2016/08/19 - garden
Shortly after I bought a house in 2012, I got married. My wife and I were at IKEA for the meatballs one day, and she pointed out getting a little money tree.
"A plant is a big commitment.", I told her.
7 years is how long it took before I notice the trees produces so many leaves, and the garden produced to much cover, the sand turned in to dirt. By adding water and ground cover, the right bateria has grown to support trees and flowers and lots of visiting wild-life. I love taking pictures of new leaves and buds. I usually use my phone camera so the quality is amaturish as best.
I think one year we dumped an old box of Whole Foods cherries in the garden. This has grown in to a 16' tree.
It is amazing to plant a tree. We enjoy tangeloes, grapefruit, peaches, grapes, lemons, all from the backyard.
Some of the trees have planted themselves. Mequite trees are native to the area, they only need water. They are usually very crooked, but the ones in the yard, I have propped up to straighen them out over multiple years.
Mequite trees
This ficus tree in plented on the North side, it gets afternoon shade from the house around it's base, but the leaves will still get sun once it is tall enough. Fig trees are a different type of ficus. It would have been nice to add that to our list of backyard food.
Ficus tree
I've never seen a poinsetta grow so well outside, but we planted this one from the hardware store that came in a pot.
I use the donut method for mulching in the fall and winter to keep the roots nourished.
