Organize Your Life // Plan The Perfect Garden

Have you heard of Smart Gardener? I just discovered it from Pinterest, and let me tell you, it's the best thing to happen to gardening in a long long time.

There are so many great features on this website, and it literally holds the beginning gardener's hands the entire journey of starting your garden. To sign up, you enter in your email then your zip code so they can tell you what planting zone you are in, when your first and last frosts are, and what plants are recommended for your area.

Source: smartgardener.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

Once you've created your profile, you can map out in detail the layout of your garden. Choose in ground plots, raised beds, and containers in any size to completely customize your yard.

After you've mapped out your space, you can then choose which plants you want to grow, from vegetables to herbs to fruit to flowers. Smart Gardener will show you what to plant where, give you a calendar and to do lists to make all the stress and uncertainty of sowing, growing, and harvesting disappear.

Source: blog.smartgardener.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

They also have a fabulous community where you can tour other people's garden plans, find recipes for the edibles you are growing, and they even have a marketplace where they sell the seeds for you to plant in your garden!

Source: blog.smartgardener.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

This is a dream come true for a planner outer like me, I've spent all day on the site and can't wait to waste away weeks designing my dream garden!

Garden Seeds // Root Bound Plants

Yesterday I bought this Blanket Flower (Gallardia Fanfare ) plant at a nursery from the 50% sale rack.   $2.50 for a 2 quart plant.  I immediately knew it was root bound by the light weight of the container.  When a plant is all roots, there is less room for soil so it will feel light in weight.  Even after watering, the container stays light as it has no soil to hold the moisture.  You might also see roots growing out the bottom of the container.

No worries!  Root bound plants are not destined for death in your garden.  It is rather an opportunity for you to save it!  Here is my Blanket Flower right out of the store container:

Notice all the white roots growing in a circular pattern.  When roots can no longer grow down they will grow around.  If you planted this in your garden/pot without trimming it first, the roots will continue to grow circularly, thereby limiting the oxygen to the roots and this plant will most likely die.

How to Trim Roots:

1.  Cut off densely bound roots with a pair of clippers.  I cut off about 2 inches of this plant as it was seriously bound.  Cutting roots will not harm a plant.

2.  Untangle remaining roots with your hands, breaking the circular nature of the growth. 

3.  Choose a pot or garden space that is bigger than the original container (2 quarts in this case).  This plant obviously needs more space to grow to its full potential!

4.  Spread the roots gently when planting.  Plant no deeper than the top of the root ball. 

Ideally, you want to buy plants that are not root bound.  This is often the case, however, when plants have sat at a nursery for awhile.

The future is bright for this Gallardia.  Notice it has four buds on it!

Garden Seeds // Hello Cantaloupe!

I always think hopeful thoughts when I make the first cut into a melon.  Over the years, I still can't tell with consistent accuracy when a melon is ripe in the store.  Shake it, smell it, squeeze it - whatever your method, there is no guarantee.

Last year, my friend Allyce gave me cantaloupe seeds she saved from a fantastic tasting melon she bought at the store.  I planted them and, wow! this was great stuff.  I saved the seeds from the ones I grew and am planting them today. 

Cantaloupe need rich soil, heavy water, 6-8 hours of sunlight and lots of room to grow.  The ideal time to plant these seeds is March 1 - April 15th so find a spot and gets seeds in soon. 

Here is my chosen area for cantaloupe.  The vine will encroach into the asparagus fern but do no harm.  With a few trellises, the vine will climb as well.

You can plant cantaloupe in a pot too.  Just make sure it is a big pot and you water it well.  Pots dry out faster than a raised bed so be diligent in your watering.  I had a vine in a pot last spring that was a volunteer from my compost.  It produced very well.

Cantaloupe take 80-120 days to harvest so be patient and label your plant.  Note: this is a 40-day range so labelling will eliminate some, but not all, of the guessing game of when to harvest.  

Once harvested, be sure to save the rind for your compost.  Cut it into 1x1" pieces for ideal decomposition size.  Compost the seeds as well and you're likely to get volunteers in the future.

Garden Seeds // The Inexpensive Garden

As with any other home feature, gardening can get expensive.  If it is your passion like mine, it can be downright deadly for the wallet.  Here are some tips on how to build an inexpensive garden:

Plant from Seed

Orchid Vine from

Grow annual flowers, herbs and vegetables from seed to save money.  This requires additional planning as seeds should be planted earlier in a season than a transplant or mature plant from a nursery.  Seed packets range in price from $1-3 per packet.   For larger quantities and greater savings, buy from a seed catalog.  Seeds will last longer than one year (despite the expiration date on your packet), so buy in bulk with friends and split the cost.  Harvest seeds off your plants for the following year to save as well.  

Host a Plant/Seed Swap 
Each year, I host a neighborhood plant/seed swap.  This is a great way to network with your friends and neighbors and get new plants for your garden.  Here is how it works:  Everyone brings some seeds, citrus, plants or vegetables from their garden.  Lay it all out on a table.  Discuss or label what each item is and then begin swapping!  If you don't have anything to bring, then just come and learn how to get started in the garden.  Invite your friends with gardens and tell them to tell someone.  Invite neighbors you may or may not know who have gardens you admire.  Gardeners love to share their plants!  Last week at my swap I came home with some red hollyhock seeds, a bag of tangelos (I now want a tree), two agave pups and loofah seeds.  I also met a new gardener/neighbor who was riding by on her bike.  She introduced herself, went home to get a plant and came back to participate.  All for free.

Look for Bargains at the Nursery
Some nurseries discount plants once a week when they receive a new shipment.  Ask a garden employee what day their shipment usually arrives and shop the sales rack on this day.  For example, the Lowes around the corner from me discounts their plants on Wednesdays.  They often put perfectly healthy plants on the 50% off rack just to make room for new ones.  

Cereus Cacti from a friend

Propagate, Propagate, Propagate
The best example I can give for this is cacti.  Cacti are very expensive in the nurseries - the retail mark up on all plants is over 300% (according to my sources)!  Most cacti are easy to propagate.  If you have a friend or neighbor with beautiful cacti, ask for their pups or cut off an arm for your own garden.  I have acquired many of my desert plants in this manner.










Compost
Compost not only makes great sense, but is a savings in the long run.  Your compost set-up need not be fancy.  A couple piles in a corner of your yard works just as well as an expensive drum from a catalog.  Compost results in both good soil and excellent fertilizer.  I haven't bought any fertilizer for my vegetable garden in years!


Who doesn't love saving money?

Garden Seeds // Octopus Agave Propagation

My latest discovery in my backyard is an exciting one!  My Octopus agave (Agave vilmoriniana) has entered the final phase of its life cycle and produced a flower stalk.  It will die after flowering, but not before producing literally hundreds of pups (bulbils) on the stalk.  These pups can be easily removed and rooted.

Once this stalk is covered in pups, I'll remove them and place in pots to share.  They are teeny!  Here are pups I received from a friend's agave over a year ago.  Upgrade to larger pots as they grow or place them directly in your landscape.

Octopus agave are fast growing succulents that fit nicely in a desert adapted landscape.  They are hardy, grow quickly and will get big - up to 4 x 5 feet so plan accordingly.   Plant in well drained, sandy soil.  Do not prune agaves as any damage to their foliage can result in an entry point for pests like the agave weevil.

If you are interested in some pups, send me an email at kelhedberg@hotmail.com.

Garden Seeds // Wildflower Delight

I am thoroughly enjoying the wildflowers that are in full bloom.   They are everywhere!  During a recent hike on the Wind Cave Trail in Usery Park, I was privy to poppies in their most natural state.  There are wildflowers in my neighborhood, transforming entire front yards into a sea of yellow and orange.  A small sampling of wildflowers in a raised bed adds a splash of color to our school garden. Take a look at their beauty:

Wildflowers are typically grown from seed sown in the fall (mid-Sept thru mid-Nov).  Rake in the seeds to loose soil to a depth of about an inch.  The more rainfall, the more prolific the flowers.  If in a landscape, water regularly to establish the seeds.  The most common ones include Mexican gold poppy, purple owl's clover, lupine and African daisies.


*Be sure to save your seeds if you have these in your garden!  If you are admiring them from afar, ask permission of a neighbor or landowner to harvest seeds.  Once the plant dries out, pull it out, bend the stalk or cut to the ground.  Shake the mature stalks into a paper bag.  Label your seeds, share with friends and store for next year. 

Garden Seeds // February Herbs

I am a novice on growing herbs in Arizona, so I am starting a "herb corner" this month in my backyard.   My motto is always start small when you are trying something new in the garden!  I suggest trying new plants in pots so you can move them around to find a location that works best. 

According to the Arizona Herb Association, here are some good herbs to sow directly outside in the month of February:

• Alfalfa, bee balm, borage, calendula, German chamomile, garlic chives, cilantro/coriander, cumin, dill, Florence fennel, scented geraniums, hollyhocks, hyssop, lamb's quarters, majoram, nasturtium, parsley, chaparral sage, Mexican bush sage, summer savory, sesame, thyme and yarrows.

If buying an herb plant from a nursery, choose from one of these to plant in February:

• Aloe, bee balm, borage, German chamomile, chives, garlic chives, creosote bush, lemon grass, Mormon tea, oregano, French sorrel, sweet Annie, thyme and wormwood.

Water as needed and water deeply to encourage good root development. 

Here is my herb corner with two newly planted herb pots.  This is a door I found in an alley, added a shelf, spray painted and mounted on the wall.  The stepping stone is my daughter's hand print at age 2 (she's now 10). 

The Arizona Herb Association is a wonderful resource for herb gardeners.  I often refer to their herb guide:  The Low Desert Herb Gardening Handbook.  The book is organized by month and states exactly what herbs to plant, prune and harvest as well as other helpful hints.   The Herb Association meets the first Thursday of each month at 7pm at the University of Arizona Maricopa County Extension Office at 4341 E. Broadway in Phoenix.

The Watson Abode // Spring Garden Plan

I have been working diligently on my mother's garden since the new year began, and we have a great plan developed.

She had 6 beds that were falling apart, but were pretty easily repaired. We've been amending the dirt that has sit in the beds for over a decade with A & P Nursery's Harvest Supreme compost and Singh Farm's compost {which is rumored to be the elixir of fertility}. You can go down to the Farm on Saturdays and purchase the compost by the bag full which are HUGE and only $12, or by the truckbed load, which is $60. We've only done bags so far, but are planning to go with a truck load in a few weeks when we break ground on our corn patch and extra long bed.

We've done both the strawberry & tomato bed and the salsa bed so far; and the watermelon bed, cantelope bed, pumpkin bed, and cucumber bed are in the works. We've been following the urban farm planting calendar and trying to resist buying things that may not be ready to plant yet.

I'll be sure to share the progress once things start growing, but for now, I am so proud of what we've done, and so excited to see what it will all become!

Garden Seeds: Bye Bye Cool Season!

Gardening in Arizona is twice the fun!  Unlike many parts of the country, the low desert has two gardening seasons:  a cool season and a warm season.  As much as I have enjoyed the cool season vegetables, I am equally excited to begin my warm season flower planting. 

Warm season planting is just around the corner - it runs from mid to late-February to mid-March.  These plants love the heat and will thrive until it gets cold again. 

Purchase your seeds now and begin planning where to sow some beautiful flowers seeds!  Here are good choices for easy plants to grow from seed:

• Black-eyed Susan
• Butterfly Weed
• Marigold
• Desert Milkweed
• Daisy
• Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
• Gazania
• Geranium
• Hollyhock
• Mexican Sunflower
• Nierembergia (Cup Flower)
• Pansies
• Petunia
• Poppy
• Ranunculus
• Safflower
• Sage
• Snapdragon
• Sunflower
• Sweet Peas
• Verbena
• Wild Hyssop
• Yarrow

Some photos from my garden last year:  (Hollyhock, Breadseed Poppies, Sunflowers and Mexican Sunflower)

In my experience, some are easier to grow than others.  For more details on planting these seeds, please refer to the University of Arizona's Cooperative Extension publication "Flower Planting Guide for the Low Desert."

http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/summary/az1100ndx.html

This document includes a chart similar to the Vegetable Planting Guide I have referenced in the past.  It is an excellent resource that charts the time to plant, amount of sun, days to bloom, height, water needs and growing difficulty.  Everything you need!