Colorful Garden + Black Gold Fertilizer

diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-128

The kumquats are coming, the kumquats are coming!  Weeeeee! And when I pick them off, they also tend to come with some of the leaves.  Did you know kumquats (when producing correctly) produce year round?

I bought this Iceberg Rose breed from Whitfill and noticed in the sea of white and green, there were pink buds!  It was the only one with pink and white so I grabbed it and am excited to see that it continually blooms white and pink!

diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-112

I have five rose bushes/plants in my backyard.  I want more, but I want ones without thorns – note to self.  Cue: Every Rose has it’s thorn…

diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-114

This is Spanish Lavender below.

diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-119 diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-120

We also have the sweet lavender elsewhere in our garden which does fantastic in the dessert and is much stronger of a scent.

Our newly planted Ash tree is growing, I need to add more fish fertilizer.

diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-121 diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-122 diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-123

My spring/summer garden bed veggies are slowly growing, but I still insist on going to the nursery one more time this month to pick up some more starters.

My friends at Black Gold Farm sent me a bag of their organic fertilizer.  Have you ever heard of the term “black gold”? I heard it from Benjamin who grew up on a farm and told me that pretty much is what farmers refer to as the best soil ever.  OK, so there’s much more to it, but that sums it up.  This 5 lbs bag is full of pure dried worm castings (remember that time I wanted to start a worm farm?).

black-gold-soil-gardening-uses-urban-farming-115

Garden gloves are for wussies.  Just kidding, I wear them but this time my manicure was already seeing its last days so I just decided to use my hands.  It doesn’t smell either.  Worms eat dirt, and they well, pretty much create/give back/poop better dirt.

black-gold-soil-gardening-uses-urban-farming-118

Did you know a single teaspoon of it will supply all the nutrients for a plant about 6″ tall for two months?

black-gold-soil-gardening-uses-urban-farming-119black-gold-soil-gardening-uses-urban-farming-116

You should know by now I don’t do much in moderation.  In this case this should last more than a few months.

black-gold-soil-gardening-uses-urban-farming-117

I hear high pitched squealing, oh it’s the neighborhood love birds.

love-birds-wild-palm-tree-urban-farming-phoenix-neighborhood-birds

Just a few more garden sights around here.

diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-124 diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-125 diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-126 diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-127

“Please let me run around,” begs Liberty.

diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-111

OK, only because you’re a good girl.

diana-elizabeth-outdoor-phoenix-arizona-garden-blogger-gardening-farming-116

Diana Elizabeth is an author, photographer, and obsessive thrift shopper. You can typically find her in the garden wrist deep in dirt, at a local estate sale or planning her next epic party. She continues to blog weekly.

5 Comments

  • Mailinh

    Pretty, pretty! Looking at your garden makes me wish spring would come sooner here in Ohio. We’re supposed to get a mix of snow showers tomorrow evening… :0/

    • Diana Elizabeth

      I get excited with showers ;) My kind of weather – are you in the clear and heading towards spring?

  • Carissa

    well, of course not! It’s perfect for the photos : )

  • Carissa

    As always, I adore your garden and backyard. My favorite part is the wall with the vines growing up it. I have a thing for vines.

    I thought I learned once that if citrus, when picked, comes off with leaves, it wasn’t ready to be picked yet…? That’s probably wrong, or maybe doesn’t apply to kumquats.

    • Diana Elizabeth

      Hi Carissa! You could be right – I like them to ripen on the vine like my tomatoes, jk. Actually I get them a bit early to avoid them from over ripening or missing them and we’ve eaten them a little earlier (as in just not bright orange) than usual for stir frying which works OK. But I also just like it for the photos – can you blame me? ;)

POST COMMENT

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *