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

Here is my 2011 garden with about 200 square feet and the new pergola.

2 beds have over wintered tomatoes, peppers, peas, carrots, beets, onion, lettuce, and chard.


Whole garden view


Two 4x4 with transplanted tomatoes. Squash, cucumbers, and bush beans haven't come up yet.


This is my nephews box. Some of the strawberries don't look that great. the big heap of them was meant to come apart, but their roots were so tangled I just put them in hoping for the best... I think we will have to replace them.

Thats it for today. I didn't bother taking pics or the beds that don't have anything coming up yet

Have been crazy busy lately. Garden is doing well. We harvested the rest of the peas today and took them off the trellis so I could use it for my nephews garden. Found a bunch of aphids in my nephews lettuce so we released a bunch of lady bugs. Also placed a few preying mantis castings around the yard. Hopefully we will have a bunch of good bugs in the yard/garden this year.


Lady bugs just after being released


Tomatillos (need to get the trellis in for these this weekend


The rest of the peas. We have been harvesting from these plants since Thanksgiving! Nephews plants should start giving us some in the next couple of weeks as long as it doesn't get to crazy hot.

Great looking garden there.

Did you do something special to make the ladybugs stick around?

Thanks. We just let them go tonight so not sure if they will hang out or not. We will see.

A large view of most of the garden. Things are going crazy.



Back beds looking good. I just harvested a gob of Micro greens and am now waiting for basil to come up next to the lettuce



These are the tomatoes I pruned back and they are exploding with new growth. I will be cutting them back more in the near future. They are taller than me now! Harvested all the beets and the carrots are amazing! Also if you look to the left at the white bags, I'm trying to grow potatoes. I hope it works!

Most aphids are gone, still see a few. I made a soap spray and tried that today. Still a few ladybugs around, but not many. Praying mantis castings are there, but don't know when they will hatch?

We also just go some red worms. Some went into the compost. Others are in a worm bin in the garage, and next year I plan on trying those worm tubes Josh posted about. Everything is good in sunny Az!

Duhh, those tomatoes have really exploding. Everything looks good.

I'm really admiring that blue sky in your first picture and your pergola is to die for! What are you going to plant around it? "Overwintered tomatoes", only in my dreams! I know it will get hot here soon enough & I'll be complaining about it, but I really want to start growing & harvesting. I'm envious

Thanks guys.

Dixie- We planted grapes, but so far none have "woken up" I will give them another 2 weeks before I think about replacing them. I have some in the front yard that are already leafing out, but these were on;y planted a month ago. We were able to over winter a few tomato plants, but they didn't give us much yet. But are now putting on all sorts of fruit. I am going to prune them back again because they are growing so crazy I can't see if there is anything on the inside of the plants!

This is my favorite time of year in Az and I think its the gardens as well! We are having salad every night, and are getting a couple of little cherry toms already! Also getting carrots, chard, and radishes pretty regularly.
The only thing not doing well is the corn...maybe still a little early? I replanted and if it doesn't come up this time I will try another kind or just plant something else.




My potatoes are actually coming up.



Finally got a trillis up for the tomatillios



thought I would share some of the different carrots we picked the other day



anxiously awaiting this whole bunch to ripen! They are little orange toms.



not in the sfg part, but I finally gave up on some of my grapes and bought some large already awake ones!

Gorgeous, just gorgeous!

Your root veggies look exactly like mine !!!

Actually, just to clarify, your root veggies look exactly like the pictures on my seed packets for those veggies

Very jealous .... thats a beautiful harvest. I'd be happy if my carrots come out half as well as yours did

Duhh,

I LOVE your garden, pergola and delicious looking veggies.

Your pergola will be perfect when the grapes cover it. You will have a lovely shady spot to sit and watch your garden grow.

BUT OH HOW I CRAVE YOUR FENCE!!!!!

Between the deer, bunnies and neighbor's dogs I want to give up! The deer and bunnies try to eat everything while the dogs use my whole yard and garden for a bathroom.

I even had the neighbor's newest dog, which happens to be a pitbull mix, try to sneak up behind me and attack me! I was squating down, firming in some newly transplanted iris on my front bank, when I heard him step on some dry winter leftovers behind me and turned to see him up in MY YARD already in the 'crouch and ready to attack' mode. I didn't have time to get scared. I was so angry I went up that bank after him yelling "GO HOME - GO HOME" and waving my arms like a crazy person until he tucked his tail and ran off!

It was only later, after I had calmed down, that I realized how seriously it could have turned out. My seven year old grandson had just went inside the house.

I don't go outside without my fish fillet knife on my belt now and never let the grandkids ouside without me.

To have a fence like your's would be heaven on earth!! How BLESSED you are.

Keep those pictures coming!

Salads EVERY night? Man! That sounds good!

Betty

acara- those carrots have been in since oct! They hung around during the cold and didn't really start taking off until it began warming up. also I had to cut back a tom plant that was shading them to much. I also read somewhere that carrots and toms aren't good planted together.

Bettyd_z7_va- I wish my fence were just a little higher I can see head and shoulders of the neighbors dog.(It must be standing on something on their side) So far it hasn't jumped over. I also had to install an invisible fence to keep my two dogs out of the garden area. that keeps us all happy. Glad to hear that you are okay! Sometimes it's good to just react before thinking to much about it!

Looks great! Can't wait to see those grapes take over that pergola. I'm in Mesa and am curious to see how all your plants turn out so I can take a page out of your book.

We just moved from Phoenix about 7 months ago. We lived in a spot that was in Phoenix on one corner, in Glendale on another corner and in Peoria on the last two corners!

Your garden looks beautiful!

Dfizzel1- I can't wait for the grapes to grow up. I'm thinking I'll have to use shade cloth this summer. We also added a passion fruit vine. I hope everything works out the way I want it to! I wouldn't take my lead if I were you until it's proven I know what I'm doing. It's only my 2nd year... although I'm not sure last year counts with the dogs eating everything by May!

orazcajen- Yup must have lived pretty close to where I am! To bad you aren't still near. Thanks! My garden is still a work in progress, but I'm liking it alot already!

Not an actual update. I'll take more picks on Wednesday. Here is my favoite pic from last week. I'm about 5'8 and these are my over wintered yellow pear toms.



I think I posted this pic as an updae to tomato prunning...... to lazy to look right now

My summer/spring part of the garden is 2 months old! Have been enjoying lots of lettuce, spin, radishes, carrots, peas, strawberries and some yellow pear tomatoes.





Nephews garden doing really good. Peas are really beginning to produce!



nephew picked some carrots. He may not look it in the pic but he was all excited and happy



My potatoes are growing! At least the plants are. I just keep throwing more compost/mels mix on the plant as it grows. The one doing the best is in an old mels mix bag


I thought I took more pictures today.. hmm oh well, next time I'll take some more! Happy gardening!

Thanks for sharing Duhh!! I love seeing the you post from my old home state. Startin' to get hot there now eh?

You have the air on yet?

I am very impressed with a garden like that in the Valley. I hope that my garden looks like that in a little bit. I hope we don't get another cold spell like we had last weekend!

Yup starting to get warm here! We have an evap cooler and that is on already.

corrermucho: When my garden starts dieing from the heat yours will be doing great! Hopefully the weather begins to cooperate with you soon! That cold last weekend was crazy!

Was out in the garden today and found a baby mantis!! I guess they finally hatched. Saw one yesterday too! I think he's cute. so I'll share him with you guys! He's on my potatoes. I named him Sheldon

Something is eating my bell pepper plants! I looked and looked this afternoon and couldn't find any bugs. I went out tonight and found 13 little green worms! Little beasties! I found 11 around the damaged pepper plants and found 2 in other parts of the garden.. Will be going out on patrol for the next couple of nights.

I also read about dusting leaves with flour and when the worms eat it they bloat and die. Has anyone tried this?

hmmm... now that I'm reading this, 13 is a bad number... maybe I should go and try to find another!!!

For little green worms I would definitely try BT. Thuricide is the brand name I have.

Thanks Elliephant. I am hoping to not have to use any BT I have heard about it. I went out this afternoon and found % more worms and also a little praying mantis hanging out on the bottom of one of the pepper plants. I left his plant alone.

First the bad news....I only have 1 tomatillio plant left out of the 3.. well really 2 left, but one is barely hanging in there while the one next to it is doing great.

Corn in the 3 sisters garden is on the 3rd planting. I think I tried planting it to early and it was still a little cool. Then I didn't keep them wet enough. I have some 6 inch tall plants and some squares with little sprouts and at least 3-4 squares with nothing still. I hope it comes up soon, or I wont have a 3 sisters this year!

A few tomatoes are looking a little worse for wear. I am trying to figure out if they are sick or if I over fertalized them. I sprinkled some dry crumbles around and about a few days later the bottom branches dried up.... I'll post pics if I can't figure it out. They seem to be doing better with a few heavy waters.

Also a couple of the bush beans had begunto grow, then they turned yellow and died. Not sure what is going on with these. It's my first time growing beans.

Have been battling little green worms on my pepper plants


Now for good news!!!

Squash are all getting huge and the yellow summer squash is going crazy already. I counted 7 on one plant today.

Tomatoes for the most part are all setting fruit and I have a few that are just under tennis ball sized!! woohoo.

Over wintered yellow pear tomatoes are finally starting to turn. There have been lots of fruit, but only 1-2 turn at the same time. This next week I should be able to pick alot. Also I strung some up to the 8 ft pergola because I couldn't bear to cut them all back. I did cut some back right above the last bunch of fruit. They are just a mess, but there isn't alot I'm doing about it. I'm afraid to prune them as severly as I have in the past because of how intense the sun gets here in the summer.

Pulled up all the carrots today and picked most peas(might be the last of them it was 95 today)

Havested 3 gallon sized bags of spin and lettuce this week. Surprised the lettuce is still hanging in there with the hot weather. It isn't as sweet, but still not bitter or going to seed. Wil be able to harvest again on Saturday by the looks of it.


pic of the back bed. I just mulched with pine needles to help keep in moisture.



Have now found about 20 of these guys around my pepper plants and the basil too.



Damaged pepper from worms



My praying mantis (Sheldon) watching over one of the Pepper plants



Yellow pear toms. Most are about 2 inches long



Trying to show My wall of Tomatoes up to the pergola



This is what they looked like a week ago when I first strung them up. They Have grown alot this last week!



This next week I'll be pruning and stining more tomatoes, Figuring out where I need shade cloth, and spreading more mulch around.

Enough for tonight! Happy gardening!!!

duhh, I think those are tomato horn worms couldn't quite see by the photos if they have diaginal white stripes that 's them for sure. Sheldon has realy grown, didn't I read on another thread you named all your praying matis Sheldon? Reminds me of a Monty Python scetch in which a man named all his pets Eric. Other than the worm damage the rest looks pretty good. As hard as it is to do take my word for it when those maters reach the top cut the tops off. I had a shorter trellis one year and could not bring myself to prune of the top and the poor devils broke during a storm. You can always root the cuttings and replant them, when the weather cools they will flower again and you can impress your neighbors with "fall" tomatoes.