It’s the weekend, time for another mini garden tour! The weather has got really hot this week, and it’s showing in the garden. Fortunately mornings on my terrace are still cool and refreshing as well as really late at night. So that’s when I’m spending some time outside, watering, etc. It’s just too hot in the day.
It’s Been A Trying Week
* If you’re only here for the Six on Saturday, feel free to scroll down past this paragraph.
This post was initially written last Saturday, but various things went wrong which made it impossible to publish. Even all the photos came out blurry. I have since updated it for this week.
The garden is undergoing a huge transition this week. I’ve been waiting for my large wooden raised bed planters and trellises to be delivered. The order was placed a couple of months ago, and they should finally be here, and ready for planting, by some time next week.
As a result, most of my garden is still in tiny pots ranging from 7cm to 20cm. So as the heat increased over the last few weeks, I’ve really noticed a change in how things were going. They basically stopped growing and started showing signs of stress. Too hot, too dry, not enough nutrients, increase in pest pressure, etc.
So, there is not much in bloom yet, despite it being mid June. I’m actually quite confused by the way this garden had been growing prior to the heatwave too. Things I thought would thrive at a certain time of the year, haven’t done well and some things just shrivelled up after only sprouting the first couple of leaves. But I guess I’m in a new climate now, so I will have to learn, in time, what thrives here and when. Survival of the fittest.
As I mention later on, about the tomatoes , in my previous gardens they were summer crops, here the summer seems to be too hot for them to even set blossoms, and those that did soon dropped them.
Another thing that’s got me pretty frustrated is that I just discovered a spider-mite infestation. I thought it was just on one crop, but I’ve since found them on my Dahlias and other crops too.
It’s a bit much for me to wrap my head around. How do I go about sorting it out without using harsh chemicals?
Well, I just cut them down to the ground and binned all the affected greenery. I might pour boiling water over the soil too. Anybody got a better idea on how to handle spider mites, for next time?
So this week has been a lot about letting go of my ideas and plans and accepting what is happening and out of my control.
1. Cherries On The Ground
I was super excited to find ground cherries actually on the ground this morning. Our first harvest from these plants. It’s the first time I’m growing ground cherries and they seem super easy and prolific. All 3 plants are small, but packed with fruit. I’m very happy with them. These are called Physalis Goldie.
Update:
The ground cherries that dropped were not ripe. They were possibly dropping prematurely due to pressure from the spider mites I found all over them and/or heat. Either way, all three plants are now binned.
2. Little Buddy Molted This Week!
For those who missed last week’s update, Little Buddy is the name I gave to a baby praying mantis that I found on the terrace tiles. I rehomed it to my sage plant and it’s been there for 10 days now. It’s been devouring the leaf hoppers that were destroying my seedlings and, just this Wednesday, it molted!
I’d noticed it hanging upside down a lot, and I remember wondering how it manages to stay upside down so long, I’d get too much blood to my head! Then later I went back to find just a shell of it hanging there in the branches of my tiny sage plant.
I frantically searched all over the pots of plants around there and eventually found it just staring at me from the sage. Little Buddy is a master at camouflage and is super observant. I’m often spending so much time with my face right up to the sage to find it, only to spot it right there, not that hidden, staring at me.
It often chooses locations where its pale beige colouring blends well with its surroundings. Like dead or dying sage leaves or brown twigs. Only coming out into the open and surrounding greenery when hunting. It’s been fascinating to watch its natural instincts too.
Was out there refilling its water station and saw him grab at something and start eating – right in front of me! So I went back to check the photos I’d taken just minutes prior to see if I had perhaps caught something in the shot.
I noticed, upon zooming in, that a tiny leaf hopper had been on the leaf in front of Little Buddy just moments before. Amazing!
Update: Little Buddy Disappeared This Week
I can’t find him. Saturday morning was my last sighting. I’d gone out to get pictures for this garden update. Later on I went out to check on him again, as I do everyday and couldn’t find him anywhere. Not sure if he left or was eaten by a visiting bird. It’s been over 24 hours now. I’m grateful for his help in managing the leaf hoppers for 10 days. Sad he’s gone.
3. Peppers Are Setting Flowers
While most things in the garden are struggling with the heatwave, the peppers are actually thriving! The leaves are glossy and bright, healthy and lush. And imagine my surprise this week, with all that’s gone wrong, to go out and see this stunning little blossom on the Sugar Rush pepper.
I’ve only ever tasted one of the pepper varieties I’m growing, so I am very excited to see them so healthy and finally producing flowers and hopefully soon, fruit.
4. Recovery Thyme & Rosemary
My thyme plants (I have 3 of them) all went through a rough patch a while ago when we had some super strong winds. I think they, and a lot of other things, dried out too fast while getting beaten relentlessly by strong winds. It seems that cutting them back pretty hard has worked as they soon started sprouting bright new growth. they look so lovely this week.
The cascading rosemary also recently started looking really rough, but this week it has finally started showing some new growth. I am so happy, because this plant was an investment. I had taken many cuttings earlier in the season, but only 3 have survived so far. I’m trying hard not to lose those ones too.
5. Our First Tomato Harvest
I think temperatures on my terrace are a bit too high for tomatoes at the moment. They might end up being a spring and autumn crop for me. But we did get 4 little tomatoes this week.
There have been no other blooms since these ones, so no more tomatoes on the horizon. I was really looking forward to the varieties I’d sown, all 8 of them! But maybe I’ll just give up on these ones and try again later in the year after the worst of the heat is over.
We don’t get frost here, so there should be anough time for them to produce fruit, before it gets too cold again.
6. Balcony In Bloom
There are just a few things in bloom, so I’ll celebrate those. I’ve got Alyssum, Oxalis, Nasturtiums, Verbena and Borage currently flowering.
The Dahlias and Geraniums are not flowering yet, but I think we have some buds on the Dahlias. I can’t wait for them to bloom because I’ve never grown Dahlias before.
So hopefully next week’s update will feature some stunning new flowers.
Link-up: Six On Saturday, hosted by Jim at Garden Ruminations.
Discover more from Chronically Hopeful
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
