Feels Like Fall

Fall is definitely making itself known here in Northern California. The high today was only about 75, with constant crisp breezes.

My cool-season vegetable garden, is, however, doing well. I have hundreds of arugula seedlings and the Swiss chard is just starting to come up.

Although I could care less for the cool temps, some rain would be great right about now.

Autumn Approaches...

As the summer days grow shorter, I can't help but start thinking about my fall garden. I am hoping to plant several varieties of lettuce in containers, as well as arugala, Swiss chard, and radishes.

I have only grown cool-season vegetables once, but my experience was a success. I had hundreds of bright-red radishes, along with carrots and lettuce. I had so much lettuce I was able to make several huge bowls of salad.

This year, I'm thinking about possibly growing mesclun, a mix of different greens. I am considering growing the plants in wide containers, but I have never done this before.

Anyone got any tips?

Rain!

Finally, after weeks of "unbearable" sunny weather, we are getting needed rain. The grass on the hills is being given a few more days of life before the hot sun bakes it to a crisp. The garden seems to be responding well to the rain, as things have been a little too dry for comfort this past month.

Update:

There was a super heavy downpour today as showers blew through the area. It was sunny and literally 1 minute later the streets had turned into flooded rivers. The rain was coming down in drenching sheets, so hard that waterfalls were pouring off of the roofs of houses. Almost as soon as the downpour began, it stopped, and the sun came out again.

A Growing Garden

The garden is really starting to grow fast. I have bird's eyes and corncockle, Agrostemma githago, as well as some extremely robust California pipevine plants. All the trees have their leaves now, and my two banana plants are growing well. The king palm has been repotted and I have acquired a 6-foot tall golden bamboo. Summer looks like it will be good for plants this year.

Warm Weather!

It seems spring is finally here in the Bay Area. Temperatures are supposed to be in the high-60s to low-70's for at least another week. The warm temps have caused my garden to start growing. Soon I will get my tropical garden back together. I will post photos when everything is set...

Tropical Heliconia Seedling

Here is one of the long-awaited heliconia seedlings. So far three have germinated out of about 20 that were planted. If the weather gets warmer, the seedlings should start to grow a faster pace, and maybe they'll bloom in time for summer. We shall see...

Remember 9/11

May those who lost friends and family September 11, 2001 be comforted...

The Future of Space Travel is Heating Up

The "Vision For Space Exploration" states that the U.S. will have returned to the Moon as soon as 2015 and no later than 2020. The plan then calls for a manned mission to Mars, and, eventually, trips to the Asteroid Belt, Jupiter's moons, and beyond. Not only is NASA the one making this vision a reality, but a number of private companies are designing spacecraft for space tourism and other missions, and a one of theses companies has already made it into space. The future that many dream of is just around the corner...