Master Gardener sharing garden inspiration and helpful tips for growing your own garden.
The days are beginning to warm up, and the anxiety about how your garden will survive the intense summer heat is rising as fast as the mercury in the thermometer. Here are 10 ways to help your garden survive summer. Take a deep breath, grab a cool drink, and read them under the shade of […] Read more…
In order to expand our garden, we needed to kill the Bermuda grass and then add raised beds. In this post, I share each step of our project — from killing the Bermuda grass (without chemicals) to deciding what to plant. All the resources we used are listed here too. Don’t let fear of Bermuda […] Read more…
The satisfaction you feel as you turn yard and kitchen waste into organic fertilizer that nourishes the soil, as well as your vegetables, plants, and flowers, is the reward for putting in the effort to learn how to compost. However, the thought of learning how to compost can be intimidating. The first time I started composting, I […] Read more…
Looking for the best way to label garden plants in your garden? Throughout the years I’ve used many different garden markers and plant labels. I finally settled on a way to label garden plants that is easy to see, lasts all season (even in the Arizona summer sun), and can be reused season after season. […] Read more…
Vegetable gardening in Arizona can be challenging. Principles that work in other areas, timing guidelines on seed packets, and general zone requirements often don’t apply to gardening in the low desert of Arizona. Growing a successful vegetable garden in Arizona is certainly possible. However, it is important to understand that Arizona has a unique climate […] Read more…
The first gardening class I attended was about square foot gardening. I soaked it all in, and then bought Mel Bartholomew’s “Square Foot Gardening” book. One of the concepts I loved was the simplicity of plant spacing in square foot gardens. Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information. How do you space […] Read more…
Raised-bed gardens are a popular option for starting a garden. Correct raised-bed garden design helps maximize the productivity of the available space. A well-designed raised-bed garden also adds beauty to your yard. Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information. Gardening with raised beds has several advantages: The soil mix you fill […] Read more…
Understand and follow correct watering principles, and find the best way to water raised-bed gardens to have a productive and healthy garden. The best way to water a raised-bed garden will provide consistent and even watering, be easy to use and maintain, and ideally be simple to install as well. Raised-bed gardens are a productive […] Read more…
This post on how to plant pots – tips for container gardening is sponsored by Better Homes & Gardens at Walmart. Planting flowers in pots on the patio, porch, or by your front door is a simple way to add beauty and color to the space. Best of all, you get to play in the dirt – […] Read more…
If you’re wondering what the best soil for raised bed vegetable gardening is, that’s an easy answer – “Mel’s Mix”. I didn’t come up with this mix, we can thank Mel Bartholomew, the author of Square Foot Gardening, for simplifying the best soil to use for raised bed vegetable gardening. After reading Square Foot Gardening […] Read more…