AZ Gardeners

[igorsMistress]

This week I've planted two different colors of verbena, a rose bush and two sweet broom plants.

The chickens just about wiped out a couple bushes in their run either eating the leaves or dust bathing around the root zone. Tomato cages, chicken wire and rocks are keeping the chicks away from the plants until they have a chance to grow.

Gave some Super Thrive to help those that are suffering transplant shock. That stuff has been a miracle worker for me.

I get a lot of desert plants in the garden clearance at lowes or home depot. So far I have been able to landscape my front yard this way. We had one tree in a bad location and weeds out there to start. Now we have two mesquite trees, thank you APS Shade Program, and desert bushes; everything was given a dose of super thrive and mulched at transplant.

I had a ton of aloe so I transplanted some into some hard to dig areas, added a little gypsum and left for a season until they started to produce babies, then dug them up...I didn't have to dig to transplant the rose bush, the aloe helped break up the soil.

We have successfully planted a lemon tree, improved Meyer, on the first try, but we are on our third attempt for apples. We have one Anna apple and plan to add a Golden Dorsett in the fall along with a dwarf apricot. So far we have best results with fall planting of trees rather than spring. Have been looking at tree guild and BTE as possible combination for this area.

When we first moved here not even weeds would grow in the dirt. It has taken me about 7 years to get to this point. We have weeds galore now and the chickens are in heaven out there on the wild side of the yard.

 

[ejcrist]

This is great! I grew up in Seattle, where everything grows like crazy, so figuring out how to grow a garden with success here is a bit of a mystery to me. And then we went on the road in a semi truck for a few years so I wasn't home to practice and learn.

We have crab grass and a few other weeds here that have literally taken over, so I've tried container gardening once (before we went on the road) just to avoid the weeds and didn't have much luck that way. (although it was cool "looking" because my containers were old russian rifle shipping crates..

)
I've been doing alot of research while on the road and really want to try some kind of version of the Back to Eden style, utilizing the summer and winter rains we get in my area. We have 5 acres and I've mapped out where the rain water runs through the property. Right now we're fully off grid with solar and no well, carrying home water in containers from the family farm, so I NEED to figure something out that doesn't take too much water, without an electric pump to run water. Hopefully we'll get a well dug soon, but I'm not banking on it until it happens.

I do have some seedlings started, mostly herbs though. I played around with redneck cold frames over the winter, mostly consisting of fish aquariums with glass on top and old windows over a recessed bed. Got lettuce, carrots, green peppers, etc... And now I have alot of other seedlings behind a shadecloth until I figure out what I'm gonna do with them. Last year we used the backhoe to half bury a jacuzi that I've got layered with wood, soil and mulch and plan on using that for my perennial herb garden. The mulch does an amazing job of keeping the moisure in.

Anywayz... I'll be checking in here regularly. Just tickled that we have this now.

One thing you might want to think about is installing gutters that drain into rain barrels. I put them up first thing - the collecting barrels are 205 gallons and the storage tanks are 1,350 gallons. I got a good pump and transfer the water from the collecting barrels into the storage tanks when full. It doesn't take much rain, maybe like 1/4" and the collecting barrels will start to overflow. I usually have my storage tanks completely full after just 2-3 small rains. I then hook the pump up to my storage tank and pump into the redneck irrigation system I made which is just pvc laid out in my garden with a spigot for each row and a battery operated timer. I'll turn the pump on which pressurizes the pvc and the irrigation timers operate normally like they do when hooked up to the well/house water. I can operate this way for many months up till around July when I run out of rain water and then I'll go back on house/well water. It's not long though before the rains come again and the tanks are full. Even though I don't pay for well water I'm glad I fixed things up this way to conserve the well water as much as I can. Also the crops really take off on the rain water because it's a neutral pH - something they really need. The well water is around 7.6-7.8 but the rain is around 5.8-6.0.

 

[igorsMistress]

@ejcrist do you have your gutters on your house? Are they on front and back?

 

[ejcrist]

@ejcrist do you have your gutters on your house? Are they on front and back?

Yes. They weren't there when we moved here but I put them up and then got the rain collection barrels and storage tanks. They're on the front and back. If I had to do it over again I would've gotten larger capacity collection barrels, maybe 400 gallons or more. I know it sounds like a lot but they'll be full after just a short shower or two. The 205 gallon barrels I have fill up way too quick.

 

[igorsMistress]

Yea you mentioned that in another thread to me. We want to put up gutters and have a collection system and I told my husband how much capacity you said you have. He was surprised.

 

[Angelray]

So glad to have a resource! Just started my 1st mini garden ( just to get my feet wet ) and have sprouted bell peppers, rainbow carrots, green onions & lots of flowers!! Will be watching for tips!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Any suggestions for herbs that could survive outdoors during the summer? I'm renting this year but would like to get some flower boxes and I'm dreaming up ideas of things to plant.

 

[ejcrist]

Any suggestions for herbs that could survive outdoors during the summer? I'm renting this year but would like to get some flower boxes and I'm dreaming up ideas of things to plant.

I'm not a big herb grower but we always plant basil, mints, and dill - they all do pretty good except during the worst of the heat.

 

[igorsMistress]

Any suggestions for herbs that could survive outdoors during the summer? I'm renting this year but would like to get some flower boxes and I'm dreaming up ideas of things to plant.

During the heat of summer pretty much nothing. It's just too darn hot.

Cold frames or a green house during winter can get you started for spring herbs.

If you can give them some afternoon shade that helped me keep stuff goung a little longer into the summer.

 

[cactusrota]

Any suggestions for herbs that could survive outdoors during the summer? I'm renting this year but would like to get some flower boxes and I'm dreaming up ideas of things to plant.

Actually most perennial herbs like rosemary, oregano, thyme, mints/lemon balm, and lemon grass, etc.. if you can keep the roots from drying out will most definitely survive the summer. The aromatic woody herbs are designed by nature to be hardcore.