Hello from ARIZONA!

[J-Bird]

Hello my growing group of garden friends!
This has shortly become my favorite website on the internet :)
I'm enjoying converting and adapting alot of your suggestions here to fit the Desert Southwest.
I'm am excited to share with you and your friends and families that might be in such a climate what I'm finding!
In this part of the world we have to get real good at

Water Harvesting
Moisture Control
Creating Shade (there are very few vegies that can withstand the dry 120 summer heat)
Combating Clay
Knowing what plants will flourish here and which ones to avoid.


There are some upsides to living in the desert southwest...
right now, December 3rd, the high is a beautiful, sunny 72 and a cozy 49 for the low. We get sun 290+ days a year and We can grow year round! :)

Like Patti, I didn't get into gardening till just after my first son (of 3) was born and I've never stopped. My oldest son, now 5, is a great helper and there is rare a day that goes by that we aren't out bonding in the back yard working together in this labor of love.
He and I started raising chickens last October and just LOVE them. The best pets I've ever owned. Everything they put out is useful. ;)
It's also turned out to be a great little money maker for my son who's gone through 60 chicks and brought in more than $400 by raising them the first 2 to 4 months and then selling them to neighbors and others in the community. We live in a pretty strict HOA community but found a few tricks to get them on our side and ended up creating our own demand.

2009 will be a big year for our home as we will be doing some significate remodeling and renovating of the home and yard to get it more sustainable. I look forward to any input and suggestions you all have on what changes will give us the best return and am happy to slow this process down if it would serve you all to know about it.

One key to our remodel will be a natural pool system in the back yard that will integrate our water harvesting with an all-plant filtration system, aqua-culture, and underground watering system for our landscape plans and fruit trees. We're aiming to make the project an artful colaboration of form and function so I will be looking to you all for some help...

What technologies have you heard about that you wouls like to see in my yard?


and

How do I measure and know if I'm doing a good job with the remodel/renovation?

Love and Light to you and your Gardens!

With Delight,

Justin Rohner

[Sinfonian]

Hey there Justin! Welcome and glad to know you are working on more sustainability. Wow, 290 days of sun. We in the PNW might get half that. So I'm not the best to advise you on your remodel. I'm just happy you are taking the plunge. My 4 year old also loves the garden.

Welcome

[J-Bird]

Thank you for your kind welcome!
Your encouragement is actually VERY helpful in my remodel.
I'm actually very curious about what you do to protect your garden from the snow and excessive cold. What you do there might serve as great techniques for me to use to use to protect against our excessive excessive heat and sun.
I'd also love you know more about what you are having your 4 year old do around the garden. What do have teh little one do? And, what things are a definite no?

Blessings,

Justin

[gardengirl72]

Hey Justin! Welcome my friend. Thank you so much for signing up. And since you asked, I would love to see you install and document:

Solar and Wind Power for your Pool/Pond project
A solar hot water heater for the house, backed up with Point of use heaters
A water cistern and irrigation system....

Hows that for starters! Can't wait. I just checked out your website too. Great stuff.

[J-Bird]

Great suggestions Patti.
We definitely have plenty of SUN for the solar suggestions. I just ordered a 250 gallon cistern and another 55 gallon one as well. (any suggestion on how to blend the BLUE in with the yard?!) :)

Joy,

Justin

[gardengirl72]

At my house I put a lattice frame around my blue barrells(which is almost three feet of the ground on top of concrete blocks).

I think though that ideally, water cisterns should be burried and have a solar powered pump to get the water out.

I have a neighbor who simply painted here barrels the same color as her house and it completely blends in as well!

[plantoneonme]

Hi Justin, welcome to the group. Let me tell you there is plenty a 4 year old can do in the gardens. My granddaughter has been helping me since she was 2 and at the ripe old age of 4 is already a pretty accomplished gardener. She helps start seedlings in the spring, transplant them, water them and she is really good at harvesting the fruit and veggies. When the plants get a little bigger and are easy to identify, she helps pull out the weeds (they don't look like the veggies when bigger). She also has her own set of REAL tools to help out. She has a rake (they type used under bushes is perfect size), digging shovel (a small 1/2 size D ring adult shovel), digging trowel, 3 prong rake both long and short handled, watering can, garden gloves etc.

Last year she grew an whole flat of marigolds completely by herself. She transplanted into recycled cup, yogurt containers etc and had almost 100. We planted lots of them around my house, her house and other family. She gave many to my neighbors and needy seniors.

The only thing you have to do is have lots of patience since kids take longer to do anything...but their enthusiam is incredible. Kim

[gardengirl72]

I work my Ten year old daughter like a government mule! Just joking, my daughter is very helpful, but my gardens require very little maintenance, especially after I finish my irrigation project next spring.

[J-Bird]

Thank you Kim!
With Christmas on the way the kid-sized tools are a great idea!
And I love the story about the marigolds.
My son is deffinitely gaining more interest in helping with the planting.
Looks like I'll keep oening up oportunities for him. :)
~J

[Sinfonian]

Justin,

My 4 year old is the perfect helper for planting carrot and lettuce seeds. His small fingers are perfect for picking up a single seed and droping it into the hole he poked. I just point and he does the rest. He gets bored easily, but that's cause I won't let him dig in the beds, hehe.

My 2 year old helps me water, though I direct the hose. He loves it.

As for my situation, I use a simple hoop cover to protect my garden from the mild, wet winters we get here. I don't have the sun problem you have, but I tried out old window screens from a 4 foot window that fit nicely into my beds to provide some shade. Not sure if it helped.

I would suggest checking out self watering containers. Maybe put them on dollies and move them around in the summer. Shade if necessary, sun if not.

And I've seen people paint wonderful designs on their water barrels and I've seen them paint them the color of the house. Either way, it's not so bad.

Good luck!

[Backyard Permaculture]

Hello Justin

I am Ron. An Arizona Native, 3rd generation born in Mesa, 5th to live in AZ.

I now live in St David in Cochise County. Never really liked the city. Took me to many years to get out of it.

Where do you live in AZ?

Ron

[plantoneonme]

Justin,

My 4 year old is the perfect helper for planting carrot and lettuce seeds. His small fingers are perfect for picking up a single seed and droping it into the hole he poked. I just point and he does the rest. He gets bored easily, but that's cause I won't let him dig in the beds, hehe.

You could always give him a kid size fork and let him dig around in the compost...might help turn at least the edges and airate.