Dusty River Gardens

Dusty River Garlic Salt

2016-03-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

Dusty River Garlic Salts contact us at dustyriverproduce@gmail.com or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dustyrivergarlicsalt

We have several new items to offer this season as well as our standard greats. All using our home grown garlic, Inchileum Red. This is the very best flavored garlic, in my opinion. After you try our garlic salts, you're going to like it...

GARLIC PARSLEY SEA SALT-- Home grown Garlic with Parsley to keep it from clumping and Sea Salt with no additives. This is our original, this is it the one that started it all.

GARLIC PARSLEY GREEN CHILE SEA SALT -- We use fire roasted green chile in this one, with our garlic salt and this one is amazing. Your going to think your in New Mexico with this one a huge local favorite.

GARLIC PARSLEY JALAPENO SEA SALT- -We add our best Garlic and grow our own Jalapeno peppers, we mix them with parsley and Sea Salt. Spicy Hot Garlic Salt YUMMERS.....

GARLIC PARSLEY GHOST PEPPER SEA SALT-- You might need to be a heat freak to enjoy this one. It is on the extreme hot hot side. Home grown super hot peppers mixed with our garlic parsley sea salt this one is for the heat seekers...

GARLIC PARSLEY BUTTER SEA SALT-- Garlic Parsley with freeze dried Butter and a little salt this one is so good on steamed vegetables a family favorite.

GARLIC PEPPER-- Made with our gourmet garlic powder mixed with Cracked Black Pepper makes this a have to have. So incredible on french fries, tater tots use on anything you would put pepper on....so good...

MONTREAL GARLIC CHICKEN RUB-- A wonderful blend of spices making a succulent chicken rub. Our Montreal garlic seasonings combines the rich flavor of onion and garlic with black pepper and citrus, sweet bell pepper, paprika, salt and other spices.

STEAK RUB--This is my favorite go to rub for everything. If I only bought one of these rubs this would be the one, it's great for burgers and steaks and makes a killer good blackening rub for fish and chicken...

CELERY SALT--Our home grown celery is amazing such huge flavor. A must for every kitchen. Incredible flavor. Your going to love this celery salt.

FIEST SPICE MIX-- A southwestern flavor, a huge favorite of ours. A great spice for taco meat, sprinkle on corn or potato chips. Makes for a great rub on steaks ribs also use in dips. Peppers, garlic, sugar, cumin, onion powder salt and other spices.

GARLIC MONTREAL STEAK RUB--Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend. Made with our garlic, paprika, and coarsely ground pepper, Montreal Steak Seasoning adds mouthwatering flavor and a spicy crunch to steaks, burgers and pork.

GARLIC LEMON PEPPER-- Love this lemon pepper, so great on veggies huge lemon garlicy flavor. Your going to want this one.

GARLIC PARSLEY CHIPOTLE SEA SALT -- Ripened red jalapeno peppers lightly smoked on our own smokers, using our own peppers mixed with the best garlic we grow this is it... Great to sprinkle on everything it adds a little smoke heat and yummy garlic.

GARLIC PARSLEY ROSEMARY SEA SALT -- Just what is says Garlic salt with Rosemary so good on so many things. I love to sprinkle it on my toast or on noodles, you got to give this a try on vegetables...

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Growing Tomato plants in Bags ???

2015-09-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

You love your home grown tomatoes and think you can't grow them in your area to rocky to much clay? Hmmm well maybe you can... This season I am playing around with my tomato plants besides trying to grow some extra large tomatoes I am going to grow them in 1 cubic foot potting soil bags.

After digging a hole wide enough and deep enough I punch a bunch of holes with a phillips screw driver for drainage then I put the bag of potting soil in the hole.

I am going to plant several tomatoes this way. In this row I will place six bags in holes

Next I cut the tops off the bags and add water. I want to soak the soil over night making sure the soil is soaked up all the moisture it can.

Another angle and as you can see I put what we call T post next to the bag to hold the tomato cages and my EZ wall plant protectors. I use EZ wall plant protectors not only for frost protection but for wind protection.

All together I am going to plant about 25 tomato plants like this in different areas of the garden so I can not only see how each is doing but I am going to feed these tomatoes a variety of fertilizers to see which fertilizers do best in my clay based soil.

One of the two different Potting Soil mix's that I am using. I am using potting mix it works better in this application than just garden soil.

Well the tomatoes did very well grown in the bags fabulous root system. I did feed them every other week with a 4-6-5 organic fertilizer. In the spring I watered every three to four days, during the summer I watered every other day. Next season I am going to do the same except I am going to plant closer together and I am going to prune the tomato plants....thanks and hope this helps ....Dusty

Super Hot Peppers

2015-04-20T20:41:00.002-07:00

Growing some serious hot peppers again and this year we have the Carolina Reaper along with the Ghost pepper red and Yellow, Brain Strain, 7 pot, Kracken, Trinidad scorpion 'Butch T' pepper, Jamaican Hot Chocolate and others this should be a Hot summer...

We are about going to start to plant these peppers but it is still a little cold at night so we definitely will cover at night and during the day until the plants are hardened off. then we will only cover at night until night time temperatures come up.
I will try to update the progress the best I can.....thanks Dusty...

Super Hots 2015 transplanting peppers start your own peppers

2015-02-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

The Super Hot Peppers that I am growing this coming season are some that I just had to try. The names I just loved from the Brain Strain to the current worlds hottest pepper the Carolina Reaper but most are well known the Ghost Peppers both Yellow and Red as well as the Butch T Scorpion a former hottest pepper in the world I had plenty of seed for this one so I planted several of them also I have some 7 pot and a favorite of mine just because they do so well here in Northern Arizona the Jamaican Hot Chocolate not as hot as the other peppers but so pretty a dark brown pepper. I have a Green Chile that is the hottest I have ever tried originally the seeds came from the Farmington N.M. region a beautiful long green chile with extreme heat I call it the T-Ball green chile after the man that brought me the original seed.

I have had good luck keeping the aphids at bay by placing orange slices around the baby pepper plants. Keep a sharp eye for those aphids they can take over very quickly and once you have a infestation of aphids they are tough to keep there populations down.

I started the seeds out in little pots these are single serve Pringles single serve potato chip containers that I am using. I just wash them out then I add a wet seed start mix. Next add seed and cover with saran wrap with a rubber band to keep it there.

When the peppers sprout I fill the container up with water let it soak for a little while. When the soil is like a mud I slowly and gently pull them out and place them in six packs that are filled with a good soil.

The more seeds I am planting the larger the container I use this one is about five inches long about four inches wide and about three inches deep. I can start about a hundred or more seeds in the large one about thirty to forty in the smaller container.

Its really that easy so try and start your own peppers and all your other vegetables it is so easy.

You Can Do It....later Dusty

Garlic Salts

2014-10-22T21:00:00.002-07:00

This summer I spent more time selling garlic salts and powders along with my tomatoes and peppers and I had real good feed back so I am going to try to sell it year around. The three that I have had the most success with are just a plain Garlic Parsley Sea Salt, Garlic Parsley Jalapeno Sea Salt and my best seller Garlic Parsley Ghost Pepper Sea Salt. It's a great deal fresh ground Garlic really makes the difference. Home grown garlic dehydrated then ground fresh mixed with peppers and salt.
I am still looking at labels and trying to design something I like but I haven't found anything yet. I will probably have to ask a brother of mine that has a lot of talent in that area to come up with something. Well hope to get back to gardening soon and back on the blog like everyone else lots of work to do and little time to do it....later Dusty...

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Tomato Ripening

2014-08-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

Starting to get some color. Tomatoes are ripening and I love the different colors.

Growth starting on tomatoes...

2014-07-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes are really just getting growing for us at this time of year. As usual in Northeastern Arizona we try to get the tomatoes in as early as we dare, but the tomatoes really don't start growing until the first of July which is when the humidity from the rains from our monsoon storms hit our area of the desert southwest.
I planted tomato plants over a 5 to 6 week period as work would permit. My tomato plants are at different stages of life right now but that's a good thing I will have a lot of tomatoes ripening at different times.

The biggest trick at this stag is to feed your tomatoes every two weeks. I feed mine with a mix I get from the our local feed store. I use a organic tomato feed called Tomato Tone.

The peppers are just starting to grow. They will look so much better in a couple of weeks.

Preparing Your Soil - Quick tip with Leaves

2014-01-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

Fall comes fast and when it does you end up with all of those leaves. You can either rake them up, dump them, burn them, or you could compost them by layering them in your garden beds; about two to four inches deep. Next, add a little Molasses mixture (1 tablespoon of molasses to 1 gallon of water) with this mix I spray the leaves as well as I can, then I layer on about an inch of steer manure. Keeping this pile moist--not wet--will help for the next few weeks. When it warms up a bit, the leaves will be broken down to a really nice compost.
What the Molasses mixture does is feed the bacterium even faster to knock out those leaves, then the worms come, and all the other creatures of the soil make it to the party, and in a few short weeks they leave you with a fluffy compost that will grow you the best veggies in the neighborhood! HUGE TOMATOES MONSTER MELONS...The molasses mix is something you should be doing every few weeks in your garden anyways to help feed the soil. Also, for an additional tip add a little rock dust to the mixture really helps.
Later,
Dusty...

New Tomatoes This Year

2013-08-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

I try to grow at least fifty plus different variety's of tomatoes every year, last year I grew out over a hundred different variety's this year there is close to seventy some old variety's some crosses I am growing out for friends. Here is a look at some new one's that are coming off the vine at my garden....

This one is a tomato bred by Blane Horton. A wonderful tomato early and my plants are loaded. Very good taste with good size this is my second year growing this tomato the Moosolini f-4....

All three of these tomatoes are from one cross the Variegated Potato leaf x Striped Big Cheef and so far all are wonderfully delicious. This is a cross from Jason Haynes. No names as of yet.

Another cross I am growing out this one is by Chris Kafer this is a f1 Juliet x Green Zebra taste so far not bad tasting it might be a keeper it is better tasting when it is a little riper.

A very nice tomato right here in the ten ounce range the Gary 'OSena Tomato

Not one of the best looking tomatoes that I have picked, I have better looking one's coming on but WOW this is one of the best eating tomatoes I have. This is the Rebel Yell... A stabilized potato leaf segregation line from a cross of Stump of the World x Bear Claw by Rob Gee stabilized by Blane Horton and Dean Slater.

An f1 cross Chocolate Cherry x Juliet big acid flavor I like this one also from Chris.

I am holding a Pink Bumble Bee and in the back ground is the Purple Bumble Bee. Bred by Fred Hempel

This one surprised me it is an f1 cross Sun Gold x Black From Tula I was hoping for a larger tomato and maybe darker color. What I have is a small tomato with big taste I hope they get a bigger next year also from Chris Kafer.

Well that is it for now I can't wait to see what comes off the vine next...later Dusty....

Brad's Black Heart Tomato

How's the Garden

2013-08-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

The garden is doing well the peppers are behind last year but we planted them a month later than last year. I picked around twenty five pounds of peppers mainly Chimayo Green Chili and Jalapeno's.

The Tomatoes are doing awesome six to seven feet high on most of the plants and some larger.

Some really great tomatoes this year here is a new one to the tomato world by Tomato Breeder Jason Haynes.

One great looking tomato I can't wait for one to ripen.

This one is the Moosolini I grew it last year. Huge crops of great tasting Tomatoes. This one was developed by Blaine Horton This is one I really have had little to no trouble with, it is going to be one I grow every year.

Here is a Brad Gates tomato called Indigo Apple.

Well I am Just waiting for some of these mators to ripen so I can give them a good ole taste test....lol Later Dusty...

Summer Garden and the Monsoon

2013-07-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

With monsoon season upon us in Arizona we have some very strange weather from the very unusual tornado to heavy rains and hail storms which create heavy flooding at times. The good thing is the moisture and the humidity levels going up that is what gets are gardens really going for us.

What we are hoping for is surviving the storms. lol Hail storms can reek havoc and have done lots of damage in the past. If our gardens can survive the storms then they will really explode and grow fast. In Arizona the humidity is so very low that our gardens do very little until the monsoon season arrives. The next thing we do is pray our gardens survive and if they do we pray our plants don't catch all the diseases that also comes with the high humidity that we normally do not have.

Inspecting the garden is very important thing to do. Finding vines to tie up or just making sure the garden is draining properly.

Leaf damage due to hail. Nothing we can do about it. It will not harm the growth of the cantaloupe that is growing here.

We grow about seventy variety's of tomatoes this is our giant tomato. Dusty River Giant - last year we had a three pound tomato out of this variety and we are hoping for a larger one this year.

We were lucky so far and I hope our luck continues. The tomato plants are six foot tall and still growing strong looks like it could be a super year for our garden. later Dusty....

Tomato wind protection

2013-05-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

My biggest concern with my tomatoes in the spring is WIND protection. Most of my tomato fatality's are caused by the wind. A sustained wind of just a few miles per hour can murder your young tomato plants very quickly.
A whole host of problems are out there in the spring to kill your plants from late frosts to insects here is a suggestion for my biggest problem the wind.

This is just some cages we make out of wire we wrap a layer of fabric around the cages. This fabric is a weed barrier we purchased at home depot. We like it because it breaths well so it doesn't get to hot. All were doing here is wrapping the weed barrier around the wire taping it on and were done. So easy so simple.

In just a few weeks we will take this fabric off and let the plants go. Young tomato plants need protection from the wind for at least 3 to 4 weeks. You will have better earlier tomatoes enjoy.... Later dusty

Touch of Summer during Winter...

2013-03-03T16:42:00.000-08:00

Indoor Dwarf Tomatoes - It is so nice to have a little taste of summer once in a while. Growing dwarf tomatoes in your house during the winter has it's pleasures...

I also planted some peppers today and I will continue through the week.

Jamaican Hot Chocolate a really good pepper.

Caribbean Red another nice pepper a little warm ok hot as heck.lol

Winter Dwarf Tomatoes

2013-01-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

Dwarf tomatoes- haha-yes I am loving it. Tomatoes in the winter yes!!! I love to try new things and my tomato buddies tell me that this is the way to go. I do have lights and a few tomato plants are still under the lights.

This is the cure for the winter blues for the gardener. I have six different tomato variety's.

Such healthy leafs and strong stems these plants look so healthy and would probably look even better if I had a better light set up.

Blooms are coming on the plants it won't be long before they start setting fruit..

I will be transplanting the tomato plants to larger pots. Right now the tomato plants are in one gallon pots. Most will get there final transplant to five gallon pots, some three gallon. The tomatoes that are still in one gallon pots will be given away to friends and family I will only keep one of each of the variety.

The plant that gets talked about the most out of this bunch is this one the -Jackass- this tomato plant is in the f-5 stage so it won't be to long before you will see this variety in the gardening websites and magazines for sale. Naming a plant can be very tough I wonder just what was going through his mind when he was naming this one lol or if this is what he was being called during the naming process...lol who knows for sure. Until next time later -Dusty-

Container Dwarf Tomatoes for your Winter Garden

2012-12-08T21:32:00.000-08:00

The little guy's are growing and at this stage they are just under three weeks old and time to be transplanted.

At this stage these Dwarf Tomatoes are four and a half weeks old and looking really healthy. Good thick stems and a great color.

It does not take long for tomatoes to just take off. The only supplements I have given these tomatoes a little liquid sea weed in there water.

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This is what's so fun about gardening. I raised a few more than I will use and now my friends get a Christmas present... I am so excited the tomatoes are growing nicely.

Well that is about it on this update good gardening and until next time see ya Dusty....

Growing A Winter Garden Inside?

2012-11-12T16:25:00.001-08:00

A winter indoor garden is such a pleasure for me it is so nice to watch something grow during the long winter also a winter garden is not to much work hey now that is perfect for me.

I have a few things that I grew in pots which I brought in before the first freeze such as this pepper plant this is a Jamaican Hot Chocolate it can be a bit hot. Ok it is a very hot little pepper but bring it indoors for the winter and this plant can live several years I feel three is about the best I have ever gotten out of a pepper plant and the second year being the best. When I put them outside next spring they will do great and I will have the earliest peppers in town.

I also started some Tomatoes yep maters. These are dwarf tomatoes I will be growing these dwarf tomatoes in 3 to 5 gallon containers. I have six types of dwarf tomatoes that I will be growing this fall the average height is 3 to 4 foot tall and they load up pretty nicely with fruit so I will need to support these guys. lol this should be fun.

Last year I grew Mizuna and Arugula these are greens with a attitude great flavor and a little zip to them yum. I started them outdoors last year and I forgot about them during several freezes and they survived wow they can take a very hard freeze and survive. They are so easy to grow lucky for me, and are wonderful to add to a salad they really give a salad a pop and they are so very tasty. I am thinking about planting some of the cold hardy variety's of greens very soon.

I hope to give updates of the dwarf tomatoes every very few weeks so you can see how they are doing. Until next time later Dusty...

Best producing Tomatoes of 2012

2012-09-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

This is the most productive tomato of the season for me a heart tomato called Pink Honey. I was very surprised that it was also the first tomato of the season a very fast grower only 49 days from transplant. It was also one of the largest tomato of the season with one tomato going just over two pounds.

This is the Coyote tomato a very small tomato with huge tomato flavor. They say this is a tomato that is native to Mexico where it grows wild and I believe it, this tomato plant is huge and has taken over the yard.lol Wow what a good growing tomato plant you can abuse this little gem and it just produces. The taste is full bore tomato goodness great old fashion tomato flavor.

Pink Berkeley Tie Dye - A early tomato great taste and very interesting looking. At the farmers market this is one of the first to go.

Two different Tomatoes in this picture here, the one on the left is called Pinky Tuscadero and the one on the right is a Black Sea Man Tomato both are real good ok these are great eating tomatoes of course I do tend to like the black tomatoes for taste but the Pinky Tuscadero is tops too.

Sweet Carneros Pink this is another tomato bred by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. The production of this tomato was very very good the only down side is you got to use them they don't hold very well.

I have talked about this one before but I love this tomato this is Evan's Purple Pear. This tomato gave me really good production and what a good tomato for the farmers market or at home they keep very well and the taste, well this is one of my new favorites it has a firm tomato texture the taste was very nice and crisp with full tomato flavor. This one is on my grow list for next year for sure also it is a potato leaf plant.

I have a few others that I really like and will list soon but this is the bunch that made my list for today what a great bunch of tomatoes next time I will chat about maybe growing bigger Tomatoes? Later Dusty

Tomato Season...

2012-09-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

This tomato is called Dwarf Berly Beauty a wonderful tomato that was breed to grow in five gallon pots that you can bring in the house during the winter. It is a green when ripe variety.

A row of San Marzano tomatoes that are going nuts.

Some Mini Marzanos one of the only hybrids that I grew.

Mr. Stripey a wonderful tasting bi-color tomato

This is one of my best sellers and is a taste test winner.

Pink Berkeley Tie Dye new for me this year. They are an early tomato with very good taste and very good looks what's not to like about this one.

Plum Lemon a yellow paste tomato that looks like a lemon.

This is a incredible tomato plant it is a multi-floral tomato it produces flowers by what seems the jillions. lol It name is Sweet Beverly and besides having unique flowers the fruit is wonderfully sweet.

The darkest tomato I have ever seen the Indigo Rose is a eye catcher.

This is the Berly Beauty a Green when ripe tomato. This tomato is amazing such a great eating tomato it has a very complex flavor I end up saying refreshing with a fruity flavor. A tomato I will be growing all winter that's for sure...
later Dusty...

Heirloom and Open Pollinated Tomatoes

2012-08-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

More pictures of some really great looking and great tasting Tomatoes!!!

This sweet little gem is called Bi-color cherry

A real good tomato with full tomato flavor this is it. This one is called Black Moor or Black Mauri One of my favorites it is a good firm tomato travels well and keeps good. A great tomato for the farmers market.

So far this year this is my pick as extra yummy. This tomato has great flavor and it holds well another great tomato for the farmers market. Evan's Purple Pear

Red Boar and Black and Brown Boar great tomatoes great production.

My Earliest tomato of the year. These tomatoes average about 10 to 12 oz and I have a few that went a pound and a half. This one is called Pink Honey Tomato and it produces heavy a great heart tomato.

Red Boar a very attractive tomato and a great producer.

I was surprise how much I liked this one. This Tomato is called Dr. Carolyn A variety named after Dr Carolyn Male who wrote the book 100 Heirloom tomatoes for the American garden.

Later Dusty...

Pink Berkeley Tie Dye

2012-08-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would post some pictures of this tomato. A very productive and attractive looking tomato. This seed I purchased from Wild Boar Farms. Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms has some great looking tomato breeds.

This one is Pink Berkeley Tie Dye but it is not all that Pink it is more of a port wine color.

Very good eating I would put it up there as very tasty.

This is one of those tomatoes I will grow again.

Wild Boar Farms for some really unique tomatoes you might want to check them out....Well I gotta eat and run...lol
later Dusty...

How to Save Tomato Seeds

2012-08-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

There is just something about being self sufficient. Growing a tomato from a seed to a plant watching it grow and then picking a nice tomato!!!! and saving the seed and doing it all over again...How cool is that....

I like to start by slicing my tomatoes, this way I can make sure my tomatoes are good and ripe. You need to use a ripe tomato for this. Next I squeeze out the seeds and discard the skin or do as good as you can, these small tomatoes they can make it hard to discard all there skins. If you miss some it won't hurt anything.

Seed jelly.....

Once I have the guts of the tomatoes selected I put them in a jar if there is not enough juice in the mix I will add a little water and a pinch of sugar. I need enough moister in it to last for five to seven days.
Make sure and mark the jar with the correct name of the tomato!!! I try to learn from my mistakes. LOL

I use a rubber band to secure a coffee filter over the top of the jar.

The coffee filter allows the mixture to breath and bacteria to grow this is what devolves the jell like membrane that surrounds the seed, the major benefit of using the coffee filter is it keeps unwanted bugs out. Your germination rate goes way up when fermenting your seeds in methods like this.

I next set the container with the seed mixture outside for five to seven days. I don't suggest letting them ferment any longer than this it tends to lower the germination rate. Also setting them outside is recommended because it can get a bit smelly.

After the five to seven day period a mold growth will appear on the top of your seed mix. This is a good thing it is telling us the bacteria has done its job dissolving that jell like membrane. This will make it easier for the seed to sprout this spring. Your almost done all you have to do now is clean up the seed mix. I first try to fish out the mold growth (this is a yucky job) and discard it. Next I wash and strain the seed until it is clean. I use a fine wire strainer to help me clean and strain. Clean them several times.

Last thing to do is see if you have any seeds that float, if so discard any seed or seeds that float. Next just lay out a paper plate set your seed on it set it in a warm dry place for at least two weeks to dry. I stir mine up every few days. Then pack it up for next years tomato seeds you can use envelopes or little bags to store them in.

Storage it is important so keep them in them cool and dry and out of light.

During the winter I will test a few of each variety so I can do germination tests to make sure I have a good viable seed.

This is so easy to do give it a try.

Later Dusty...

Tomatoes are coming along....

2012-07-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

Indigo Rose

Black and Brown Boar

Cherokee Green

Spot Yellow

Coyote

Green Zebra

Tomatoes are coming along. Some very unusual tomato variety's for me at least. The small Coyote tomato is very small but does have that full tomato flavor very strange for a small tomato I am enjoying them. Until next time see ya later Dusty...

Tons of peppers and the garden looks great.

2012-07-14T18:07:00.001-07:00

Things are really growing at the Shumway garden my brother does a fantastic job. The Tomatoes are running a couple of weeks behind but they are really coming on. The Peppers on the other hand are a month ahead of schedule and are going absolutely bonkers. lol We have a ton of Bannana Peppers, and Jalapeno's, the bell peppers are huge and the fish peppers are coming on to, in about two weeks they all should be putting out and we will be overwhelmed with peppers. lol good...

Soon it will be time to do a segment on bottling pepper relish. This is one of our family's favorite things we use it on so many things from roast beef to hotdogs and hamburgers.

Peppers grow great in containers like this 55 gallon container cut in half.

Here is another pepper bed. In this bed there are mostly jalapenos and fish peppers

As you can tell we grow more jalapeno's than anything else it is our favorite pepper. We like to eat them fresh bottled dehydrated and smoked. yum....

A favorite of my friends is this apple tree growing around the chicken coupe.

The apple trees are loaded and with over a hundred apple trees were going to be very busy I am thinking...lol I hope everyone likes apple sauce, apple jelly, apple leather, dehydrated apple chips....

Soil Mix for Container Gardeners

2012-07-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

A very easy mix I use for my Tomato plants as well as Pepper plant. First of all this is a standard mix it is nothing I came up with it is just a good basic mix for most veggie's.

I use 2 five gallon buckets of a good compost then 1 five gallon bucket of peat moss, next 1 five gallon bucket of Azomite or some other kind of rock dust like cinder sand or granite fines, last a five gallon bucket of Vermiculite or Perlite that is it. Mix well add water and just about any kind of veggie. Your good to Grow...lol

The thing that makes this mix work great for me is the Azomite or rock dust it will give the soil a great texture and the soil microbes will go nuts with all the minerals the rock dust brings to the party and that is huge for taste and flavor for tomatoes as well as for peppers.
This year I am growing about 25 tomato plants in 20 gallon containers. The smallest I suggest growing a tomato in is a five gallon container. I am growing a few tomatoes in the five gallon containers. I don't suggest growing larger tomatoes in the five gallon containers but I have seen people do it successfully using lots of love and care.
The tomato plants I used for my small containers are Dwarf tomato plants designed to grow in small containers. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and in containers you will need to feed them often at least every two weeks, that is because the soil will leach out the nutrition that is in the soil very quickly so keep feeding those maters. Now good luck to everyone I hope you have great weather and huge maters...later dayz Dusty
I would also suggest reading a old blog of mine on rock dust http://dustyrivergardens.blogspot.com/2011/11/growing-your-soil.html

Jalapeno peppers are looking good

2012-06-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

All the peppers are looking very nice the peppers here are being grown in Shumway Az. We should have lots and lots of all kinds of peppers. The peppers pictured here are a Purple Jalapeno and they are looking very healthy.

We have several variety's of peppers growing including this the Purple Jalapeno, Jalapeno M, the Habanero Jamaican Hot Chocolate , Fish pepper, a really good Hatch type of Green chile and a few sweet peppers.