Tomatillos

Photo 1: Tomatillo fruit

Photo 2: Tomatillo flower

My tomatillo plant is finally forming fruit!  See Photo 1.  I was getting a little worried.  My tomatillo plant had been forming plenty of flowers for months without producing any fruit.  I am still not sure why it is not just starting to form fruit.

I have not noticed much of a weather change, and there have been plenty of bees and other pollinating insects in the garden.  The only thing I did differently was increase the amount of water I was giving it.  I have been fully saturating the ground with water everyday.

  

More on Cilantro

Photo 1: Cilantro seed heads drying out

Photo 2: New cilantro plants sprouting from seed

There is an article in Sunset magazine that talks about a "better way" to grow cilantro.  The article explains how to grow and harvest cilantro in a way that will provide you a continuous supply of cilantro until the plant goes to seed.
Two square feet of cilantro is more than enough for our family of four.  By rotating the sections we harvested the cilantro from, we were able to have a continuous supply of cilantro for several weeks.  I do encourage you to plant your cilantro in the shade to keep it from going to seed so quickly.  However, if you are a fan of coriander or would like some cilantro seeds, allow your cilantro plant to flower and go to seed.  To learn more about harvesting your own cilantro seeds (also known as coriander), click here.

Reviving Azaleas

Photo: New growth on water-deprived azalea bush

My new azalea plant was one of the few plants that suffered while I was away on a long weekend.  The high temperatures and lack of water turned this plant into crisp.  Since then, I have watered it everyday, and weeks later, I am happy to report some new growth.