Look What I Found in the Garden

Here's a photo blog of all the yummy food (and people) I found in the Garden for Tomorrow created by the Tiger Mountain Foundation and Darren Chapman this past Saturday in Phoenix, AZ.

Happy Gardening

The Garden Goddess

http://www.down2earthgardens.com/

Resting in the Garden

This is Annie relaxing after the Master Gardeners Garden tour at my house last Saturday - I had over 900 people walk through my gardens.  What a wonderful day it was sharing my plants and ideas with others.  Of course everything was in tip-top shape due to all the great rain we got the weeks before and the wonderful help of many Master Gardener volunteers who came to help weed and clean up the yard.  I am so thankful for them, I couldn't have done it without them.

One of my favorite comments overheard at my garden was from a landscape architect who said they really liked my gardens and one other the best because they were in smaller yards and they showed a great use of space and what can be done in a truly urban yard.

I am flattered and pleased since that has been my goal all along and to have someone from my industry say that means I have done what I set out to accomplish!

I am ready to take a break from my own gardens for a few weeks and just what what transpires.  The peach tree has blossomed and baby peaches are growing, same for the apple.

The winter veggies are starting to mature, some bolting to go to seed, others flower and then going to seed.  But there is still much to eat, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, yellow peppers, Sweet 100 tomatoes all which end up in my lunch or dinner daily.

Here's me resting and hugging the broccoli after the tour - ahh it is good to be the Garden Goddess!

Happy Digging, Doreen

http://www.down2earthgardens.com/

Fall Garden Plant List

I made my veggie garden list last night watching TV. I pulled out the Planting Guide for the Phoenix area and went to town. I selected about 10 veggies (I already have seeds for 9 other vegetables) and 5 herbs. But before I run out and get the seeds like I usually do, I want to take stock of my various gardens and determine how much and what I can plant in each one.

I have 4 small beds (3 ft x 4 ft) in the back yard and two beds in front (3 ft x 20 ft) and (3 ft x 10 ft). As I said before it is a bit over whelming. I would like a salad bed, a root vegetable bed and another for those late harvest plants. There are several things to consider before I buy the seeds.

First, there is the companion plant theory about interplanting the plants for their mutual benefit. So I want to study that and use it for my garden planning. There's a great book on the subject called Carrots Love Tomatoes.

Second, how much do I want to plant. How much will I actually eat and do I want extra to freeze or can?

Third - do I want to start them all by seed or get some transplants too? Then where do I want to get the seeds? Definately non GMO, but heriloom, southwest native variety, organic?

So I am back to the planning phase - feel like that little hamster on the wheel going round and round. Kind of squeaky, too!

Happy Digging, The Garden Goddess

www.Down2earthgardens.com

Garden Planning & Remodeling

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what to plant this next season. So many choices - broccoli, cauliflower, beets, onions, garlic, and so much more. I woke up at 5 AM one morning last week thinking about it! I actually got out of bed, put on a pot of tea and sat down with the planting calendar and my collection of seeds. Check out the Phoenix Area Planting Calendar here.

I cleaned out the packets of seeds I don't want. Some will go to the community gardens, the squash seeds I threw away - I am so disgusted with my experience in growing squash both in my home garden and the community garden that I don't want to try growing them for a while. There are other veggies I really enjoy that I will focus my energies on. Why put all that time and energy to something that doesn't grow well for me, especially when I can get it at the Farmer's Markets.

I also came across some flower seeds. I love flowers and want to create a cutting garden, where the flowers grow tall enough to be cut and brought into the house for flower arrangements. If I grow the flowers among the veggies, they will add color to the otherwise green plants as well as attract pollinators (bees & butterflies) and help to manage the bugs as well.

I am excited about cleaning out some of the ornamental garden beds as well. I want to focus more on native plants that can survive on less water and will still give me color and beauty.

Boy I really wish it would cool off! I want to get into the garden beds and start moving plants around, getting the bulbs in for the Irises and amending the soil. But it is still a little too warm for me & the plants!

For now I will just focus on creating lists of what I want to grow and getting the seeds. I will probably start some soon in small pots. Toilet papaer and papaer towel cardboard rolls also work well. Just cut them down to about 2 inches tall and fill with potting soil. Place them in something with a solid bottom and sides for support, put a few seeds in each one and with them grow. You will have your own transplants ready in a few weeks!

Watch for my 'shopping' list soon. I will share my fall/winter garden list with you. I have 4 times the garden space I did last year! This is going to be fun!

Happy Digging

The Garden Goddess

wwwdown2earthgardens.com

Four Weeks to a New Garden - Week One

Vegetable gardening is all the rage – but not in a trendy sense. It has become a must-have for many people who are concerned with food security and safety. Today’s vegetables are often harvested before they are ripened and shipped across the country, even the world, ripening along the way. In fact many fruits and vegetables come from seed that have been genetically modified. The seeds have been altered to produce fruit or vegetables that will withstand the early harvesting and transportation.

Today people are growing their own so they know how the food has been nurtured. Starting a garden might seem like a daunting task, but tackling the work over several weekends makes the work load lighter.

September marks the beginning of the fall/winter planting season here in Phoenix. Not sure what to plant? Download a free Phoenix Planting Calendar at the Phoenix Permaculture Guilds website.

I’ll be sharing a week-by-week plan each Friday that even novice gardeners can follow to get their gardens ready to plant between now and the end of August, just in time for getting those seeds into the ground.

Week one:

Determine what you want to grow. Vegetables, flowers, or both? There are many vegetables that do well in our fall/winter/spring planting season. Beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, all lettuces, peas, radishes and spinach can all be started by seed. Flowers can be started by seed or from transplants available at nurseries. Some of my favorites are carnation, hollyhock, nasturtium, pansy, petunia, snapdragon, sweet pea, verbena and viola.

• What kind of garden do you want. Raised beds, pots, or in-ground? Square, rectangular, spiral, key hole (u-shaped)? Each one has it's pros and cons. The available space will usually determine the shape. A spiral is good for small spaces since there is more vertical planting surface. Whatever you choose for an in-ground or above groung bed, make sure you can reach all area of the bedding area without walking on any of the soil. There are many possibilities.



• For hard ground, raised beds may be an easier option. Check out an easy way to get more garden in small spaces above ground with a concept called Square Foot Gardening.



• If you rent or live in an apartment with a sunny balcony, pots can be moved with you so consider a container garden.



• Make sure that the chosen spot has a convenient source of water and that your plants will get the light they need. Vegetables need lots of sunlight, at least six hours a day. A flower garden may need full or partial sun, or shade.




• If part of your yard is crushed granite or dirt, you may want to plant a wildflower garden to add color to an otherwise drab area. Wildflowers do well in full sun.



• Consider the full size of the plants you will grow and the amount of space they need. make the bed large enough so don’t overcrowd them when planting. Check out my blog post on August 6, 2009 for a cool garden design planning tool.



• Mark the borders of your garden using natural items like river rock, bricks, or trendy Urbanite (broken up concrete sidewalks) .


• Break ground if you like, turn the earth over, pulling out the weeds and grass and then take a break until next weekend rolls around.

If you are overwhelmed and need someone to guide you don’t forget to consult a Garden Coach like me!

Remember next Friday will be Week Two where I cover amending or building up the soil!

Happy Digging,

Doreen Pollack aka the Garden Goddess

Do NOT Pull Out Those Tomato Plants

If you are like me you do not like to see half dead plants in the garden - nor water something that is not producing. I always give a plant several chances before I take it out of the garden.

Here in Phoenix, AZ we have had 18 days of temps OVER 110 degrees so far this summer and we have another heat advisory this week. The tomato plants have stopped setting flowers at around 95 degrees which was back on June. Any tomaotes on the vine are ripening almost over night. I like to leave them on the vine as long as possible, but lately they have over ripened and become bird and ant food!

Luckily, I came across a reply to a question about tomato plants on the Maricopa County Master Gardeners listserve this weekend. I wanted to share it with you so you could experiment and perhaps get a second crop this fall. I have not used or researched any of the products he recommends, so please do your own due diligence to be sure you are using a product in your garden you are comfortable using!

Here's the post:


YES... you CAN grow a respectable crop before winter!!!
If the tomato plants are "shaggy", give them a bit of a haircut.
Pick up some fertilizer; 10-24-8. Those "Jobe tomato fertilizer" stakes work okay.
Also, pick up some "Blossom Set" and begin spraying the plants (especially new growth) by mid August. When practical, examine your plants daily -- early in the morning -- watching for new flowers. Spray them so your plant will feel "sexy" and set fruit. :-)
Depending upon where you reside, you have until mid November in Tucson or Phoenix.
After mid November it's a crapshoot. Should we experience an early winter cold snap, harvest your prettiest specimens (with as much tomato stem and branch as
possible)and allow them to finish ripening indoors on the sill or near the window.
If you are growing "heirlooms", they will ripen more nicely and more flavorful indoors than "hybrid" tomatoes. For the remaining not-too-pretty tomatoes, cover with a frost cloth or an old, dark colored sheet... and remember to thoroughly water the plants the night BEFORE an expected frost. (Bill, keep in mind that tomatoes often suffer severe damage at temperatures of 36 degrees. At 32 they look pathetic.)

For anyone else interested in growing a late crop, check Lowe's, Home Depot, etc., for "Stupice" or "Yellow Pear" plants. Both are heirlooms, grow rapidly, and if an unexpected cold snap is forecast -- they will still taste better ripened indoors than anything you can purchase at the grocer's!

Genie -- Tomato lover in Tucson

I hope you find this useful - I am going to give this a try - I would love some more fresh homegrown tomatoes this fall!

Happy Digging, Doreen aka the Garden Goddess
www.down2earthgardens.com