Home Page    Sitemap    Botany Basics    "You Can Grow!" Workshops    Composting    Soil Building Hardiness Zone Map   WebRings    "You Can Grow" CD's   "Tid-Bytes" Insights   Garden Pests & Organic Controls Biodiversity and Genetic Engineering    New Mexico    Companion & Intensive Planting     Permaculture Labyrinths    Free E-Letter    Xeriscape     Photo Tour I    Photo Tour II    Photo Tour III    Photo Tour IV About Us    Creative Garden Design    The Greenzbox    Recommend This Site    Resources & Links Organic Products    Gardening Books   General Gardening Supplies

GIANNANGELO FARMS SOUTHWEST AVANT-GARDENING: CREATIVE ORGANIC GARDENING

VIRTUAL PHOTO TOUR I Formal Tea Gardens; Main Gardens Hay Bale Wall; Vegetables, Herbs, and Flowers ...one picture is worth 1000 words...

Virtual Photo Tour photos are copyrighted (c) by Giannangelo Farms Southwest.
For permission to print or use any photos please contact us.

The photos below are of gardens we created around our first NM home, from 1997 to April 2006.
We have now moved into a new home on our property, and have started a a new series of gardens.

FORMAL TEA GARDEN The Formal Tea Garden was a part of a series of organic sustainable gardens nestled within a stucco hay bale wall containing three patios for private teas, and were constructed from 1997-2005.       Tea Garden Entrance                                  Garden Path              Rock Raised Bed                             Gate to Labyrinth Tea Garden                               Tea Patio Triple Trellis Pond                              Triangle Bed & Pond Hop Vines                                  Rain on Pond Goldfish                                            Pond Fountain Rock Steps                                        Triangle Bed Green Frog                                    Sunset Reflection Baby Toadlings in pond                                   Hop Flower

MAIN GARDENS Organic gardening in New Mexico is a real challenge, because of the altitude (7300'), an arid desert environment, and harsh spring winds. The main gardens were used for growing organic produce for the Ramah farmers market from 1998-2005. These gardens are now returning to their natural state, which in New Mexico does not take long! “Basic to an integrated life is a dominant ideal. To plow a straight row one must keep his eye on the goal rather than the plow.” J.M. Price The first three photos depict the state of the land before we started the main organic garden. The rest of the photos are a series from the beginning, to the gardens as they were in 2005. Prickly Pear                                      Wild Primroses Native Shrubs                                    Beginning the Garden Garden Entrance                                          View North April Garden                                          Garden Pond June Garden                                      July Garden Garden Flowers                                    August Garden

HAY BALE WALL “All that I have accomplished or expect or hope to accomplish, has been and will be by that plodding, patient, persevering process of accretion which builds by the ant-hill, particle by particle, thought by thought, fact by fact.” Elihu Burritt In the summer of 2002 we started a hay bale wall around the house in order to enclose the yard gardens. Because the climate is so severe, we wanted to create a "micro-climate", which would be warmer from the reflected heat of the wall, and provide wind protection. Within this wall were two pools, four sets of trellises, and rock lined raised beds around native Pinon trees interplanted with perennial flowers and herbs. The raised rock beds were also planted with artichokes, herbs, vegetables, and flowers. The temperature within these walls was 10 degrees warmer than the main garden. Foundation                                    Foundation Forms Foundation Corner                                   Stacked Hay Corner Stacking the Bales                                     Cemented Corner Cement over Lath                                  Cemented Entrance Metal Gate

VEGETABLES, HERBS, AND FLOWERS “Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect's view of its plain.” Henry David Thoreau The quality of the food that was grown in these gardens was unbelievable - we think it was the altitude (7300 feet) and the warm temperatures during the summer months (around 85 with afternoon clouds and thundershowers during July and August). Food grews so fast that cabbage melted in your mouth it was so tender. There were no wire worms, slugs, or pests, which were unrelenting in our pacific northwest gardens. There were a few grubs, but they didn't seem to do any damage. Once in awhile there was a grasshopper explosion, but they were easily controlled by using Semispore Grasshopper Biologicals. We placed window screen all around the perimeter of the garden outside of the chicken wire, which kept the baby grasshoppers out. Aphids were rare, probably because of the dry heat and low humidity. Gophers were kept at bay by an diging and leaving open a "gopher trench" 3 feet deep all around the edge of the garden. (As they tunneled they broke through the side, and upon seeing light, turned and went back.) The soil was tested and balanced every spring and fall, and became sustainable over time by regularly adding our own compost layered with the garden soil. Chamomile                                          Chive Blossoms Long Spur Columbine                                                  Radicchio Purple Cauliflower                                    Tomato blossom Green Tomatoes                                       Curly Endive English Thyme                                       Rosemary Flower Pink Cosmos

Website designed and maintained by Giannangelo Farms Southwest Feedback? Comments, questions, suggestions? contact us Created by Frank and Vicky Giannangelo, copyright (c) 2001-2008 by Giannangelo Farms Southwest

Organic Products    Gardening Books   General Gardening Supplies Home Page    Sitemap    Botany Basics    "You Can Grow!" Workshops    Composting    Soil Building Hardiness Zone Map   WebRings    "You Can Grow" CD's   "Tid-Bytes" Insights   Garden Pests & Organic Controls Biodiversity and Genetic Engineering    New Mexico    Companion & Intensive Planting     Permaculture Labyrinths    Free E-Letter    Xeriscape     Photo Tour I    Photo Tour II    Photo Tour III    Photo Tour IV About Us    Creative Garden Design    The Greenzbox    Recommend This Site    Resources & Links
Get WildBlue with Satellite Speed Internet for only $49.95/month Top Garden Sites    Changing LINKS   All Links Directory   Search Engine Optimization and Free Submission
This site is hosted by WestHost - we recommend their services to anyone with a website

According to our Web Counter
You are visitor number: