May Update

I returned from my trip to find that John's garden had really taken off. Plants that were little more than tiny sprouts when I left are now really flourishing! Here is an overall view showing the corn (foreground), bush beans (middle) and sunflowers (against the wall).

As you can see, the corn on the north side of the ring is nearly twice as tall as that on the south side. The amount of sunshine should be the same for the entire circle, so we're not sure why this is happening, unless the north side is getting more water. John "weeded out" the smaller, less thriving corn plants while I was gone, so that the remaining plants had a better chance of growing to their optimum size.

This is a better view of the green beans (bush beans) taken from ground level.

And here is a view of the sunflowers, which are also growing extremely well. All that Arizona sunshine certainly helps!

John also planted some sugar snap peas (shown here). However, after this photo was taken, he began to notice that the leaves were showing signs of being eaten, so he will have to watch these extra carefully to discover what is finding them so tasty.

The cherry tomato plants, which were planted much later, seem to be off to a good start.

Bean Sprouts

Just two days later, there are dozens of beans sprouting and I'm beginning to think the beans are going to win the race against the sunflowers, since the sunflower sprouts are still about the same size that they were.

John bought more seeds today and he planted cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and jalapenos this evening. He also got a packet of sugar snap peas which grow to five feet tall, and he's brainstorming what sort of trellis or support he'll need for them.

April 24th Update

After continued warm, sunny weather, all the plants are doing better than expected. The tallest corn is over six inches high, with the north side of the ring growing higher than the south side for some reason. It's going to be hard to decide which stalks will be pulled so that the rest have a better chance for optimum growth.

The sunflowers are already sprouting about a week earlier than expected. John planted several varieties which should grow higher toward the east side of the bed.

We even have one little bush bean sprouting up through the soil although I'm sure it will be joined by others this week.

Two Weeks After Planting

Here is a photo of the corn circle taken on April 17 showing all the sprouts. Not all of these sprouts will be allowed to grow to stalks. In a week or two, John will remove all but the most promising plants so that there will be plenty of room for them to grow.

Corn Circle

The beginning...

John's new garden project starts with a corn circle. He read that this is a very effective way to cross pollinate the corn when there is limited area for planting. After watching the pumpkins take over nearly the entire back yard last fall, it will be interesting to have a crop which grows up, not out. He planted the corn on April 2.

Ten days later (April 12) the corn is sprouting nicely, as seen here.