September Colors

September 23,  2015

Finally, the tomatoes are ripening!! Not many but some. My favorite are the gorgeous Speckle Romans with the beautiful striations.

A delightful welcome home

August 7, 2013

I anxiously slide open the door to the garden....It had been over three weeks since I was last in my Temecula garden. Before I left for vacation, I discovered the dreaded Tomato Horn Caterpillar on my tomato plants. All through the vacation, I wondered if I had actually got rid of the pest I found; images of total annihilation of my tomato patch and neighboring plants often came to mind. I looked out straight ahead to the pool, took a deep breath before turning my head to the left to look at my planters. A big smile quickly lit up my face!! The tomatoes were thriving with glorious fruits. 

The tomato plants had grown a lot while I was away. They were well branched and heavy with fruits and in need to tying and stalking. 

 The Green Zebra are almost ready to be picked.

Fear of Tomato Hornworm Caterpillar

Even as I look with happiness and satisfaction upon my self- seeded tomato patch, I knew not all was well in Tomato Land.... I have been seeing the Fava beans leaves being stripped off their stalks. Tried as I may to convince myself that it was the grasshoper and snail I see in the planter bed, I knew in the deepest reaches of my heart.... it had to be the Tomato hornworm caterpillar. I did not see any until my last day at the garden before my vacation trip. I did not look very hard because 1. I was in denial 2. I figured if it was a problem, I would see the caterpillars all over....

Let's just enjoys picture of my tomato plants first....

Fava Beans

April at Vino way.....

A smile is upon my face as I sit down to write this post. Family and friends alike have commented the dearth of new posts on any of my blogs. Whatever have I been up to, they ask? Life! My family and friends, while it provides the fodder for the blogs also deprived me of time to garden, to create and to blog. Least you think my life has all been drugery, be assured there have been very momentous events. My not so little boy graduated high school and is heading out to college!!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of enjoying the fruits of a self- seeding garden. I had planted some Fava beans. Even as the Fava beans sprouted and begin to take off, tomato plants self seeded from last year plant's began to emerge. I am not sure that variety of tomatoes they are, but they are a welcome addition to the garden!

Fava beans all in rows... Drip irrigation in use.

A difference a night makes....

I remember gardening in Malaysia and worrying about too much rain or dry spells affecting my plants. Then I moved to New York and was excited to experience gardening in four distinct season. I paid heed to changing weather and excited planted season appropriate vegetables and flowers. San Diego.....now this is a Gardeners Paradise. I am spoilt - I get to grow temperate and many of the tropical fruits, vegetable and flowers I grew up with. I seem to be able to 'stretch' the growing zones of plants, finding micro-climate within my garden to make it work. Sometimes, the tropical plants I grew did not take but I would try again and again. The strange thing that I notice is, while it is often difficult to establish a tropical plant in my San Diego Zone 8 climate, once it gets establish, it generally flourishes beautifully and often multiple either by being self sowing or sprouting baby plants. Cuttings also root easily.