March 26, 2010
Well, here it is March madness time for gardens. I haven’t been keeping you up to date and I apologize. You should either have or be putting in your spring gardens NOW !! If you wait any longer it will get too hot for your veggies to produce and will disappoint your efforts. NOW IS THE TIME!
I decided to put in tomatoes, peppers, squash, onions and swiss chard.as my main crops. I have limited pumpkins, sunflowers (seed varieties) eggplants, edamame (soy beans) shallots, garlic and strawberries. I have several varieties of each vegetable of the main groups. I also dedicated a portion of my garden to herbs, of which I have 20 different kinds. I am excited to use them all in some form of my cooking recipes.
If any of you are wondering about what to put in you can choose from different varieties from each of the groups that I have planted. If you need to know what to do with your soil remember to work in a top layer of at least 4-6 inches of compost to your 12 inch seedbed. Our soil here tends to get hard and this will help conserve water and keep your soil fertile. You can check the archives on this site for further tips that I have given in the past year.
So, with that being said I hope all of you will get out and get some dirt under your fingernails (just kidding) and enjoy the great outdoors that we have this time of year. You will find peace, inner satisfaction and pride in growing your own food. Good luck and good planting.
[ 2 Comments ] Posted on 03.26.10 under Farmer Darrell's Tips
Upcoming photos
February 18, 2010
So, my dad, Farmer Darrell, has recently told me all about what he planted last weekend which is a bunch. He has promised to take photos and give a detailed report (I mean I am asking for the detailed report) on Saturday to share with all of us.
I am gardening vicariously through him and all y’all this spring so keep me posted!
Thanks, Dad, I am waiting! 
[ 2 Comments ] Posted on 02.18.10 under Farmer Darrell's Tips
Farmer Darrell’s February Gardening Tip
February 01, 2010
Well, February is fast approaching. My garden has been fallowing too long. I’m Roto-tilling, and I will be heading for the manure pile. Ye-Haw!. This is it. This is the week-end. Staci is saving some tomato plants for me and hopefully next week I will be on my way. I always put in tomatoes on the 15th of February. Around here you have to have them in the ground or you will not get very many after the last of May.
I think I will stick to tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and some eggplant and okra this year. I always set out some swiss chard also because it will tolerate some heat. I went out this morning and the fever hit.
I am embracing spring again in full force. May the force be with me, and all of you too! Ye-Haw
[ No Comments ] Posted on 02.01.10 under Farmer Darrell's Tips
Corny Pictures!
October 10, 2009
Here are some updated pictures of my corn and sweet potatoes. They are about 3/4 of the way to maturity. I am letting them go until I can harvest them. After that I will dive in to my fall garden.
[ 1 Comment ] Posted on 10.10.09 under Farmer Darrell's Tips, Fellow Gardener's Photos
Farmer Darrell’s October Gardening Tip
October 02, 2009
Well, we all made it through the long hot summer. This is it! This the big time for us Desert Dwellers. I assume all of you spent the last half of September getting your soil ready for the fall garden season. The weather has changed and NOW is the time to plant your seeds and get your transplants in the ground. If you need a good source of where to get them I always go to Baker’s Nursery at 3414 N. 40th Street Phoenix, AZ, 602-955-4500. Here you will get honest answers to your question by the owners themselves. They aren’t like clerks at some of the big box stores like Home Depot & Lowes. I’m not saying to not shop there, but the plants are contracted out to another company and once they arrive no one takes care of them. Time after time I go look when I’m there buying something else and most of the plants don’t even get watered! How sad!!
Ok, enough is enough. You can plant all of your cool season veggies now and they will do just fine until March etc. Tomatoes, squash, corn & peppers are not a good idea now. The nights are long and cold and then you run the risk of frost killing them and your hard work is gone. If you absolutely can’t get to planting seeds right now you can always go to the nursery and get 4 in. pots of plants that are already established and they will do just fine.
I always get excited this time of year because I can grow almost anything to my heart’s desire, and so can you!. So, get out there and good digging & planting . May the Veggie Force be with you!
[ 3 Comments ] Posted on 10.02.09 under Farmer Darrell's Tips
Farmer Darrell’s September Gardening Tip
September 22, 2009
Well it is September again! Sorry I’m late getting this to you. I took the summer off and made a trip to West Virginia. I was very interested on how they garden there. What I found was that it is about the same, except things really grow there in the summer. Really big things. Being an Arizona native I was amazed that people plant their gardens and then hope it will rain to keep them from dying. Odd, I thought, because here in the desert, if we didn’t water the seeds would at least get a decent burial. O.K. enough on that.
It is time to get out there and start digging up your soil and adding organic mulch, manure and turn it under. This will give it enough time to get the microbe action going in your garden after a long HOT summer. If you are a gardener like I am, the time is about 3 weeks away from the time you can grow almost anything your heart desires. Dust off those seed catalogs and start a wish list, because here it comes!. I am growing sweet potatoes and I started an August crop of corn.
So far, the sweet potatoes have taken over a major portion of my garden. You might note that if you want to plant sweet potatoes they will grow during the summer, but you have to give them a lot of water and a lot of room.
Well, I will pick this thing up around the first of October. I am interested to find out from you out there in gardenland what you are planning to grow in your fall gardens? Until then get out there and get some dirt under your fingernails, you’ll love it.
[ 5 Comments ] Posted on 09.22.09 under Farmer Darrell's Tips
Farmer blood
July 15, 2009
Well, we are in the dead of summer here in Arizona. My garden is long gone because I, quite honestly, just haven’t had the motivation this year to keep it going through this 115 degree weather. It does take a great degree of determination and motivation to keep anything alive in this brutal weather.
With priorities pressing on me at every direction, my garden has become one of the lowest, unfortunately, this season. But, I look forward to digging in with my whole heart this coming fall.
I thought I would share some pictures of my dad, aka Farmer Darrell (in the black shirt), during his vacation in West Virginia to lift my heart out of the summer rut. He is a true farmer at heart locked up in a typical Phoenix-metro urban lot most of the year. But, when he vacations in West Virginia, I hear something more alive in his voice, see sparkles in his eyes through the photos and can just imagine more of a spring in his step.
That’s where this farmer blood comes from that runs through my veins.
[ 1 Comment ] Posted on 07.15.09 under Farmer Darrell's Tips
Farmer Darrell’s June Gardening Tip
June 01, 2009
Summer is here! It’s getting hot and soon your gardens will start showing heat stress. Don’t stress, because that is the cycle of life here in the desert. You can finish harvesting your bounty! I trust that most of you had success with your spring gardens.
The only advice I can give is to keep on watering until your vegetables are gone. You can plant Armenian cucumbers, okra, and some squash with some degree of success now, but you will have to keep an eye on your moisture levels.
June and July is a time to let your garden rest and in August you can start planning for your fall garden. It is a time to reflect on your hobby and life sustenance. I will be traveling to West Virginia where gardening is in full swing. Maybe I can pick up some tips on gardening to give you this fall. The temp. there is around 80 degrees, so anything grows.
I hope you all have a fun summer. Have a safe and Happy Fourth of July. God bless America!!
[ 4 Comments ] Posted on 06.01.09 under Farmer Darrell's Tips
Update on Farmer Darrell’s Garden
May 20, 2009
[ 4 Comments ] Posted on 05.20.09 under Farmer Darrell's Tips
Farmer Darrell’s May Garden Tip
May 02, 2009
It is May and summer is bearing down on us. I trust you all got your spring gardens in and now it is time to enjoy once again the fruits of your labor. Soon you will taste the delicious tomatoes that only you can tell the difference of what a REAL tomato tastes like right out of your own garden. There is none like it. Once you taste a real tomato, store bought is not for you…Right??… The only tip that I can bring to the table is this.
Remember to give your plants enough water. It is forecast to go into the 90 degree range and you will have to keep an eye on your plants. Your tomatoes will crack if you suddenly water them after being too dry, so keep them moist. Your squash should be producing by next week and you will have them to enjoy too. Gee, I just love this time of year!!!
If you are through harvesting the last of your winter garden, remember to add some compost and dig it in where your plants were. Also, don’t let that area dry out if you are not planning to replant there until later. If you let it dry out your soil chemistry will stop and you will have to start all over again. If you do want to replant; squash,melons and okra will tolerate the summer heat if you water regularly. Enjoy your gardens, and have a great Memorial Day.
[ 18 Comments ] Posted on 05.02.09 under Farmer Darrell's Tips
