Let There Be Green

Bless you, Goodwill, not only for the regular entertainment, but also for the occasional thrill. 

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We're landscaping our backyard this week -- finally!  I won't confess how long we've lived here with no yard (hm-hmm - years).  We installed a patio and raised garden beds last year, but then the summer overtook us. Outside is the last place you want to be in the Arizona summertime.  Now we have the sprinklers set and the garden beds filled with dirt.  Two pallets of sod arrived this morning and we're in the final sprint.

Gardeners here enjoy two growing seasons each year.  (Yeah, I know, isn't that awesome. For the most part, the weather here is gorgeous.)  Though it's late for planting a summer garden, I'm not giving up.  I'm going to see about adopting some larger plants from the nursery.  Even if all I can do is tomatoes.  Then tomatoes it will be.

In fact, I'm going to call the nursery right now. 

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Here's the scoop.  I guess it's the tomatoes that are the bigger concern.  I'm told the blooms need to "set" before the weather reaches 100 degrees.  If I can pull that off, then I'm home free.  So, it'll be Early Girl tomatoes or Celebrity.  Then, I'm still in the clear for peppers, eggplant, squash, zucchini, etc.  And herbs.  Basil goes nuts here.  Last time I had a garden, basil was my favorite luxury.  Homemade pizza with basil, yum. 

Comments

[Chris]

Hooray for Phoenix and the adventures in gardening. I hope it is very productive for you.

[Kashoan]

That sounds like a good plan. This is the 1st yr that we planted seeds. We have tiny tomato, pepper, oregano,and marigolds. Cant wait!!

[Diane]

I have a candy dish just like the one in your picture that either my mom or me made back in the early 70's at a ceramics class we used to go to! Ours is yellow and green.
Blessings,
Diane

[Leslie Esparza]

Ummmm...how awesome to cook with fresh veggies! One of my favorite cookbooks/web sites for fresh recipes is: http://www.bemomalicious.com. I love her basic pasta sauce recipe because of the fresh basil. Hmmm...might have to rethink my dinner menu for tonight. :-)

[Katy Sanders]

Heather,
When planting tomotaoes, if there are flowers on the starters, pick them off and clip the plant back a little bit and it will grow no matter how hot it gets. The trick is not letting the tomatoes go into shock after you plant them. And if you plant basil next to the tomatoes, your tomatoes won't be overrun with bugs that love tomatoes. The smell of the basil keeps most bugs out. I always plant basil around my tomoatoes every year, and for whatever reason, it also helps the tomatoes taste better too.
Good luck with your garden. I always love to hear about people's gardens, it's very fulfilling to have a garden.
Katy Sanders

[Heather Bailey]

Hey Katy! Thanks for the tips. Are you still gardening? I know it was a big disappointment to leave your gardening club in the northwest. Do the two growing seasons here make up for it?

[Karen]

Here in MN I grew celebrity tomatoes last summer only to be highly disappointed. They had no mouthwatering flavor. The blt's tasted like a winter sandwich-tomatoes only there for the color.

Don't you love the occasional great find at a thrift store? I have a bright yellow ceramic rooster found a few years ago. Every summer he rules the roost of my patio.

[JJ]

Oh! Tomatoes! You simply MUST try the heirloom "OxHeart" tomato... de-lish! My FIL plants them every year and we fight over who gets the most. He plants a garden big enough to feed most of the county and he'll share everything BUT the OxHearts! Good luck. We only have 1 season here in good ol' southern Indiana, so I'm quite jealous... Ahhh, dreaming of tomatoes now, mouth watering...

[Vanessa Johanning]

Heather ! I am so jealous of the two seasons!! We still had frost AGAIN last night!! But I have 1000+ tulips blooming!!

I love goodwill! in fact.. I dont know if I just live in the most perfect spot, (I think so!) but I live within 20 minutes of three of them! and four antique malls!
I love thrifting!!

I am also a gardendesigner by trade...So I am working on 9 garden designs right now!! I love it!! Its so fun seeing my drawing come to life before my eyes... and then before I know it I am walking through the middle of the page!! in real life!! I will never get over how cool that is!

Good luck! and plant some easy annuals! I heard the hummingbirds are crazy good by you!!

~Vanessas

[Rebekah]

I love growing my own basil.

[Tabitha O.]

Out here in the deserts of Albuquerque we have found the little tomoatoes to be the best survivors and packed with deliciousness my girls eat them off the vines before they even come in the house and the smell of the plants is divine

[Caroline]

and pesto! don't forget the pesto! I think this year I'll have lots of basil..my neighbor had excess last year and we were fortunate to partake in it ;) bless her soul!

[Antonia Krajicek]

After 5+ years in AZ I have yet to attempt a garden. I'm very interested to hear how yours turns out. Good luck!!! :)

[Chrissy Richter]

I just wanted to tell you that you do AMAZING work! I really admire your blog and your creativity. Thanks for sharing it with the world!

[Marsha]

I live in Connecticut, and if we plant too late because it's been cold, we have to do the Early Girl too. They are yummy! You must, MUST plant the basil! Think of all those homemade pizzas and salads your children will enjoy! My daughter picks the basil leaves right off the plant and puts them into her mouth while she is outside with my husband watering the garden. The kids love it!

S.W.A.K.

[Kate]

I understand the appeal of a veggie garden, but do you really need sod in weather so hot and dry? We only have one planet, and I'm not sure watering grass on the desert is the best use of our limited resources.

[Abbey Rice]

We had snow here in Maine yesterday. It didn't stick, but still. Planting tomatoes is a way off for us!

And, I sorta agree with Kate...sorry. Still love the blog.

[Lynn (Seguine) Jorgensen]

We're in Mesa, and we've had a garden for the past two years. It isn't too late to do lettuce, spinach, summer squash/zucchini, pumpkins, or melons. Btw, I just found out that your brother Ryan and I were in the same stake for three years before we bought our first home. How funny is that?

[colourdujour]

Early Girl are YUM and also a cherry tomato call Sweet 100. Great for a garden snack. Mine usally get eaten right off the vine.

ps use of our natural resources is not the problem, Abuse and waste are. Go ahead plant & water your garden and enjoy eating local. (a spaghetti drip system will help conserve water.

[LeeAnn]

Mmmm. Tomatoes and basil. My two favorite summertime words! Grilled cheese with tomato and basil. Best. Ever.

[Margaret]

Basil around the tomatoes is a great trick. Don't forget that you can make pesto with all that delicious basil, and freeze it in ice cube trays to keep you stocked through the non-growing seasons! We don't have nearly the heat here in the Northwest, but we still put away enough pesto last summer to last until about a week ago -- and we put it on everything (fish, pizza, pasta, etc etc etc). YUM!

[Katy Sanders]

Heather,
I love the two growing seasons here. I get to have roses year around, and a garden year around. Who could ask for more?

[Chris]

Have fun growing your vegies.
You are able to have a garden and water even if you are in a dry place. Get rainwater tanks connected to your house and also divert your rinse water from your washing machine are two ways to keep a green garden.
(From the dry Melbourne in Australia)

[rocks and minerals to buy]

Awesome pictures!