Landscaper's Check-up Yesterday

The landscape company sent Trevor, a foreman, and a worker over to repair the (small) damage to the gravel area that was caused by the earlier leak and to look at a few problems. They added more emitters to the fig tree and I think it will get trough the summer now. They re-buried some of the netafim inline drip tubes in West raised bed and looked at all the raised beds.

I had already increased the watering but we decided that the raised beds needed even more so we increased the duration and put it on daily. After a few days I'm going to cut it back to MWF schedule, once the beds are more evenly damp. In the middle bed especially they recommended watering from the top for a while to get a wicking effect going. The netafim in that bed has sunk to about 8 inches below the soil from the natural settling plus we added more fine mulch a couple months ago.

I had been top watering but had mostly given up on that bed which just wasn't doing well. But yesterday I did plant some transplants there - a couple more eggplants and a couple of cantaloupes.

Although I've had a few difficulties with the landscape installation, it's great that they are providing on-going support. And I like dealing with a company that seems to treat it employees well. I went way over budget on the installation, but I knew the cost in advance and it was my decision.

The only big thing I would change at this point if I had it to do over is that I would have used stacked blocks/stones/urbancrete instead of traditional mortared block walls for the raised planters and the barriers for the orchard. Actually I had planned to have urbancrete (their term for recycled broken concrete) but the time frame for building was narrow and we did not find a supply right then. I should have stockpiled some earlier. More importantly, I should not have been is such a hurry. I really wanted to plant fall/winter crops (greens!) last year. I did not realize I would not be able to plant right away anyway because the fill was too hot! Oh well.

I do like the layout and I am think about how to provide shade. I will probably plant at last one more deciduous tree for summer shade in back. Desert trees are good for filtering the sun, whereas elms and the like can provide too much shade. But I'm still thinking on this because I also want an apple tree. Anyway I will need some sort of shade structure in the meantime, I think.

Eating from the Garden

I have been overwhelmed with ordinary life and not posting as much as I expected. But I'm sure that next year I'd want to know that we are indeed eating at least a bit from garden. Lettuces and herbs. Some of the lettuce started shooting up along a central stalk last week after our hot spell and I assume they were starting to go to seed so we promptly harvested and ate them. Since then I have been plucking a few leaves here and there for small salads. The pleasure of just a few sprigs of herbs. The unusual interesting taste of winter sorrel. Not something I'd want in a salad but interesting. Biting into a single sorrel leaf I clearly taste the lemony tang but it disappears when shredded into a salad. The cilantro has bolted without ever producing much.

Our neighbor across the street is away for a bit and asked us to pick all the citrus that we want.

The Early Girl tomatoes are getting quite large but still fully green. The eggplants and beans and peppers are flowering. The cucumbers are spreading like crazy and I see tiny cukes. Some of the zucchini and the summer squash should be ready to eat soon. Some of it is withering away instead of growing longer than an inch or so. I adjusted the timing on the irrigation to water a bit more frequently and to water the small containers daily, as it is dry and windy although not especially hot yet.

This next item may prove to be a mistake. I planted several types of mints in the raised planters. I've been unable to grow mint here in the past, even in a self-watering pot. This probably sounds crazy to you who find mint impossible to get rid of!

There are no figs on the fig tree although it seems healthy and is growing. Other fig trees in the neighborhood have big fat unripe figs. Our tiny tree had figs last year but also almost died from frost so maybe it is still recovering. Maybe there will be figs in the fall. I have pictures of a fig tree in a neighbor's yard which is huge. It must be 30 feet or more high. They say it might be the largest in Phoenix, according to their gardener. They have flood irrigation and we do not and that makes a big difference. I'll post the pictures later.

Roses on the Doorstep

Our neighbor across the street has been keeping us supplied with roses. These appeared on our doorstep wrapped in a towel and I haven't seen him since to say thank you. I love the striped or splashed roses. The bouquet has a strong rose scent. I also wanted to see if he has any oranges left on his trees. He has several mature orange trees which produce far more than one person can eat and he has always said we can pick them anytime. We've picked the one in front but I hate to go in his backyard without him realizing it.

My craving for citrus has been growing stronger ever since we finished the citrus from our trees this year. Finally I broke down and bought some yesterday. I ate one immediately when I got home and felt immensely better.

I took these pictures a couple of days ago, at the start of a heat wave. It's been in the 90's for 3 days but still cooling at night.

Here's a couple of shots of our front yard. The hummingbirds love the orange ocotillo blooms. The red flowers in front are Baja fairy duster and the yellow blooms are on a small Mexican bird of paradise which has the potential to be a small tree. I planted it a little too close to the Chitalpa tree which will be covered in pink blooms later. Actually I did not really mean to plant it there, I just put it there because there was a dripper already there and I meant to move it to a better site when I decided where it should go. That was a few year ago.The blooming of the white Lady Banks rose is at an end for this year but it was luscious and heavenly scented while it lasted.
Back to the veggies. My husband asked for kohlrabi (he loves all cruciferous veggies) and it looks like we will actually have a small harvest soon.
In and earlier post I was quite excited about my melon seeds growing. Since then, they have all died and most simply vanished! This was the largest and the last one. The stem is broken. It is either birds or my dog running in the orchard. The melons that I transplanted are still doing well and starting to flower but I mourn the loss of 9 melon plants. I can see that it is the fruit (including tomatoes) that gets me most excited in the garden.
Growing plants from seed is mostly new to me and I'm not doing too well so far. I planted a 4x8 bed with radish and carrot and lettuce seeds and have really tried to keep it damp but I think all I'm going to get is a few radishes. The seeds do sprout but they do not survive.

I planted several packets of cosmos and nasturtium seeds in the middle raised bed and not one has come up. But I planted 4 (only 4!) nasturtium seeds in the pot with the pansies and they are ALL growing . The round leaves are poking up between the pansies. So I must need to cover the soil or otherwise keep it moist for the seedlings to grow. When I lived in San Francisco I just tossed nasturtium seeds around my yard and they grew without effort.

Success and Failure in the Garden

I got an email from Greg Peterson (The Urban Farm) about a class at the Downtown Market that sounds interesting. I will try to go and post notes here. If you don't already know about The Urban Farm, check it out and get on the mailing list. It was a class by Greg that really inspired me to transform my few citrus into an orchard. The Permaculture Guild has a calendar keeps an online calendar with this class and others.

Class Info:
On Saturday, April 26th from 10:30 to Noon, Doreen Pollack will teach the first of her monthly "What to do in Your Garden this Month" classes designed to demystify gardening in the Valley. This class will be held on the last Saturday of the month with tips for the following month.

Ever wonder when to plant seeds versus transplants? When to fertilize? What needs fertilizing? What plants do well in the garden in the summer? What should I do in my garden NOW? This monthly class will cover all this and more.
Stop in to find out what to do in your garden monthly. Each class is different! You will leave with valuable tips to maximize your time, energy, water and money. Gardening in the desert can be simple and fun!

Bring paper and pen for notes. An outline of the course is available for students.

There is a suggested donation of $10 per class.

- - -

Several people have commented (off the blog) on how nice the garden looks. These people however are not only kind, but not from Arizona so they don't realize that it could be a lot move vigorous and luxuriant with growth than it is by this time of year. My neighbor has already given me fresh tomatoes and he has had lettuce for months.

The shot above is of my especially pitiful flower bed. At the bottom right, pushing up the thyme plant, you may be able to see the mushrooms that are thriving. Sigh. This must mean I am over-watering even though none of the seeds I have planted have come up. I put in a few transplants and lots of nasturtium and cosmos seeds and not a single seedling has poked up.

Meanwhile the 4 nasturtium seeds that I planted in the pansies are growing tall and the transplants in the pots are healthy.

The squash continue to do well, at least two of the three plants are producing and two of the cucumbers are blooming like mad.
The zucchini are slowing growing, not really seeming as strong as expected.
I planted 2 bean transplants and they are growing although the bottom leaves keep getting crispy. Must put up the cages for them.
I have an area that is 4' x 8' in the east raised bed that I devoted to seeds of lettuce (mesclun mixes), radishes and carrots. Below is one of the very few seedlings that have appeared.

Next time I try this I may have to cover the soil to help keep it moist. I do think that birds are ketting some of them. And I think the 'soil' is too coarse. This is the fine stuff that was added later when I could not get anything to grow in the big woody mulch-like stuff that I started with.
I absolutely love Double Delight Roses and I searched and searched and could only find one this year. It was not a healthy plant, lots of mildew and the buds had lots of aphids. But I bought it anyway and planted it in a big container with lots of compost. The smell is wonderful although the flowers do not look quite as usual for a Double Delight, maybe because it's been pretty chilly so far, Once this flush of blooms passes I will cit off all the diseased leaves since the new leaves are all healthy.
I'm still learning to use the camera. This is attempting to show a blossom on the Olallieberry bush which has grown like crazy since planted a few weeks ago. I put it in a very shady area. I do have a Brazos blackberry in a pot that I bought this week and have yet to transplant. It is supposed to take heat better than the Olallieberry.
The Aprium (a plum-apricot cross) has a few fruit.
This is one of the miracles, a melon plant growing from a seed. I planted just a few melon seeds in the orchard area and they have all sprouted.
The artichokes keep producing new leaves while the bottom leaves get crispy. I don't know if this is expected.
It's been extra cool this year. Spring was delayed about three weeks. The year before we had a late hard freeze. I have had a few eggplant transplants die and the peppers don't seem too happy. I may replant the eggplant next week since I think it is finally warming up.

Well OK, it does look lovely anyway. I love getting up each morning and slowly surveying all the changes.

April Garden Guide from the Arizona Republic

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/home/articles/0405aprilgarden0405.html

I don't know if it's OK to quote the whole article but one of my goals in starting this blog was to pull together information like this to help me plan better in future years.

The Arizona Republic credits the following sources for the information in this article:
University of Arizona's Maricopa County Extension, ag.arizona.edu/Maricopa/
Growing Roses in the Desert Southwest, edited by Dona Martin
The Low Desert Herb Garden Handbook, edited by Anne Fischer.

My comments - I don't have grass so I know nothing about the recommendatios for lawns but I left them in for completeness. Don't forget to change your irrigation timer and programming if you have one. I am keeping a log of my settings for future use.

April Garden Guide

The Arizona Republic, Apr. 5, 2008 12:00 AM

Now through October, when plants face the harshest combination of extreme sun exposure and heat, follow a few rules to keep plants irrigated and looking their best.

One rule to especially remember: Deep, infrequent watering is better than a daily sprinkle. What's deep? Watering to penetrate the entire root zone of a plant and no more. Unlike watering a potted plant, where water stays in the pot to be absorbed by the roots, water on the ground doesn't hang out by the root zone indefinitely.

Once water passes the root zone, it keeps on going, wetting the soil, but not benefiting the plant. Although a daily sprinkle might wet the surface of the soil, benefiting shallow roots, the surface is where the plants are exposed to the heat, sun and wind. Deep water encourages deep roots, making a stronger, healthier plant.

When it comes to plant watering, remember: Water to:

• 1 foot deep for turf, annuals, cactuses, succulents and ground covers;
• 2 feet deep for shrubs;
• 3 feet deep for trees.

To measure, start watering the lawn. Take a screwdriver with a long shaft. Jab the screwdriver into the ground and push. If you're nowhere near 12 inches, keep watering for another 15 minutes. Test again.Once you can push the screwdriver 12 inches into the ground easily, stop watering.

Probe tools or lengths of rebar will work for testing water penetration on larger plants. In general, new plants and rosebushes need to be watered more frequently than desert-adapted plants and those that have been in the ground for more than a year. Contact your city water department, or the University of Arizona's Cooperative Extension master gardeners, ag.arizona.edu/maricopa/ or 602-470-8086, to get free literature and advice on lawns and landscaping.

Edibles

The number of crops to plant declines dramatically - there's just enough to keep many green thumbs happy. Growing veggies and herbs from seed is an inexpensive activity. Follow the seed packet's directions for when and how to plant.

• Plant seeds of basil, garlic chives, lima and snap beans, black-eyed peas, cucumbers, green onions, melons, okra and summer squash.
• Transplant basil, lemon grass, lavender, peppers/chiles, mint and rosemary.
• In hot weather, lettuces and spinach bolt quickly, forming tough seed stalks and causing leaves to turn bitter. Save the seeds for next season, or remove plants and add to the compost pile.
• For a schedule of vegetable planting dates for Maricopa County, go to ag.arizona.edu/maricopa/.

Ornamentals

Before buying a tree to plant on Arbor Day (April25), ask yourself these questions:

• Am I adding a tree for shade or privacy or to hide an unsightly view or to hang a hammock?
• Do I want a fruit-bearing, flowering or thorny tree?
• Do I prefer a tree that keeps its leaves year-round or loses leaves in the late fall?
• How much time and money do I want to invest in fertilizing, pruning, watering and raking leaves?

Roses may need a few sprays of a fungicide, such as Immunox or Funginex, every week to prevent powdery mildew. A regular application of pesticide, such as Bayer Rose and Flower Insect Killer, can ward off aphid and thrip attacks.

For summer or fall blooms, plant native or adapted flowers such as prairie zinnia (Zinnia grandiflora), desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata) or cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus).

Grass:

• Mid- to end of April is the best time to seed or sod bare spots or overseed thinning grass.
• A good choice for Valley lawns is Bermuda grass.
• In shady areas plant dichondra, which is not a grass, but a low-growing plant.
• When laying sod, water well and let grass grow long before mowing.

Maintenance

The well-tended April garden is abundant with growing, blooming plants at their peak.

A neglected April garden can be overgrown with weeds, in need of pruning and watering. Look around and assess what worked, what needs to be moved and which area could use a pick-me-up provided by flowering shrubs, sculptural succulents or ornamental grasses.

• Plenty of hot months ahead. Check pots to ensure they are not drying out.
• Add mulch on pots and beds where it has thinned.
• As conditions dry, ensure veggies and fruit trees do not suffer.
• Water in the early morning or early evening hours.
• Tomatoes in particular can fall victim to various ailments if their water supply varies significantly. Place 50 percent shade cloth over tomatoes to keep leafhopper insects away and to prevent curly top virus. The virus affects more than 150 plants in the Southwest, severely stunting and killing vegetable plants. Check citrus trees, whose shallow roots can suffer when conditions are very dry.
• Continue to deadhead annuals and perennials to promote more flowers.
• Begin fertilizing Bermuda-grass lawns during late April or early May. Follow directions on the container.

Garden Design & Pictures

I have acquired a camera and taken a few pictures. Here's a shot of the cheerful pansies I can see out my back sliding doors.

Here is an overview of the garden layout.The Street is at the top (North) and the gate at the bottom (South) leads to the alley where shared garbage and recycling bins live.

The front yard is a desert landscape, low water usage plants and trees on drip irrigation. I'll describe this with pictures in a later post. The house is a typical 1950's rancher made of concrete block - typical for Phoenix anyway.

The whole yard has decomposed granite instead of the grass that was there when we bought the
house.

We used to have a swimming pool but last spring we had it completely removed and filled in.

The pool did look nice. Here's a picture taken with my cell phone camera two summer's ago. Unfortunately when the pool was removed, they removed the broken concrete patio which we loved.

After removing the pool (alas, no photos of the bulldozers), we let it sit for a while to see if the dirt would settle anymore. It stayed level. In November 2007 we had all new irrigation, large raised planters and a mulched orchard area installed. A line for container pots was also installed.

The orchard area is the 12 feet from the back of the raised planters to the existing six foot high block wall that surraounds the back yard. The orchard and the big raises planters are on in-line drip irrigation, called Netafim, which was invented for argicultural use in Israel.

This picture was taken from the East side facing West. The tree is a Chinese Elm. It leafed out in late March.

Here is a closer view of the raised planter on the East side. You can see (from left to right in the orchard area) the new peach trees, a plum, a citrus, an aprium and a Meyer lemon. The gate leads to the alley. The planter is planted with tomatoes, herbs, artichokes and lettuce.

This picture looks East from the Elm tree. The swimming pool used to be in that open area and where the planters are now.

I recently pruned the citrus. My goal is to keep them under 8 feet so I don't have too much fruit from any one tree. Also I'd like to be able to prune and pick without getting on a ladder.

The citrus trees shown are a thornless Mexican lime (very vigorous!), two blood oranges, a grapefruit and orange planted closely together in the corner.

Our other Meyer lemon is to the right of several smaller citrus and some other trees that were recently planted.

That's our dog Ralphie, investigating the containers. I can't resist adding a close-up of Ralphie.

We had various problems with the irrigation but the installers have worked with us and I think it is all working as planned now. I worked with a local company that focues on sustainable landscaping.

I have been a little unhappy with the fill for the raised planters as it is a very coarse woody material which has not worked well for seeds or transplants. The same material was used to put in about 6 inches of mulch in the orchard area and it works great there.

I planted a lot last fall/winter and nothing thrived except one rapini.

A few weeks ago, once the irrigation flooding was solved (a valve problem), we added a lot of finer organic compost to all the raised beds, plus compost tea and fish emulsion. I planted a lot of seeds in the East bed - they are are not doing well. Birds seem to be getting the few that do emerge.

I expect the soil will be better next year after the wood has broken down more. The compost tea and fish emulsion are really helping too.

This week I was excited to get our first tomatoes. This is late, we may not get a harvest before the hot weather stops everything, but I am still excited.

Things grow so fast - here are the first cucumber blossoms.

The squash plant has it's first blossom, complete with tiny pattypan squash. It is planted in the same spot that produced a great rapini plant over the winter so there is something good in the soil in that spot. I planted a yellow squash, a green squash and a yellow zuchinni. Also a 6-pack of green zuchinni in a different area. I wanted to have at least a few things that are easy to grow.

The Mission fig tree on the West side of the house is growing fast. Last year the birds got all the figs but we have hopes for this year. It is not in the orchard area so I am hand watering it. I am hoping for good shade on the Western side of the house in a couple years.