You all have been reading in the papers or hearing the news about the big e. coli breakout in Yuma, AZ. Stop worrying. Let me tell you that indeed the lettuce had been trace to Harrison Ford Farms in Yuma however, according to the CDC harvesting season for lettuce is over and you all can go back to eating lettuce again. By now most of the lettuce has been from other places and probably growing or harvesting in Salinas, CA.
Summer is coming, summer is coming
The hot season is gonna come in stride. Here in Yuma, AZ summer is a scorcher. However, it is not a lost cause. During the summer we can still plant enjoy food from outside. Some places summer is a joy with a summer BBQ, splash in the pool, hang out at the beach and get to together with friends and neighbors. ☺
In Yuma, we would love to do that in dreams only. We do have some brave ones out there that will take on the heat head-on. Not I, I would turn into a turtle and hide in my shell. I heard heat stroke is bad especially for us elderly people. Not good. (^.^)
What to seed now
Food garden
We still want to grow food all year round. Right now is the perfect time to start seeding cucumber. Cucumber is delicious, fat-free, and good to eat as many as you like. It’s like eating water in a fruit to keep you hydrated. Slows down aging, l like fewer wrinkles. In some cases relieve pain, and have fresh breath.
How about those nice purple plant like eggplant. They are full of minerals and vitamins that are good for you. Lots of vitamin B6, C, and K. Rich in fiber that helps you go. No more constipation, yes? It has phosphorus and magnesium.
Who doesn’t like pumpkin pies? I don’t but my husband does so don’t forget those. Not a favor of pies, any. I know right?! I’m just weird I guess. LOL
Summer, isn’t summer if there’s no watermelon. Every time I think of the summer fruit, it is always watermelons. Gotta to have them especially cold from the fridge. Start on them now! Well, when it’s daylight of course. I don’t know when you will be reading this.
Plant some melon while you’re at it.
Fried zucchini or squash is probably my favorite to grow. It is so yummy. There’s a trick to seeding these types of squash. From yellow squash, zucchini, crooked neck squash. For some weird reason, they do not like to be watered from the top. The leaves will turn yellow and refuse to grow. They love moist soil but not soggy and they prefer to be water from the roots only.
Loosen the soil 12″ deep. Mix compost with the soil. Plant them one inch deep so it will not depend on the soil. When it starts to sprout too close, thin them out to 3ft apart. Water early morning so the leaves aren’t soaked in water through the night. Water them 4″ deep for best production.
It takes about 50 days to mature. Keep in mind that harvest them when they are young and tender. At this time they will ripen quickly. So, gather them while they are immature. They taste the best at that time.
Summer also means time to seed some basil, oregano, thyme, sage, and mint. With mint, they will be invasive and hard to get rid off if not taken care of. My mint had rooted under borders and I had to pluck them out, hard.
If you haven’t already had a herb garden, start today.
Flower shade garden
Now, I have not tried growing begonias but I heard it also grows well in the shade here. As long as you keep it watered and shaded it’ll be just fine.
My impatiens are heat tolerant and drought tolerant that I am amazed that these beauties are even alive. I watered them once a week in the summer and sometimes I got for three weeks without watering them they get a little sad with leaf droop but as soon as I give them water to bathe in they stood right up in a couple of hours. Might be minutes.
They also reseed themselves and becomes more every year. It’s a must prune flower and cut to size. I don’t know how many times I prune them down.
We don’t have coleus at the moment but I am thinking of trying them this year just to give my garden a pop of colors. When most of my plants are naked when the leaves fell off they can have the coleus to cover up with and be merry.
Flowers loving sun
For you, flower lovers start seeding sunflowers, cosmos, zinnias, and marigolds they are a great addition to your garden and vegetable garden as well. Marigolds can help combats those aphids that love to colonies on your plant tops. Right now my marigolds had reseeded themselves and I already have tons of sproutlings.
If you let them reseed itself you’ll have a forever garden. you can read about my forever garden.
Conclusion
So, guys and gals it’s okay to have romaine lettuce now. Don’t forget lettuces as well. Start seeding them now. You’ll have salad all summer. Chopped in some cucumber, add a little cilantro, and tomatoes with avocado and voila, salad. Oh and your favorite dressing.
Here is an update from the FDA on a mistake that was linked to the Yuma region. We can all breathe now. E. coli breakout in Yuma, AZ was a mistake.