Tularosa bees love fennel

Back from our summer road trips to Wyoming we're enjoying the garden and so are the bees. They are all over the blooming fennel.

Small successes

This is Limelight Millet - the green sprays of millet that you see in floral arrangements. I grew this from seed I bought from Johnnies. You can see the lovely green seed head here. Between the birds and other baby critters inhabiting our yard I'm doubting this will last long.



Here are my hops. I remember driving through the beautiful hop fields in Southern Idaho and longed to grow my own. I ordered rhizomes off EBay and planted them in my as yet unpatented critter foiling system pictured here. The critters LOVE bulbs and roots. The rhizomes here are planted under a wire basket, sunk about an inch in the ground, held down with a chunk of urbanite. They'll grown up though the basket and train on the pole next to it. They're growing fast.

Not Fenugreek

Well, the plant I sowed with my nettles is not fenugreek. I mixed a bowl of different cover crop seeds. I'll have to look through my seed box to see what it might be. If anyone has an idea, I'd love to hear it.

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July 11, 2011
I looked through my seed box today and finally figured out what my nettle-ish mystery plant is. It's chia! They're about 18" high now so should start flowering soon. I really want to know if I can eat the leaves but can't find out anything. They're in the mint family - great sentry plants.

The State of the Garden Address

We traveled at the end of June. The garden suffered somewhat. A few plants were lost, disguised as they were among the weeds to hide them from the three incredibly cute baby skunks who maraud our garden nightly. This cardoon, though, is towering and lovely, the one plant in our yard that makes me keep trying.


Here is my nettle - left. It's being nursed by fenugreek - a kind of look alike - a pairing made quite by accident. The fenugreek acts as a sentry plant and wards off the skunks and critters, giving my nettles a chance to get started.


My trombetta albegna started late this year - the weather was bleak through much of June. You can see the trouble I have to go to to protect this one from the animals: a tomato cage, an industrial grid, chicken wire, slabs of concrete, and sentry plants.

Remember, the garden looks best in close up. You're NOT seeing all of my disasters and waste areas. The last few days are the first I've had to tend to the garden properly and being plagued with allergies these days have been short.

Have a happy Fourth!