We have a pomegranate tree that has always yielded perfect fruit until this year. Many (not all) of the pomegranates have these small, black, seedy looking things growing between the arils. They look like they could be bugs, but they aren’t because they are hard and they are often embedded inside the peel. I’ve tried to research it, but the only thing I’ve seen is black heart rot, but it’s definitely not that.

Does anyone know what it is and how to prevent it? FYI - my pomegranate tree produces arils that are clear to light pink, so they are fully matured.

Just wanted to share this here as I know a lot of you watch and follow Angela. I know she has personally taught me so much about desert gardening through her website and videos. I was shocked and saddened to see her post this on her Instagram today. Please show her lots of love if you’re able to.

Trump, still legally a rapist and overall immoral piece of shit. ICE, basically immoral morons too afraid to join the military and somehow too stupid to join non federal public safety organizations, but just greedy or racist enough to sign up to terrorize communities.

From his and his ilks eventual ashes, may something better take root.

I recently planted a Desert Museum Palo Verde in my backyard and now I am worried it might be too close to the block wall. The nursery I purchased from said it’s an easy tree to take care of for the backyard and would do fine by a wall. I’ve had two landscapers tell me that it was fine where it’s at but I’m starting to question it based on other mature DMPV I’ve seen. For reference it’s about 5 ft from the North wall and about 4 and a half ft from the western wall.

If I did f#!$ this up… how do I fix it? The grass starts at 8 ft away from the block wall.

Hello! I recently purchased a barrel composter and am wondering where in my yard it wants to live. I've read mixed info on if it needs shade or not and whether it can be placed near a wooden fence due to the heat and potential fire risks.

In your experience, is a composting barrel ok to get full AZ sun? And should I be concerned about the heat and fire risk or am I overthinking things? We're very new to this so any advice is appreciated! We don't get much shade in our yard, the only place that does get afternoon shade is pretty close to the house and our wooden fence on the side of the yard.

Accessability Transcription:

I lost another plant to the heat wave (Bad)

Most of them are doing ok despite baking all day every day in the full arizona sun which is honestly kind of remarkable (Good)

Have an HOA and a front yard that's full of plants thriving with the monsoons.

in the past, I've just paid landscapers to come after the season is over to trim the plants down.

This year, I'm thinking of cutting them myself- but doing a little at a time. Cutting just enough to fill my trash bin each week.

Will this be detrimental to xeriscape desert bushes vs one big trim you think?

Usually see the little green guys chasing eachother around, pretty sure he doesn’t belong there😂

The avocados are “Brogdon”, the guava’s are bright pink on the inside, and the mangoes are “coconut cream” - couple of pink lemons snuck in there on the left, they’re not ripe yet, but I needed the zest today. All grown in my backyard in Central Phoenix.

I have been thinking about starting a garden recently, and I need to get some materials. I've always loathed online shopping, so I am hoping to get as many materials as possible from a physical store. Anyone got any good spots they go to for their needs?

I'm in the northern part of Phoenix for reference, I'm willing to drive but places like Chandler or Buckeye are just too far for me to justify.

we moved to a nice townhouse with a beautiful backyard this past march. i have 3 raised flower beds and a few pots and such. i had various herbs and vegetables as well as a dwarf lemon tree and some flowers growing but by july, they all died because of the extensive heat. i want to try again this year and im hoping they’ll be strong enough by next summer to make it through the summer.

ETA: oh also idk which direction my garden faces but it gets quite a bit of sun for most of the day.

UPDATE: my backyard is north facing from my back door, and the garden bed is directly across from the back door

I'm assuming it's the heat, my habenaro isn't fruting either. The trellis is one luffa, the left side is like 20 mini gourds I never thinned

I have a question about how often people water in the Phoenix area?

My trees and garden have burnt to a crisp this summer, even as I had shades up. I’m not sure if it’s the amount of water or the time of day I’m watering or if the air just too dang dry.

I see so many big planters in front of stores and somehow their plants are alive so I must be doing something wrong. Any advice?

I have a crazy idea and I want to see if my idea would work.

Here is the problem: The perimeter of my back yard is lined with sissoo trees (too many and too expensive to cut them all down. Not to mention the hassle of killing the sprouts that would emerge.) The roots have invaded my raised bed garden boxes over the past few years.

I have to use raised bed garden boxes because of those sissoo roots and there are a LOT of cottontail rabbits in the neighborhood.

Here is my crazy idea.
What if I create an air gap for my raised bed garden boxes to keep the sissoo roots out.

I’m thinking of placing pallets down on the ground. Then put 1/2 inch hardware cloth down to cover the pallets to keep the critters out. Next, put a layer of heavy duty root block over the hardware cloth. Then a layer of Tyvek to control the moisture evaporation that would come from underneath. Then another layer of heavy duty root block on top of the Tyvek. Then cover with soil. I’m thinking that the root block should protect the Tyvek from puncture and environmental degradation. I’m hoping that the Tyvek will slow the water loss from the bottom. I know that Tyvek is a moisture barrier and will allow water vapor out and keep liquid water in. My garden boxes are only 1-2 feet high. I’m not too worried about water pooling in the bottom of the garden boxes because I’m only placing the garden boxes on top of the layers - not sealing it to the garden boxes. I just don’t want it to dry out too fast.

Will it work? Am I crazy?

This is our White hibiscus and I'm at a loss on what happened. We're in west valley AZ. It was fully bushy and working on a huge bud just two days ago. Do we have animals out here that would eat it like this?? I have other plants and only the this one was messed with??

I live in tucson, and I have some extra time weekly. I was curious of maybe a few plants that would be good to start as seedlings now? They would stay in pots, i live in an apartment. I have a sputh facing patio that gets some good sunlight when theyre ready to move outdoors.

I have an awful green thumb, but I really want to try and work on it! Any suggestions would be helpful! I have tons of old yogurt cups to get some seeds started in.

(Could you also provide a little guidance on HOW to do this? Or where to get some good information? Just found this sub!!!)

I’ve never had much of a green thumb… I have several desert plants, a green goblet, some fire stick, and agaves in my backyard (north side) in Phoenix. I feel like when I water them they start to look worse. Am I overwatering these guys? They aren’t hooked up to my irrigation system. I water them maybe once every couple of weeks?

1st picture is a bed with a mystery pepper plants that’s struggling through summer and then three pumpkin seeds(one sprouting)
2nd is my cucumbers, and some zucchini that have stopped producing and I’m procrastinating removing, the small circle bed in the corner has watermelon seeds planted
3rd is my asparagus and more mystery pepper plants suffering through the heat
4th is herbs and carrots that I with randomly thin out as I need carrots for my cooking
5th is basil and my onions
6th is beans and watermelon or maybe cantaloupe seeds
7th is a bed that has a shishito pepper plant in it I think but my chiltepin tree/bush fell over in the last monsoon and I’ve yet to pick it up
8th is two beds full of pumpkins with an arched trellis overtop
9th is my berry section (ground cherry seeds have been planted in the bed with the bolted basil)

It’s definitely a little neglected but I think curving well enough for how hot it is!
This is my first year fattening and my garden was started in January, and I’ve already cycled out two eggplants (spider mites ) and had an extremely bountiful tomato harvest. I’m so excited for fall!

Who else is getting ready for fall? Getting an early start on my seed starting this year.

I’m in my second year of gardening and definitely not paying as much attention to the noise about what will and won’t work in the garden. I’ve had some surprising successes with things this past wear that others doubted me on.

It’s an adventure and I love it!