2011 garden Glendale, AZ (duhh) planted 2-13-2011

We had a crazy mild winter this year... Maybe about 2 weeks of actual cold. I had most of the peppers and tomatoes that I left in the garden make it through the winter.I had an amazing year for my bell peppers, they made it through the summer and so when fall came they exploded with fruit! Then since we didn't have any frost until New years they had plenty of time to ripen! 

Just looked at my 10 day forecast. Our last frost is usually around Valentines day. Weather in the 80s.. Looks like it is safe to plant! this weekend I'll get my seedling tomatoes in the ground. I started them around Thanksgiving and when I re potted around Jan 20th they stayed outside and have been thriving!

Yellow pears-Superstars of my garden
Mortgage lifter- we really like this one but doesn't do great here
big rainbow-we really like this one but doesn't do great here
green zebra- these do well here and are supper yummy
roma
amish paste
russo sicillian toggeta-these did amazing in my garden last year
san maranzo
Tye Dye
super sauce

I know there are more, but can't think of any right now it's to late!
I also have some cucumber, tomatillo, squash, melons all started in a tray, but may wait another week or so to put those out. I started those a couple of weeks ago.

I still have peas, carrots, beets, kale, spinach, lettuce, and basil in the garden along with other herbs.. the hard part right now is trying to find a place for everything during the transition time!

Here are some pictures since the last time I posted




13 lbs of tomatoes and a couple of peppers I harvested the beginning of july2014


 These are the peppers and a few tomatoes I picked 2 weeks after our frost I had already picked 30 red/ripe peppers before the frost. Was amazed these were still yummy and crazy crisp




above is my new pea trellis.. the colors actually help find the peas because they blend in so well! I'll prob leave them up for tomatoes and cucumbers too.



These are my yellow pear tomatoes that I thought had gotten to frosted, but there was new growth on the bottom, so I left them in after cutting away the damage.



This is what the tomato plant look like after its' "haircut"



This is a garden view after the spring clean up. I trimmed the grapes on top of the pergola back the next day, but haven't taken a picture yet. Everything is all ready for spring planting! So excited!

What a GREAT area, Duhh! 

What do you grow on the overhead trellising?

Grapes... They provide shade during the summer, and winter when they go loose their leaves it allows sunshine through

Going back some and reading your posts and looking at your pictures, it amazes me how you have grown so many things in the heat of your Arizona summer, things that I would think would not have liked the extreme heat!  Must be your strategic plantings of taller plants, your grape vines and consistent watering.  Your garden is an oasis and looks so inviting!

Triciasgarden wrote:Your garden is an oasis and looks so inviting!

+1

Triciasgarden- thanks! I do think it has alot to do with strateic planting. Im always trying some new experiment with the garden. One thing that has worked well in my back beds that are against the wall 2 1/2 feet wide, is to plant tomatoes in the back, then peppers, and then a vining plant or a squash bush in the front..this does get very crowed, but by the time the vining or squash plant gets big enough and starts to either grow up the trellis or cage for the pepper or tomatoes, it provides a living shade to protect it during the sunmer. This has worked very well the last two summers and i will continue to do this!

It sure is working so well for you and is an inspiration!

Picked this lettuce today. I can't remember what it is I mixed all my lettuce seeds together so they are always a surprise when they grow! 


Picked a bunch of peas today!! Yum

we love spinach here. I have 4 spaces with this many plants in it and have been harvesting since Nov/Dec on these plants

That is all for tonight! Now to go shell peas!

NICE, Duhh!

AtlantaMarie wrote:NICE, Duhh!

+1

Your garden is beautiful and so are those peas.

Beautiful lettuce, peas and spinach!  It is so nice to live vicariously through other's successes!

Spring has officially hit in Az! Well, for the past month or so. Look like we are heading into the 90's  already!
 Full garden view


My peas have grown so tall this year that they are meeting the grapes

My back bed with tomatoes, peppers and squashes

First tomatoes. this is a mr stripey that survived the winter. It's a very happy plant right now!

First strawberries and bell pepper(over wintered plant)


   I love/hate this time of year. everything in the garden is crazy crowded switching from winter to spring plants. All my lettuce has now gone to seed. 1/2 the peas are dying and the other half is still alive... It's hard to know when to pull things out and plant the summer stuff. If I don't get them in early enough they will die in the Az heat! 
    Hope you are all having fun with whatever stage your garden is in now!

Nice photo that puts to rest the question of whether SFG works in the desert.

To all of you desert sfg,

Those temps would be Summer here, lol!

I totally agree about switching seasons, there is always that month or so that they overlap and it is hard to figure that part out for me also.

I keep getting stuck on doing other things and have only gotten one bed cleared and nothing planted for Spring yet when I could/should have planted a month ago.

I'm going to be crazy busy with a trip coming up so I decided to post a quick update today. I might not be back around until May. The garden should be huge by then!

Front view from the porch


Back bed with tomatoes, squash, and peppers


front side view


  My arch is starting to grow in! The grapes from the front yard are trying to take over the top and cucumbers are growing up the back side


 I love the way the cucumbers look growing up the arch!

    Happy spring!

Duhh - all I can say is, "WOW!"

I've been so busy that my poor garden has been very neglected this year. Thank goodness I have it on a timer for watering, or it would be dead! I haven't taken any pictures of the actual garden yet in June, but here are some great harvests so far. The huge sink full of tomatoes were from when I wasn't able to make it out to the garden for a week! I will go back out tomorrow and try to get pictures of the actual garden and pick all the yellow pear tomatoes that I left out there!



(above) Pretty Big Rainbows... saving seeds!




(above) Biggest tomato I have ever grown and it's not even cracked! Mortgage lifter.. will be saving seeds from the beauty! 1lb 2.9 ounces! sorry for blurry pic!



(above) Tomatoes and bell peppers. looks like I'm canning tomatoes tomorrow! The first time I have ever had enough to do so!

You sure scored big on the tomatoes this year.  Congratulations and happy eating.

What a beautiful harvest!

Congratulations!  I was smiling looking at that beautiful harvest and it hit me, hey I want that, and I want it now....
 

Thanks guys! we are pretty excited about how well everything has grown this year.  Unfortunately, the heat will kill almost everything in about a month! I guess that is just when I get to take my gardening break! Even though I will be starting seeds for fall in August, but who's counting?

I ran out to quickly snap a couple of pictures of the garden this afternoon.


the man cub is calling this my tiger melon fail.. It grew inside of my cinderblock and is now stuck. very very sad!


  Front view of the garden... as usual the  front bed is being overtaken with the yellow pear tomatoes. I need to go out and pick them all tonight


Back bed view of mainly squash, peppers and tomatoes.. These will prob only last another month at the most. I've been debating if I want to cover with shade cloth of not. I found my first squash bug today. I may have over reacted by tearing out the whole plant...


From the back to the front.. I was trying to see how well the grapes are shading the boxes below. You can kinda see it here.
 

  That's all for today! I need to get to canning!

If I neglect my garden do you think I will do as well?  Great tomato harvest and those grapes are really climbing up the arch.

duhh wrote:Thanks guys! we are pretty excited about how well everything has grown this year.  Unfortunately, the heat will kill almost everything in about a month! I guess that is just when I get to take my gardening break! Even though I will be starting seeds for fall in August, but who's counting?

Thank you for posting that desert gardening tip on the months.

Back bed view of mainly squash, peppers and tomatoes.. These will prob only last another month at the most. I've been debating if I want to cover with shade cloth of not. I found my first squash bug today. I may have over reacted by tearing out the whole plant...

Maybe a tad bit over-reactive! About what I would do!

Kelejan wrote:If I neglect my garden do you think I will do as well?  Great tomato harvest and those grapes are really climbing up the arch.

it seems the more I neglect it the better it does!  Realistically if you have a good watering system you just have to go out to harvest and check for pests. Every couple of weeks I'll spend a couple hours out in the garden, but most of the time it's a quick walk through to harvest whatever is ready. Some days that takes longer than others.


Sanderson: Squash bugs are my worst enemy in the garden!