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| Photo By: Moyan Brenn / Wikimedia Commons |
Trees.Gardens and fruit.
Jerry planted apricot trees.He planted apple trees.He planted mulberries and fig trees, grapefruit, lemon, orange and olive trees.
He planted a date tree and several pomegranate trees, and the whole back fence is now covered in grapes.
Almond trees, mulberries and blackberry bushes all grow amongst trees planted specifically for shade.
This is why the Landes family moved to Tolsun Farms.
Community feel
Well, that’s part of it.The main reason they moved was to get an old-fashioned community feel.
“It’s quiet here, and we have great neighbors,” Jerry Landes said. “Everyone gets along very well everywhere you go.You take a walk through the neighborhood, and people are always waving and saying hi and you stop and exchange words with them.”
The Landes couple and their three daughters previously lived near 83rd Avenue and Thomas Road and made the most of their average-sized lot.They grew what they could fit and beautified as much as possible.
They wanted a larger yard though and a more neighborly feel, and found it when they moved.
Set apart from surroundings
Tolsun Farms is not gated, but as soon as visitors pass the Tolsun Farms entry signs, they know they’re in a unique community set apart from its surroundings.
The development of about 150 homes is near 91st Avenue and Van Buren Road, south of Interstate 10 and north of Tolleson.The homes are mainly ranch style built in the 1970s and are on lots far larger than the average Valleywide.
Several residents have horses and other animals such as cows, sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens, peacocks ducks and geese.
The Landes' lot is six-tenths of an acre, and the home is 2,300 square feet.It’s three bedrooms with 2.5 baths, a kitchen, two living rooms and a raised dining room.The house has an intercom system and other amenities, but for Jerry, nothing beats the irrigation system.
“Everything grows extremely well because of the irrigation, and it’s easier that you don’t have to water with a hose,” he said. “It’s a lot cheaper too.”
Familiar feel
For several years before the Landes and their three daughters moved to Tolsun Farms, they would drive through the area for fun.It felt familiar to Gerry, who grew up on a corn and soybean farm, and to Judy, who grew up in the middle of orchards.
“To us it felt like a little oasis in the city,” Judy Landes said. “Tolsun Farms makes us feel like we have room to breathe.I enjoy being able to take walks through the neighborhood and enjoy seeing all the farm animals and enjoy all the pecan and other trees. … We also (probably me more than him) enjoy having room to have large groups over and seeing the children able to run and have fun.Our backyard feels like a park.”
They knew this was the house for them as soon as they saw it.
“This find was a godsend,” Jerry said. “I told myself, ‘This is it, oh yeah.’ We were excited.”
Yard work
They didn’t even have to do much work to the house.Over the years they opened the floor plan, but have concentrated most of the changes on the backyard.
“When I moved here there were hardly any trees, and I just went crazy and planted trees,” Jerry said. “I could name 30 or more different varieties of trees we planted.It all grows better because of lots of shade trees.The shade trees made a big difference.”
Jerry and Judy have countless happy memories from their 22 years in the home, and now enjoy watching their grandchildren play in the mini desert oasis they cultivated.
For the Landes, currently harvesting apricots, the best yield of the house has been to watch their garden and family grow.
