Green Thumb Adjacent

 Gardening hits different in the high desert.  

I mentioned in my welcome post that it is windy in Tehachapi. And dry. And lacks water. 

All utterly, and sometimes devastatingly, true. 

Ugh…. the wind. 

I’ve lived in California all of my life (except for a brief stint for 1.5 years of college in Reno). I’ve lived in Northern California (looking at you Placerville), and in the Central Valley (hey Fresno!). We’ve had plants wherever we have lived, be it pots of flowers, vegetable gardens, etc. Each place differs in how you should go about growing plants (ie. weather, water, elevation, etc). It can absolutely be a learning curve!

 I love plants, but I’m not sure I would classify myself as a green thumb. I’m definitely a novice and do my best, along with a hint of bravado. My husband will ask me questions about plants or trees, and to be honest, most of my answers are B.S. What I don't know I make up, but I share it with authority. Hahaha!

To be fair, I’ve done research, and I really try to understand the right way to go about gardening, but then I get to a nursery and I’m totally done in by the eye-candy (to be clear, I mean plants). I just love ‘em. If they have flowers or grow food? All the better. I choose what makes me happy and not what necessarily will be successful or what will go together. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

I lack impulse control with plants.  There, I’ve said it. 

Now that we live in Tehachapi, I'm learning again. 

I’ve tried veggies, they were very low yielding and fairly wimpy.  Last year, I just stuck to flowers and I had a lot of success. It looked a bit like a crazy person’s garden outside, and I wasn’t sorry. 

This year, I’m sticking with flowers again, but God help me, I’m adding in lettuce and herbs. It stays cooler in Tehachapi that in other parts of Cali during the summer, and so lettuce and some of the more delicate herbs can be grown all season. Baby steps to growing food.

I started seeds which have been coming up nicely, for the most part. I also have quite a bit in my pots and boxes that have come back from last year, or even the year previous! Bonus!! Who doesn’t like free plants? 

I’ll take you on a tour of what I have so far. 

Salvia, Pansies, and Hollyhocks 

More Hollyhocks, Columbines, and Cosmos

Mint (note to self it will take over your whole
planter) and Honey Scented Alyssum

Seed starts ready to go in! Just waiting for some warmer days. 
I've got sunflowers, lettuce, spinach, Nasturtium, Moonflowers, 
Dahlias, Larkspur, and a few others. 

For the last two years I've bought my seeds from Renee's Garden and I've been so pleased! The plants sprout quickly and they are hardy! They produce beautiful plants and I couldn't be happier with the company. 

I've got a lot of work to do in getting these guys planted, cleaning some stuff out of pots, and moving the Hollyhocks (stay tuned for that project).  The weather has been terrible this Spring, so I feel like I'm getting a late start. My poor seeds are so leggy, but I've been worried about getting them outside too early. 

I'm excited to get back out there!