Reseed and Hope for the Best

This past weekend, Paul and I reseeded the garden with quick to germinate and harvest plants (arugula, cilantro, zucchini, 4 types of heirloom lettuce, sweet basil, and kale). It's a speed race since we have a little over 60 days before our first possible frost. Yowza!  And hopefully the ear wigs are under control so that we can yield some positive results.  Keeping all fingers and toes crossed. 

Lettuce Applause

Oh the virtues of lettuce are abundant in Flagstaff! Lettuce has been non-stop this season. We used seeds called the Heirloom Lettuce Collection from Seed Savers Exchange, and they have been worth every dollar (the 6 heirloom lettuce seed packages together as a package retail at $13.50 plus shipping ).

After two months of hand picking, the lettuce is just now getting a little tough. Time for harvesting the rest of the lettuce and reseeding this weekend for another batch. We will plant Arugula, which prefers cooler temperatures, in early fall.

Our early variety tomatoes are blooming like crazy. The tomatoes that are surrounded by walls o'water (see earlier post), are triple in size compared to the plants sans walls o'water. The tomatoes are also being watered using sweat hoses that are buried 8 inches below the surface. Water right at the roots -- just where it's needed.

Pole beans are climbing to the top of the trellises. However, our sugar snap peas are not doing so well this season. We have replanted several times this year with no luck. It could be the seed stock we have been using this season.

Corn is growing, but needs the monsoonal rains to really get it going.

Earwigs have been the pest of choice this season. Normally earwigs are a not-so-common pest in arid climates, but these little buggers took hold during an unusual wet late spring. They have practically decimated our squash (all varieties) and any recent seedlings we have planted.