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Many years ago, when I first started my Web site, I created an online diary of my gardening activities and observations. However, with work and the commute from Hell, I was often so tired I had to choose between maintaining my garden and maintaining my diary. Sometimes, I did neither. In 1998, I stopped my diary and removed the pages from my Web site.
Now I am retired. I am well-rested and have plenty of time to both garden and maintain a diary. This diary is primarily for my own benefit, so that I can look back upon what I did and when. But I thought others might also be interested, so here it is.
Also see What's Blooming in My Garden Now?
Diary entries for 2004 through 2014
Entries below are in reverse order (latest at the top). Daily, I might stoop to pull a weed or use a hose to water some potted plants; however, I don't consider those significant gardening activities. Thus, you will not see daily entries. Also, I might accumulate a few entries before updating this page on the Web.
When plants have well-known common names, their scientific names are given only the first time they appear on this page (entry closest to the bottom). There, the common name is in bold or appears as a link to another Web page.
Unless a different year is given, dates refer to other entries in the same year as the entry in which they appear, including entries on prior pages for the same year.
| Date and Weather | Observations and Activities |
|---|---|
| 29 December
Cloudy, dark, and cold Temp: 47-51
Rain —
|
Yes, it has been a while since I worked in my garden. I had a pinched nerve in my back that kept me sitting in a chair. I had that fixed about 4 weeks ago, on the same day my wife was hospitalized with pneumonia. After spending 2 weeks in the hospital, my wife then went to a rehab hospital for physical therapy to restore her muscle tone. In the meantime, our daughter and her family came for a visit from Canada. Thus, November saw me disabled and not wanting to work in my garden; and December saw me busy with family issues.
I did rake leaves. The Tree in back and the oak in front have grown bigger and produced more leaves than ever before. Even after my back surgery, however, raking still gave me back pains; so I could not really do a complete job in one session. Today, I pruned three rose bushes in front. There are three more in front, four in back, and three climbers — all needing to be pruned. Then there is the peach tree and three grape vines. In the first three months of the current 2022-2023 rain year (October through December) we have had more rain than all 12 months of the 2020-2021 rain year, and we are getting close to the 12-month total of the 2006-2007 rain year. However, our water supply comes from northern California; and state-wide only one notable reservoir contains more than the average amount of water. I am concerned that, in the spring, the snow melt will soak into the dry ground instead of flowing into the reservoirs. |
Weather data are from the Cheeseboro (CHE) weather station, about 2 miles ENE of my house.
The high temperature (°F) is daytime for the indicated date; the low temperature (°F) is for the previous night.
Winter chill is the cumulative hours of temperatures at or below 45°F from 1 November through 31 March. It is reported during that period and through April.
The relative humidity is at noon. (In my garden, it is likely higher than reported, a result of regular irrigation.)
Wind speeds (mph) are average (not peak) low and high, midnight to midnight (subject to later correction for diary entries posted before the end of the day). I also indicate peak wind gusts parenthetically when they are significantly high.
Rain is in inches. Rain-year is the cumulative amount of rainfall from 1 October until 30 September of the following year (our "rain-year"). Week is the cumulative amount of measurable rainfall from noon seven days ago until noon of the indicated date. If no measurable rain fell in that period, Days since last is reported.
Characterization of the weather (e.g., Clear, sunny, and warm) is purely subjective; for example, "warm" might occur with higher temperatures than "hot" if the former occurs with lower humidity and more breezes than the latter. Also, a day that would normally be characterized as "mild" might instead be "warm" if the immediately previous days were quite cold. Finally, such characterization reflects when I was actually outside and gardening and ignores changes that occur while I am inside.
The signature line I use when writing messages about my garden includes the following:
Diary entries for 2004 through 2014
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 Current month's diary page |
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