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Sustainable Living Tucson
Monday, July 4, 2022
Celebrating new traditions that represent our values
Monday, June 13, 2022
Excessive Heat Wave
I was nervous about going on a two week vacation and leaving my precious plants to be hand watered by a kind neighbor during the hottest month of the year. Our cisterns and water barrels had long since run out of rainwater. In preparation for the trip, I started deep watering all the plants a few days ahead. Dan had read that when the temperture is over 80 degrees that plants can't transpire, so they don't take in water. Since we don't have a drip system, I had to wait until it cooled off in the evening or early morning. I used that time to gather my Zero Waste assessories for our road trip.
For our deep watering we use a method recommended by a local arborist. Dan had drilled two small holes in five gallon buckets. We use three buckets of water on each of our three jujube trees. It takes 20 minutes for each bucket to drain. Luckily, we have three buckets or I would have been there all night. I did that same process with our moringa, pomegranate, fig, and curry plants. The day before we left, I even watered our cactus garden, agaves, and an acacia that hadn't started to leaf yet. On the night before we left, I used the hose to slow water our hummingbird trumpets that usually get our sink rinse water everyday.
Meanwhile, I took pictures of our plants to include in the directions for our neighbor (which included filling the bird bath.) I didn't get much sleep that night worrying about my plants and all that water! I guess you can call me a parachute plant parent. And I still had to plant my sweet potato slip in the morning!
After a lovely family vacation, I finally got the nerve to text our neighbor to see how things were doing. She said the plants were doing well. She enjoyed two tasty cherry tomatos. Whew!
When we got home three days later, I was shocked to find that Tucson was under an excessive heat warning!
One of the tomato plants was looking pretty sad (despite having several tomatoes on it.) Our mint plant that was strugging before the trip was now dead along with some tomato volunteers. (Mint never makes it in our yard... Go figure...) Some of the leaves on our sunchokes were a little crispy. Oddly, our moringa had flowers. Usually they get flowers after they are really big. And one of them was really struggling.
After 12 hours on the road, I stayed up late watering my emaciated plants.
I was actually surprised to find that the sweet potato plant was flourishing with new leaves (in the compost under the bird netting cage.)
And the curry and some of the tomatoes were doing just fine. Thanks to my kind neighbor! Of course our native plants were doing great. The acacia now has leaves, and the mesquite has lots of pods. I was surprised to see how well the jujubes were doing. All three have lots of little fruit! Maybe those shiny leaves make it durable?
Since I got home I've been kind of sleep deprived, staying up late and getting up early trying to water the plants in my garden before it reaches 80 degrees. It was 78 degrees at 5:30 this morning! When am I supposed to water them?!! We haven't even washed our dirty clothes from the trip yet because the greywater irrigates the fig and pomegranite and we don't want to waste that water if they aren't taking it in.
When I decided to write this blog, I figured I'd reach out to some gardening experts on Facebook.
I heard that plants can't take in water after the temperature reaches 80 degrees. With this extreme heat way into the night, how are you watering your plants? Also, are there some plants (heritage figs and pomagranite or native trees maybe) that have adapted to take in water after 80 degrees?Friday, June 10, 2022
Reduced Waste Road Trip
I just wish I had gotten a small drinking glass...
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Yummy palo verde seeds ripe for the pickin'
It's so much easier to pick them from the tree then bending to pick them after they sprout in my garden!
If you gotta pull them from the ground, you can munch on the new sprouts!
But they won't be as tender and sweet as the green palo verde seeds. Just crack open the pod and pop the seed in your mouth. Unlike mesquite where you can gnaw on or suck the ripe pod, the palo verde pods are bitter. But the seeds are so delicious - reminisent of edamame. (And you don't have to blanch and salt them.)
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Yum! Palo verde seeds! |
Sunday, May 15, 2022
UPDATE on Spring Garden in Desert Food Forest
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Jerusalem artichokes now hitting the top of the cage |
Unfortunately, I didn't get directions on the sunchokes before planting them. I found out later that they would crowd out any other plant nearby. So when they got bigger, I removed the tomato I planted under the same cage. I dug the hole in the new spot first, then I carefully dug around the roots of the tomato plant and grabbed some of the surrounding soil to plant with it.
Might have been better not to do this during the heat of the day... It was looking really sad. I even had to prop up the wilty branches with some sticks. I thought it might be a goner.
But I watered it and concocted a shade contraption for it.
The tomato plant is thriving on the south facing wall that gets plenty of sun and occasional shade from the toilet planter (don't ask... lol) I try to water the tomatoes at the same time everyday at 8 a.m. before it gets too hot.