Welcoem to posts!!
in the future - u will be able to do some more stuff here,,,!! like pat catgirl- i mean um yeah... for now u can only see others's posts :c
Do you know your soil nutrient levels? If not, how do you know what nutrients you have too little or too much of? Applying fertilizer blind could well make conditions worse for your plants. Fall or winter is the perfect time to test so that you can work to correct the nutrient levels in your soil for next year. A lab soil test is accurate and provides the most details, including recommendations for amendments. While there are many options, the picture below shows the results from my last mail-in My Soil test kit. It was purchased here: www.amazon.com/MySoil-Soil-Provides-Complete-Nutri…. The results let me know my P level was way too high and to avoid applying more. I recommend a lab test every 3 years (minimum) and testing NPK and pH more regularly like every 6-12 months. I use this brand for at-home tests: Lamotte Soil Test Kit for NPK and pH - www.amazon.com/Lamotte-Model-El-Garden-5679-01/dp/…
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My garden could not exist without great plant nurseries. There are many choices in the Arizona Phoenix metro for tropical and fruit trees/plants. I have experience as a customer for almost all of the nurseries below. The ones with the most variety are shown with a *. Call ahead to confirm inventory.
A Tropical Concept (Phoenix) - www.facebook.com/atropicalconcept/
Arizona Fruit Trees/Jay Barringer (Mesa) - www.facebook.com/Arizonafruittrees/
*Green Life (Phoenix) - greenlifebyshamusoleary.com/
*Richards Garden Center (Phoenix; stock some sub-tropicals but mostly deciduous fruit trees) - www.richardsgardencenter.com/home.shtml
Tropica Mango (AJ) - www.facebook.com/Tropica.Mango/
Queen Creek Tropicals (Queen Creek) - www.queencreektropicals.com/
Sometimes you can’t find what you are looking for locally. Below are the online US nurseries I have regularly purchased from
Cocotropics239 (Florida) for tropical seedlings - www.ebay.com/usr/cocotropics239
Figaholics (California) for fig scion wood - www.figaholics.com/
Four Winds Growers (California) for berries and avocado - www.fourwindsgrowers.com/
Green Dreams (Florida) for tropicals - www.greendreamsfl.com/online-store
Jungle Jack’s (California) for plumeria - www.junglejacksplumeria.com/
Lara Farms Miami (Florida) for grafted tropicals - larafarmsmiami.com/
Mimosa Nursery on Etsy (California) for tropicals - www.etsy.com/shop/StylabBeauty
One Green World (Oregon) for non-tropical fruit trees - onegreenworld.com/
Tropical Bamboo Nursery (Florida) for clumping bamboo - www.tropicalbamboo.com/
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I tried my first home-grown pitangatuba today.
Plant: I got the seedling from Wellsprings (wellspringgardens.com/products/) nursery last year as a starter for less than $20. I presume it was grown from seed and was tiny. It grows SLOW! The plant stands at 1’ tall today. It sets lots of flowers but May was the first time it ever set fruit after trying hand pollination with a small artist's paintbrush.
Fruit: The skin is waxy and the pulp inside is stringy yet very juicy. It is mostly seed with little flesh.
Taste: Hit me first with sour pineapple, followed by tart passionfruit, and then left a chalky resinous pine taste for like an hour. I detected no sweetness.
Verdict: I did not like it but it may improve with time. Don’t let this discourage you if you are growing it. Pitangatuba is one of the most variable plants out there in fruit quality. Some produce poor-tasting fruit and some produce amazing sweet fruit. Luck of the draw!
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As you are planning/planting for spring, I thought I'd share fruit varieties that I am either growing or have grown in the past and their harvest windows in our climate. This is not an all-inclusive list but shows it's very possible to harvest year-round here in the Phoenix Arizona area or similar climate.
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Dormant fig cuttings from my garden have sold out for 2024 on my Etsy shop. Thanks to all of you who supported the channel and purchased cuttings this year. www.etsy.com/shop/EnlightenmentGarden
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Over the past 6 years, my Fuji apple tree has produced minimal quantities of fruit here in the Phoenix AZ area and the new grafts I put on are the same story. Since I already have a productive Anna apple, I'm considering replacing the Fuji with the newest self-fertile low-chill cherry variety by Zaiger called "Crimson Royal." What do you think? Thanks!
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This post is for those of you in a hot climate planning and planting trees for shade. The sun is much higher in the sky in the summer. In the afternoon, the west side of your yard will have the most sun/heat. For maximum shade canopy, plant shade trees (moringa, fruiting mulberry, oak, ash, mesquite, red push pistache, tipu, etc) and/or bamboo principally on the west side, evergreen or deciduous fruit /shade trees on the east side, and go for deciduous fruit/shade trees (fig, peach, pear, apricot, etc) on the south and north sides.
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This channel captures my journey of creating an urban edible landscape or food forest out of my 1/2 acre backyard in the Phoenix, Arizona area (zone 9B) in the US. I'm growing over 100 edible and medicinal trees (tropical, subtropical, stone fruit trees) along with clumping bamboo, plumeria, and roses. I'm also a fig addict and have trialed over 80 varieties. This channel is for fellow gardeners in a similar hot desert climate who want to grow a garden and produce their own food. It offers tours, plant highlights, and instructional videos. For a list of plants I am growing, when I planted and where I purchased it from as well as my plant failure list, click the linked "plant" list.