A Small Farm in the Middle of the Desert…
I would like to show you a small farm that is located in the middle of the desert. Actually, it is 5 minutes from my house and is the home of my mother, sister, brother-in-law and their sons.
Some of you may recall some previous posts about the Neglected Rose Bush, the Chicken Coop and the Flood in the Garden on Purpose. Well, these all took place at Double S Farms.
The residents of Double S Farms, my mother (Pastor Farmer), sister (Chicken Farmer) and brother-in-law (Farmer Dad), are transplanted Californians like myself.
My youngest sister, Chicken Farmer.
They moved to Arizona a few years ago.. According to my mother and my sister – if you had told them 5 years ago that they would be living in Arizona, away from Southern California and the ocean, be living on a small ranchette, raising fruit trees, vegetables, getting ready for chickens AND loving it….they would have said you were crazy. But they do love living in Arizona and all that it has to offer.
Littlest Farmer helping with the lemon harvest last spring.
Fruit trees fill both the front and backyard. Almost any kind you can think of…..lemon, grapefruit, kumquat, orange, apple, plum, peach and almond trees grace the landscape.
My two oldest daughters, discussing what is the best way to pick fruit from the peach trees.
The bounty they receive include peach and plum preserves, apple butter, lemons, grapefruit and kumquats.
My mother, Pastor Farmer, planting succulents in containers.
The almost finished chicken coop can be seen in the background.
Little Farmer, being silly.
Vegetable gardens are not only a great place to grow vegetables, but also for playing with cars as Littlest Farmer can tell you.
Lettuce, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower are just a few of the delicious vegetables we have enjoyed this winter from the garden.
There is something so appealing about a riding lawnmower, a teenage boy (my oldest nephew, who was visiting) and a dog.
Behind the farm is a small ranchette that raises cattle.
Little Farmer, Littlest Farmer and Farmer Dad flood irrigating.
Double S Farms is a wonderful place where irrigating the land with a flood is a regular occurrence.
Little Farmer and Littlest Farmer in the soon to be completed chicken coop.
A chicken coop is next on the list of additions to Double S Farms. Six chickens will soon be taking up residence in their new coop and chicken yard.
My sister (Chicken Farmer) and her son, Little Farmer
Double S Farms is also a place for family to gather and celebrate birthdays and holidays.
A wonderful tree for a pinata, which my third oldest daughter tries to hit.
Thank you for taking the time to visit Double S Farms with me.
We will be visiting more in the future….
Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
I loved that visit to the farm! Makes me want to go out and pick fruit. I've never seen "flood" irrigation before. Hmmm…. Interesting. The photographs of your family are beautiful.
It is nice to live so close to family. We now live close to family and it is nice!
What a fun place for the kids. Little farmer is very cute along with the other little ones. 🙂
I want to live there!!!!!!!!
Noelle ~ That little farm looks like a wonderful place to live and work. Everyone looks happy and at peace. And what a wonderful selection of fruit.
Thanks for the little tour.
FlowerLady
I can't believe how green it is there Noelle. I'm so used to white, that's the first thing I notice! What an idyllic place to grow up (well, if you're not going to be next to the ocean!) I think I could be happy on a farm just like this one, chickens and all! It's so nice your family is nearby too. I miss having mine around.
Thankyou for sharing pictures of your family Noelle. My family live so far away from us we never have a big group family celebration.
Hey that was some crop of lemons wasn't it. My husband would just love to come over there to help with the harvesting of the peaches only I'm not sure how many peaches you would end up with as they are his favourites.
First time I heard the term 'ranchette' – I like it!
Robert
Thank you for taking me to Double S Farms for a vist. It's a lively place as your photostory tells. The best things raised on a farm are children. Just ask my two! I can't wait to go back with you, Noelle!
Thanks for the tour…It looks so wonderful and all American. What a great place to live.
Balisha
Looks like a wonderful place and a great place to spend time with your family, Noelle! All those fruit trees are making my mouth water:)
I've gotten behind on reading posts and just went back to read about your rose-planting experiences. What fun to involve the kids! I'm sure they will take special pride in these roses since they not only chose their own but got to help in the planting process. Thanks, too, for the helpful and detailed info on planting them. I'll have to bookmark this page if I do plant some roses this spring.
I do hope the weather is not too bad there; I've been watching the forecast for the Phoenix area lately, and it looks as if you are having an unusual amount of rain.
Great photos Noelle! It is wonderful to see all the kids having so much fun outdoors. My neighbors' kids rarely see the light of day. I guess the Wii and other distractions keep them occupied. Of course the farm looks pretty neat to me also, being a Former Farmer myself.
Now that is the idyllic life! What a beautiful family.
Dear Noelle, I have so enjoyed my visit to the farm – so very different from London's Maida Vale and Budapest where I also have an apartment.
I was thrilled at your becoming a 'Follower' and am so glad that I have now found you. I shall return in the hope of learning more about gardening in the USA about which I know very little.
What a great place! Thanks for sharing. My dream is to live on a farm. Someday… someday soon… 🙂
What a dream of a place. The kids are all so cute, what a great way for them to grow up & how lucky you are to have the so close.
Thanks, Noelle, for sharing – what a great farm. Thanks also for showing that the desert has lots of green!
What a beautiful place. I bet the little farmers love living there. How nice that your family lives so close and on such a neat farm!
Hi Noelle, it's funny thinking of the neighborhoods where we start off in life and where we eventually end up. Guess it's in the genes. I'm glad you have such close family, and so close to you.
How exciting for your family, to have changed directions so dramatically. Obviously, you are all loving it. Can't wait to hear more about their adventures with chickens! (I suffer from chicken lust, especially for gorgeous heritage breeds.)
Your nephews are too cute, and I am sure this is a beautiful place for them to grow up. Getting dirty is part of a good childhood, no?
I'm fascinated by the farm. I would never have thought of something so diverse and productive in Phoenix. Of course I didn't discover gardening until after I left.
S&S Farms looks like an amazing place. It's beautiful!
Nice posting. The wide views of the farm are so different from what I would imagine in Arizona. Very green and lush. Love all those lemons.
This farm looks like it could be in Alabama! Everything is so green and unlike the desert. So – another stereotype broken! Your family look like they are all having a great time; what a wonderful lifestyle for children, as well as adults!
What a wonderful farm you have filled with so much love! It is wonderful to be able to get a glimpse of your world – thanks for sharing!
Question – what was the pinata made of ? It looks organic … LOVE IT!
What a amazing place, and certainly not what I pictured when you read Arizona.
Thanks for the visit.
Jen
What a lovely place for all the family to spend time and how green everything looks.
i love the visit to the farm, i wouldn't mind being an adopted uncle farmer either 🙂 isn't it amazing that you can live somewhere completely new and consider yourself a local in just a short time….i never thought i would ever leave california and now i'm happy in hawaii….good for you guys!
Hi Noelle~~ It's hard to believe this is ranchette is situated in a DESERT. Everything is green and lush. And more importantly, the children are healthy and bright-eyed. How blessed you all are.
I moved to Tucson this year and I can't help but notice you were apple picking in January – how fun is that! I have a list of fun things to do in the area, I'll be adding apple picking to it. In the desert. Amazing!