My Urban Garden Part 3 - A Tour

Let's go on a quick tour of my back yard.  I have a tiny urban plot, but I want it to be as productive as possible. I have learned a lot about growing stuff and I'm happy to share.  We eat a lot of fruit and veggies, and would love to be able to provide that for ourselves and not be dependent on the stores.  I have a large family, 5 kids which include 2 teenage boys so I'm trying my best to provide for them wholesome nutritious food.  It will take time, my trees won't be productive til next year, but I can be patient.  Well sort of.

It's tiny, I know. Only 20 by 44 ft.

But I have the following growing in that tiny space:

Peaches

Nectarines

Apricots

Plums

Blackberries

Potatoes

Basil

Oregano

Rosemary

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Cabbage

Onions

Tomatoes

Apples, Anna and Golden

Strawberries

Sweet Potatoes

Grapes, Thompson Seedless and Red

Navel Oranges

and Grapefruit.

I wasn't sure if Blackberries would grow in AZ, since they grow like weeds in WA, but I was assured by the great people at Root Phoenix that they would.  That's where I bought them, along with the apple trees, strawberries, and seed potatoes.  I also bought their tree food which is shown here.

The schedule for the fruit trees is to water 1 time a month during the cold season, and

every 2 weeks in the warm season.

He said don't use a soaker hose, but just fill the basin around the tree.

The feed schedule is every Valentines Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.

Follow the directions on the package for feeding the trees.

These are the grapes.  I'm going to build a structure for them to grow on that will eventually cover my south window with grape vines.  I definitely can't wait for that!

These are the 2 apples with Sweet Potatoes planted around the circle of the basin.

I know they look really close together and close to the wall, but you can keep them small and train them

to grow into a bush, rather than a tree.

I'm going to keep my trees small, about 4 ft by 6-7 feet tall.

They don't need to be dwarf trees either.

Any tree can be trained and trimmed to be the size you have room for.

You can also plant them in a hedgerow along your property line.

Here's the south side of the house.  The apples are in the background, with the grapes under the window.

This was before the the citrus were planted.

These are my citrus trees, Navel Orange and Red Grapefruit.

The grapefruit actually is already bearing fruit, but it did cost more.

Bare root trees are around $12-$25 dollars.

Fruit bearing trees are closer to $100 dollars.  

Most of mine are bare root trees and

I will have to wait a year before I get fruit from them.

Eventually I would like to add a brick or stone border to the trees and strawberries. 

I'll have to get back to Craigslist and see what I can find.

Last is my grow box.

After planting, I realized I need more, well want more grow space.

I'll have to go on another hunt for wood.

The sand/sawdust mix is pushed up on either side and a trough along the center.

There will be a PVC pipe along the center with holes in it.

I just haven't done it yet.  For now I'm using my hose.

I also did the strawberries the same way, only

they are on the ground by the apple trees.

Doing the trough method, the water goes straight to the roots where they need it most.

I've kind of set a personal goal with this Urban Farm.

I would like to see if I can grow 1 ton of produce.

Come harvest time, I'll put together a weight tracker to see if I can accomplish my goal.

I think its possible, it just will take time.

All good things come to those who wait!

Be sure to come back as I get back to canning, recipes, and quick upcycles.