Beans

"Beans respond very well to rock phosphate-type fertilizers as they contain slow-release phosphorous and trace minerals that beans need to fix their own nitrogen."
From : Growing Beans

Check out Maricopa county monthly tips.

If you are just getting started, you can plant  
Vegetables

Plant Seeds
Beans (Pinto& Snap), Corn, Armenian Cucumbers, Melons (Cantaloupe, Muskmelon), Pumpkins, Winter Squash, Sunflowers
Plant Transplants
Peppers, Tomatoes
Place shade cloth over tomatoes.

It is that time of year that all I do in the garden is  zip outside and pick tomatoes, pepper, beets, basil, kale, cucumbers or zuchinni for supper and RUN back inside. Whew.
The rest of the time I check on the spaghetti squash, eggplant and sweet potatoes from the window. "Yup, still green. Good to go."

Garden Design Inspiration

More inspiration!
look at the transformation.

Go Vynnie!

Aphid Fix

"Try planting some alyssum, chives and garlic near your tomatoes, aphids hate them. You can also, before you go get your ladybugs, puree two cloves of garlic, 2 hot peppers, and one-third cup water in a blender, strain out the solids and add a quarter of this mixture to a gallon of water. Spray it on your aphids. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil to this mix to make it extra strong. This is a general insect repellent, so spray it right on the infestation and try to avoid the beneficial bugs."
by
Dan Gallo

Potatoes

Oh My Goodness!
Inspiration here.
I can't wait to try it next season!
Checklist:
Straw
Mesh
Compost
potato starts

The garden got a top dressing of compost today. The Canna lily is blooming beautifully. The greens were cut down and I noticed the tomatoes have set fruit. I'm still evicting pill bugs, though not in the numbers I was formerly seeing. We have a new visitor to the garden today too. Aphids! The whole plant just went into the composter.I don't want them anywhere *near* my tomatoes or peppers!

Celery

This is the first time I've ever grown Celery.
I am getting some pale, sad looking stalks on the outside bottom of the plants. Is this normal? Not enough water? too much? Nitrogen?

I did a quick google and found Blanched plants lack green color, as the light source of celery is blocked out, which results in a paler color. 
So, I guess the lower leaves just are getting shaded from the tops.
Something learned.

Composter

Here is a great resource for anyone looking for a composter but not ready to invest in a Mantis.

batch composter - $75 (40th St. & Thunderbird)

---

30 gallon batch composters. I use only recycled, organically fed, free range plastic barrels for my composters. These can be set up as one composter or optionally as a double for $135. Two barrels allow you to build a second batch while the first one "cooks".
For more info call 480 773 0975
Ray

A Potager Garden

Some inspiration.

April 6, 2010

April 6, 2010
The spring garden is growing really well. Both Roma and Sweet 100 varities of tomatoes are doing well. They have flowered but not yet set fruit. The basil, carrots, dill and ranunculous are all snuggled in there though you can't quite see them.

Over in the middle bed the canna lily has bloomed! The salvia and lobilia in front draw the yummy bees. Celery, spaghetti squash, lemon balm, and sunflowers are growing. The peppers in back are still struggling a little, but I only find a couple of pill bugs these days when I look instead of multitudes.

This is a great shot of the new dividers I have for this season. My brother-in-law was kind enough to make them for us from some scrap wood he had. The vinyl dividers we purchased from Square Foot Garden just didn't hold up to the heat here. They all snapped after only a few seasons. Hopefully, we will have better luck with these.
The lettuce is still going strong. We have found the red romaine to be a bit to bitter for us, but I think it looks pretty so it stays. Some of the other lettuce varieties have bolted. I need to cut them down. beets, parsley, cucumber and sunflower are holding in there. I need to decide what to do with the squares where the edamame was to have grown. darn pill bugs.

April 9th, Friday 2010

Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service
Main Office Diagnostic Clinic
8 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix.

Bring plant or pest samples for ID and advice.

There is still time to get in some of the warm loving crops for summer.
I stopped by A&P Nursery (on Lindsey and Baseline) and they have a great selection of starts.
I picked up a zucchini plant to replace the seeds planted. The pill bugs ate my seeds before they could even sprout. I will plant that today.

According to The Urban Farm planting calendar we can still plant Jerusalem Artichoke, asparagus, basil, black eyed beans, fava beans, lima beans, yard long beans, corn of all kinds, Armenian cucumber, and standard cucumber (though I have had better success with Armenian cucumber here), eggplant transplants, Jicama, melons, okra, peppers, pumpkin, winter and summer squash, sweet potato transplants, tomatillo and tomato transplants. 

It is a bit late in the season to be putting out tomato transplants. If you still want tomatoes this year, find the largest transplants you can.

I noticed A&P Nursery had square foot garden supplies. Both Mel's Mix and raised beds. Can it get any easier?! They also have some set up as a display and planted with a variety of veggies.

Spring 2010

I planted a lot of tomatoes this year. Roma, and Sweet 100. I really liked the Sweet 100 last year.

The lettuce this year is doing great. I have a mix of various greens as well as a red romaine. Notice the screens? I put them over the planted seed to see if I could deter the birds from eating. No luck. The seeds still didn't sprout. hmmm

 It was clear we still had some sort of pest problem. The poor peppers were really taking a beating.

I found the culprits!

These little pretties known as potato bugs to me growing up are actually called pill bugs. Each of these here were hand picked by me from munching on my delicious plants to swim in diatomaceous earth. It was never the birds eating the seeds, but these sneaking nocturnal jerks! I've seen them around from time to time and have a rather live and let live attitude toward bugs in my garden. No longer. It's war.

 

A large dose of diatomaceous earth is now sprinkled on the garden, especially on the peppers.
Planted 1 Feb 2010
Photographed 9 March 2010
Celery, Saliva, lobilia, green and red peppers both, canna lily, sunflower, spaghetti squash, kale and spinach.