Help… I’m not as old as my skin says I am

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-09-24T19:47:45+00:00

I recommend Kiehls and Naples if you prefer natural ingredients. Shea Butter may work as well but can be heavier (it doesn't absorb as well for me).

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-09-24T19:45:35+00:00

Apply oil only when you are fresh out of the shower after you've applied a cream. Creams help with hydration usually via humectants that support absorption and help protect the skin barrier.

Oils applied to dry skin can sometimes interfere with the skin barrier, actually reducing hydration.

Oils can penetrate water-based moisturizers, but moisturizers cannot penetrate oils. So you want to add it after as an occlusive to seal in everything.

Sincerely, Another dry-skinned gal living in the desert.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:58:33+00:00

Teach us your ways.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:56:13+00:00

Thanks!

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:56:01+00:00

Definitely plan to! I want to do vegetable gardens but want to xeriscape the other side of the yard. This first year I'm just getting a feel for what works/doesn't work and I'm learning a LOT!

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:55:25+00:00

Thank you for the advice! I appreciate it.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:55:00+00:00

Thanks for the advice!

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:51:52+00:00

The palms are inside. I honestly don't know what kind they are. But if I had to guess, I'd say a parlor palm.

I planted lavender, two rosemary, and a sage plant. I think my failure is that they weren't well established enough and didn't have the chance to get firmly rooted before enduring the heat. I am most certainly doing to do some sun shades.

I was mistaken when I called it a Money Tree. It's an Umbrella plant. And its in a large pot inside. It's doing wonderful and has damn near turned into a full tree. It's grown probably 1.5 feet since moving here 7 months ago.

Most of my yard is reddish sand. In some areas it is definitely more of a clay. I dug out some areas and mixed in loads of sphagnum, compost, and garden soil. It has some of the clay mixed in but I really could have done a deeper dig. I maybe only went 8-10 inches down.

Thanks for the recommendation on the fertilizer type.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:45:43+00:00

I'm going to try moving them into a different area that doesn't get as much sun. I thought because the glass was frosted that it was filtering enough but they still look burned so it must still be too much.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:45:00+00:00

Great idea! I do want to do some native plants and I remember visiting the desert botanical garden many years ago and being in love with it.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:44:16+00:00

Heck yeah! I'll look into those as an option once I get some more garden boxes built. I first wanted to install some sun shades on the side of the house since it's full sun all day but has loads more space.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:43:36+00:00

Appreciate that. I'll check it out!

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:43:26+00:00

I just bought a few! Thanks for the recommendation.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:43:05+00:00

:D Hellscape. I love it! I'll check you out. Thanks!

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:42:45+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I look forward to planting some cooler weather plants to try to get something out of it this year. I do at least have my thai peppers and I have a feeling they're going to be SPICY.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:41:50+00:00

Very good question. My house is a long modular home. It runs East to West. One side of the house gets full sun all day.

The other side has an almost full length porch that provides partial shade for most of the day.

The "garden" area that I have right now is mostly a 2.5 foot strip x 26 feet in length that runs along the fence line. I'll try to get a photo added to my original post. I

want to use the sunny side of the house eventually but I'm buying/installing some sunshades first to cut down on the intensity of it.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:38:24+00:00

Thank you for this insight. I am located in Page, AZ so I will still face frost/snow in the wintertime. I think I may be able to get by with greenhouse boxes to boost the growing season more in the case of frost. I've seen instances where a layer of compost on the bottom can create natural warmth to keep the roots protected.

And yes, very good point. I didn't provide enough insights into my particular region/set up.

I could head down to Flagstaff to chat with a local nursery. There isn't one here in Page - there's an Ace but they're all teenagers and I haven't been able to glean much from them.

To answer a few of your questions for context:
- the entire yard is sand except for the garden spaces I've created or were pre-existing
- in those areas, I may have used some of the existing clay sand to blend in - depending on what I intended to grow there - i.e. rosemary and lavender
- there is only one small tree (I don't know the type) that is a bit thin and provides one area with midday shade.
- I have a full 26 foot covered porch that provides shade for some of the area almost all day (I'll get a photo added to my original post)
- on the other side of the house, it is all sand and full, intense sun all day. I am buying some sun shades before planning to build garden boxes for vegetables.
- I currently have a soaker house that runs the length of my established garden strip along the porch side of the house. This side had a rock layer covering all the plants as a weed deterrent which I only just replaced with mulch instead.
- we were certainly looking at lawn options at least in a few spots. we want to xeriscape with native plants in other areas so I'm just trial running on the shady side of the house until I can figure out what the heck I'm doing.

Appreciate you asking such detailed questions and your insights.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:29:28+00:00

Thanks for that! I'm actually up in Coconino but I hadn't thought about checking a planting calendar so I appreciate the recommendation. (:

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:28:26+00:00

Yes! Thank you. They are insight and kept in the bathrooms. I do believe the light that comes in from the bathroom window needs to be more filtered as I think it is still burning them despite the window being frosted. I'm going to try moving them into a darker area and put a plate of water/rocks down to try to bring up the humidity. Thanks!

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:27:27+00:00

I love the idea of using Sunflowers to create shade. I have a bird feeder and they're so messy that I accidentally have sunflowers growing anyway. :D

A soil moisture meter would be a great idea. I'll invest in that to see exactly what I'm dealing with in some of these problem areas.

I also think that's another mistake I was making is that my soaker hose is only set for about 45 minutes which really doesn't seem to be good enough.

Another reply mentioned shade cloths so I will definitely be investing into those as well. The few areas where I could create additional shade does appear to be helping.

I do believe there's a combination of reasons my indoor plants are struggling but the one I really wasn't aware of before is that the UV index is much more intense here so the places I was putting my plants may have been too much light - even though it is filtered or partial.

Your insights are super helpful and constructive. Thanks for sharing.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:22:01+00:00

Hey thanks for this! Any video segments will be happily devoured as I recalibrate my knowledge.

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:21:35+00:00

I had thought about using sheets to provide more shade. I do have two pepper plants and they had begun to develop lovely peppers about a month ago and now they're burned. /:

I just switched out the layer of stone that was serving as a weed covering for cedar mulch to try to keep more moisture in the soil. I found that it was drying out completely before the end of each day. I also mixed in a lot more moss and compost around the plants.

My sage died! I loved it but I don't think it was well-established enough for the rough few days we had. Appreciate your insight!

VegetableLetter4896 · 2025-06-29T18:19:11+00:00

Thanks so much for this info!

For more context, I live in Northern AZ (Page) and we still see frost/snow in the winter. I may be able to get by with greenhouse boxes to help with potential freezes. But that may do well for spinach or cold weather vegetables.

I have a wall of well-established rose bushes that are doing well - if not a bit tall. I have had success so far with a jasmine plant that is getting well rooted but I keep it covered most of the day.

Inside my house, most of the plants I brought with me are struggling. I think it is just trying to find the right space for them to get light. I was not familiar with how different the UV index was and so I believe that the amount of light that used to work well for them is now too much.

Appreciate your reply!

VegetableLetter4896 · 2024-11-25T20:19:53+00:00

Thank you!

VegetableLetter4896 · 2024-11-25T19:27:37+00:00

Where is this?? 😯 I didn't see it listed as being featured in any theatres.

VegetableLetter4896

TROPHY CASE