Smarties Bar & Grill #76

I can't grow anything other than cactus and other desert plants, even if the container of flowers or, the flowering plant says, "full sun, drought resistant"......it isn't.

 

Relative humidity. Soil moisture is one thing, but if you have super dry air, as parts of Arizona does, then yeah, you'd be limited to what you can successfully grow.

 

I don't know much about different soils and the like, I trust in the information that's on the containers also, the local nursery says it stocks plants that are suitable for this area.

Maybe it's me? LOL....I never did have much of a green thumb.

 

'Suitable for this area', is a whole lot different than 'native'. Ask the local nursey for native plants. And check with your local Agricultural Extension (usually part of the local State University) and they will likely have more information for you to use.

Two other bits:
1. Drought tolerant is normally applicable AFTER the plant is well established. About 6-8 weeks after planting it should show you new growth, or other indicators it's thriving. Don't fertilize during that time.

2. You may actually have a black thumb.

 

Good information, thanks.

Yeah, not a trace of green there......LOL

 

I'd start with herbs. Many of them grow like weeds and are a great way to dip your toe in, to see if you like it. Basil, rosemary, thyme & oregano are all pretty hard to kill, I've found. Sage and parsley are fun as well. I actually do have {sing along with me,} parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme in my garden, along with cilantro & oregano. I'm no longer allowed to have basil, due to blight.

 

and fresh is expensive at the market , sounds good

 

only edible lol so Herbs

 

Assuming you mean culinary 'herbs' (wink) here's a bit of information.....

Growing Herbs Indoors in Containers for Indoor Herb Gardens (countryfarm-lifestyles.com)

I usually go for parsley, basil and thyme, since they can be kept relatively small and nip what's needed without having to go through the drying process. Sage, IMO, is not so great fresh unless you pulp it, and then texture of the food is effected.

 

Fresh sage in the cavity of a chicken for roasting. Yum.

 

That's not directly in the food being consumed, so it would smell wonderful and hopefully infuse a bit of flavor.

 

We water .. a lot.. has big watering rings around the trees and bushes.. I missed one for about three days.. it lost most of it's leaves .. almost died, but diligent watering program keep it alive.. also, I dig the earth up for a few feet down and mix in a mulchy mixture. AND I am not the gardner, that's be wifey.

 

Something with microgreens or a grow light and some leafy veg like lettuce maybe.

 

I live in the east in Zone 7B and it really isn't that much different. You have to experiment and accept that you are gonna kill some of them (maybe lots of them) figuring it out. I actually find that cacti will tolerate full shade here much better than they will full sun. For instance, even though azelias are labeled for full sun, I have killed truck loads of them planting them in true full sun. This is an argument I had with an across the road neighbor not long ago. She wanted to know why I planted them in my backyard instead of the front like she does. I told her it is because her front yard is a northern exposure that gets maybe an hour of direct sun light a day; mine is a southern exposure that has direct sun on it from sunrise to sunset so the blah boxwoods and hollies that came with the house will be here until I die because there isn't much else ornamental that won't cook in 14 hours of direct sun on a 98 degree summer day.

 

I have azaleas planted on the east and west sides of our house, they are both huge and bloom like crazy in the early spring.

 

I hope everyone here has a great, happy, healthy, safe, prosperous, and worry free year. 2021 is a year that will live in our memories a long time as one that had a lot of hope for a healthy world. Above all else everyone stay safe.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

 

So, Santa gave me a seafood allergy for Christmas. We had lobster, shrimp, sea scallops and salmon.

My lips woke me in the middle of the night. I woke my husband up. He noticed my toe was bleeding. I didn’t remember tripping or running into anything. My foot and pinky toe were so swollen, the skin just cracked.

The doctor said that I can’t trade this allergy in for a different one, say kale. I did say please.

55 years old and finally able to afford the really good shrimp and lobster…. Sigh.

 

You've never had an allergic reaction to seafood before? Is it possible it was a seasoning or however it was prepared?

I developed an allergy to (herbaceous) pepper, black, white or red, around the age of 23ish. Prior to that, I used it just like everyone else. Tongue, mouth and lips would burn, itch, and swell. Never to the stage I needed an EPI pen, thankfully. My older sister used to laugh at me, until one day she called and said 'guess what'. Never knew what set it off, and it is rather rare.

They say body chemistry changes every 7 years....

 

I’m almost at the end of my 8th 7-year cycle, so the timing is right. I’ve never had an allergy to any food before. All the food was raw, and we put out a fondue pot and hibachi grill for everyone to cook their own. Nobody else got sick, so the food was fine.

 

Benefit to the holiday period between Christmas and New Years is the lack of traffic during morning rush....

This has been a PSA.

 

It's the best week of the year!

 

Everybody got their party duds picked out for tomorrow night? Can't believe me, the homebody is going to a casino in Shreveport for NYE! WOOHOO! (Link for GoFundMe bail $ to follow. Thank you in advance!)

 

Happy New Year GF! Wish you happiness & good health! ❤

 

To all the Bar Flies, may 2022 be not so interesting, lol.....

Health to you all!

 

So follow up.. got both the packages right before Christmas.. one on the back porch at my residence, which is listed on nowhere asa ship to address, but the UPS guy as been here a while, and I have delivered some misdirected packages for him..
Christmas cards .. got dozens of franking cards from the pols, out of 80 cards my son sent out, only mine got returned as undeliverable, and my mom's card to us ended up in the wrong box.. the guy opened it and saw $100 dollars (I've told her not to send cash by mail,, and not to send me money in any form.. ever.. I've done the math and I owe her!) in it.. which he thought was wierd, and he checked the envelope and saw it was addressed to us, and gave us a call (small town ethos right there!) so we may have gotten an 80% delivery on family Christmas cards.
so .. for here.. a fairly good record.