Phoenix Permaculture Guild

Join us in creating a more sustainable Phoenix!

Bok choy by the wall, lavendar, mesclun mix greens, chard, arugula, epasote (herb for flavoring beans - used in a lot of Mexican cooking)

Rating: 0/5 stars
Tags: back, dolce, garden, verde
Views: 86

Mike Ashby Comment by Mike Ashby on December 4, 2008 at 11:32am
Well, you're overly modest. In my book, you're an impressive, skilled gardener, and your photos are an inspiration to me. I'd love to see your gardens in person the next time there's a tour (if I'm correct in thinking there are now and again, as at Greg's house?). Keep up all your good work and help us newbies along! --Mike
Jennifer Comment by Jennifer on December 3, 2008 at 3:29pm
Actually I haven't been at this long - and I started "food gardening" because I lost my job when I became very ill. The garden gave me a chance to regain some health AND feed myself.

I'm still learning about gardening in the desert - and probably will be for life! But it's so intruiging, it's hard to resist as you say.

As for being a good gardener - weeeeeelllll.....I'm a tad less bad than I was before - mostly because my soil has had 2 yrs of compost and organic amendments added. Trust me, I am still on the "Top 10 - America's Most Wanted" for being a serial mass murderer of plant life =( Live and learn - and eat what grows!

Next experiment - the biointensive bed in the front yard where I will plant oats (seeded today in flats in the greenhouse) - should be interesting.

Jen

PS - I'm pretty impressed with that pic of you in your garden as well!
Mike Ashby Comment by Mike Ashby on December 3, 2008 at 3:20pm
Thanks, Jennifer, for the detailed instructions, especially for the photo of your simpler system. I looked at several of your other photos on the site, and I'm truly impressed: you're an amazing gardener; I feel like such an amateur now. But I guess we all start somewhere. I must say, the videos and photos you post are really helpful. I'm so eager to do something in my garden, I feel like quitting work for the day. When I can snatch another slice of time, I'll have to explore more of the photos on the site; they really do help give one ideas and solve riddles. Sign me most impressed, Mike
Jennifer Comment by Jennifer on December 3, 2008 at 1:03pm
A picture's worth a thousand words.....here's a pic of the "easy" style of hoop house

Jennifer Comment by Jennifer on December 3, 2008 at 1:01pm
Mike - thanks for the compliments. Actually - there is an even easier way of doing this - no crossbar at the top. Get some 1/2" pipe for the loops and some 3/4" pipe for the "footings.

--mark where you want hoops over the beds (one 3-4 ft wide bed is perfect for 1/2 of a 10 ft piece of pvc pipe cut in half - 5 ft - for the hoop)
--cut the BIGGER pipe into 12 inch pieces - dig holes and sink them into the groun with just the top inch or two showing - do this on both sides of the bed.
--bend the smaller pipe into a loop and stick each of the ends into the sunk-in bigger pipe a few inches - this is enough to keep the pipes errect.
--If you used 1/2" as your smaller pipe, go get some of the "Large" binder clips at Staples, etc. Use these to secure shade cloth, frost cloth, bird netting, etc to the frame - works great.
--to keep towees and quail out - either weight with rocks at the edge, or cut another piece of PVC and binder clip it to the bottom edges and then use a rock, or landscape fabric staple, etc to keep it down.

I'm blind in one eye and can barely see out of the other (really!) and it takes me about an hr - start to finish - to construct one of these once I've gathered the materials.
Mike Ashby Comment by Mike Ashby on December 3, 2008 at 11:36am
What a beautiful bed! I'm intrigued by your white piping. I'm not completely happy with my floating row cover cloth over its plastic hoops. I can't see through the cloth, and I have to fling the cloth off its framing in order to see the soil and seedlings and pick things. I think something more easily liftable would be nice, maybe a framework along the lines of yours, with netting over it. Then, it would be possible to see through it and move it aside easily. If only the towhees wouldn't scratch the seeds out of the bed and the quail eat the lettuce and other seedlings, I wouldn't have any sort of barrier. Thanks for the nice photo!
Jennifer Comment by Jennifer on December 2, 2008 at 7:08pm
Yep - it's ready to harvest - want one? Will you be at the seed saving class?/
Ben Ruesga Comment by Ben Ruesga on December 2, 2008 at 6:05pm
Mmmm..that bok choy looks delicious!

Support the Guild

EcoMania

Botanical Interests, Inc.

Planting & Harvesting Calendar
Native Seeds \ SEARCH | www.nativeseeds.org

Latest Activity

Emy Porter is attending Christy Grace's event
September 11, 2010 from 10am to 11:30am
For families who are interested in raising eco-conscious children and living more in balance with nature... Bring your kids to this fun, interactive and informative class on learning more about sustainable living and permaculture. What does it mean…
46 minutes ago
I attended the volunteer meeting in August and would like to volunteer to help at this event. Will someone contact me regarding this? Thanks
1 hour ago
Tracey Chacon is attending Administrator's event
Mesquite and Carob Milling 2010, Saturday at Maya's Farm at South Mountain
October 9, 2010 from 8am to 4:30pm
Mesquite and Carob Milling Requested Donation: --Milling - $5 for each 5 gal bucket of beans milled If you have four or more 5 gallon buckets for milling please arrive before noon! Join the Phoenix Permaculture Guild as they host a mesquite bean (…
1 hour ago
Josh Fowler, Carissa Taylor, Gretchen Reinhardt and 7 other members are attending Christy Grace's event
Fall Garden Planning & Design with Doreen Pollack at Central Slope Eco-Design Center
September 4, 2010 from 1pm to 2:30pm
Be prepared for the fall planting season. Are you confused about what and how to plant in the low desert? - Where to get quality seeds – heirloom or not? Transplants, or seeds? How do you get an extended harvest? What is companion planting and what…
2 hours ago
Backyard Composting Basics with Doreen Pollack at Central Slope Design Center
October 2, 2010 from 1pm to 2:30pm
Turn your kitchen scraps and certain waste materials into nutrient-rich fertilzer! Compost not only provides a source of slow-release organic fertilizer, it also boosts the community of microorganisms that helps keep plants healthy and improves wate…
3 hours ago
September 18, 2010 from 1pm to 2:30pm
What does a Permaculture Design mean? - and where do I begin? How do we pull together sustainable principles and apply them to OUR urban property? This class is an overview of implementing various aspects of permaculture to an urban home and lot - n…
3 hours ago
Bridgette Zellmann added a discussion
I've got some small, black little bugs on my butternut squash. I'm a Phx native and have never seen bugs like these, but I've also never grown the squash before, either. They seem to hide when I reach for a leaf - creepy! What are they and will they…
4 hours ago
Sophia, The AZ Homegrown Solutions group has a community table at the downtown Phoenix Farmers Market. This is a great way to share your over production and make a little cash in the process. Their website is: http://azhomegrownsolutions.ning.com/.…
13 hours ago

2009 Arizona Farmers' Market List

Proud member of:

© 2010   Created by Administrator.

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service