Gardening for Hot and Dry Climates
High density planting has been a buzz term for urban backyard gardeners over the recent years. For those that long to grow multiple varieties of fruit trees, but don’t have acres of land at their disposal, planting fruit trees close together can be a great …
Have you ever scoured your local nurseries or big box stores looking for that one plant or tree you’ve been dying to grow, only to come home empty handed? Well if so, I feel your pain! Occasionally there are plants that just aren’t readily available …
If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to vacay or even live in a tropical place, one of the things you’re sure to remember are the banana trees. Nothing screams tropical like a banana. We’re all trying to capture a piece of the tropics in our …
When you think about gardening, you typically think of needing a lot of space like a backyard to be able to garden. While that definitely helps, it isn’t always necessary. If you look up the definition of gardening it typically doesn’t state anything about the …
Driving through a typical suburban neighborhood comes nicely manicured front yards bursting with grass, or here in Phoenix, rock. You’ll often see a tree or a few shrubs or some other decorative features. Often times in an urban setting the front yard makes up most …
As a father of four young kids (ranging from 3 to 9yrs old), I’m always trying to help them identify interests and it’s always an added bonus when we share some similar hobbies. If you’re a gardener with kids, I’m sure they’ve at least attempted …
When you think of gardening the first plant everyone wants to grow are tomatoes. It’s just the thing to do and for good reason. Tomatoes taste ten times better fresh off the vine then anything you’ll ever get at a supermarket. If you live in …
Even though I live in the Arizona desert, I spend most of my gardening time growing traditional types of fruits and vegetables. As you drive around our area there are a plethora of cacti and desert native plants which is a sight to behold. When …
Many times we are fighting off birds that eat our fruit, rodents eating roots, or insects devouring our plants’ leaves, but there are times when wildlife in the garden can add joy to the gardening experience. Gardening for the harvest is great, but creating a …
I have never been a pet guy, it’s not that I don’t like animals, I just don’t like all the extra work that comes with maintaining them. Well when you have four young kids they can be very convincing. After years of begging for pets, …
We all know those places where the ground is fertile enough to just pop a seed into it, add some water, and watch it grow. Unfortunately, many of us don’t have the luxury of having fertile soil readily available for our gardening needs, especially those …
Living in Phoenix Arizona, aka the valley of the sun, we gardeners never have a problem with our plants being sunlight deficient. In fact, our dilemma is quite the opposite. Our hot desert sun can be extremely intense, especially during the summer months. Since sun …
For those that are always looking to add beauty to their backyard garden, adding a water feature is something that should be considered. There isn’t much that creates a more Zen-like experience than the calming sounds of trickling water or just being around water. How …
For those of us trying to grow Mango trees outside of the tropics or in marginal climates, growing them in containers is the way to go. Here in the Phoenix, Arizona desert, we’re considered growing zone 9b, which is fringe conditions for growing mangoes. …