Well, the planting phase of this season is winding down. Now I just have to water and wait. In Phoenix, most veggies must be in the ground by now so they get a good start before the harsh summer kicks in. Last year I made detailed maps of what, when and where I planted everything but this year I threw caution to the wind and planted in more of a controlled chaotic kind of way. I did pay a little attention to companion planting, nitrogen fixing vs heavy feeders, sun and water needs but for the most part I have no idea what's in the various gardens and I am excited by that. I also planted more flowers than I did last year to attract the bees and just to make things prettier. It's like a mystery garden and it's fun to be surprised. These past few weeks especially I find myself plopping in a seed here and a seed there of radish, cucumber, peas, beans and sunflowers in open spaces. So we will see, won't we? So exciting!
Harvesting:
I started eating radishes this week and have my first banana pepper and tomatoes and peas popping out. woohoo. Should have cherry tomatoes in my salad by next week.
Bugs:
For bug control, I whipped up some garlic and hot pepper spray and every morning when the baby takes his first nap, I put on my floppy hat, grab my coffee cup and survey the gardens. I then blast anything that moves. I'm sure I'm killing innocent "good" bugs but I don't know the difference. What I do know is that something is causing little holes in the leaves of the beans, radishes, peppers and kohl rabi. I think I'm totally losing the bug battle but at least I feel like I'm trying. Oh well. I made the spray by pureeing several cloves of garlic with some assorted hot peppers I had frozen from last summer's garden. Dave Owens-the Garden Guy turned me on to that recipe...that and Diatomaceous Earth (DE--food grade)-more on that later. I strain the juice and pour the concentrate into a glass jar. The pulp I freeze in ice cube trays
to sparingly use in soups, etc... I mix a little of the concentrate with water in a spray bottle and keep in the garden. Sometimes I get wild and add a drop of dish soap in. It's like spraying garlic/pepper salad dressing --smells amazing!!
Book Plug:
Dave Owens site: http://www.gardenguy.com/
His book is my garden bible: Extreme Gardening: How To Grow Organic In The Hostile Deserts
Diatomaceous Earth:
I am not an expert on this but I do use it in the chicken coop and the garden. Here is a good website about DE: http://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp
I put it in a shaker (empty salsa jar with holes poked in the lid) and scatter all around the plants and in the coop bedding.
2 important points:
1. Food Grade only! Not the kind used in pool filters. 2. When they say not to breathe it--they are right!! It fills up your lungs in a hurry no matter how careful you are. I know first hand.
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| First Radishes |
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| Back wall bed. Sunflowers, various squash, cucumbers, radishes and miscellaneous flowers. Who knows what else I threw in there..maybe eggplant?? I can't remember. |
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