Annarchy

1 hour later, the temperature has dropped from 107 to 89 degrees. The sun is 1/2 covered and it looks like we might be able to see the halo before it sets.

Also, trying to identify a new bird visiting the water dishes. The closest I can find is a clay colored robin.

Right now, 5:40 pm MST, it looks like a small chunk is missing from the lower right side.

We are using our telescopes sun lenses. Just amusing ourselves, something to do.

Sorry Yarrow, I have never used that program. Maybe someone else knows.

Well!!!!!! I went out to water, and the pretty little zucchini seedling is snipped off at the stem, with no sign of the green lieaves. Guess I need to plant more, if it isn't too late in the season here. Silly birds........

Awesome!!! You can not beat the experience, living off your Bob. We did 16 miles regularly, up a mountain, for 3 days. (When I was much younger. )

Hiking?!?

back, Melissa.

I have been enjoying everyones gardens while anxiously wanting to post pics, but I did not have any pics on my computer. Had to wait to get home to take the photos. (These pics are optimized, for those who have dial-up.) Tomatoes and Oregano Our new spice garden, with a little room to expand. The second planting of spinach is barely sprouting behind the iris. Second planting of carrots, garlic chives, garlic, a new zucchini sprout, chives and long green chili. Birds ate the other sprout. Zucchini and onions.

Awwww, how cute. Congratulations!

What program are you using to print your reports?

Desert Report: My soil is real bad/old/depleted/clay. My last crop of radishes failed, almost every plant bolted from the get go and produced no fruit. I have spent the last month working in mulch, wood chips, fish remains, worms and fertilizer, and have begun to re-plant. Zucchini, because the birds ate a few of the seedlings, leaving me only two plants, chives and jalapeños, because the 1st planting nothing came up, might be bad seed, and spinach. We got 3 gallons of spinach from the first harvest. The chives are being harvested and dried. Garlic and onions are still growing. On the 2nd round of carrots. Pomegranates are growing nicely as well. The tomato plants are loaded with fruit, the peas are blooming nicely and the long green chili peppers are beginning to produce. My new spice garden is flourishing with oregano, thyme, sage, borage, and garlic chives. (I love replacing my store bought spices with fresh. ) My friends garden is extraordinary! They have harvested beets, cilantro (flowering & seeding now), cauliflower was amazing, radishes, peas, onions, and carrots. Their corn and zucchini are overwhelming them with produce. We've been sharing our harvests and recipes. The most important consideration, for me, is accomplishing as much as I can before the temperatures soar too high. We are already averaging in the 100's. In a few months, no amount of water is going to keep anything growing that is not native to our area. I am hoping there is still time to plant and harvest before the heat gets to be too much. Prickly pear and saguaro are blooming and beginning to fruit. Tough to harvest because of the infinite spines. I have not decided whether or not to make jam from them this year.

Make it like a chicken tractor with no bottom, use peat moss in the planter..... attach removable shutters... and viola...

Sorry your washer is in dire straights. When my spin cycle went out, I too, was horrified when I took it apart. Yuk..... Because the damage was too bad to repair we had to get a new one. However, we noticed a drastic difference in the cleanliness of our clothes. Now, I have a maintenance schedule to run an heavy bleach load - to kill any mold, CLR - to deal with the lime scale, and a vinegar rinse cycle to try to keep it clean.

Congratulations!

Oooooppssss, missed this.... sorry DM $1,250.00 but it has ***FREE SHIPPING***

LOL I am glad you have enough. Put the leaves in a Ziploc and freeze it. Aloe will keep indefinitely when frozen, but, should not be heated to defrost.

I have never needed to harden them. I am so abusive to the plants, one plant sits on top of the cement and has been growing, slowly, for a couple of years. Here is a photo of the two types growing in our yard. Red Aloe: Yellow Aloe:

P.S. If you need some more, I certainly would be willing to share.

Aloe grows like a weed here in the desert, if you give it water. Usually, the mother plant will sprout babies around the bottom of the plant. All that is needed is to pull the babies off the mother plant, put them in soil and they will grow into new plants. I have never seen a broken leaf spout, then, I have never tried it either. ~ Weeds.... one plant turned into an 8 foot by 4 foot plot in less than three years. How to harvest is easy, cut a leaf, rinse, slit the leaf, then, using a spoon, scrape the gel inside layer off the green outer skin. Put the gel into a blender, and add water or citrus juice, and blend for a couple minutes. The juice helps to briefly stabilize the exposed aloe vera gel, as well as enhancing the taste. Pour the aloe vera juice into an airtight container and refrigerate, it will stay fresh up to a week. It is most potent if used within two days.