I Win

Well, the aphids may have seized my watermelon, but I refuse to let them have my zucchini. Every morning I go out to the garden and squish the little suckers against the back of the leaves. It's not a perfect method, but it does the trick. Here's the lovely proof!
PS- The little basil garnish also came from my garden : )
PPS- In case you're wondering, that's the Canyon Ranch Cooks cookbook. I highly recommend it!

The War On Bugs!

My beautiful Black Tail watermelon is feeling a little under the weather. Within just a couple of weeks after planting it in May, it sprawled across the garden and sprouted about 20 little fruits. Of those, 3 took off and nearly doubled in size every day. I was thrilled to see their progress until for some reason they stopped just about as abruptly as they began. At the same time, all the little fruits turned yellow and withered away. I had hand-pollinated these blooms myself, so I knew they weren’t disappearing for lack of pollination. I thought perhaps it was a lack of water, and turned up their dripper. Today I noticed that a couple of sections of the vines were beginning to wither. Upon closer (I mean macro distance) inspection I found the culprit of my unhappy vine. Aphids.
I saw red! I dashed out for something to annihilate them with. I had to pick up some things from Home Depot anyway, so I thought I would arm myself with something I found there. I scoured the aisle for an organic solution, but found none- just a bottle of Ortho Max for flower, fruit, and vegetable. In my impatience for fast aphid genocide, I decided it would have to do. It didn’t look so bad, after all. Its healthy green packaging picturing pretty fruits and flowers and the bold print on the label reading, “Won’t harm plants or blooms” was comforting. I’d pick up something more earth/garden friendly the next time I wasn’t in a rush.
As soon as I drove away with it that annoying little voice in my head (it sounds surprisingly similar to Jimminy Cricket) piped up. “Why don’t you read the fine print? You’ve gone so far to keep your garden organic why ruin it now?” Convenience be damned. The fine print confirmed my nagging little fear. It read: “ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS Do not apply directly to water. Do not contaminate water when disposing of equipment washwater or rinsate. This pesticide is toxic to wildlife. This product is toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment. Do not apply this product while bees are actively visiting the treated area”. It went on to list dangers to humans and pets. Oops. My convenient weapon of choice was now something I didn’t want to expose my family or my home to, let alone spray it all over something I planned to eat!
Now quite disappointed in myself for not just doing the right thing the first time and saving myself the trouble, I headed for my local nursery. I alternate between Berridge and Baker's Nurseries here in Phoenix (I can't pick a favorite). Today I chose Berridge because they seem to have a larger inventory of chemicals and fertilizer. Upon arrival, helpful staff directed me to Yard & Garden Insect Killer, made by a company named Safer Brand. It’s OMRI Listed for organic gardening. For ORMI info, visit their website. It’s toxic to fish, and you shouldn’t spray it in your eyes. Other than that it’s safe. Phew. I can get back to my evil aphid assassination plans.
I guess this entry has a moral. Just check with that nagging little conscience of yours before you buy. Convenience is rarely ever good for the wallet or the garden.

Composting- Feed the Soil Not the Plants!

Composting is an easy and important step toward living a sustainable lifestyle and growing a productive garden in the desert. It benefits the planet by reducing the volume of landfills. It benefits your garden by providing your soil with a long-term, consistent source of nutrients. It also facilitates improvement of the structure of our Arizona soil by increasing the drainage of our native clay.
Once you decide to compost, your first step should be to obtain a bin (or start a pile on the ground). You can buy elaborate tumblers and bins from many online sources, or follow the growing DIY trend and make your own. I decided to save a ton of money by making my own. I had never really constructed anything, so this was a bit of an adventure for me.
I started with an 18 gallon Rubbermaid storage container I picked up at WalMart for$4.00. I drilled holes along the sides in the top few inches for ventilation. I also drilled 5 holes in the middle of the bottom of the bin for drainage. Surprisingly, I didn’t lose any fingers, so if I can do it, I’ll bet you can too.
I placed the finished bin on top of two old cinderblocks, taking care not to block the drainage holes. Then I placed a Tupperware container underneath the drainage holes the catch the valuable liquid that is produced as your compost breaks down, called compost tea. The whole project took less than an hour and works beautifully. I have fresh compost tea for my garden every morning.
Making a compost bin is only half of the process. Once you have the bin, you’ve got to fill it up with the right combination of materials. Don’t worry. It’s really easy to do! There are a two important points to remember.
1. Mix equal parts “brown” and “green” materials.
2. Provide adequate ventilation and moisture.
Green materials include fruits and vegetables and peels, kitchen scraps such as egg shells, coffee grounds, tea leaves, hair, manure, fresh grass clippings, and other items which are high in nitrogen. Brown materials are “woody” and high in carbon. Some examples are; coffee filters, tea bags, paper, newspaper, paper bags, cardboard, dry brown grass clippings and leaves, hay, pine needles, sawdust, and straw. When selecting your materials, avoid toxic elements like dog or cat feces, paper that is heavily inked, dairy, and meat (technically not toxic, but really stinky and not beneficial to plants).
Cereal boxes and cardboard boxes can be soaked overnight, which makes the inked paper peel off easily and as a bonus, adds moisture to your bin. Also, feel free to throw in a handful of dirt. It contains microorganisms that contribute to the health of the soil.
Be a good host. Your bin will be home to tiny microbes that will help speed up the composting process. They need oxygen and water to survive. Most of the moisture in your pile will come from your green materials, but if your compost is crispy some wet newspaper or cardboard will help balance your bin. The ventilation holes in your bin bring in enough oxygen to aid the microorganisms in the top of the compost pile, but those at the bottom may need some assistance. Turning your compost distributes oxygen and will speed up the process.
As your composting materials break down they release their moisture. This is where your drainage holes come in handy. Too much moisture can kill your microbes and cause foul odors. Collect the fluid that drains from your bin for a convenient and effective garden fertilizer!
You will get out of your compost what you put in. You can literally throw all of your materials on a pile on the ground and you will eventually have compost. Alternatively, you can actively turn your pile, compost organic materials only, and even add worms to the mix. Your compost is ready to be harvested when it looks, feels, and smells like soil.
Happy composting and here are some resources for further info:
Vermicomposting (composting with worms)
Feed the Soil, Not the Plants
Soil Builders Group (Phoenix Permaculture Guild)

Fruits of My Labor

My first attempt at growing vegetables is going great so far! You would think that, having planted these things myself, I would expect to see the flowers
and fruits that are currently popping up. Not me! Every morning I walk outside and can’t believe they’re still alive. In fact, now I’m beginning to see the results of my efforts.

When I first arrived at my new home in mid-April, I was so excited to have my new garden space that I ran right out to the nearest nursery and bought yellow and acorn squash (from Berridge Nurseries in Phoenix), dug a couple of holes, and stuck them in the ground. I knew this wasn’t the best method, but hey, I was too busy unpacking to really give a garden much attention. Now I’m kind of glad I did that just because it led to a quick and valuable lesson. Your garden plainly reflects the attention it is given.

A few weeks later, with the house intact and a little more time on my hands, I resolved to go outside and get my hands dirty. I had visions of every imaginable type of vegetable in every nook and cranny of my yard and knew that they needed good ground to grow in. I started a kind of remodel of the soil, turning it and adding composted mulch (Forest Magic Mulch from Bakers Nursery in Phoenix to be exact) and removing large stones.
The plants that I plunked into a hole in the ground are no bigger than they were when I planted them six weeks ago. They may even be shrinking… seriously! In contrast, the plants that I started in the “new” ground are flourishing, growing, and producing already.
I have fixed the soil in about 50% of my beds. As I sit here writing right around midnight I wonder how I’m going to get up at 6 am again and pick up that shovel. But I can tell you with certainty that when that rattling alarm screams in my ear I’ll start longing for the tranquil, simple morning that my garden offers me in exchange for a little elbow grease.

My Garden

My Garden, originally uploaded by inspir8tion.

These are the first veggie seeds seeds I am attempting to germinate and plant in my new garden. I have had a garden for a few weeks now, or I should say that for a few weeks now I've had space in my yard for a garden.
I moved in my new place April 15th and my favorite thing about it is the layout of the backyard. There were tons of barren beds begging to be planted.
I have always loved to grow things, but until recently I have only grown flowers. They seemed so much simpler and easy to replace if I killed them. Lately however, I have been consciously trying to change my lifestyle to a greener, more sustainable one. I love the idea of living this way in the city. I imagine it's like a mini version of the acres of land I sometimes fantasize of owning.
Of course, my impractical daydreams didn't include bug bites, back pain, sunburns, and sweat but that's not what daydreams are for, is it? The beds I inherited are dusty, cement-like Arizona caliche clay and are full of rocks that try to pass for boulders. In order to grow anything at all I've had to break up the hard ground, remove the rocks and mix the dirt with composted mulch. This task has taken me about three hours per 3 cubic feet. I get up at 5:30 am and work until it's too hot at around 9:30 am. I commit myself to this preparation about 3 times a week and I'm out weeding, watering and generally tinkering twice every day. Needless to say, this project has made gardening a pretty big piece of my life these days so I've decided to document it.
Here we are at the beginning. Some of my beds are finished. Some I haven't even touched yet. I have planted these seeds in a little greenhouse type planter in my living room to be transplanted in a couple of weeks. In the beds I have already prepared I have planted zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, eggplant, acorn squash, watermelon, cantelope, cucumber, basil, and parsley. I also sprouted soybeans and planted them in pots.
Wish me luck!