Basil, Peppers, Dust Bathes, And Weeds

The garden is hot and dry, but Ed persists.  The basil is all weeded and mulched.

Basil adores the heat, but with the lack of rain the plants are very short and starting to produce flowers.  

You can see by my footprint just how dry the soil in the garden is now.  Some of the birds think it's great.  This morning  I watched a beautiful brown thrasher take a long, writhing, wriggling, dust bath.   It was fun to watch and the bird loved it!

The basil plants are very small, but strangely enough the only way to keep these plants growing is to pinch them back.  The leaves I remove will make tonight's salad something special.  Basil tastes best and is happiest when it is good and hot!

The peppers will get weeded, watered and mulched next.  These tiny little pepper plants have some blossoms, but it is hard to think of plants that small supporting peppers.  I'm sure if we get some rain these plants will grow.  If not it is likely they will drop those blossoms anyway.  Tonight is the first time in weeks that the forecast shows a real change of rain.  I hope we get it.  That brown thrasher has had her dust bath,  it would be nice if she had to wait awhile for her next one.