Love your story in your profile page!
Yesterday we were in the low 90s, more than 17 degrees above normal. Today we were in low 80s. Planting a vegetable garden here is rough this time of year. I took to planting only indigenous plants, although we have an at least 30-foot mulberry tree in the backyard. It blooms around the end of March, then you get mulberries at the end of April. I used to just eat them off the tree until the scare last year of the bird/chicken virus.
The county (Maricopa) or the state banned mulberry trees and olive trees years ago, but we were grandfathered in. The pollen from both of those trees can cause breathing problems for most people, especially those with asthma.
Cotton was the crop here for years, but it’s changed to potatoes for some reason. I’ve grown tomatoes, but they don’t taste as good as the ones from So.Cal. (my roots). I think it’s because they ripen so quickly from the heat. Think I’ll plant some SUNflowers this years. LOL!
BTW, will you send me a shovel full of snow?
I hope that helps :-)
I miss the fresh tomatoes from the fields around Chula Vista. They are all covered with buildings now. The flavor of a vine ripened tomato is superior to what lands on the supermarket shelves.
My wife puts feeders out for the birds each Spring. There are always many beautiful birds hanging around the front porch on the feeders. Last year, some sunflower seeds dropped to the ground and grew into enormous sunflowers. The summer heat is ideal for them. As for potatoes...the majority of the world's potatoes are grown 20 miles north of where I live. The volcanic soils are perfect.
I hope to visit Australia some day. I've apparently exceeded the desired upper age limit for emigration. No problem. I have some railroad oriented business opportunities that will provide ample justification for a visit :-)
I hope you have a pleasant Fall after a fairly hot Summer!