Gearing Up For Gardening

Jeff and I took some time today to meander through the backyard and discuss which plants should stay or go during the spring clean up. (This is an annual event that usually occurs the weekend before spring break.) The job seems larger than normal this year because we had a wet winter and most of the trees actually dropped all of their leaves, which now have to be cleaned up via rake, blower, or Gila Valley weed eater (a mini flame thrower that crispy critters grasses, leaves, and weeds at the touch of a button). The fire option is often appealing - it's fun, it's fast, and it's pretty easy. However, generally it is not a good idea to burn anything (even in small doses and even after a wet winter) in the desert Southwest, not to mention the fact that it leaves black spots scattered around the yard and through the gravel. Thus, clean up generally entails a leaf blower and a rake. Oh well.

The good news is we are carving out another area for gardening. Our yard is bigger than a postage stamp (unlike lots in Las Vegas), but it is not huge. It is also brimming with palm trees, fruit trees, cape honeysuckle, oleander, Lady Banks roses, mounding grasses, and smaller ground covers like spreading daisies, and low growing ferns. This oasis surrounds a little bit of grass, a pool, and a spa. Last year, we added a small garden area and tried two seasons' worth of plantings. After working with this plot, we have decided to expand our foray into vegetable gardening this year.

Of course we will have tomatoes (They're just so sweet and warm right off the vine - nothing like the flavorless fruits available in the grocery store.) Our bell pepper plants didn't seem to do well last summer, but managed to survive into fall and produce fruit all winter long - go figure. However, they have become scraggly and seem to be on their last leg. (The peppers are still there, but quite small and mostly seeds.) I'm leaning toward some okra, but the guys don't care for it much. If we plant it, I'm thinking I'll have to pickle it and put it away. (Have you seen how much pickled okra is in the store?) Of course, some will have to be tossed in cornmeal and fried, or it just won't be summer. Our zucchini and squash have not done as well as we expected, but I think the new area will be a better place for them since it isn't as sheltered as the side yard. We're also planning to try watermelons again. (None came up for us last year.) Finally, one of our trees in the front yard looks pretty puny and we're considering replacing it with a fruit tree. We currently have a fig and a plum tree in the back yard.

Dreaming of plantings and spring break is an excellent way to pass an afternoon. I know we don't contend with the snow of colder climates, but spring is about renewal wherever you live - even in the desert. Here, spring means the climbing roses that adorn parts of our back wall are covered in pale buds waiting to burst open all at once and fill the entire yard and house with their rich, heady scent. Spring means the grasses will return to a dark emerald green and the days will be filled with warm sunshine and light breezes. The light, too, is different in spring. It is not the heavy, burning rays of 110-degree summer days that are fit only for lounging in the pool or under a ceiling fan. In March and April, the sun is gentle and friendly, nurturing the cotton fields as well as the bougainvillea and Mexican bird of paradise. We see a few rabbits in fields nearby along with the coyotes who hunt them. Hummingbirds buzz through the yard, the air smells fresh, and the blue sky beckons us to lie on the ground and stare at the endlessness of it all.