A Small Tucson Desert Garden

A Frozen Tucson Garden and a Friendly Garden Fort

2011-03-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Tucson was hit with freezing temperatures in late February, 2011, the likes of which this and the previous generation of Tucson gardeners have never experienced. In the Tucson Mountains, where our desert garden dwells, the temp dropped to 16 degrees - unbelievable. The potted flowering cactus to your left froze to the ground, as did many others in my garden and our region. Fortunately, the Sonoran Desert surrounding the Tucson area abounds with cactus of all types that did make it and we will survive. Generally you will find many articles in the paper this time of year by master gardeners instructing you on how to prune and rejuvenate plants that were damaged by frost. Not so this year. The most popular recommendations have been to replace your damaged plants with new ones and not bother with the severe pruning (and unsightliness) of trying to bring back a struggling survivor. I'll be replacing most of my potted plants (goodbye hibiscus) as well as several varieties of desert plants in my garden beds. My Turks Cap, which have been going great guns for several years now, DID survive, while other more hearty plants bit the dust (rhuelia, cassia, acacia and tacoma stans). No worries though, and I am looking forward to meeting the new plants I will be bringing into my garden this spring.

My granddaughters in front of their "fort" that I put together to entertain them last summer. It is made from inexpensive materials and was based on the vine trellis structures for my backyard raised bed vegetable garden (see my raised bed gardening posts in the index) Basically all you need is re bar, 1/2"metal electric conduit and pole connectors, reed fencing, plastic vine ties, clamps and shade cloth. I added some garden posts in the front to give it that rustic island look. The re bar is pounded into the ground and the hollow conduit is slipped over it to provide the frame - just like the shade structure of a raised bed garden. Reed fencing is then attached via the plastic vine ties to the frame and shade cloth draped over the top and attached with the same clamps used to keep the shade cloth in place over your raised bed. We poured sand on the floor which my youngest granddaughter uses as a sandbox. All of these materials you can get at Home Depot. The nice thing about this fort is it blends in with your garden. The fencing behind the fort is made from the branches of the ocotillo cactus and will be a topic for a later post. Saguaro later and Tanque Verde much!

Saguaro Tales

2010-04-15T07:25:00.001-07:00

Ah, what a spring! Record breaking rains since November have changed the look and feel of the Sonora Desert in Southern Arizona. Saguaros and prickly pear are plump, weeds abound and everything looks good. So good, in fact, the Arizona Daily Star warned in this morning's paper to brace ourselves for a big wildfire season. My desert and oasis garden plots are happy and quite oblivious of the approaching summer heat.

I have included two photos of Aunt Judith (saguaro cactus) and me for comparison purposes to illustrate how fast Saguaros grow. The first photo was taken about 5 years ago and the second 5 days ago. As you can see, a saguaro is a slow grower, but can reach a height of 40 to 60 feet in the Tucson Mountains where I live. Saguaros can live to be 150 years old and its growth rate is dependent on rainfall.

Strawberries in my 3 fiberglass whisky barrels are producing faster than I can eat them. I now have completely protected them with chicken wire to keep the birds and other critters from gnawing on them. I must admit that strawberries are so cheap right now (99 cents a basket at Sunflower Market) I sometimes question my sanity. The store bought strawberries, however, are not as sweet as mine and perish quickly in the refrigerator.

I have elected not to plant a spring vegetable garden in my two raised beds this year. One, I am busier now during the week, but most of all I am not up to the challenge of fighting the oncoming heat wave that blasts Tucson in June. I find the late summer monsoon and fall growing season is much more satisfying and less frenetic than fighting to squeeze a spring garden in.

Hot air balloons greet us in the cooler spring months and the one below has become a pleasant reminder of the beautiful weather we are enjoying now. The photo below captured my wife and 5 year old grand daughter Alison wrapped in a blanket and listening to the "whoosh whoosh" sounds coming from the gas burner in frantic attempts for the pilot to keep it aloft.

In closing I have added a photo of my Mother's "Tombstone Rose" for my brothers to see. This incredible plant was planted by my Father several decades ago and continues to amaze us when it forms hundreds of blossoms in the spring. The world's longest rose bush is just down the road in Tombstone, Arizona and has a trunk 12 feet in diameter and covers over 8,000 square feet. Each spring it produces over 1 million tiny white blossoms. They say it grew from a root of a White Lady Banksia rose brought over from Scotland in 1885.

Raised Vegetable Bed Protection Update

2009-11-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

The wire cages I manufactured to protect my vegetable garden have worked out great! They are very light and easy to lift off my raised beds. I can now report with confidence that they are also effective in preventing chipmunks and gophers from ravaging your harvest. The pvc handles on top are a must for easy removal and replacement. See my September 2009 posts for more information on these cages and their purpose.

I added a third irrigation tube in the center of the bed to better distribute the water. Prior to that I was hand watering my new vegetable seedlings to get complete coverage. All of my raised beds and fiberglass barrels are now on timed irrigation and it has been working beautifully. We have been enjoying radishes, romaine lettuce and spinach for the past two weeks. I have been picking off the larger leafs for our evening salads which seems to promote speedy growth of the remaining smaller leaves. I did this last fall and was able to keep ourselves in salad fixings for months.

Tomatoes are just now starting to ripen. I had 5 plants before the chipmunk invasion but am now down to one. Still, there are plenty growing and they will liven up our salads for several more weeks.

This is my third attempt to grow snap peas in the desert. So far, so good, but I am bracing myself for the worst. I am hoping that consistent watering provided by my make-shift irrigation system (see prior blog posts for construction and layout) will make a difference this time. My wife loves snap peas so I have to get this right!

Mexican Sunflower - a love-hate relationship

2009-10-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

Mexican Sunflower (tithonia fruticosa) is one of my favorite desert plants. It has a commanding presence in the summer garden with its tall leggy stems, large green leaves and bright yellow sunflowers. A profuse bloomer when watered, it attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. Birds also love to eat the spent dry flowers, so be sure to dead head them and leave on the ground. But, in winter, Mexican Sunflower is not a pleasant sight to behold. It no longer flowers and the large leaves turn wrinkled and brown. If it is a featured plant, like my two were, it becomes a blight on your winter garden.

So, last winter, I dug up one of them, divided the clump, and planted two pieces in an area that would become a back drop to my oasis garden. I didn't have the heart to dig up the other one, so I severly pruned it back and waited for new, fresher growth in the summer. Well, even after much attention the clumps never produced. So I began calling the various nurserys in town only to learn Desert Survivors was the only one who carried the tithonia fruticosa variety. Unfortunately their plants were still in the greenhouse and wouldn't be ready until fall. I had to wait.

Then, one morning when watering I noticed a very small plant growing among a patch of salvia leucantha that looked like Mexican Sunflower. A seed must have been carried by a bird or blown over and dropped there. I gently dug it out and planted it in the hole that previously housed the clump and surrounded it with chicken wire. It grew! A miracle according to some who told me you can't transplant Mexican Sunflower. I will be diligent in my efforts to keep it healthy until next summer when I am hoping it will shoot upwards and blossom.

The 1/2 inch wire mesh cages I described in my last post have worked well in protecting one of my raised vegetable beds from small critters. The handles work great, making them easy to lift off the bed while I water and putz about.

So right now life is good. I'll keep you posted.

Critter Protection

2009-09-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

In my prior post I discussed the challenges of protecting a vegetable garden in the Tucson region. I have chain link around the garden area, but small critters such as chipmunks, ground squirrels, rabbits, mice, birds etc. can easily come in and set up shop. Mel Bartholomew, author of Square Foot Gardening (see link on side bar) recommends constructing a cage out of chicken wire that is easy to lift and place over a raised bed garden. Materials used are chicken wire and 1"X2" select pine boards. Mel uses less expensive chicken wire with larger 1" or 2" openings, but it won't keep smaller pests such as chipmunks from squeezing in and gobbling up your tender plantings . I purchased a heavier wire with smaller 1/2" openings which takes more time bending to shape but is still light enough to easily lift off your bed when tending/watering the garden.

I built two 4'X4' cages to fit on top of one of my 4' X 8' beds. I found I could cut a piece of 4' wide wire 7' long and bend, with the help of a straight edge (see photo to the right), 2 even creases 18" from each end to form 2 of the 4 sides. That left only two 18" by 48" pieces to cut for the remaining two sides. The base of the wire was then stapled to the 4'X4' frames and the two single sides attached with those nifty plastic awning lock ties you can get at Home Depot. To easily lift off and replace the cages on top of the beds I created a 12" long plastic handles out of left over pvc pipe and wire and attached one to the top of each cage in the very center. For step-by-step directions for building these cages see Mel Bartholomew's New Square Foot Gardening book. Having completed the cages, I planted seed of lettece, bunching onions, radish, spinach and snap peas with hopes that the resulting harvest will now be protected.

For my remaining raised bed and fiberglass barrels I have removed the bird netting (effective, but awful stuff to work around and a lizard strangler). Since these plantings are mature (tomatoes, strawberries and herbs) I am taking my chances they will survive most attacks. If not, I plan to set out a small Havahart critter trap that will be used to humanely capture the rodents and remove them far from my property. I've heard peanut butter works well. Before replanting the remaining bed, I will build two more 4'X4' cages to protect it as well. I will share the results of these endeavors to protect my garden in future posts.

Just a side note for Amber Rose, our 9 year old grand daughter. Your strawberries planted in the gray sink had babies! Tendrils from your plant crawled over to the sink next to it and rooted. I'ved transplanted several of your baby plants to another barrel so there will be more strawberries to pick when you visit.

Summer Garden "Issues"

2009-09-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

The photo above was taken on our Pacific coastal vacation towards summers end after our grand daughters returned to Missouri. But more of that later. This post is to explain my absence this summer and what has been happening in the vegetable garden. My spring vegetable garden efforts were thwarted at every turn this year. No sooner had a seed sprouted or transplant put in they were gone within a few days. As you can see in my earlier photos I use raised beds and large containers to grow vegetables. My early conclusion was a wily rabbit who had figured out a way to get by my chain link fence. This proved to be true to a certain extent. One morning I witnessed a small one that was able to wiggle underneath the fence. But it would take one great hopper to jump into my fiberglass barrels. Thinking I had solved the mystery I covered everything with chicken wire and re-planted. And waited.

A week went by with incident and then it happened again. Everything stripped to the ground. At this point I was considering cutter bees, but nothing of the plant was left over. Surly if it had been bees there would have been large pieces left. I increased my observation efforts throughout the day. Then, finally, I observed two very small ground squirrels frolicking among my beds and pots. We had noticed in increase in ground squirrels in the neighborhood, but had thought nothing of it. Ground squirrels have no problem fitting through the openings of a chain link fence.

So, I begin covering everything in bird netting and re-planted. A real pain. But it did the trick for about 48 hours. But then it happened again - everything except a few mature plants were gone. At this point it was funny and I pretty much gave up. This was hard as my two grand daughters would be staying with us for a couple of months this summer and they expected to help me in the garden. Only a few days before they arrived I witnessed the same 2 ground squirrels I had seen earlier inside the bird netting. When they saw me they quickly escaped through what I later discovered to be tiny folds of loose netting that hadn't been secured down. At this point I was left with 3 tomato plants, some squash and a couple of barrels on strawberries. I turned my attention towards other goings on at this point.

As it turned out, our grand daughters kept us running this summer and there was little time to garden. After they returned to Missouri Chu and I headed for the coast and slowly moved north to keep cool. Incredible scenery and, compared to desert fauna, all plants are on steroids. Our favorite spots were the small towns of Elk (20 minutes south of Mendocino, CA) and Yachats, OR. You can see photos and videos of the trip on my Facebook. Both were fabulous coastal areas surrounded by beautiful national forests.

So, now I turn my attention to the fall garden. And better ways of protecting my vegetables from desert creatures.

Strawberries in the Desert

2009-03-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

When Amber Rose, my granddaughter, asked me if we could grow strawberries last Fall I reluctantly purchased some small sad looking plants from a local nursery. Growing strawberries in the desert just didn't sound like a good idea to me. I planted them in a large fiberglass whisky barrel (Home Depot), which I've learned lasts much longer than one made of wood in Tucson's hot and dry climate.

So here we are in March enjoying delicious strawberries. What a kick! To protect the fruit from birds it is necessary to lay a piece of rabbit wire over the top of the barrel. I now have 5 barrels and two thick porcelin sinks in addition to my two 4' X 8' raised beds and find them excellent containers for growing beans, cucumbers, peas and tomatoes.
It has been a very mild winter and spring is already poised to turn to summer. This season I have put in snap peas, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, egg plant and two varieties of cherry tomatoes (large beefsteak tomatoes are tough to grow in Tucson). When my niece from Sweden, Sarah, visited in January she introduced us to a wonderful concoction called ratatouille, which uses copious amounts of zucchini, eggplant and tomato. It can be eaten cold, hot, in spaghetti sauce, on toast - the list is endless. It also lasts well in the fridge and can be frozen. My hope is we can successfully grow enough of these vegetables to keep an ongoing supply of ratatouille in our fridge throughout the summer.

December Bounty in the Desert

2009-02-16T14:20:00.000-08:00

December brought mild weather in the Tucson region in 2008. A nice surprise for gardeners who normally turn their thoughts to other pursuits during the colder weather. We continued to enjoy tomatoes, pole beans, lettuce, spinach, carrots, peppers and the beginnings of the strawberry crop into the new year. My peas, however, never took off. I will try a different variety this Spring.

I pretty much stopped gardening activities in January, enjoying my smaller water bills and having extra time on my hands. And that is when it happened. One morning I took a peek to see how my strawberry plants were doing. They were fine, but one of my raised beds had been totally stripped of all vegetation - except the green onions. Since I have critter proofed the garden area I am suspecting it is a ground squirrel (or pack rat) that has made its home in this area for years. It took it this long to figure out how to climb into the bed. I will be constructing "cages" made from chicken wire and wood before Spring comes.
On a completely different note my grand daughters moved to Missouri a couple of weeks ago. They are living in a rural area not far from Springfield. So, this blog will also be geared towards them so they don't miss anything. It's likely, however, that they will want a garden in Missouri and be able to share their experiences of planting in fertile soil. Wouldn't that be cool.

Man VS Bird VS Tomato

2008-10-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable. This morning I watched as an unidentifiable bird hopped down UNDER by bird netting and then hopped up INTO my tomatoes. His two friends watched with great interest as he committed this despicable act while waiting for their turn. I spent the next 15 minutes shoring up my netting to provide maximum protection without endangering the lizards that patrol my garden for insects.

We having been picking tomatoes for a week now. Last weekend the girls helped with the harvest, which quickly turned into an Easter egg hunt-like activity. Fortunately they don't taste like chocolate eggs and plenty were left over to eat and give to family. Amber finished painting her garden bench (a "custom" green purchased at ACE) and created a trap for critters using chicken wire, tomato hoops, rope, sand, and tomato bait. Quite a contraption but no success to date. Allie spent most of the morning "water" painting a step stool. All went well until Allie unintentionally sprayed water on Amber's freshly painted bench (and me) which resulted in emotional dialogue between the two and a heartfelt "I'll never do it again" apology from Allie.

This past week I've planted more radishes, lettuce and spinach and have added broccoli and chives. Heidi's cuttings of lemon sage (great tea leaves) and chives are doing well and her cuttings of hearts and flowers (a succulent ground cover) have taken root. Chu planted hearts and flowers in our unprotected desert garden off the patio, but a troop of javelina came through a couple of nights ago and devoured ALL of them.

The weather is getting cooler and the shade covers have come off the strawberrys and peas. It is supposed to get up into the nineties again by the end of this week, but I suspect that won't last long. Absolutely gorgeous weather for gardening and hiking!

Yellow Tomato Leaves, Another Rattler and Peter's 65th

2008-09-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Since posting a week ago my cherry tomato crop is looking to be 300 plus if I can manage to control the various pests and diseases that challenge these plants. Butterflies are laying eggs, leaves are turning yellow and birds are getting interested. Knowing these are common problems with solutions keep me from throwing in the towel. I marvel when I think about our colonial ancestors who had to solve these problems to survive. Albertsons was not an option.

Since both Chu and I love snow peas, I have planted two whisky barrels in addition to 4 squares in one of my raised beds to reduce the risk of losing some. In my excitement I planted the first crop too early (mid-August) and they have struggled. They may still make it, but look ragged from fighting the consistent 100 degree heat we have been having. The ones planted in the barrels (and shaded) look much happier. My greater concern are the yellow leaves on four of my six tomato plants planted in the raised bed. The fruit looks healthy, but the yellow is excessive. The depth of my two raised beds average 8-10 inches. These 4 plants were planted in an area with only 6 inches of Mel's' mix and 12 inches apart. According to Mel, the depth and spacing should be OK but I'm suspecting due to our desert heat they would do better in at least 10 inches. The two tomato plants planted in the deeper whisky barrel hardly have any yellow leaves at all. Next year I will rotate my peas to the 6 inch area since they are more shallow rooted. Click on these photos to see the tomatoes AND the yellow leaves.

My pole beans are amazing climbers. Without any help from me their tendrils easily grasped the nylon trellis with a death-like grip. Does Jack and the Bean Stalk come to mind?
We are now starting to harvest spinach, radishes and banana peppers. The bell peppers are beginning to take shape and hopefully we can have a crop of these before it gets too cool.

For family members, I've included a photo taken at Peter's (my brother-in-law) 65th birthday brunch. Peter is VERY happy since he now qualifies for Medicare. Peter's wife, Kay, put on a great spread for this occasion and invited all related persons living in Tucson. Even at 65, only the naive will take him on in ping pong (Amber Rose). Chu and I also hiked a trail near Gates Pass this past week. The hike was great and made even more exciting by running into ANOTHER large diamond back rattle snake. I thank God he put rattles on these guys as I would have surly stepped on it had I not been warned!

First Fruits and a Visit to Glenn Cottage

2008-09-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Chu and I visited our friend Heidi who defied Tucson's desert environment by planting a "back east" garden. It is beautiful. You won't see salvias, ruellas or daleas in her garden, but you will see hearts and flowers ground cover, holly hocks and morning glory. She waters by hand and her water bill averages around $60 month during the summer. That's less than half of what I pay for my desert landscape on drip irrigation. Much of it is grown in the shade of pine trees. Pam, her next door neighbor, is also an avid gardener. Check out the grape vine that shades her garden in her small patio. Pam grows many
vegetables and has a large watermelon patch that threatens to take over a lot she bought across the street that she is planning to build her house on. Both the grapes and watermelon were delicious.

Heidi has just completed building a chicken coop in her back yard. Unfortunately I became immersed in its construction and forgot to get a photo, but you can see several of her website photos by clicking on http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=8389. Besides providing her with eggs, the two chickens she has just ordered from one of our feed stores will keep her garden free of unwanted insects and other pests that attack her plants and vegetables. I continue to learn about the seemingly endless possibilities that exist for Tucson gardeners. Be sure to click on the above photos to see the planting details.

We harvested our first yellow banana peppers this week from one of our 6 new pepper plants. Peppers are a summer growing vegetable, but our warm fall weather extends their growing season here. My tomato plants are also doing well and if the two Harris hawks that live in our Eucalyptus tree keep the birds away we are looking at a large harvest soon.

Hobbits in the Garden

2008-09-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a sleep over for our grand daughters. Amber Rose, age 8, and Alison, age 3, love to "garden" and knowing this I had prepared for their industry. We tend to sometimes overwhelm anyone who will listen to us warble on about our grand daughters, so abandon this post now if you grow faint on this subject.

Amber has gardened with me since she could walk and has become quite handy to have around. Alison, on the other hand, can be like a Sherman tank mowing down a crowded village.

Chu suggested I provide a diversion, like a sand box, for Alison to play with out in our new vegetable garden area. So, after purchasing marigolds and a strawberry plant for Amber's raised garden corner, I also picked up a small inexpensive plastic swimming pool and filled it with sand. It was a hit and kept Alison busy for hours and hours.

After planting carrots, strawberries, marigolds, spinach, lettuce, bush beans and rosemary Amber decided my make shift garden work bench was too high and wanted to make her own. Like her mother, Margaret, she LOVES tools. She has also made it quite clear she would like me to look into getting her a small wheelbarrow if she is to be effective in helping me. I told her I didn't think they came in kid sizes but she was quick to point I could find one at Target in the toy section.

The girls found a small Gecko lizard in the garage to play with. While showing them how safe it was to handle it Chu spotted a large diamond back rattle snake slithering along just outside our chain link fence. An education for all and a wake up call for me to make sure it doesn't decide to take up residence in our nice cool garden spot. Click on the above photo to enlarge for a closer view.

"Holy" Peas, Grasshopper Invasion and the Santa Cruz Farmer's Market

2008-09-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

The above photo shows what can happen in short order when pests invade your garden. I captured some insects that have been hanging around my snow peas and took them down to the Pima County Extension Gardens yesterday to get the low down.

According to the Master Gardeners on duty they are all grasshoppers and there is nothing you can do about them. I did learn that the damage done to the snow pea leaves is more likely Caterpillar munchings. I've been pulling these wee pests off of my pepper plants (see the peppers grow!) by hand for the past 2 weeks, and apparently they have migrated to the peas. Their recommendation, BT spray, which is an organic way of killing the buggers while keeping me green. While I was there I visited their demonstration desert vegetable garden and was relieved to see their pepper and tomato plants have holes in them too. Just something you have to live with I guess.

Chu and I visited the Santa Cruz Farmer's Market in the afternoon. This small market is now located near the School for the Deaf and Blind on Speedway near Grande. VERY busy and parking was hard to find. The new location has only been open for a couple of months and is growing rapidly. The Community Food Bank takes in consignments which they sell through their booth and allow single vendors to hawk their wares as well. We picked up some tomatoes and miniature
egg plant and ate them for dinner. Mmmmm good!

Tomato Proof

2008-09-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

I know, I know....anyone can SAY they have a tomato, but now I have proof. I can almost feel it exploding into my mouth and the juices running down my chin. I digress.

The bird netting had tangled up another lizard during the night, so I have rolled it up and will only use it as a last measure. If I must choose between the health of the birds and lizards and a undefiled tomato crop, however, I will go with the tomatoes.

My poor snap peas are being chewed to death by a critter. I haven't been able to catch the chomper at it yet, but judging from the size of the damage it must be a decent size. I did catch one of our push up lizards pounce on a large black bug and drag it off to the desert yesterday, but it was too fast for me to identify. I sowed another variety of snap peas in one of the barrels yesterday to make sure we have plenty on hand for the winter.

This weekend our grand daughters will be having a sleep over here and I am looking forward to getting Amber Rose out into the garden. I have two old porcelain sinks filled with Mel's mix ready for her. My guess is she will pick carrots and cilantro.

The photos displayed were taken this morning in my "non-edible" desert garden. The Turks Cap under the mesquite have been blooming consistently since spring! They love the heat and shade. The purple Ruelia has also done well all over Tucson this summer.

Starr Pass Vegetable Garden, Lizards and Bird Netting

2008-09-09T13:07:00.001-07:00

Early this morning Chu and I hiked a Tucson Mountain trail next to the Star Pass Resort. A great little hike that takes only 45 minutes - just enough exercise to maintain your weight after having coffee and a delicious bowl of oatmeal on the patio balcony of the Starr Pass restaurant. While hiking, we passed a group of well heeled guests who looked upon us with puzzled expressions as we clicked our way by them with our walking poles, floppy hats and spider-like gate. Guess they don't see much of that back East.

Having read about a "chef's garden" outside of the resort's El Primo Restaurant we searched it out to see how the pros do it. It is a great little working garden that focuses primarily on tomatoes, peppers and herbs. I read in the paper recently that someone left the gate open and javalina ravaged it, but it didn't look too bad considering we are at the end of summer. Definitely check it out AND the hike if you are ever on the west side. Park on the north side of the guest parking lot on the side of the road next to the little bridge that marks the beginning of the trail. Non-guests are not allowed to use the limited guest parking - and some little guy in a golf cart will come after you if you try.

Bird netting can be lethal. About noon today I discovered a large "push up" lizard trapped in my bird netting protecting my tomatoes. I encourage lizards in my garden as they patrol the insect population. This one was really tangled up tight and was literally choking to death in the sun. It took about 10 minutes to cut him free. I'm going to have to re-think the bird netting issue.

eee-gads! Tomatoes!

2008-09-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

They are small.....very small. But they are there. The bird netting went up this morning just in case one of the 50 birds that hang out on the electric line above my house want a taste. Danny, a good friend and all-around-fix-it and remodel genius for Chu and I (and several other family members) gave me one of his tomato plants several years ago. I learned then that birds find them quickly. That was the first time I had ever tried to grow a vegetable. It was a dismal failure only providing me with one intact cherry tomato.

The pole bean seeds erupted with a vengeance after an all night soak. Thugs they are after only 5 days. I am totally amazed at how quickly the life process works - a miracle indeed. More seeds are on the way and will be sown in the coming weeks.

My snow peas have grown long enough to crowd out adjacent carrot and spinach seedlings. The string trellis I erected was too high to attach them to so I placed a narrow piece of chicken wire to give them something to grab on to for now. Unbelievable, but you can actually see their slender tendrils try to grip the wire when placed on it. Like the babinski reflex in babies, they only need to touch something and immediately curl.

How Time Flies

2008-09-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Since my last post two years ago I retired from the credit union after 34 years of service. I was blessed with a rich and wonderful career and find I am still passionate about the credit union movement. BUT, retirement is awsome and I am excited with every morning the Lord gives me.

My desert garden keeps me busy, but since adding battery operated automatic timers to my irrigation system, including all outside potted plants, I have found time to start a vegetable garden. I have always wanted to grow my own vegetables, but it took the urging of my 8 year old grand daughter Amber Rose to get me going.

In the Tucson mountains, much of our soil is quite horrible. Most of it is interlaced with caliche - a hard white crumbly substance that prevents easy planting. It is also rocky and alkaline and needs amendments galore to support growing vegetables and anything else not native. To get around this, many desert gardeners construct raised beds to allow for easy soil management and planting. Using Mel Bartholomew's book "Square Foot Gardening" http://squarefootgardening.com/. I began constructing my raised beds towards the end of July. Square foot gardening allows you to grow more in less space. Gone are the 3 foot spaces between rows and the majority of labor normally associated with tending your garden.

My first challenge was finding a location for my beds. Javalina and rabbits would love the tender vegetables, as would the many birds that now visit our desert sanctuary daily. My grand daughter suggested using our old dog run area which is protected by a chain link fence on the Northwest side of the house. NOT the perfect location exposure wise, but being already protected and close to a water source I decided it would do.

Wood is the most popular frame for a raised bed and is the easiest to build, but concrete block in this neck of the woods lasts longer. With end caps resting on top of the block I also have a nice wide sitting area to work from. The thought of gardening on my knees is NOT how I see myself spending my golden years! So, after calculating what I needed for two 4' X 8' beds, I went about purchasing the following:

Split faced block (8" X 8" X 16") and end caps (8" X 2" X 16")

Heavy duty pond liner (Home Depot)

Wire mesh (heavy duty, 1/4" openings)

Weed Block

I laid the block without mortar and directly on the ground. If you want an attractive looking structure keep a level and string handy to make sure the block is level and straight. The split faced block is very handsome looking and costs just a little more than regular block. I considered the newer inter-connected block you can find at the big box improvement centers, but be prepared to pay about double the cost of split faced block.

I used pond liner to cover the inside sides of the bed. It is not necessary, but I was concerned about excess evaporation. DO NOT use the liner to cover the bottom of the bed (unless you change your mind and want a wading pool instead of a garden bed). Weed block fabric is placed in the bottom of the bed and covered with the wire mesh to keep both weeds and gophers out. Don't skip this part. We have gophers all around us who would love to take up residence in a nice cool, dark place.

IRRIGATION: I love drip irrigation. It is cheap, easy to work with and conserves water. Mel Bartholomew recommends watering your plants by hand using a pail of sun warmed water. This would be fine with a smaller 4' X 4' bed back East, but in Tucson where 100 plus degree days are common, I would be spending all of my time watering and worrying. All you need is enough 1/2" irrigation hose to go from an outside faucet to each bed, and then enough to run two hoses adjacent to each other the length of the beds. (Click on photos to enlarge)

The sprinkler heads I chose are made by "Dig" and allow you to adjust the volume of water that is emitted by turning the heads clockwise and counter clockwise (truly a tremendous leap forward for drip systems!). I have placed one every 12" in between two squares. I may change this to one every 6 inches, but want to experiment with this placement for the time being. Having two beds and seven large pots I ran three 1/2" lines, one to each bed and one to my collection of fiberglass whisky half barrels and two old enameled sinks. You can purchase a multi-hose connector (up to four) which allows control of your three zones plus faucet connection for your garden hose. The timers are battery operated, and will allow you to water each section separately. All of these items can be purchased at Home Depot.

SOIL PREPARATION: OK, here is the IMPORTANT part. Mel Bartholomew has been working on his soil mix since the 80's. According to Mel, his soil mix allows superb moisture retention (a must in the desert) excellent drainage, all the proper nutrients WITHOUT adding fertilizers and you will never have to turn your soil. Too good to believe? I'll let you know, but so far the stuff is fantastic. His recipe follows:

1/3 compost - compost must be made from at least 5 different types of bagged compost. Weird, yes, but he has his reasons.

1/3 COARSE Vermiculite - You can also find this at some Home Depots. Very expensive, but a must have. I had to settle for medium grade. Mel stresses coarse if you can get it. Don't substitute Perlite.

1/3 Peat Moss

Mel's tip to use a tarp to mix the ingredients together makes this part go much faster. I started by dumping 2 shovel fulls each from the 5 different compost bags on the tarp and mixed together by pulling the corners of the tarp around. After the compost is well mixed add 10 shovels full of the vermiculite and 10 shovels full of the peat moss. Again, pulling the corners of the tarp around mix the whole batch together. Mel's mix is light enough that I was able to heave it easily over the walls of the raised bed. Mel swears you only need a 6 inch depth of mix to grow most vegetables. I went a bit farther and ended up with 10 inches on average. The ingredients for this mix is expensive stuff, but if his claims are true, I shouldn't have to replenish ever again.

COMPOST

The secret to keeping Mel's mix nourishing and maintaining your plants for years to come is home made compost. About 10 years ago my wife went to a beginner's composting class and came home with a roll of vinyl with large holes in it. Until now, it has taken up space in my storage room. Knowing home made compost is an essential step for success, I've taken the plunge. I'll let you know in future posts how all this works out.

Protecting Your Investment

The "hoops" constructed over the beds provide a means to easily protect your garden from sun, birds and varmints. Using 1/2" PVC conduit the hoops are easily constructed and connected by small screws at the top. I used rebar for the ends of the conduit to slip over to provide additional stability. Now I can place bird netting, sun screening, tarps etc. over the beds to control just about any situation that would be harmful to the garden.

Vertical Structures

The whole idea behind square foot gardening is growing more in less space. I urge you to read Mel's' revised book called "All New Square Foot Gardening" and visit his website listed at the beginning of this post. Eventually, anything that can climb (tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, etc. ) should be trained to climb away from the garden to allow more space to grow other vegetables. Based on Mel's' recommendation, I used 1/2" electrical metal conduit and polyester netting to construct four 6' structures for this purpose. Cutting the conduit is easy with a hack saw and slipping the ends of the metal conduit over 24" rebar provides the necessary stability needed. 90 degree corners and the necessary connectors hold all of this together. Again, Home Depot is the place to pick these things up.

The Grids

I must admit I was a bit reluctant to install square foot grids as Mel recommended at first. They looked gimicky to me. BUT, if you want to save time sowing seeds and organizing your garden it is a must. I used slats
from four foot vinyl blinds and stapled them together with a regular hand stapler - cheap, quick and easy. When it comes time to calculate the spacing between seeds or transplants you'll be grateful you did. I also diagrammed my two beds and collection of whisky barrels to help me remember what I planted where, the date planted, and seed/plant type. This way, if something works (or doesn't work) I won't have to rely on my memory.

So that's it for now. I'll keep posting to this site to keep you updated as to my progress.

Photos of Desert Garden 4 Years Later

2006-08-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

4 years later

2006-08-20T06:41:00.000-07:00

The above photos were taken last week (August 2006). It has been 4 years since planting. This summer Tucson has enjoyed a tremendous monsoon season which continues as I write this post. There is nothing like rainwater to bring out the best in your plants. Every morning I enjoy walking through our garden and marvel at its wonders, which are new every day. As you look at these recent photos, compare them with the earlier photos in my prior blogs. The saguaro cactus was a Christmas gift from Judith, my sister-in-law, given to us about 15 years ago. "Aunt Judith", as we affectionally call this cactus, was about 2 feet tall when we planted it.

Chicken Wire, Boulders and Drip Irrigation

2006-03-12T16:17:00.000-08:00

Here are two of my beds one year later. The chicken wire was attached to rebar and wood stakes to keep the rabbits out. Note that there are rubber protectors on top of the rebar to protect against someone falling on one and impalling themselves. Not much you can do about Javalina as they can jump easily over the fence. My mixture of dirt to compost is one to three (one part compost, two part dirt). The mesquites came from 5 gallon pots and were placed in holes twice as deep as the 18"bed. Plants used included salvia leucantha, salvia greggi, ruelia, mexican sunflower, casia and mexican primrose and many other desert varieties. Desert Survivors Nursery on West 22nd St. near A Mountain is wonderful place to purchase plants. They grow their plants on site, a big plus since your plant will have had plenty of time to acclimate to Tucson's climate. I also recommend using rocks and boulders in your beds. They give your garden texture and provide a natural setting for plants. Boulders also shelter roots from the hot sun.

I've used drip irrigation throughout my landscape. You can see the black hose on top of the bed in the photo. In most cases I leave the main hose above ground to allow easy access. You can now purchase emitters that allow variable water flow - a great invention! Each plant type will require a little more or a little less water than another plant type and with adjustible flow emitters you can now fine tune the plant's watering needs. Drip is a very easy and effective way to water your garden while conserving Tucson's precious water.

Beds VS Multiple Holes

2006-03-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

The great thing about digging a bed is its versatility. Plants can be moved around, added and removed as you desire. If it doesn't look right in one spot, plop it in another. Plus the cultivated earth allows water to seep over a larger expanse of ground and encourages more sensitive plant roots to roam rather than be restricted to a defined area. The Sonoran desert earth is hard and rocky allowing only the toughest to survive. If you want an area to grow more delicate plants a bed is preferred. Most of my beds are sheltered by mesquite trees. This allows me to grow plants that need filtered shade to do their best, such as many types of salvias.

Tools You Must Have

2006-03-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

The most important tools you will need to get started are a shovel, a good pick, a wheel barrow, and a screen (see photo). The screen can be picked up at any hardware store and should be affixed to a square frame made of two by fours. The screen openings should be small enough to separate the larger rock from the dirt. Build a sturdy one, as it will get much abuse, and large enough to fit over your wheel barrow. Just as important are leather gloves, a hat, sun block and drink plenty of water!
Go easy! Rest frequently. Digging a hole can actually be a pleasant and rewarding experience if you pace yourself. In the Tucson Mountains there is a lot of rock. Designate a place on your property where you can dump the rock and have it hauled away.

As you can see, I am working around most of the natural vegetation which includes ocotillo, prickly pear and creosote. Be careful digging around these older plants so as to avoid disturbing their roots. I lost the two ocotillos in the background and attribute it to root damage and too much water from my soon to be installed water drip irrigation.

Sticky Business

2006-03-12T07:12:00.000-08:00

My general advice is to leave as much natural vegetation as you can when creating a desert garden as most will provide an interesting and natural backdrop to your newer plants. The old agave in the photo had to be removed for safety reasons. As you will see later on the blending of the newer plants with the old helps maintain the natural desert landscape and will look less contrived.

Dirt, Rocks,Water and Sun

2006-03-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

BEFORE (February 2002)

My God given space in this world is a half acre on a gently rising slope at the base of the Tucson Mountains that faces downtown Tucson, Arizona. Our home is tucked into a desert neighboorhood that began to take shape some forty years ago. My wife, Chu (Susan), and I raised our two boys, Eric and John, and two yellow labs on this desert hot spot. We didn't yearn for green, however, until about 4 years ago when the sun's brightness and heat finally beat Chu and me into submission.

Truth be told it was Chu that started it. One spring day I watched through our living room window as she marched out into our small yard with pick in hand. Inspired by her industry, I joined her and together we dug our first hole. A very large, deep hole (see above) that we learned later was much deeper than it had to be. We must have dug down three feet through mostly rock and were exhausted. Afterwards we learned that desert plants generally can do fine in a hole that is as deep as its container and two to three times as wide.