As I am typing this, I notice my hands are still dirty, as I was just outside planting flower and tomato transplants—signaling the beginning of summer. But planting is not limited to summer only here in our High Desert home. There are many plants that we can start in the fall for the following year and enjoy in early spring and summer, and these include tender and hardy perennials.
A tender perennial is a plant that is not winter-hardy, will die in colder climates, and is sensitive to cold and frost. But with a little protection, it can easily survive through the winter here—except in the most extreme cases. One of these examples is dianthus, and we had it on the farm for years, returning year after year with only the protection of the dead foliage while it went to sleep for the winter. A good layer of mulch, such as hay or shavings, should do the job.
A hardy perennial will survive for years, just going dormant during the winter. Examples that we can grow here are Shasta daisies and salvia, returning year after year for your enjoyment.
We are still restructuring a lot on the farm, and moving all these plants has been quite a chore. But the spring bloom was amazing, and we really got to see the results of all that hard work. We are still adding plants to fill in the back and front beds that Mike built. The tulip beds are cleared and are now being filled with summer flowers, basil and tomatoes that the critters will definitely devour!
The raised “nonprotected” beds that were built are full of spring bulbs, calendula, feverfew, mums and peonies—all of which the critters will not eat once the plants are large enough. For instance, they are eating the calendula in its baby stage, but once the leaves have that sticky feeling, they leave it alone. We use the small wire trash cans we bought at Dollar Tree years ago, and they do the job of protecting the plants until they get to the “icky” stage for the animals.
Both local farmers markets have grown exponentially thanks to your tremendous support, but we still have a long way to go. Summer, believe it or not, is a “slow period” at market due to vacations, so please visit as often as you can! We are only here thanks to your support!
You can find the Wrightwood Farmers Market on Fridays, 4 to 7 p.m., outside only, at the Wrightwood Community Center. The Phelan Farmers Market is on Mondays, 2 to 6 p.m., inside and outside the Phelan Community Center at 4128 Warbler Road in Phelan. Both markets accept EBT, and the Phelan Certified Farmers Market also offers the Market Match grant, gifting up to $15 in free produce to EBT customers utilizing their cards at market.
