Arizona Chickens

[countrygirl74]

Does anyone have any good books for the beginning gardener here in Arizona? More specifically, the Phoenix area, as I know the North end of the state can be widely different. I've been looking around and I've read several parts of the Arizona Master Gardener Manual from the University of Arizona. I am looking for something in print that doesn't cost $45.00 or something available on the Kindle, either way. I started digging out my wife's garden last night and I want a good reference for both of us. Neither of us can sit at the computer for the hours it'll take to read the Manual, nor is it the easiest to navigate.

I've also downloaded and read the following:
Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County.
Ten Steps to a Successful Vegetable Garden
Managing Caliche in the Home Yard
Using Gypsum and Other Calcium Amendments in Southwestern Soils
Low Desert Planting and Harvest Calendar

All are great resources and information, but far more limited than I'm looking for. I'm hoping to find something like Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens.

Oh, and I was thinking I might post in the Gardening Forum also, but I wanted to check here first to get local recommendation. Personally, I'm hoping she'll grow the bulk of the items for my salsa and stews. Tomatoes, a variety of bell peppers, jalapenos, carrots, celery, cucumbers and onions. I'm not sure her area will be big enough for cantaloupe and watermelon.

Looks like you received some good references for books - but also wanted to share with you about Native Seeds. They are based out of Tucson and carry original varieties of the Native Americans. They only sell seeds native to the area so you know they will grow well here. This year I am trying my luck with the sugarcane, native herbs, and some varieties of tomato - even one specifically called Prescott Heirloom - since I am close to Prescott. You will probably even have better luck with a lot of their seed since you are more south. www.nativeseeds.org

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Does anyone have any good books for the beginning gardener here in Arizona? More specifically, the Phoenix area, as I know the North end of the state can be widely different. I've been looking around and I've read several parts of the Arizona Master Gardener Manual from the University of Arizona. I am looking for something in print that doesn't cost $45.00 or something available on the Kindle, either way. I started digging out my wife's garden last night and I want a good reference for both of us. Neither of us can sit at the computer for the hours it'll take to read the Manual, nor is it the easiest to navigate. I've also downloaded and read the following: Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County. Ten Steps to a Successful Vegetable Garden Managing Caliche in the Home Yard Using Gypsum and Other Calcium Amendments in Southwestern Soils Low Desert Planting and Harvest Calendar All are great resources and information, but far more limited than I'm looking for. I'm hoping to find something like Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens

. Oh, and I was thinking I might post in the Gardening Forum also, but I wanted to check here first to get local recommendation. Personally, I'm hoping she'll grow the bulk of the items for my salsa and stews. Tomatoes, a variety of bell peppers, jalapenos, carrots, celery, cucumbers and onions. I'm not sure her area will be big enough for cantaloupe and watermelon.

May I suggest for cantaloupe vertical gardening. You need a sturdy trellis, make slings for the fruit. I have 42 tomato plants in a 30' bed. I am trying to grow vertical also. You pinch off the suckers, most are indeterminate growth, they are the best for this type of garden. Have you checked out what plants like each other and plants that should not be planted togather? I have not decided wither I like the Meitlider Garden yet. I like the results but not the water usage. I am giving it a full yrs to decide. It will be easy to switch, i just need to start adding soil to the bedding. I have just started my seedling for next planting. Garden in running 2-3 weeks behind. A big test will be the cucumbers, the last time I planted them in soil they were terrible, both slicing and pickling.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Looks like you received some good references for books - but also wanted to share with you about Native Seeds. They are based out of Tucson and carry original varieties of the Native Americans. They only sell seeds native to the area so you know they will grow well here. This year I am trying my luck with the sugarcane, native herbs, and some varieties of tomato - even one specifically called Prescott Heirloom - since I am close to Prescott. You will probably even have better luck with a lot of their seed since you are more south. www.nativeseeds.org

I would love native food plants. I have been disappointed with the quality of my research on harvesting the desert. Sun Chokes are native to North America, I have 9 planted. Have you tried growing them? The only drawback is if you do not like them you have to be sure to remove all the bulbs.

 

[MagicChicken]

Looks like you received some good references for books - but also wanted to share with you about Native Seeds. They are based out of Tucson and carry original varieties of the Native Americans. They only sell seeds native to the area so you know they will grow well here. This year I am trying my luck with the sugarcane, native herbs, and some varieties of tomato - even one specifically called Prescott Heirloom - since I am close to Prescott. You will probably even have better luck with a lot of their seed since you are more south. www.nativeseeds.org

I would love native food plants. I have been disappointed with the quality of my research on harvesting the desert. Sun Chokes are native to North America, I have 9 planted. Have you tried growing them? The only drawback is if you do not like them you have to be sure to remove all the bulbs.[/QUOTE]
Native Seeds Search seeds come from a variety of elevations, and not all seeds do well in all locations. Their online catalog is pretty good about noting which varieties will do well in the low desert, or high desert, or sometimes both. I've learned to read the information about where the seed was originally collected from - that gives me a much better idea about whether it will do well in my garden here in Tucson. Some varieties I've had great luck with. Others not so much.

I've also had good luck with seed from Seedsavers Exchange, which is in the midwest. I wasn't expecting that level of success because of the different climate. Seedsavers Exchange has a lot more typical garden vegetables than Native Seeds Search. All the seeds were heirloom seeds (well, yeah - they're "seedSAVERS." Duh.) Many are certified organic. Everything I planted from them last year did really well, except the Malabar Spinach. It was just too dry here. The chard and kale I planted last fall are still feeding the chickens today. The chard should keep going all summer if the ground squirrels don't get to it.

 

[Demosthine]

Wow, I received some absolutely amazing feedback from you all on the gardening! I bought the Extreme Gardening late last night and I'm sending it to both my wife and my Kindle. I didn't make the connection to Good Morning America's Dave the Garden Guy the first couple times I was looking at the description. I remember my Mom watching him for years growing up. He's been doing that segment for as long as I can remember. I don't recall a better educated gardener in Phoenix, so I'm sure his book will be great.

Native Seeds has a phenomenal catalog! I'm just skimming through it, but I get the very distinct feeling that my wife is not going to have enough garden space. I may be looking at a few other options over the next few months. I'm in so much trouble here... I really need a bigger plot of land!

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

I have a can of heirloom seeds in my refrg. Soon from Texas my nephew ordered for me. Everything is doing fine. It is early yet in the year yet. I have plenty of greens for my girls, myself and my mom. Eggs are the shortage..... Right now Powder is singing loudly, she is getting ready to lay. Whinny has been in the box all morning. I figure that the others should be laying mid month. With 8 girls, I am hoping on 5 eggs a day average.

I need to bribe my neighbors with eggs. My one neighbor to the North likes to complain. We got off to a bad foot in '87. I told her what her son was doing. She is a mother that believes her son would do nothing wrong, or defensive of mothering perfection. Her son was on their roof shooting birds with an air rifle. . I like to know what my kids are doing when I'm not there.

 

[jbolt]

Hi.  I am in Glendale also.  My first chicks I got from Pratts but theirs were sick so eventually I ended up getting them from the Stockmans on T-bird.


I live in an area where I am not supposed to have so I could only get 2.


They are maybe 3 weeks old and their daytime run is an upside down playpen for now.  They get loose too but they do like the safety of the playpen and so do I.


I would love to have alot of chickens someday and sell the eggs. . . . .


Oh, I forgot to mention to the OP topic - I had a huge shade tree and just a huge water bowl that I put rocks in and mine did just fine in the summer heat.

OP, no scratch in the summer, its a "hot" feed.

.......about Pratt's.......the one in downtown Glendale us horrible. WAY too many birds and ppl in and out to excercise anything but minimal biosecurity. Birds are always in my experience very sickly there,mostly due to overcrowding. The store in El mirage however is very nice clean, and sanitary with healthy stock in small manageable numbers. I'd imagine the take in and resell 1/10 of the poultry that the glendale location. All mine from Pratt's have been great. But I DO NOT STEP FOOT into the Glendale location.

 

[icdred]

So one of my barred rocks has been laying double yolks every egg!! All of my birds just started laying about 3 weeks ago and this little lady is a monster!

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[icdred]

Can you guess which one was the triple yolk?

 

[City farm]

Have any of you ever had scaly mites, lice, worms, or any other kind of bug issue with your chickens? I post regularly on the Natural Chicken Keeping thread and it seems a lot of people in other states have issues with mites & worms often. I'm curious if a lot of it has to do with locations - places where pests like that are just more prominent. Some people have to whitewash their entire coop regularly and everything! Does our dry climate keep a lot of that away? Hmmm... just really interested and curious.

 

We have had no problems here.. We take caution when visiting other hen families..

We raised our flock from tiny itty bitty day old cuties... There are free range on the side of our house, front yard with dog, human supervision..
The wild bird's have not yet found the flocks food supply.. When that happens we could have issues.. We do keep D.E. during the winter/ spring
months.. We also add ash from our fire's, from good wood.. To their bed & dusting area.. Hope this helps...