to focusing on riding and not my ankle. I didn’t quite hit my goal of 400-miles in June – but I was close!!

June 6 – July 8, 2014 | 298.57 miles

Another benefit of the loss of connectivity was the realization of how much of a life vacuum the internet and television really are. I never really noticed just how much time I spent until I was suddenly without – it was a lot of time! Now that I have identified spending too much time online and in front of the tube as a barrier to living the life that I choose; I have moved fixing it for good right to the top of the list of things to work on about myself.

I kept busy though! 298.57 miles from 6-6 to 7-8-2014

N+1; Achieved! New Bike meet Old Bike

Il Toro~Blu rides again! As I mentioned; I also set to work on putting my old bike back together by slowly gathering parts over the past two months. Right now, she is about 95% complete, I just need to find a means of putting power to the wheels – a track crankset, pedals, and a chain – to get her road worthy! I just couldn’t stand to look at her frame sitting on my dresser any longer, she has way too much sentimental value to me to end up a wall-hanger!

Il Toro~Blu (the Blue Bull)

Gathering parts for the rebuild

Finally; she is able to roll again!

Of course, I also spent a lot of time in the garden. Mainly caring for my tomatoes and experimenting with how to support the plants without using the traditional ‘mater cages as I just didn’t want to introduce them into my patio – their aesthetic is dismal! I remember on an episode of The Victory Garden; the host visited a commercial tomato farm where they used a system of wires hanging down from a horizontal beam above the planters. The farm’s gardeners would wrap the tomatoes around the wires, which almost reached the soil, and the tension of the vines grabbing the wires apparently supports even the most tomato laden plant. So far, the system is working like a charm!

My Arkansas Travelers are growing nicely

About 3-weeks from my first harvest

A bountiful harvest to come

Grow babies, Grow!

Now, it’s time to go out and enjoy life outdoors; the weather here in Oakland is glorious and I feel like pedaling! My next installment will definitely be more garden-centric; hopefully I will have found and planted a good array of late summer annuals to add some pop and color to the patio, right now, it’s kind of monochromatic and the focus is clearly the tomatoes. Another thing which I will have address. 🙂 Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Weekend Friends!

Until next time…

 HAPPY GARDENING FRIENDS!!

~ Noah

Memorial Day 2014

To those who served;

Those who made the ultimate sacrifice;

So that the generations which followed would know freedom;

I salute you and I thank each and every one of you for your service to this country.

In Remembrance

Whether they were man; woman; bird; or beast; their sacrifices are appreciated;

Their service and their honor shall be forever remembered.

‘We walked among the crosses
Where our fallen soldiers lay.
And listened to the bugle
As TAPS began to play.
The Chaplin led a prayer
We stood with heads bowed low.
And I thought of fallen comrades
I had known so long ago.
They came from every city
Across this fertile land.
That we might live in freedom.
They lie here ‘neath the sand.
I felt a little guilty
My sacrifice was small.
I only lost a little time
But these men lost their all.
Now the services are over
For this Memorial Day.
To the names upon these crosses
I just want to say,
Thanks for what you’ve given
No one could ask for more.
May you rest with God in heaven
From now through evermore.’

                           – C W Johnson

 

Updates from the garden will return next week.

~ Noah

A promising start to the summer garden to come…

Today was “chore day”; which includes cleaning the apartment, getting the laundry done, and shopping for provisions to ensure that I have lunches for the work week which lies ahead. I can’t express how nice it is to be back to work after such a long job search period; and so far, I am really enjoying the new job. I have some excellent colleagues and as with any new job; there is a lot to learn about the company and how my role fits into the big picture, which is definitely keeping me busy!

Oakland City Hall; my new office is in the bldg. to the left (505 – 14th St.)

Yesterday; I ventured up to Vallejo, CA, to give my ex-wife a hand in cutting / removing a large tree limb which apparently snapped with last weeks high winds and landed unceremoniously between the tree and her roof.

Snap!

The damaged limb; which was about 15″ – 18″ in diameter, was dangling precariously above her backyard when I arrived. However; despite the limbs immense weight, I noticed that she was fortunate that the tree from which it broke ended up catching the limb and stopping it from landing on her roof or going through a back window. After getting most of the small branches cut away; I was able to get a closer look at the situation and was relieved to see that there basically no damage to her roof whatsoever – bullet dodged!!

Crackle!

I was able to get all of the broken limb down from the roof and out of tree by mid-afternoon; leaving my ex-wife’s roof safe and her with either some firewood or a bunch of branches which she can slowly dispose of over the next couple of weeks. I also made sure that her roof gutters were cleared and that the roof was in overall good shape; which it was. Thankfully; when we bought the house in 2000, the sellers had just installed a 20-year composite roof and it appears that it will definitely be good for at least another 6-years, if not more.

And, Pop!

Back in my garden; new flowers are poking out of every nook and cranny of the patio, including my Calla Lily, which have set about four of her signature white flowers. Unfortunately, the Lily’s stems seem to be somewhat weak and can barely hold the weight the flower without toppling over. Grrrr!!

The Calla Lily finally decided to set her flowers!

Silhouette of Calla

Elsewhere around the garden: The hydrangea blossoms continue to fill out nicely; looks like this year I will have pink and blue/purple hydrangea flowers! Yay!!

Dueling pink hydrangea blossoms

A beautiful blue/purple blossom joins the party

The Arkansas Traveler tomato plants continue to grow taller and taller every day. My DIY twine trellis seem to be doing the trick in corralling the tomatoes – – thank you, Victory Garden!!

Arkansas Traveler’s Reaching for the Sunshine

Tomatoes; tomatoes, tomatoes

I also did my usual rearranging of a couple of planters / pots which were either getting too much or not enough of the over abundant sunshine of the last week.

Sunny Northeast Corner

My little purple rock daisies are multiplying and have picked up as the Bacopa (Snowstorm Giant Snowflake) continue to wane with the rise in temperature.

The Dainty Daisy take center stage

One Daisy; Two Daisy; Three Daisy; More!!

I will leave you today with a shot of one of Oakland’s namesake Oak trees; this one is located in front of Oakland’s City Hall, in Frank Ogawa Plaza. I pass this marvelous tree everyday on my walk to and from the office; and just noticed that this is likely the same tree which appears on the flag of the City of Oakland.

Oakland’s Iconic Oak Tree, City Center / Frank Ogawa Plaza

City of Oakland

Until next time…

HAPPY GARDENING FRIENDS!!!

~ Noah

 

Hot, Windy Days; Cool Breezy Nights!!

The mood here in the garden is one of happiness and hope this week…

A bonanza of citrus!

Following a nearly 9-month job search; (which was sadly sidelined for 3.5 months to recuperate following the shattered ankle) this gardener is finally rejoining the world of the gainfully employed masses! The new job; an administrative position for a company here in Oakland, CA, starts Monday, May 12th. I am looking forward to getting into a steadier income stream so I can rebuild some savings, pick up the occasional addition to the patio garden, and save up for some much-needed upgrades for my bike.

Amaryllis v. Apple Blossom

Miss Gretchen should be quite happy to again have unfettered run of the house during the days while I am work. The one benefit of my unemployed stint was that she and I had plenty of time to bond with each other; a process and time which both she and I definitely needed. Miss G has been spending most of the sunshine filled days of the past week lounging out on the patio,  trying her best stealth cat impression by hiding under one of the patio chairs or tucked in behind a planter awaiting a mistake by the local fauna. I don’t have the heart to tell her that ALL of the critters KNOW that she is out there and keep their distance accordingly; which is for the best, I don’t want her hurting any of the local critters. Thankfully, she is not the super stealthy huntress that her genes would suggest; so either way, the critters are usually pretty safe regardless of where she is hiding.

Miss Gretchen Enjoying the Shade of a Patio Chair

Lazy days; it’s good to be a cat!

The mini heat wave we had here in the Bay Area last week were just the ticket to spur my Arkansas Traveler tomatoes first significant growth spurt! I will be thinning out the tomatoes this weekend and working on stringing together a trellis of twine for the plants to wrap themselves around and support the bounty of tomatoes in July and August!

My little seedlings will soon be reaching for support

Almost time for a second thinning of the seedlings

Almost time for string trellis

My second Amaryllis v. Apple Blossom of the season tolerated the heat just dandy; however, it was the winds which followed the heat which proved to be too much for her. I went out to water the patio this morning and found that the wind gusts must have snapped her stalk!

All I can say is: Grrrrr!! Foiled Again!! Oh well; even though she only lasted about a week after flowering, it was great having such a beauty to look at while I fiddled with the patio.

My second Amaryllis flower

Dueling Amaryllis

OUCH!!  Wind damage; an early end for Miss Amaryllis

The Pacific Giant Blue Primrose have set out a flurry of their delicate blue/yellow flowers. There is apparently no weather which the primrose do not love and thrive in!

Pacific Giant Blue Primrose

Elsewhere out on the patio; my little wandering fuchsia continues her steady crawl toward the edge of the patio table. I wonder if she knows where she is heading? I guess she will figure it out; of course, I will be there to lend a hand if need be.

My creeping fuchsia continue to explore

My dainty little purple daisies continue to creep over the edge of the patio’s big round planter; having more than quadrupled in number over the past two-weeks. I wonder if they will follow the Snowflake’s (Bacopa) lead and self-seed themselves into a nearby planter? I suppose that time will tell…

Solitary Daisy Enjoys the Morning Haze

Daisies continue to pour from the Calla Lily/Snowflake planter

Outside of the Garden; I made a somewhat radical change/upgrade to my beloved bicycle; Il Toro~Blu. I had the opportunity to pick up a new frameset for her; so yesterday I spent a few hours swapping out the heavy hi-tensile steel frame and forks for the new lightweight 55cm Specialized Langster aluminum frame and carbon fiber fork. The switch shed 8-lbs from the bike; leaving the new setup a rather svelte and lean 17.5 lbs.

Il Toro~Blu; then…

Il Toro~Nu; now…

I took her out for a 15-mile shakedown run this afternoon and I gotta say; climbing hills on the lighter frame was much, much easier than I remember the same hills being hauling the steel frame up them. Is there a real difference or just a psychosomatic response? I don’t know; however, the new set up definitely feels more nimble. All that is left to do is get the color scheme in order – the blend right now of blues, silvers, and blacks with slight touches of red is just a wee too busy for me. I suppose I could just paint the bike’s new frame and call it a day; or I could slowly replace parts over the coming months which follow a Silver & Black scheme and move the old blue themed parts back to the old frame as I go, which would be good as it means ending up with two bikes! Until then, Il Toro~Blu’s frameset will be a wall hanger – awaiting her rebirth.

Il Toro~Blu awaits rebirth

Finally today; Mr. Hydrangea and his cohorts appear to be feeling a bit pinkish this season. I was hoping for blue/purple; however, pink is just fine as well.

Budding Hydrangea

Until Next Time…

HAPPY GARDENING FRIENDS!!!

~ Noah

 

A colorful May is on the way…

As April closes itself out; the day is gray with spots of rain and drizzle, a good day to survey the garden, tend to all the little garden chores which need to be done, and to plant some to‘maters out on the patio! As I look at the garden now; I see many promising signs that the coming month(s) will likely see bursts of vibrant color from one side of the patio to the other.

It is going to be a nice summer in the Gardens at Casa de Froio!

Ready for May, left-side?

Yep; I think we are, right-side!

In the big round planter which includes the forever wandering Snowstorm Giant Snowflake (Bacopa Sutera cordata); Miss Calla Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) continues to fill the middle section with large clumps of her broad, arrow shaped, dark green leaves. She has not produced any flowers since I planted her two-years ago; yet, I remain hopeful that this year I have her watering and nitrogen level needs correct and that Mother Nature will be cooperative to the sunshine needs of fickle Miss Lily! As with most things in the garden; only the passage of time will tell that tale.

Miss Lily, lovely to see you again.

Verticality; Achieved!

Also in the big round planter with the Calla Lily and Giant Snowflake; my tiny purple Cut-Leaf Daisies (Brachyscome multifida) are spreading out further and further. I am sure that they are jealous of the amount of territory the Snowflakes have occupied and are looking for their share. One price of a long winter dormancy period is the inevitable loss of ground to those who persist year-round.

A cascade of daisies look for new territory

Daisy; Daisy; Daisy

Over in the Big Yellow Planter box; an Amaryllis v. Apple Blossom (Hippeastrum Amaryllidaceae cultivar) stands ready to open her flowers and greet the world. This will be the second flowering for this particular bulb since I received them about two and a half years ago. The first flowering was amazing; I had never seen Amaryllis flowers, or at least I never noticed them; however, the giant beauty captivated me and now they are probably the flowers which I most look forward to each season.

Amaryllis v. Apple Blossom; second bloom of the season!

One Amaryllis flower gets her lean on!!

Slowly she turns; step by step…

Next to the Amaryllis in the crowded and soon to be uber-colorful Big Yellow Planter box are the Big Leaf Hydrangea v. Cityline ‘Venice’ (Hydrangea macrophylla). This hardy variety of Hydrangea have grown and grown and grown since waking from their winter dormancy. I would estimate that the large grouping has more than doubled in size from where it was last season; sitting atop each of the grouping leaf-masses are the start of what will be their glorious blue/purple flower globes. I can’t wait!!

Almost…..

The remarkably prolific Polyanthus Primrose v. Pacific Giant Blue and Supernova Purple Bicolor (Primula x. polyantha cultivars) continue to provide the most amazing and vivid blue/yellow and pastel purple/yellow flowers; adding an often much-needed color splash when the rest of the garden’s flowers have spent themselves. For I believe under $5.00 for a six-pack of instant color at the local nursery; the Primrose plants have exceeded my expectations and continue to impress me. For two-years now; regardless of what the weather conditions have been: be it super hot, frigid cold, howling winds, or any combination thereof, the Primrose care not and have continuously pushed flowers out year after year.

Supernova Purple Bicolor

A new primrose joins the party!

Pacific Giant Blue

Absolutely stunning color depth on the Pacific Blue

Finally today; as I mentioned last week, today was moving day for my Arkansas Traveler Heirloom Tomato seedlings. This 100-year old heirloom tomato variety produces an indeterminate, regular-leaf, 6-foot tall plant, which should yield more than enough 8-oz. round rose-pink tomatoes to keep me in fresh tomatoes from July through end of August.

The tomatoes new home; they should get plenty of sun here!

All snug in their new home; grow well babies!

From what I have read; the Arkansas Traveler tomatoes are considered to be one of the best tasting tomato varieties, with a well-balanced sweet/tart flavor and are tough enough to cope with most adverse conditions; such as high heat, humidity, or drought – important here in California – they are also resistant to cracking and disease, another bonus!

Grow Little Fellow, Grow!!

Thinking happy thoughts for my tomatoes; I will do my best to make sure you all grow up to strong and healthy, enjoy your new home my little seedlings!

Planter #1

Planter #2

Until next time…

HAPPY GARDENING FRIENDS!

~ Noah