Saving marigold seeds!

So last season I had a really bad infestation of aphids and other nasties. I had read online that companion planting might be a good deterrent for pests, so I decided to try it out. I planted mint, garlic, and marigolds all around my squash plants. And, to my surprise, NO APHIDS!! Super happy that the companion planting actually worked.

As an added bonus, I got to harvest a lot of marigold seeds for next season. I originally ordered aprox. 200 seeds, and ended up with way more than I had. Here's how I harvested them!

1. Wait for the flower heads to dry all the way into the stem. This will ensure that all the seeds have matured and have had a chance to dry a bit.. you can see how the stem is brown, and it was physically hard when this flower was removed

2. Cut the flower heads off and collect them in a container

3. Remove all of the pedals from the flower head. I also remove as much of the yellow chaff-like stuff from the head of the flower by rubbing it against my palm

4. Peel a bit of the hard shell of the side, and the seeds will be easily removed

5. Save them for next year! I'll be keeping mine in a plastic bag inside of the refrigerator

There you have it! Super, super easy and a great way to take your initial seed investment and keep it going for years on end. Happy harvesting!

Garden update! 06/30/2015

With summer fully upon us here in Arizona, I've decided to go ahead and let the outdoor garden rest for the season. The squash and zucchini plants had given me lots and lots of fruit, and were on their last legs anyway. Dumping loads of water onto plants that don't provide much feels irresponsible, so I try not to do it. But that doesn't mean I'm not still gardening!

Indoors I'm growing tomatoes and cucumbers. There's on black cherry tomato with two ponderosa reds. Next to those are two lemon cucumbers. These are plants that I couldn't grow outside for the life of me, so I'm really excited to have them growing inside. Male flowers just started opening up on the cucumbers, and the tomatoes are also starting to bloom. Plus, bonus, it makes my office smell like tomato plants! Love it!

(Note about photo quality - I just replaced the MH bulbs with HPS bulbs... I'm still learning how to take photos under HPS so please be kind. I promise I'll get the technique nailed down ASAP! I've also color corrected the photos, so they're not all orange!)

This is the true color of the lights... washes out all of the color and makes everything look orange and yellow.... your eyes even try to compensate for it, and when you walk away everything will look blue!

Black cherry tomato flower... love how wide it opens up, like it's excited to be alive!

Beefsteak tomato flower buds

True macro of a tomato flower bud

The cucumbers are putting on very nice clusters of flowers, but all males so far

Cucumber flower up close

Garden update! 05/15/2015

Summer is right around the corner, and spring has been treating us very kindly. For the second week in a row the garden is getting a spring shower and a break from the heat. Each time we get some rain the garden absolutely crescendos. All of the plants perk up, the flowers seem to open up wider, and new life can be spotted starting all around.

Garden update! 05/02/2015

Holy cow it's been a while! I've been taking a lot of photos, but I kept neglecting to actually upload them. Finally, when my camera had reached capacity, I put my foot down and decided it was time to make another post.

Garden update! 03/20/2015

Hello friends!

Another post that's long overdue. Things in the gardens are doing very, very well!

Garden update! 02/26/2015

Hello friends!

What a busy couple of weeks it has been! Sorry I've neglected these garden updates... but rest assured, I was working diligently to get some new hydroponic systems setup. After having to remove all the plants from the hydroponic garden, I've been getting an itch to start growing something. It's really nice to have the room buzzing with the sound of lights, pumps, and fans again!

Garden update! 02/09/2015

Hello friends!

All is going well with seedlings both indoors and out. I'm very excited to see all of my hydroponic seeds starting to sprout. It's going to be an interesting couple of months if these things keep going the way they are!