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Benefits of Backyard Gardening in Arizona

Backyard gardening is becoming a favorite activity for many families in Arizona. Not only do you get the exercise and feeling of accomplishment of growing your own, but you also get better tasting produce and save money on paying the grocery stores. Below we look at all of the benefits of backyard gardening in Arizona.

Health Benefits of Backyard Gardening

We all know that eating our fruits and vegetables is a proven way for us to stay healthier. Study after study has found that the people that eat more fruits and veggies suffer from less chronic diseases like gastrointestinal disease, heart disease, and impaired vision and cancer. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of treatment, and what easier way is there to have the healthier food growing right in our own backyards? Better than that, when you grow your own you can oversee the planting, growing, and harvesting which will ensure the best flavor. Being the freshest fruit and veggies you can get, you’re also assured to have the full nutrient value that your food can offer.

Stress is a fact of our lives, jobs, family, and politics can put us under a lot of pressure. Gardening has been found to be one of the best ways to help alleviate stress as it gets us out in the fresh air and sunshine doing some light exercise and keeping us active.

Financial Benefits of Backyard Gardening

Considering the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables these days, having a backyard garden can be a great source of savings on your grocery bill. In fact when you start checking prices for things like fresh tomatoes you’ll find they can be $2 per pound or more. The average gardener can get as much as 10 pounds of tomatoes out of just one tomato plant. So with even a modest amount of plants you can see the savings adding up quickly. In addition the cost of getting started is very low, a typical packet of tomato seeds is usually less than a couple of dollars.

You might be thinking that you don’t have enough room to start you own garden for feeding your family. Even a small plot dedicated to gardening can produce a significant amount of food. Even just a tenth of an acre can be used to produce enough most of the veggies that a single person will eat in a year. If all you’ve got is a balcony or porch you can still grow many vegetables in containers and we all know, every little bit helps when it comes to our budgets.

Backyard Gardening as a Way to Enrich Our Children’s lives

A great way to help kids learn valuable lessons is right in your backyard. They can be in the garden observing the animals, insects, and plants growing there. This helps them understand their relationship to the environment and their place in caring for it.

Not to mention how as they help out in the growing of food that benefits the family they will develop a sense of accomplishment and surely enjoy eating the fruits and veggies of their labors. This is a great way for them to learn the value of hard work, while improving their nutrition.

There are additional benefits to our health with backyard gardening. Getting outside and enjoying some sunlight has benefits to improve our moods. A lot of people today suffer from depression and the number 1 key to beating it is exercise and getting outside. All of the digging, shoveling, weeding, planting and harvesting you and your family will do in your garden will reap more rewards than just the fruit and vegetables.

Backyard Gardening’s Impact on the Environment

When most of us think about how we can help the environment we immediately focus on the fossil fuels we use in our own vehicles. Most people aren’t aware of the tremendous costs involved in taking the fruit and vegetables we eat from where they are grown to sitting on our grocery store shelves, and then in turn on our trip home. They say that you’ll save about 2 lbs of carbon emissions from going into the atmosphere for every pound of produce you grow yourself.

Backyard Produce Tastes Better

The fruit and vegetables you produce in your backyard garden are tended to with more care than the produce that is available at your local grocery store. If you’ve ever tasted a home grown tomato you’ll know the clear difference between backyard and store bought tomatoes. Tomatoes in particular ripen better on the vine, rather than on a truck or in your local store. This is true of just about every kind of perishable food. The closer you can get your fruit, vegetables, meat, and other perishable items to the source they are produced the fresher they will be. Fresh food simply tastes better and you can’t get closer to the source than having it growing in your own backyard.

Guidelines For A Great Backyard Garden

There is a monumental amount of information you can read about gardening. These are just a few guidelines to help you get started.

The Soil Is The Foundation

Depending on what you’re growing you will want different kinds of soil. Some plants need soils that will drain more quickly than others. Soils that have a lot of clay in them will need to be either replaced or reworked. Mulch can be added to clay rich soils to improve drainage and increase the nutrients. Research the specific plants you are wanting to grow and choose soils that benefit them specifically.

Well Watered Gardens

This is one situation where more isn’t always better. As much as plants need water to live, they also are susceptible to having problems with over watering. Root rot is a real problem with some plants and you need to make sure that you read about each plant and strike the right balance between providing enough water, without water logging and ruining your garden. In Arizona it is a smart idea to choose drought tough plants to start with, especially for landscaping.

Harvesting – Reaping The Rewards

Each type of fruit and vegetable has it’s own schedule for maturing and being ripe. Most seed packages have directions for how deep to plant each type of plant and how long it will take to grow.

After the harvest you will also have to evaluate how much of your fruit and vegetables you can use right away. Produce you are not going to use immediately can be preserved in a few different ways. Some people love to dry their fruit for a healthy snack. Others preserve their produce by freezing it until they are ready to use it. In these cases a stand alone freeze is a great idea. Be aware that you will want to create air tight seals to protect your produce from freezer burn. Frost free freezers tend to create more wear on your produce as they circulate air in the freezer to prevent the frost from building up.

Gardening Made Easy In Arizona

The backyard gardening experts with A&P Nursery are ready with simple and easy ways for you to get started with a great hobby, that ends up paying you back again and again.

They even make a quick and easy way to get you started on your backyard garden with Easy Garden Kits.

If you’ve got a few questions or you’re ready to make plans and order away give us a call at one of our convenient locations near you.

A & P Nursery
40370 N. Gantzel Rd.
Queen Creek, AZ 85240
480-655-5789

A & P Nursery
2645 W. Baseline Rd.
Mesa, Arizona 85202
480-839-5362

A & P Nursery
6129 E. Brown Rd.
Mesa, Arizona 85205
480-396-8800

A & P Nursery &
Lawnmower Shop
2601 E. Baseline Rd.
Gilbert, Arizona 85234
480-892-7939

Benefits Of Backyard Gardening In Arizona

Growing A Pomegranate Tree In Mesa AZ

There’s nothing like having a beautifully landscaped yard. But it’s even better when parts of it are edible. You can’t run out and gnaw on your tulips. So growing a pomegranate tree in Mesa is a great option. That way you can have your yard, and eat it too. The pomegranate tree’s beautiful red fruit against the dark green leaves provides a wonderful contrast and interest to your yard. In addition if you already love pomegranate you won’t have to go pay the grocer to get your favorite fruit.

Pomegranates are native to Asia and Southeastern Europe. They have also been extensively cultivated in ancient Babylonia, Egypt, Iran, and India. As far as pomegranate trees history in North America they were brought here by the Spanish. First they were brought to Mexico and then to California and Arizona.

The pomegranate tree is easy to grow in your Mesa garden. It has beautiful flowers and is well suited to our Mesa desert environment. They might be called a tree but they are somewhere between a bush and a tree. Typically growing anywhere from 6 – 12 feet high they are a deciduous and will lose their leaves for the fall and winter. They relish the full sun and summer heat, but can withstand some pretty stout cold days. They can survive as low as 10°F. During the hotter, drier parts of the summer they might need a little tending. Pomegranate trees are mildly drought resistant, but better safe than sorry and help them out with some water during the harshest parts of summer. This will help ensure that you get more, better fruit.

What Pomegranate Tastes Like

Pomegranate flavor will vary some depending on the soil and amount of water they got during the growing season. However most will have a tart, sweet taste. Despite the tendency of the seeds to stain skin with a reddish hue, they are the favorite part of the fruit. Pomegranate seeds are bursting with flavor. They have a juicy, sweet taste that people in Mesa love.

What To Do With Pomegranate

Unlike fruits like the banana or orange where you simply grab a hold and peel the fruit, it takes a little more effort to get into a pomegranate. But you will be rewarded for your efforts with a unique flavor and a deliciously sweet fruit. Here’s how to get one open.

Opening A Pomegranate

The pomegranate typically has a leathery pinkish to red skin. It may look hard to open, but with a little knowledge it becomes very simple. Here’s the specifics on how to make it easy and get to enjoying the fruits of your labor. Always cut away from yourself and use common sense when handling your knives.

Pom Preparation

Cut off the top of the pomegranate
Slice down the edges or ribs of the pomegranate
Try to cut deep enough to crack the skin, but don’t score the seeds
Gripping the top where you cut initially pull outwards and crack it open
Enjoy the fruit of your labors

Ways To Enjoy Pomegranates

Not being one of the fruits they teach you much about in elementary and not being one of the best known fruits a lot of people are hesitant to plant one of these beauties in their backyard. Here are some ideas of what you can do with the fruit.

Here’s just a few ways that people love enjoying their Pomegranates:

Make A Stake Glaze With Pomegranate – After extracting the juice from your pomegranate you can combined it with some coarsely ground peppercorn, rosemary, olive oil, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar to make a wonderfully complex glaze to set your steaks apart.

Throw Some Seeds In Your Salad – After you’ve got your Pomegranate cracked open you can sprinkle them into your tossed green salad with some pear slices and blue cheese. The Pomegranate gives it that extra depth and flavor.

Toss Some Seeds In Your Breakfast – Many pomegranate lovers will add the seeds to a variety of foods. From throwing a few into yogurt to simply making a breakfast salad having some pomegranate seeds give

Planting A Pomegranate Tree In Your Mesa Backyard

While the most common pomegranate trees that are grown in Arizona and California is the “Wonderful” variety of Pomegranate, there are other varieties. The Wonderful pomegranate grows best in the Mesa area which is why it is so prolific.

Choosing A Site For Your Pomegranate Tree – Like most trees that thrive in hot dry desert like areas like Mesa the Pomegranate tree relishes the full sun. In fact a successful harvest of pomegranate is dependent on getting enough sun so it can grow properly. If you don’t have a backyard or spot that gets that full sun every day, pick the spot that gets the least amount of shade.

The soil in the site you pick needs to be a well draining soil, like a sandy soil. Loam soil also offers good drainage. They grow well in alkaline soils, but some growers believe that they must be growing in slightly acidic soils. The biggest problem is if you have a clay type soil, which will retain too much water and risk getting root rot.

Choosing A Site For Your Mesa Pomegranate Tree

Planting Your Pomegranate Tree – In some areas of the country that has frost problems they have to wait for spring and after the first frost. In Mesa you have a little more flexibility. But earlier in the year is better. This will help get the tree established with a healthy root system before the intense Mesa summers take hold. If you are planting the tree yourself you need to have a hole dug about 2 feet deep and about 2 feet wide.

Watering Your Pomegranate Tree – For newly planted trees an immediate watering is necessary to help the soil settle. Continue to do daily watering until the tree grows new leaves. This is a sign that your pomegranate is settled into its new home. After you’ve got new leaf growth you’ll want to start spacing you’re watering out and end up at about once a week. This can vary depending on the heat for the week, harsher weeks require a little more watering. When your pomegranate is flower or fruit is developing you will want to give your tree a deep watering every week.

Fertilizing Your Pomegranate Tree – For the pomegranate a ammonium sulfate fertilizer is a great option. Using about 1/3 of a cup sprinkle your fertilizer on the ground around the roots to enrich the soil with the nutrients that you tree needs to grow the best it can. You’ll want to do this about 3 times during the first year of growth. The best months to do this fertilization are February, May and September.

Fertilizing Your Pomegranate Tree in Mesa

Pruning and Weeding – Because the pomegranate grows a bit like a shrub some of the limbs will be closer to the ground. You don’t want weeds to grow up into the tree and strangle some of it’s health. When it comes to pruning the pomegranate tree some owners like to do more than simply pruning. They like to form the tree to be a shape they prefer. As much as the pomegranate tree grows as a bush you can make it look like a tree with proper pruning. Shortly after your tree is established you will want to use a pair of clippers or shears to cut the “suckers” from the base of the pomegranate tree. This is only for appearances, not a necessary step. If you let it grow naturally it will take on a more bush like appearance.

The only necessary pruning is removing dead or damaged sections. In the spring you will want to cut away sections that look like they are dying, dead, or struggling.

Pest Management – There are two insects that pose a danger to your pomegranate fruit. The aphid and pomegranate butterfly. The butterfly is pretty rare and can be guarded against by simply getting some butterfly spray from your local nursery. Some owners wouldn’t ever even imagine killing the butterflies and choose to coexist with them and sacrifice a little bit of their fruit. Ultimately the choice is up to the individual. The spray will make the butterflies stay away and avoid them laying their larvae on your trees. The aphids can also be managed using sprays that are available from your local nursery.

Mold Management – Apart from pests running your fruit you have to be careful not to ruin the tree yourself. Avoid over watering your pomegranate tree, follow the guide we have laid out to avoid root rot and problems with your tree. Too much water will mean that the soil cannot effectively drain and will leave the tree in danger of developing mold.

Nursery Palm Tree Mesa Arizona

If you’re ready to choose and have a pomegranate tree planted at your Mesa home contact the knowledgeable and helpful folks at your local A&P Nursery.

A & P Nursery
40370 N. Gantzel Rd.
Queen Creek, AZ 85240
480-655-5789

A & P Nursery
2645 W. Baseline Rd.
Mesa, Arizona 85202
480-839-5362

A & P Nursery
6129 E. Brown Rd.
Mesa, Arizona 85205
480-396-8800

A & P Nursery &
Lawnmower Shop
2601 E. Baseline Rd.
Gilbert, Arizona 85234
480-892-7939

Growing A Fig Tree In Arizona

Growing a fig tree in Arizona can be phenomenally rewarding. They grow two harvests per growing season, produce deliciously sweet fruit and are beautiful trees. Fig trees might take about 3 or more years to start producing a viable crop, but when they really start to produce you will have all the figs you can eat!

Figs being one of the oldest cultivated crops were a favorite of some of our oldest societies. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and even Egyptians enjoyed figs. Fig trees grow anywhere from 10 – 30 feet tall. The plants have leaves that make them look particularly tropical. The common fig tree is deciduous, so you can expect for the leaves to come off in the fall. Having all of its flowers as “female”, the fig does not require pollination to develop fruit. This means you will have bigger crops without having to rely on pollination.

In fact there are usually 2 cycles of harvesting figs per year. The first crop has the name “breba”. This is a crop that is the maturation of the previous growing year’s buds. The following crop is actually the main crop and is the fruit that develops from the buds that are set in spring and summer.

What Figs Taste Like

There are many varieties of fig trees, and fig flavors. A few of the most popular that have become mainstays of our pantries are; Brown Turkey, Black Mission, Sierra, Kadota, Calimyrna and King Fig Trees. Flavors can vary from nutty, caramel-coffee to maple syrup, caramel, honey and almond, and raspberry.

What To Do With Figs

Many new fig tree owners are surprised with the volume of fruit these trees provide, once they are properly matured. It does take a couple of years after planting to get your tree to produce its first fruit. However when the going gets good, it really gets going. Many fig tree owners scramble to hurry and start making jam. But there is so much more that can be done with these versatile fruits.

Here are some of the ways you can enjoy your figs:

Add Flavor To Your Meat – While cooking up a roast for your holiday or weekend meal toss a few figs in with the meat. As they cook they release an wonderful aroma and slowly release their savory juices into the sauce.

Figs In The Batter – When you are making cookies, muffins or scones throwing some fig into the batter can add some unique and delicious flavor. It will set your treats apart and give them a wonderfully unique taste.

Fig Chutney – Chop up some figs and simmer them with a couple sprigs of thyme. Toss in some caramelized onions for a deliciously rich fig chutney. This can be a wonderful addition to your cracker and cheese platters to add some depth and variety.

Planting A Fig Tree In Your Mesa Backyard

Choosing Fig Trees – Most types of fig trees will grow anywhere. But some do better in the hot dry climate we have here in Mesa, AZ. The Conadria and the Kadota fig trees are a couple of the best suited for the Arizona heat.

Conadria Fig Trees are one of the largest fig trees, and has a high sugar content to the fruit. The fruit a Conadria produces can be used to eat fresh or make great dried fruit. This fig type also resists spoiling in rainy weather and has a small eye size. The small eye size helps with insect resistance.
Kadota Fig Trees produce a medium to large size fruit. The fruit is yellow in color and deliciously sweet. The fruit from the Kadota fig tree ripen best with hot temperatures and full sun. The Kadota fig tree is grown extensively and is actually one of the most common types of fig to find in the grocery stores.

Choosing A Site – Depending on the type of fig tree you choose you will need to consider the width around where you are planting the tree. Fig trees can grow very large, spanning from 10-30 feet. In fact they can be wider than they are tall. Another consideration when choosing your site to plant your Mesa fig tree is the leaves it will drop. The fig is a deciduous tree and if you have a pool you’ll want to plant this tree in the front yard or as far as practical from your pool. Requiring at least 8-10 hours of full sun a day you’ll also want to keep your fig tree away from the house or anywhere that’s excessively shaded. Needing a soil type that drains well, the sandy soils you find here in Mesa are actually pretty ideal for a fig tree.

Planting Fig Trees – Like most trees that you want to plant in the desert, the time to plant the fig tree is in the fall or early spring. This gives the root system time to mature and be ready for the harsh summer weather we have here in Mesa.

Watering Fig Trees – During normal summer heat in Mesa fig trees require watering about every 3-5 days. If its unusually hot and Arizona is setting records you should water more often. If you’re unsure of if your tree needs water use a soil probe to find out. All trees should be watered to a depth of 3 feet each time there is a irrigation event. There’s no hard and fast rule for how much water it will take for it to reach 3 feet as different soil types will take longer.

Fertilizing Your Fig Tree – Many times fig trees that are planted directly in the ground have no need for fertilization. The exception is if they are planted in sandy soil. If you’re unsure if your soil has the required nutrients you can have your soil tested by a lab. If your soil is deemed to be low in nutrients get a half a pound of nitrogen and divide it equally into 3 treatments. Apply the nitrogen in the months of growth, May, June, and July.

Pruning Fig Trees – One of the greatest parts of growing figs from your own fig tree in Mesa is that they rarely require pruning. They produce two crops per growing season and are best pruned after the second harvest. If you wait and try to prune your fig during the winter risk removing some of the fruit already growing that would be in your first harvest.

Mesa Fig Tree Pests – Luckily in Arizona we don’t have as many pests to worry about as some regions in the United States. There are 3 pests you might encounter with your fig tree. The green fig beetle, birds and gophers are the most common pests for this area. To protect your figs from the beetle and birds you can cover the fruit with bagging or netting. There is little that can be done about gophers.

If you’d like to learn more about fig trees in Mesa or you’re ready to buy one come see the experts at A&P Nursery at one of their 4 convenient Mesa locations.

A & P Nursery
40370 N. Gantzel Rd.
Queen Creek, AZ 85240
480-655-5789

A & P Nursery
2645 W. Baseline Rd.
Mesa, Arizona 85202
480-839-5362

A & P Nursery
6129 E. Brown Rd.
Mesa, Arizona 85205
480-396-8800

A & P Nursery &
Lawnmower Shop
2601 E. Baseline Rd.
Gilbert, Arizona 85234
480-892-7939

Growing Vegetables in Raised Garden Beds

Growing Vegetables in Raised Garden Beds Mesa AZ

For the novice or beginner gardener the advantages of growing vegetables in raised garden beds might not be clear. There are multiple benefits of using raised garden beds for growing all your herbs and vegetables. Here we examine a list of advantages of raised garden beds.

Weed Control – The archenemy of the gardener is the weed, they are time consuming to remove and can wear a back out in no time at all. Raised garden beds help minimize these pesky garden sapping annoyances. If you start out with weed free soil you can dramatically cut down on worrying about hours spent weeding instead of growing those prize winning veggies. Also because the raised garden bed is set on top of existing topsoil you can set weed barriers between existing soil and your new loam or potting soil to keep them from creeping in.

Pest Control – With the soil and plants raised up off the ground it can also be a great way to limit the exposure to slugs and snails. If you are plagued by gophers you can also put down some chicken wire by the weed barrier which will prevent pests from tunneling in under your hard work.

Selective Soil – When you are starting from scratch you can build your soil right. Using the best loam or potting soil you can launch your backyard garden with the best of everything. Soil is critical in the game plan for your gardening success. Loam is a balance of soil types with the benefit of sandy soil drainage but the advantages of nutrient rich clay soils. Raised Garden Beds also help keep your designer soil in your garden during heavy rains, instead of it eroding and washing away.

Controlled Drainage – Since you are creating a garden in an enclosed space you can also customize the bottom of the structure to allow varied levels of drainage to compliment the type of vegetables you are growing. Keeping moisture around just a bit long from some is beneficial, while other types of fruit like watermelon enjoy a sandy soil that drains quickly.

Extended Growing Season – For plants and vegetables to thrive soil needs to warm up to a certain point. Since the soil in the raised garden bed is getting heated from the sides it warms quicker than soil that’s just surrounded on all sides by more soil. A raised garden bed is a great way to get your plants out of the cooler winter ground and get a head start on the growing year.

More Ergonomic – Most people aren’t thrilled with the thought of a day hunched over with their back crying out for relief as you tend you garden and further your green thumb. Raised garden beds are a more ergonomic way of gardening as the plants are higher up and easier to reach. In fact if the proper steps are taken and the right materials and fasteners are used during construction gardeners are able to sit on the sides of these beds and comfortably tend their soil and plants.

Ability to Relocate – Despite if it’s across the yard or across town you can move these raised garden beds. With standard gardening your plants are in the ground and you just have to leave it all behind and start over at the next place.

Higher Yields – You’re starting your garden earlier, pests are held at bay with a raised barrier, you’ve got betters soil, you’ve got better drainage. This is the perfect storm to get better yields from your garden. If you put in the effort doing it right, tending your plants and soil, the ground will give back and reward you. In contrast to standard gardening methods a raised garden bed also requires less seeds, which is more cost effective.

Gorgeous Gardens – It’s simply more aesthetically pleasing when you use raised garden beds. Things just look like they have a place and are living happily within your organized system of backyard order.

Premade Raised Garden Beds in Mesa AZ

A&P Nursery has you covered if you don’t want to invest the time or don’t have the tools to build a raised garden bed from scratch. These raised garden beds are quick, easy set up. Check out more information on these garden kits.

The experts at A&P Nursery have 4 convenient locations to help you start out your raised vegetable garden right.

Call or come and visit one of their locations:

A & P Nursery
40370 N. Gantzel Rd.
Queen Creek, AZ 85240
480-655-5789

A & P Nursery
2645 W. Baseline Rd.
Mesa, Arizona 85202
480-839-5362

A & P Nursery
6129 E. Brown Rd.
Mesa, Arizona 85205
480-396-8800

A & P Nursery &
Lawnmower Shop
2601 E. Baseline Rd.
Gilbert, Arizona 85234
480-892-7939

Gardening is Good for The Soul

Life can be hectic and it can be hard to find much needed peace and sanctuary in our everyday lives. Creating a space specifically for you to separate from the rest of the world and be with your thoughts in solitude is very healthy and beneficial for us to do. One way people decide to accomplish this is by gardening. Applying your focus and efforts into fostering life in a quiet and peaceful environment can be a physical form of meditation, which can be very revitalizing. Creating a barrier between your obligations and doing what you desire is something we should all do because it helps us to not feel like all we do is work or fulfill those obligations. Finding balance in life is a principle that has been held since ancient times. We have always understood that we have a need to retreat within ourselves and explore our own thoughts and feeling in quiet solitude. Meditating has many forms and benefits and its practice is as old as mankind itself. Gardening is one discipline that can be considered meditative as you are usually in solitude operating in a state of peace and tranquility, even if you aren’t actively exploring introspectively

Not only is the act of gardening soothing and healing, once the space has been cultivated for a period of time you will have a beautiful place to escape to and enjoy in peace, even when you aren’t tending to your plants. Most people find great satisfaction and peace when they are more in tune with nature and the levels of satisfaction and peace only increase over time. If you desire a sanctuary, why not take it upon yourself to create one? Gardening can be done on any scale from small and simple to very large and complex. Gardening can also be good for bond building. Cooperating with a partner toward the common goal of assisting your plants to thrive can be a soothing as well as a catalyst to furthering the bond between you and whoever you decide to share you gardening experience with. As time passes you both will take pride in the fact that you cultivated your new beautiful space as a team and can now enjoy it as such! Gardening really can bring a family closer together. If you have kids, gardening can be a constructive way to instill discipline and diligent work ethic as well as responsibility. There are millions of ways to learn and teach, it just so happens to be that gardening is one of the most effective methods! This will benefit your young ones in the area of producing organic food for themselves in the future as long as growing food is part of the gardening style that you choose. We live in a day and age where food is getting further and further away from being organically produced and it is greatly effecting our health as we are not receiving the nutrients that we once did from the exact same foods. Ensuring that you have organic produce is a measure you can take against this trend and it will set the foundation for practicing healthy living habits. That is the greatest thing you can give to a child!

You can choose to create a space designed to appeal to you visual senses by being more aesthetically dynamic with vibrant and bright flowers and plants. You can also create a more functional garden that can produce food for you and your family, which brings its own version of tranquility and satisfaction. There really are no limits to the creativity you can express in your garden and you may find that you have found a lifelong hobby. If a garden is especially impressive and has evolved into a feature of your home and property, it can actually raise the overall value of your house and the lot that is sits on. With all of these benefits present, why wouldn’t you want a garden!!!? All you need to do is decide to start a garden and the rest of the steps will follow. Do yourself a favor and develop that bright and shiny green thumb that you have always secretly desired!

Ground Covering Plants Can Free You of Weeds

If you are fostering a personal home garden, you are always looking for ways to improve your garden and the efficiency of its design. The More efficient your garden design is, the more you will be rewarded by your garden with rich and vibrant blooms and fruit/vegetable yields. A great way to both add to the aesthetic of you garden and raise its efficiency is using ground cover plants to control weed growth. There are a variety of ground cover plant types available with beautiful diversity. You can almost completely eradicate the complications created by weeds by planting they ground covering plants along your garden bed. When you are deciding which ground cover plants to place in your garden, understand that the species that work best to eradicate weed growth do so because the grow as aggressively as most weeds do. Not only will your garden bed be free of the ugliness of weeds, the ground will have a lush bed of flowers covering it and giving it a vibrant, aromatic atmosphere.

Some ground covering flowers that are both effective and beautiful include: Vinca Minor, Ajuga, and English Ivy. English ivy can be especially transforming and appealing aesthetically, as it can cascade down hillsides and overtake rocks and structures which will make edges and angles appear to be softer while adding a degree of elegance and sophistication. If you are looking for options that are more colorful than ivy, look at species such as Periwinkle and Vinca Minor which show off vivid shades of blue and purple. Ajuga, also referred to as bugleweed grows flowers that are about six inches tall and show off pinks and whites along with purple and blue depending on the species.

Adding any of these ground cover plant varieties will help your garden stay out of the clutches of weeds while enhancing its visual allure with the addition of one (or more if you’d like) ground covering plant species.

How to Attract Birds and Butterflies to Your Garden

Gardens are usually visually appealing and atmospherically dynamic when tended to with love and guided intention. Most gardeners develop their green thumbs in order to create a personalized space that can be used as a sanctuary. One way to add another dynamic element to your environment is attracting birds and butterflies to you garden. Birds of all types, especially humming birds, will be attracted to your garden if a few simple steps are taken.

Attracting birds to your garden can be done in several fashions, depending on what kinds of birds you are hoping to attract.

Hummingbirds: Placing feeders filled with nectar and sugar water is a well known method for attracting these fascinating birds into your garden realm. One lesser known tidbit is that 60% of the diet of hummingbirds consists of insects. Spraying insecticide in your garden may actually be keeping hummingbirds away from your garden.

Quail, Doves, Sparrows: These are all seed loving birds, so growing plants that produce the kinds of seeds they prefer will naturally attract these birds. Sunflowers, globe mallow, desert marigolds, ironwood, brittlebush Palo Verde, barberry, desert hackberry, Mexican elderberry and pyracantha are all great choices for this. Birds enjoy moving water as well, so any form of water feature will raise the frequency of the visits you’ll receive from your feathered friends.

Butterflies: These majestic creatures are attracted to plants like butterfly brush, desert bloom, desert milkweed, verbena, desert senna, fairy duster, lavender, citrus, privet, chocolate flower and butterfly weed. Planting one or more of these plants will ensure you are visited in your sanctuary on a regular basis by butterflies.

Attracting these beautiful creatures to your garden will not only add life to your garden in a very literal sense, it will help keep pests from populating as birds prey on many would-be invaders. Keeping your garden both beautiful and healthy can be accomplished by recruiting some of nature’s more than willing helpers.

Garden Planting Schedule For When & What To Plant In Mesa, AZ

best garden planting schedule mesa arizona

Mesa Arizona’s climate is a lot different than other parts of the United States so of course that means that their garden planting schedules also differ. Unlike other places, gardeners in Mesa can grow things all year long but the best time of the season to plant things in Mesa is November through March. Yes, while others are building snow men, we are planting our gardens.

Planting Schedules In Mesa, AZ

See below to find out the best planting schedule for plant and each season.

Annuals Planting Schedule

Annuals can be planted Oct through Apr

Citrus Trees Planting Schedule

Citrus trees can be planted in the fall or the spring

Bare Root Roses Planting Schedule

Bare root roses can be planted Jan through Feb (Short Window of Opportunity)

Vegetable Planting Schedule

Vegetables can be planted Mid-September through March

Bulbs Planting Schedule

Iris and Daffodil bulbs grow best when planted in November

Best Planting Seasons In Mesa

There are 2 primary planting seasons in Mesa, AZ (Spring & Fall)

Best Harvest Times

Harvest times are best in Jun, Jul, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec. Also, if you cover your plants from frost you can still harvest veggies in Feb & Mar.

Cold Season Vegetables

In the cool season you can plant cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, peas, onions, potato and radish can be planted in the middle of September.

Warmer Season Vegetables

In the warm season you can plant cucumbers, green beans, pepper, melons, pumpkin, sweet corn, squash and tomatoes (but they have to be covered planted early, grow best if planted in February). Most gardeners in Mesa plant their warmer season vegetables in the middle of February. Plant green beans same time as sweet peas and cover if there is frost.

How Trees Actually Produce Oxygen

We’ve all heard how important trees are to everything in our environment because of their ability to take in carbon dioxide and emit clean, breathable oxygen. While we all understand that trees perform this vital task many of us do not know how this process actually happens. We will outline how we and every other organism on the planet produce carbon dioxide and how trees transform our emissions and recycle them back into one of the necessary building blocks of life.

Photosynthesis:

Photosynthesis is a term that refers to a plants ability to transmute various energy sources like sun light, water and carbon dioxide into usable energy or ‘food’ that the trees uses for sustenance. Plants can survive and even thrive as long as they have all three of those energy sources available. When it comes to carbon dioxide, plants ‘ingest’ carbon dioxide through the leaves where it is turned into sugars that the tree can use for nutrition. The excess water that the tree takes in that isn’t used to break down these sugars is emitted as oxygenated molecules that are released back into the atmosphere. Once light and carbon dioxide are taken in the stomates in the leaves begin the process of converting the carbon dioxide into the sugars the tree desires. The tree separates the water into hydrogen and oxygen and the hydrogen that isn’t used attaches to the carbon dioxide, becoming a fully oxygenated molecule.

Now, this is a brief explanation of an extremely complex process that can be elaborated on scientifically at great length. The more we know about trees, the more we may value them and realize how important they are for this entire planet that we call home. We tend to not see things that don’t have their own means of locomotion or lack eyes, ears etc as less than organisms that stand on equal ground to us and all other sentient creatures we share the Earth with. Hopefully understanding how complex plants, specifically trees, actually are will change this tendency and put plant life on the pedestal it deserves to be on.

Gardening Tips for the Heat

Gardening during the hot season presents challenges that are not present during the rest of the year. If you are newer to the gardening world you may not be aware of some of these challenges or how to handle them. Even if you are an experienced gardener, brushing up is always a good idea. Staying up to speed can only enhance your abilities as a gardener as the information gets ingrained more and more over time. With that said, here are some tips to deal with the heat during the summer and keep your plants flourishing.

Add Mulch: Laying down an one to two inches of mulch over your planting beds will help you conserve moisture so you plants can stay hydrated. The sun naturally speeds up evaporation and can rob your plants of all important water.

Give Your Plants Some Space: Being careful to not over plant is important as a crowded planting bed can prevent the soil from retaining enough moisture for each plant to consume an adequate amount. Give your plants room to breathe (or drink, for that matter) and they will thrive.

Make Sure There is Shade: Making sure your plants are shaded during the hottest parts of the day will go a long way in you achieving your gardening goals during the hot portion of the year. It will help your plants stay comfortable and retain moisture.

Soak Pots: Make sure the potting mix in your pots stays moist so it can deliver water adequately to the root system of you plant. If the potting mix dries out, water will merely run down the sides of the pot, between the pot’s walls and the clump of dried out soil. Make sure your pots always contain moisture in the soil.

Use Less Fertilizer: While this may seem counter intuitive, withholding fertilizer from your plants during the summer will prevent them from growing to large and needing larger amounts of water, which can be difficult to retain.

Drink Water!!!: The Arizona heat and sun can absolutely rob your body of moisture and valuable hydration. Heat born illnesses can be extremely painful and even deadly, but they are easily avoidable. Maintaining proper hydration is all you need to do in order to keep heat stroke at bay. Take a bottle of ice cold water out into your garden with you and think about watering yourself while you are watering your plants.

Wear a Hat: Wearing hats will keep the sun out of your eyes and off of your shoulders, if the hat is fully brimmed. Sun exposure can be very damaging to your skin if the exposure is too intense. This is especially true for sensitive facial and shoulder skin.

Wear Sun Protection: Protecting your body from harmful uv rays can be done in several ways. Sun block is an option as long as you have a strong enough spf, but sun block can be harmful in it’s own right if you have allergies or sensitivities. Another option is to where light colored and lightly weighted clothing to create a barrier between your skin and the sun. Light clothing that can reflect sun light away from your skin can also help keep you cool.