Getting started

For those waiting for me to get back to the garden, the guy who will be digging my garden deeper had an issue come up this week, so he will be out this next Monday, and no I am not worried about getting started late. as long as you get shade cloth over the plants when it is hot like it will be; the plants will be fine.  I break rules all the time.

Raised bed gardens

The only thing different I will tell you is if you want an inexpensive way of making a raised bed is to use 2" x 12" x what ever length you have room for.  Place the 3' rebar  in ground at least a foot. Place the other rebar wide enough that you can slide the 2" x 12" in between the rebar. Do this to all sides.

 What you should be doing right now is preparing  your soil.  If you are doing an in ground garden you should be tilling, or mixing your compost in  14" to 18".

 I like deeper because it helps to keep the roots cool.  You notice this more with tomatoes.  Tomatoes grown in pots will drop their flowers because they are too hot.  If you have grown tomatoes in pots, and you can grow the plant, but not fruit.  The reason, the flowers drop off because the plant is too hot.  However there is a product that is sold called blossom set, you spray on the tomato flower.  Watch for the flower bud.  I would spray the bud before the flower opens, and then once the flower opens I would spray again.  When tomatoes are grown in ground you don't have this problem because the roots are kept cool.  I have not done a raised bed garden, but I would imagine if the roots of the plant are out of the ground, and if the plant is close to the wall of the raised bed then I would imagine the roots will get too hot.

Choosing your veggies

That is easy.  What do you like to eat?  What is more expensive at the grocery store?  My first choices were what went up to $3.00 a pound.  Veggies you love, but rarely see them in the store.  Like patty pan squash.  It comes once in a blue moon, and when it does it is pricey.

Placement of veggies

Plants that don't take the strong Arizona summer sun should have morning sun, and shaded first.  Use plants like corn, which can tolerate the full sun on the west side of the garden, because the height of the corn can help shade the plants next to them.  For instance; run your plant rows to north and south.   Plan the placement of you plants on paper first.  The diagram below is from a free garden planner on line.  http://gardenplanner.motherearthnews.com/gardenplanner/gardenplanner.html#

The west is at the top of the page.  If you have no shade on the west side of you space.  Then create it.  Corn (the top rectangle) can be used as shade.  Even better get shade cloth.

You do not want your shade cloth to cut out too much sun. If it cuts out 30% or 50% of the sun that's fine.  Cutting out 75% of the sun is too much. I use the 30% shade cloth, which I get from B&B Cactus Farm, in Tucson.  The 50% you can get from Magic Garden.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Over watered tree issue from last week

Well a week has gone by since I sunk a 2 and a 1/2' hole beside my Desert Willow, peach, and mesquite tree.  The first picture is from last weeks blog.  As you can see there is not a single leaf on that poor willow.  A few twigs that are fighting to grow, but no leaves.  At this time in Tucson all the Desert Willows are leafed out and starting to bloom.

This next picture was taken today.  Woo!  Hoo! I have leaves growing again.  Now what I have to do is to fill the hole with sand.  For the willow I will put a few more holes in and fill with sand, since these trees grow along riverbeds, and are accustom to a more sandy soil.