Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Herbs

All of my herbs love the desert.  Maybe the heat and the sharply draining sand reminds them of the Mediterranean heritage.  Above are garlic scapes (flower buds), rosemary, oregano, sweet marjoram and silver thyme.
Below, some of the garlic from bed no. 3. Bulbs were small this year due to a number of reasons - they were "volunteers" from cast offs, the winter was long and extra cold, spring was wet and cool - nothing to make them want to "bulb up." Still, an unexpected harvest of volunteers is never a bad thing.
Silver Thyme with Rosemary backdrop.
Oregano and Bearded Iris.

4 comments:

Gelene said...

Hi, Karla ~ I was cleaning up "stuff" on the computer, and ran across the location of your site.
I'm glad to see that things are going well for all of you "out there".
It's fun to read your blog and see all the photos, as well, too.
Also, love the video of the chickens! : )
Hello to Dave and David, Jr. too.
~ Gelene

Anonymous said...

Hi. My wife and I have been looking into starting a garden. We recently moved from San Francisco to the southern California mountains. Are you at a high elevation? We are at 7,000 feet and I was wondering if that's been a factor in your gardening?

KMU said...

Greetings ~

Yes, elevation could be an issue. I am at 4,200 ft, and mostly the issues I have revolve around 1) the fact that I am in the desert and it is hot during the summer, 2) the 30 to 40 degree day to night temperature swings 3) the fact that there is no soil - all sand (except where I am creating soil), and the drainage is very sharp and 4) regular wind at 35-40 MPH, and at least weekly winds that top that. Oh, and the sometimes short growing season.
Good Luck!
Karla

KMU said...

PS Hi, Gelene - Glad you like the video of my little flock. Looking forward to the family get together. XOXO Karla