The Jones Garden Blog

Thank you!

Posted on May 16, 2014 by JonesGardenBlog

Believe it or not, this is my 100th post. Thank you for reading. Thank you for helping. I ask questions from you all on a regular basis and you are a fountain of knowledge and wisdom.

So thank you.

Update:

I was originally planning to install two new 4 x 4 beds, however… for just a little more money I could install 4 x 8 beds… and it would look more consistent with the rest of the garden. So, three of my boys helped me last night and we got one assembled. We went with weed fabric this time since I have had such an issue with the grass in the beds where we did the newspaper and cardboard. I’m under no delusions that this will stop the impenetrable forces of bermuda, but it’s worth a shot. I went for the premium, double thick stuff. It’s a slim hope, but still hope.

Okay, so am I crazy, or is this an apple forming?

Bell peppers were planted in abundance, and had a good germination rate. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of any of them, so… we’re going to have a lot of bell peppers, which is good because we eat a lot of them.

Jalepenos are coming along nicely. My wife has been making a lot more salsa lately so I’m interested to see how the home grown jalapenos change up the taste. The home grown cilantro made a WORLD of difference.

I’m having mixed results with the desert kings this year. I decided to grow less of them in favor of more variety and I have several but they are more spread out in a couple of different spots. Still, I love these things. Such a great plant and a great melon.

I missed the pablanos in my earlier post this week, so I got some yesterday. This particular plant is doing well with three. I’ve seen at least three other peppers growing on different ones in the beds and in the pots. I call them chili rellenos in waiting.

The pepper plants are perking up a bit after the sprinkle of my organic fertilizer mix. I’ll probably do it again in a couple of weeks. I wish I would have built the soil in the beds better. The beds I’m putting in now will have a very good mix. Lesson learned.

It’s nice to see peppers and tomatoes living in harmony.

Finally, the cucumbers have decided that they DO want to grow this year. I’m very pleased about that. Pickles here I come! A couple are even getting some blossoms. I’d love to see these climbing up the trellis.

I hope you all have a very blessed weekend! I hope you are blessed with plenty of sunshine and some great garden moments.

Thanks for reading.

Posted in Arizona Garden, cucumbers, Desert King Watermelon, grass, intensive gardening, tomatoes, trellis | 11 Comments

Garden Update May 13, 2014

Posted on May 13, 2014 by JonesGardenBlog

Lots of things are happening. Lots of things need to happen. There is no way I’m going to get to all of it today, or tomorrow… maybe by this weekend.

Here is a quick tour of what’s growing on in the garden. I couldn’t get a picture because the wind has been blowing a lot, but there are some granny smith apples forming. Who would have thunk it.

Peppers of all varieties are coming in great. I have noticed that my peppers in pots look SO much better than the ones in the beds. I’ve got a couple of theories on this but I think it comes back to soil (doesn’t it always). The beds are new, and I’m beginning to think that I didn’t add enough amendments to the soil, which happens to be fairly sandy. The potting soil I mixed on the other hand seems to be STELLAR. I’m working on adding a mix of blood meal, bone meal, and green sand to the beds to perk up some of the peppers and green beans. Beans in the main garden area are looking perfect, but that soil is some rich and awesome stuff. In any case, we still have some peppers growing, and that’s a good thing.

These pretty bells are on a plant in the new beds. The color on the plant is lighter green, leaves are smaller, and just doesn’t “look robust”.

These are obviously in the pots. Leaves are bigger, darker green, plant looks good.

These jalapenos are in pots. Also looking muy bien!

Anaheims in the beds. Yah, don’t need to mention the look of the plant.

I just realized I didn’t get a picture of the poblanos, so you just have to trust me that I have some really nice peppers growing. I can almost taste the chili relleno!

These are some of the delicious tomatoes looking, well, delicious. Can’t wait to eat these monsters!

All of the smaller tomatoes are starting to ripen. We’ve downed a few of these already. Gotta watch your clothes cause these things are JUICY!

This section of green beans in particular is doing great. The germination rate was good, much better than the asparagus beans next to them. Still need to fill some holes over there, but these just look so nice. I love the green versus the alfalfa. There is a rogue watermelon growing in one of the gaps near the end. It’s a volunteer, but I think I might leave it, it could work in this scenario.

This is one of the Old Time Tennessee melon vines. It’s starting to blossom. Nothing will come of that, but the vine is starting to take off, which is very encouraging. I might have mentioned it a few other times, but I’m really looking forward to these.

This is one of the sunchokes starting to flower. Nice!

I hope your garden is doing well. I’m going to be amending here and there with my compost and previously mentioned mix. We’ll see how it goes.

God bless!

Posted in apples, Arizona Garden, beans, desert garden, Desert King Watermelon, dirt, Jerusalem artichokes, Old Time Tennessee Melons, peppers, tomatoes, trellis, volunteers | 6 Comments

The Delay

Posted on May 5, 2014 by JonesGardenBlog

I love the harvest, that is definitely my favorite. Mainly because I love eating. 🙂

I also love sowing seeds. It’s fun and you get to dream of… THE HARVEST.

Right now, we are in The Delay. Pastor Ryan Guard talked about this a little bit this weekend at Mission Community Church as he was preaching through Galatians 6. It’s amazing how God built SO MANY life lessons into the process of growing food. So many of Jesus’ parables involve agricultural examples. Not just because they were applicable to his audience, but because they are truths that will last forever. Things like good soil, seed, planting, and sowing. It’s beautiful.

So now, we’re in the delay. I’ve sown good seed. Plants have sprouted.

In some cases fruit is forming.

I protect the plants from heat and dryness with refreshing water and mulch.

It’s all part of maintaining, feeding, and supporting what you’ve sown.

So that… after The Delay, you can reap a harvest.

I like to think of this when I’m talking to my boys, or the neighbor boys next door, or the hundred or so kids in my class at church. I like to sow seeds. I like to nourish the plants. I’m hoping one day to see a harvest.

What seeds are you planting? In your garden? In people around you?

How about your own soil? Are you planting good seed? Do you tend the plants with the nourishing water of the Spirit in prayer? With the light of God’s Word? With the protective mulch of fellowship with other believers?

The lessons are there, not because some goofie, fat, bald guy likes to stretch things out into metaphors, but because the One who designed the system planted the lessons there. So that one day, He would reap a harvest.

The Delay can be a long time sometimes. But eventually the harvest comes.

Don’t miss the harvest.

Linked in the Homestead Barn Hop

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

It’s Starting to Warm Up

Posted on May 2, 2014 by JonesGardenBlog

No 100 degree days yet, but soon. Humidity is barely holding on to the double digits. It was 11% yesterday when I checked.

A quick tour around the garden.

After wind the last week my cilantro (that has gone to seed) is feeling very reverent.

Peppers are coming in all over the place. Even peppers that are still in the small pots. I need to upgrade them still. Poblanos, several variety of bells, and anaheims are all making an appearance. The only ones I haven’t seen actual fruit on yet are the jalepenos, but several are very close.

Charleston Gray watermelon coming through nicely. Like the Desert Kings they have a lighter colored skin but are supposed to grow about twice as big with red colored flesh. Yummy!

Zukes and cukes. Come on little babies… GROW!

I’ve got some gaps in my beans; seeds that decided not to sprout. Hmmm… need to fill the gaps.

These pea plants didn’t seem to get the message that it’s not their time.

Chamomile and basil are just good buddies hanging out side by side. Very nice.

This is one of the Old Time Tennessee vines. I’m very excited about these guys.

I found this little guy this morning while I was looking at the apple blossoms. He’s read to protect the fruit should it decide to form. Do you see him?

Finally, one more picture of apple blossoms. Just cause.

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the weather and get some sunshine!

Posted in apples, basil, beans, bugs, chamomile, charleston gray watermelon, cucumbers, Desert King Watermelon, Dripping Springs Ollas, Old Time Tennessee Melons, peppers, spring garden, tomatoes, zucchini | 6 Comments

Apple Tree Questions

Posted on April 30, 2014 by JonesGardenBlog

I have two apple trees. Now, apples will grow in Arizona, although some may not set fruit every year because they may not see enough frost hours. That’s one of those weird things about apples.

The question that I have is should you LET your tree set fruit, if it is going to?

Does that make sense?

Last year I planted two apple trees, neither of which I actually expect to get any fruit from this year considering we had a non-winter this year and things were just a little too balmy in my backyard. Add in the fact that they are YOUNG trees and my expectations lowered more.

But then I saw this.