Garden Plan

Starting with the planting chart prepared by the UofA Agricultural Extension Service, I prepared a plan for my garden.
1. I selected varieties that grow well in my area and which my family enjoys.
2. I created a spreadsheet showing the varieties and the months they are planted and harvested.
3. I labeled each variety as W=winter and S=summer.
4. I "sorted" the spreadsheet by W/S and alphabetically by variety name.

The result is a spreadsheet showing me what to plant when and a layout of my garden into a Winter zone and a Summer zone.

Click here for a downloadable copy of the spreadsheet. GARDEN PLAN
Let me know what you think!

2011 April

I wish I had been keeping this blog up over the months just so I had a decent record. Here is a quick update.

The Wally's Worm experiment is over. WORMS

I have tried various watering systems in the past. I have flood irrigation to my yard which I consider a blessing. But the garden still needs supplemental watering. I think I have settled on a bubbler system for the summer garden. I installed a faucet at the corner of the garden and a PVC line with values and bubblers. I can adjust the bubblers as I water to ensure equal coverage throughout the garden. It works pretty well, though not automatic. Here are few pictures.

On another note the U of A agricultural service has a very nice garden planning chart I think is pretty good. CHART

Worms

I have wanted to try Vermicomposting for a long time. Finally I purchased some worms through the mail. There are many internet sites where you can learn all about worms and where to purchase them. This is one of the many sites for WORMS. I quote them here:

"Two breeds are used in vermicomposting: Eisenia foetida or Lumbricu rubella. Worm populations double each month. Mature redworms make two or three capsules a week, each producing two or three hatchlings after about three weeks. The hatchlings are tiny white threads about half an inch long, but they grow fast, reaching sexual maturity in four to six weeks and making their own capsules. Three months later they're grandparents!

This rapid breeding rate means the worm population easily adjusts to conditions in the worm box according to the feed supply and the proportion of worm casts to feed and bedding---their casts are slightly toxic to them, and as the box gets "full" they'll either leave, if there's anywhere for them to go, or they'll die off."

I include a picture of me receiving 2 lbs of "Eisenia foetide" in a plastic bag and a picture where I have dumped them into their new home. Their new home is a wooden sided box I built from scrap lumber held together with metal braces.

I have had them for a month. I was keeping a lid on the box, but ended up throwing so much garden waste into the box it is over flowing.

I am really worried about what is going to happen to my worms in the fierce Mesa, Arizona heat when the ambient temperature is well over 100 degrees. I put the box under a tree and have a long needle thermometer to monitor the inside temperature. I am hoping for the best. If you have a good idea how to keep them cool---let me know.

25 April 2011

The great Wally's Worm experimental is over! This is what went wrong. Generally speaking we have had pretty mild temperatures so far. However, I found the temperature reaching near 100 degrees F inside the box due to composting material. When that happened all the worms migrated as far from the middle of the box as they could hugging the outside boards. I watered the box which dropped the temperature. The worms seems really happy generally speaking, but then I noticed a lot of fruit lies and it was starting to stink. Then this morning I opened the lid and found a great big cockroach. I haven't seen a cockroach around here for a long time. That was the final straw. I dug a hole in one of the rows of my garden and dumped the whole pile into the ground. I think the worms will be happier and I know my wife is a LOT happier.

So ends the worms experiment. I know some people are doing it successfully, but I certainly haven't learned how to do it. Maybe another day.

Wheat Grass

Wheat Grass Web Site No1 Wheat Grass Web Site No2 Wheat Grass Web Site No3 Wheat Grass My brother, contributed the following information and pictures about Wheat Grass. HHEF thanks him for this contribution. There is absolutely no mystery to growing wheatgrass. Wheat seed is very vigorous and no special care is required. Here is basically what I do, not that it is required, or "best", it is just what I do. I attached some pictures ... 1. Put about 1/2 cup fresh hard red winter wheat seed into a wide-mouthed quart jar, and cover the seed with room temperature water. 2. Put a porous lid on the jar, cover the seed with cool water and soak the wheat seed for 8 to 12 hours. 3. Drain the water. 4. Sit the jar on the counter. 5. Rinse and re-drain the seed again every 8 to 12 hours replacing the lid loosely and sitting it on its side each time. Do this until there are 1/4" tails on the wheat seeds (about 2 days). NOTE: The proceeding steps are completely optional. Wheat seed is very vigorous and can be sown in the open garden and raked in if desired. 6. Plant your wheat seed like you would any other large seed. Cover it with from 1/4" to 1" of soil. Sunlight or open shade is preferable to indoors, but that will work also. 7. If you consider that birds or drying out may be a problem, cover the newly planted soil with a light cloth of some kind and weight down the corners, just like you would with any other plantings. 8. After the seedlings are 1/2" high water them like any other seedling, every day or so, depending on the weather. 9. Harvest the grass, when it is about 7" tall, using a knife, just like you would lettuce or other greens. Wheatgrass is only used as "juice", at least as far as I know. I've tried cutting wheatgrass into small pieces and adding it to salads, but that wasn't too satisfying. The above links are some things people are saying about the benefits and uses of wheatgrass juice. Neither my brother or HHEF endorse or support any of these claims. The reader will have to make up your own mind as to whether wheatgrass juice is a good thing. "Buckwheat" is not the same as "wheat", and consuming the sprouts or greens of buckwheat should be vigorously opposed, as many articles indicate. You should avoid eating buckwheat greens which can cause a painful photo sensitive rash. Plants are very powerful and should be used with care

2010 February

PLANTING:
10 February 2010 After waiting through our long cold winter here in Mesa (that's a joke), I contracted gardening fever. I planted the following seeds directly into the soil using the board method: Golden Bush Scallop squash (organic SESE item 53104); California Wonder Bell Pepper (Organic SESE item 46102); Buhl Corn (Organic SESE item 41111); Sweet Baby Watermelon (Henry Fields); and Red Champion Radish (Henry Fields); Giant Pink Banana Squash given to me by Lyla (seed from Snowflake); and the following seeds harvested from food we bought at the grocery store: water melon, acorn squash. I also transplanted the following which I had started in cups in January. Tomatoes (Organic from SESE); Bell pepper, Egg Plant, Armenian Cucumber, Straight 8 Cucumber; and Marigold (2nd generation HHEF seeds).

16 February 2010 I rototilled and planted about 100 SF of Wildflower seeds in the front of the house.

13 February 2010 I conducted a gardening class at Haws Haven Experimental Farm. About 30 people attended. I started talking and getting excited about my subject and spoke for 1.5 hours. A lot of people stayed around for another 1/2 hour, so I guess they weren't totally disappointed. We talked about soil, fertilizers, composting, seed anatomy, germination, sprouting, planting methods, sources of seeds, harvesting seeds and harvesting crops. I hope to put together a power point with music, videos, and slides that will be easier to put together and show anywhere. I had a lot of fun even if no-one else did!

Bell Peppers

HHEF purchased from Southern Exposure Seed Co.
Bell pepper: CAROLINA WONDER: Certified Organic introduced by SES 1999
75 days. Green to Red
Premium grade fruits are typically 4-lobed, weighing 1/4 to 1/3 pound, 3" x 3-1/3"

Cauliflower

HHEF purchased Cauliflower seeds from Southern Exposure Seed company Jan 2010
EARLY SNOWBALL:
50 DAYS. Highly recommended for the mid-atlantic. The best performer in trials of spring planting. Can also be used for fall planting. Good coverage of the curd by rapper leaves. Head is denser than other early snowball varieties. Plants are compact.