Be sure to double click on any picture to see larger view, then select full screen for a slide show..

Had a beautiful May in Phoenix. Perfect for gardening. Here are 11 pictures out of 50 or more that I took this month. My fruit orchard is doing well. Spring was the time to cut the fruit tree back by half. That was hard to do, but the results are rewarding as the trees are now putting out new growth. That new growth will be cut back by half again in the fall. We've enjoyed 6 apricots and some of the peaches. The fig tree has grown 4 figs so far (don't expect more this year). The watermelon patch that we grew on a small hill is doing great. Will pick our first melon this week (6 large ones and several more small ones are developing).

Been using my Sun Oven more this year. Today I baked a loaf of bread and have a pot of vegetable soup in the oven for dinner. So far I've baked cookies, potatoes, a whole chicken , stew and boiled some eggs. I wrapped beets in foil and put them in a covered pan and they cooked in their own steam. Lots of great recipes on the internet.

I do water everyday for 10 to 15 minutes so the soil stays moist. Also have a lot of flowers, squash and other veggies in pots that I have to watch closely. Been harvesting russet (new small ones) and red potatoes so far. The sweet potatoes aren't ready yet. I'm about ready to bag the grapes so the birds don't eat them all. Didn't try corn this year as our yard is small.

Otherwise, let's hear it for gardening in Phoenix!!!

Just wanted to share the beautiful roses that grow in and around my garden. Everythingis growing well so far, especially the potatoes. Have been enjoying sugar peas, beets, carrots, lettuce, chard, spinach and green onions. Lots of little squash are forming. No ripe tomatoes yet. Moved the March slideshow to the side bar. To view the current slideshow, double click on any picture and it will take you to Picasa.

The weather has been beautiful. Planted lettuce, carrots, spinich, bush beans , beets, sugar peas and kohlrabi by seed last month and they are all coming up. It's now too late to grow from seed so I have been planting transplants of several kinds of squash, cukes, pole beans, regular eggplant, watermelon, and some small tomato plants. Also purchased potato and rhubarb starts from Summer Winds nursery. Love color in the garden so I have planted flowers wherever I could find room. Had to plant new strawberries as I lost last years plants due to the heat. They didn't get enough water from the soaker hoses so Tom changed their watering to sprinklers. Same problem with the asparagus and potato patches so now they have sprinklers also. (The sprinkler spacing is one for every four squares)
NOTE: Double click on any photo in the slideshow and it will take you to Picasa. Then click on "slideshow" in the upper left of the screen and it will bring the photos up in full screen with captions. To get out of Picasa just select the back arrow two times.

Dorothy's garden when we returned from vacation Oct 15, 2009

Moved the "summer in Phoenix" slideshow to the side and added a new slide show as of 15 Oct 2009. Double click on any slide and it will take you to Picasa where you can see the picctures larger and read the captions..

We're back after almost six weeks of being in and out of town. The garden was on automatic watering and we came back to some things still growing. Have cleaned out the beds and have started to plant a winter garden (carrots, spanich, chard, bok choy, lettuce, onions, sugar peas, beets and radishes so far). Plan to go to the nursery and get some transplants (broccoli, maybe a tomato or two and whatever else looks good.

Picked our last watermelon last Saturday. It wieghed 15 lbs. Lots of seeds but tasty. Picked our first sweet potato (delicious) and had beets and potato for dinner on the 19th. Still have carrots and several varieties of peppers growing.

Went to the "Urban Farm" open house last Saturday, again, mainly to see how his trees that were planted last Feburary were growing and to order some more fruit trees. Ordered four different peach trees and two apple that he recommended grow well here in the valley. Peaches are so much better when picked ripe off the tree.

Dorothy's Garden - Summer in Phoenix

Just have a few pictures to share to date. It is just no fun to work outside in the heat. The hottest July in Phoenix since they startedkeeping records. All I do each day is hand water the pots of herbs and baskets of flowers and keep the bird bath clean and full of fresh water. The rest of the garden is watered automatically each day. Double click on any picture then choose full screen or slideshow to read captions. Enjoy!!!

Finally got around to blogging some of my 74 pictures since 6-12. Have added captions to 33 pictures in the slideshow and a description of what has been going on in the garden. It has turned into a very hot July after a wonderful long spring. Double click on any picture and it will take you to Picasa where you can choose a full screen slideshow with captions. (Typing captions is not user friendly so there are a few typos that I didn't go back and correct - please excuse the mistakes).
Hope you too are having success with your gardens.

Dorothy's Garden May 27 to Jun 8

I moved the previous slide show to the side. Double click on any picture to view the new slide show in Picasa. Choose how you want to view it. If you choose slide show you can change the time interval at the bottom. Enjoy!