I really liked Jayne's thread title "The Farm at Arrowhead Ranch" so I had to come up with an appropriate one too!

Anyway, here are a few update pic's of my farm.

In the foreground are 6 tomato plants guarded by garlic sentinels. These are the earlier toms and most are determinate.
Just beyond the toms is a hill of zucchini. Next are the pepper plants and then the bush beans, beets and carrots at the end of the bed. Deb's potato patch is to the right.

Fig tree and strawberry plants are in the diagonal planter in the far left and Banana tree and herbs are in the right planter.

These are the tomatoes that I started Thanksgiving and they are the longer DTM varieties. There's plenty of garlic in this planter too not to mention a nice patch of Ray's "E-Toy" onions!

This is a Sweet 100 tomato plant that made it through the winter... the cage is about 5' tall. To the left is the asparagus patch that really put out quite a few stalks this year and there are still more to come.

Not really a part of the "Farm" but I caught the sunlight at just the right time for this pic.

You have a great farm going there Dan. Looks like there is going to be good eats in San Tan Valley.

Canna leaves are beautiful. There's something very interesting about light coming through those leaves. I've cause some interesting shots, too.

Farm is very neat and fertile looking. Good Eats. That sweet 100 tom is on 'roids, right?

Funny, Jayne. We both used the "good eats" reference in the same time frame. Universe is amazing.

Love the farm Dan! That tomato does look suspiciously like it's on something - lol...

That it the tidiest farm I've ever seen. Very nice.

Thank you everybody. The nice thing about photo's are that you can only see what's in the pic and not everything else that might be laying around and pretty much looking kinda messy. :o)

I've been so busy these last couple of weeks that my backyard is on the verge of getting away from me. I've got to find a little time to do some general clean-up and weed control.

But in the meantime this weather is making a lot of plants real happy around here.

Sigh...I just LOVE your planters, if only I had a planter builder of my own..................

Lookin really good, Dan!

Hi Dann.


Any updates ?

Hi Rodi!

The Backyard Farm ended up a total bust this year. With re-doing the frontyard landscape and working on the new BBQ the veggie garden got a lot of neglect. We went on vacation the last week of June and the first week of July. While we were gone the water system failed and everything turned to toast. So I just let it go and concentrated on getting the other 2 projects done.

How are you doing?

Never mind...I just found out about your loss in another thread. I have not had to endure the experience of losing a parent but I know that it must have been a very difficult time for you.

Dan, we didn't get to a veggie garden this year either. But we have lots of awesome local farmers markets!

Thanks Dann. You are lucky. I've lost both of them.
Sorry about your farm and I hope it did not discourage you. I hope to see lots of pictures of your new, beautiful bakyard farm.

I figure that as long as the sun rises everyday there will always be another growing season.

They farmers are the most optimistic people of all... and the biggest risk takers. Lose the crop due to drought, pests, war, they always plant again. I feel for the grape growers in the Elgin Valley area.... grape corp got destroy by a hail storm. They will work for another corp next season..... thankfully! Everyone here has that kind of optimism!

Between cats and crickets I've had a real struggle getting the fall garden going this year. The cats think my veggie beds are a giant litter box and the crickets arrive by the droves every evening for a buffet meal. Here is part of my solution to control both pests in one of the raised beds.


I bought some 4'x7' concrete reinforcement wire panels and arched them in-between the blocks. Then i covered it with frost cloth and laid a barrier of DE on the block caps and on the ground around the bed. (I didn't want to put any DE directly on my gardening soil) So far it has worked like a gem.