Mull's Backyard Extravaganza

13 years ago

With everything planted now and spring starting i took some quick cell phone shots this morning. (BTW I'm located about 30-40mi south of downtown phoenix, in zone 9A)

Looking to the west of my yard

shot of my dwarf girardi mulberry

Passion fruit on the west wall coming back from frost damage with my banana's in the background

grapes on the north west corner (flame on the left, thompson on the right), with boysenberries in the middle

another shot of this side of the yard, the mulberry is in front of the wheelbarrow

my banana is flowering!!! there is only one leaf though (which i think is the flag leaf) will this affect its photosynthesis?

looking straight out of my back patio, apple tree and mango trees

another similar shot, looking towards the north east side of the yard with my lame non-fruiting purple plum tree in the far corner.. on the left is my new gold nugget mandarin

i recently purchased shredded cedar mulch to help protect the shallow roots from the summer heat and help retain some moisture (this is one of my mango trees)

glenn mango flowering like crazy

both mango trees with their new mulch barrier

another shot of my newly planted gold nugget mandarin

east side of my house

gold nugget loquat on the right, with my guava on the left (mystery var.) and in the middle are small dragon fruit cuttings

neighbors house blocks most of the morning sun for my loquat, guava, and all the other things planted on that side.. typically giving that side 4hrs direct sunlight

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Comments (14)

red_sea_me
13 years ago
Very nice Mull,
I love the contrast of the rocks with the healthy green trees. Also the yard shots are nice, sometimes we as posters focus so much on close ups that it is nice to see the big picture. Good luck this summer, I live in a hot place too.

wow, you cell takes nice pics,
-Ethan
nullzero
13 years ago
Nice pictures, I can't wait to see the progress. I wonder how your garden will look like in 5 years (an oasis in the desert). Living in AZ, I could not help but notice not seeing any Pomegranates and Figs (unless I overlooked them).

I plan to buy some land in the future in possibly a more arid area. I was planning it out on what fruit trees could thrive on minimal drip irrigation in the desert. I came up with a list of; Pomegranate, Fig, Mulberry, Date palms, Jujube, and Prickly Pear.

Btw nice pick on the Geraldi dwarf (I received some cuttings from UC davis this year).
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hmhausman
13 years ago
It's a whole different world over your way. Looks like you are well on your way to a fruit filled yard. Thanks for posting!

Harry
mangodog
13 years ago
Way to go Mulls! Looks like you're all set up.....you do (or have) plan on protecting the mangos in the winter, right? (Or maybe they've made it this far without????)

Harry's interested in how our arid-grown mangos might compare in taste/texture to the jungle-grown ones of his climate....we'll have to think of a way to make that happen!

mangomango
mullenium
Original Author
13 years ago
hey thanks guys!

nullzero; no figs or pomegranates here.. i dont really enjoy figs all that much.. and pomegranates are good but to me after having a couple of them i get sick of all the work trying to peel the rest LOL

yeah hausman! whole different world out here, I wish my yard were bigger..

mangodog, my mangos are protected by a PVC structure ive built to be easily broken down and put back together for the winter.. even doubles as a sunshade structure if need be:
{{gwi:427353}}

and yeah we gotta somehow figure out how to compare the mangos lol
nullzero
13 years ago
Mullenium,

Have you tried Jujubes? I think you will really enjoy the taste of Jujubes if you like sweet apples.
mullenium
Original Author
13 years ago
yeah I think if i get anything else it might be a jujube.. i wonder how they handle the heat? the west side of my house has nothing planted so might be a good spot for it, as long as it can take the western exposure of phoenix sunlight
nullzero
13 years ago
Mull,

They love heat, they will even dry on the tree and self preserve themselves. For varieties, I would recommend Sherwood (as your first tree). Some other good varieties (I have some of these); GA866, GI 7-62, Shanxi Li, Sihong, Honey Jar. From what I noticed my Jujubes bared fruit at 1-2 years old. They will also bare fruit in containers. If you need a source for jujubes I would recommend contacting Roger Meyer (He has more jujube varieties then I think anyone in the U.S.).
pj1881
13 years ago
Man and do they GROW!! I put one in the ground last year, it was as thick as a pencil at the trunk and about a foot high. I have pruned it HARD three times and the trunk (in less than a year) has grown to the thickness of my leg and is currently about six foot high.
puglvr1
13 years ago
Mullenium, Great looking yard! I too would love to see your yard in about 5 years or so...I bet it will look great with all your fruit trees. Thanks for sharing!
mangodog
13 years ago
OH, i remember that PVC structure Mulls - you showed it too us before - I just can't keep track of all the Forum Characters and their setups!

But I won't forget you now - half way there between Phoenix and TUCSON - where I came sooooooo close to moving about 20 years ago - If I had, I would posting here now as CondoMangoDog!!!!!!!!!!!

mangobulldog
simon_grow
13 years ago
Nice yard and house Mull! I also recently purchased a Gold Nugget Mandarin and I hope it lives up to the hype. I'm in a similar situation to yours with lots of small trees, I've got at least several years to wait before I get any decent fruit harvest. Actually, you are way ahead of me since all my trees are still in pots, at least you have yours in the ground already. Please keep us updated on your trees.

Simon
newgen
13 years ago
Good looking setup you got. About your banana plant, I'm pretty sure it's not a flag leaf you're seeing.
ra
10 years ago
got any updates on your fruit trees? Would love to see how they're doing now :)

Mull's Backyard Extravaganza

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