Phoenix Tropicals Gardening

[jamu27]

I am starting a vegetable garden and one citrus tree on my property in AZ City. I would like to grow beans, peppers, broccoli, spinach, carrots (if all this stuff can grow here). Any suggestions? Partially shaded? Fully exposed to the sun? Starting the bed?

Thanks!

[phoenixtropicals]

You can't go wrong with afternoon shade. I am about to plant some peppers too. You'll want to wait for cooler weather to plant the broccoli and spinach. Broccoli does real well during the cooler months. Spinach is a mystery for me. Let us know how it goes. I tried carrots once and didn't have much luck. They were small and the flavor wasn't too good.

Go to the link on growing vegetables on this site. There is some real good info. under the Maricopa county link at the bottom of the page.

Good luck!

[jamu27]

I live in Pinal County...does that make a difference? Thanks!

[phoenixtropicals]

Your climate isn't too much different than ours. You are more out in the open desert, which means it will get colder at night and you have more chance of your vegetables getting frost damage. Depending on what last winter was like in your neighborhood you'll need to decide whether to put some vegetables in now and take the chance of them getting frost damage (protecting them a couple nights this winter), or waiting until February to plant.

[mmatai16]

Hi there,
I found your website while looking for information on making a
vegetable bed. I think you have a wonderful website with very useful
information.
I have couple questions for you: I read on your website that compost
and some fish emulsion should be used for growing vegetables. But,
what's the bulk of the matter I need to put in my vegetable bed? Is it
just dirt? If yes, I don't have any loose dirt, where do you think I
can find some.

Also, as I was looking at soils in Home Depot they have several kinds
(Potting soil, Planting soil, Flower and Vegetable soil) with several
different nutrient contents listed on them, like 0.4-0.05-0.05. Which
nutrient content soil should I be looking for for my vegetables? If I
don't find dirt, can the vegetable bed be filled with these soils? Of
course it would turn out that I'd have to buy atleast 10 of those 2cu
ft bags to fill my 6'x4' vegetable bed, along with some compost.

Thanks,
Meena.

[phoenixtropicals]

You'll need to dig up the topsoil in your vegetable garden to loosen it up. I recommend digging at least a foot deep with a shovel and a pick. You'll want the kind of large pointed shovel where you can step down on the edge. You need a real shovel, not a little hand trowel or something like that. A pick makes it much easier to break up the dirt before digging it and moving it around with the shovel. Get the largest pick you can handle. Breaking up the topsoil like this is the small scale equivalent to plowing a field.

Once you have broken up the topsoil you can dump a couple of bags of compost on it and mix it in. The amount of compost you mix in is up to you, but the majority of what you have in your mix will still be dirt. The more compost you mix in the darker and richer your soil will get. Maybe 30% compost to dirt is a good ratio for a vegetable garden. You'll want to mix the compost as thoroughly as possible so that there are no clumps of it left and you see a nice even color to your mix. I often shovel all my dirt into a nice big pile. Pore on the compost and dig it and mix it in a pile and then spread it out again.

I also find a gardening rake is convenient to do the final mixing and smooth things out.

If you are making a raised garden you'll just be digging the dirt out of one place in your yard and piling it up in another. You'll want to put cinder blocks or something like that around the border to keep your pile from spreading out too much.

The gardening soils you find in the stores are fairly expensive and the bags are heavy. They are usually just compost, manure, and some plain old dirt. I think you are better off just mixing compost into the soil you already have.

[mmatai16]

Thanks for your reply! That helps. For a raised bed, what if I don't want to dig up dirt from one part of the yard? Seems like I should get dirt from someone/ somewhere else.

Thanks for your help! I'll let you know how it goes.

[PhoenixPhenom]

I get all my soil from Rockmart. I dont get the cheap fill dirt though, I always get the "topsoil" as it has been filtered. If your looking for some good compost material to add to the soil you have I will usually get the "NaturesWay" compost or the "Amend" from Kelloggs. Both are good and can be bought at the HD.

[james145]

Bermuda grass is an incredibly persistant "weed", and although other methods have been tried, the only one that actually works requires pre-planning and a long term committment.

First, feed and water the grass, and get it growing vigorously . . . this is IMPORTANT!

Next, purchase Glysophate (Roundup) from a retail source (do NOT us the "quick-kill" mixture. . . the ingredient you want is GLYSOPHATE. . . .
Mix and use according to lable directions.
I re-spray, on a weekly basis, until no further green shoots appear. One summer should be enough time to adequately kill off the grass so that it does not take over your garden area. Meanwhile, keep adding organic matter / compost to your future garden area (my yard, after 20 years of applying organic matter, is now a rich "black dirt", easily dug, and very "rich" for supporting plants. Good Luck!

[Ave]