The Facts

The desert (Phoenix)

Something  new. Growing our own organic food in the desert. Sounds like a challenge.  It is more sustainable than going to the local market.

The soil: we have approximately 500 square feet of dirt on the south side of our house with six foot block walls on the south and west sides. Looks as if it was a garden in the past, but not used for years.

We rototilled to approximately a ten inch depth, the soil worked up real well. We decided to research to find the best compost to add to our soil.  We determined that a gentleman named Ken Singh was the person we needed to hook up with to obtain the best composting material. Ken Singh is a very interesting man doing amazing  things at his farm, Singh Farms in Scottsdale...check him out...  http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2008/12/30/20081230sr-singhfarm1231.html

Brought in a considerable amount of Singh's Soil and rototilled it in with the old garden soil.  From this point we decided to raise our beds, so we created natural raised beds without any framing (approx. six inches in height and twelve inches wide) this will give us good depth for our root systems to head south and to develop well in this hot dry climate. We also laid out our rows in a non traditional approach due to the proximity of the very high walls.  We decided to use the walls for our trellised vegetables and tomatoes.  This would still give us our eight hours of sun without blocking the rest of our garden. Then we made our list of herbs and veggies that are in season for planting.  They are as follows:

   Herbs
          Basil                      Fenugreek (methi) 
            Chives                   Parsley
            Cilantro                 Oregano
            Dill                          Thyme

                           

  Vegetables
     Arugala
      Beans-Bush
      Beans-Pole
      Beets
      Bitter Melon (kerala)
      Carrots
      Chard
      Cucumbers
      Kale-Red
      Lettuce-Mesculin
      Lettuce-Red Leaf
      Micro Greens
      Okra (pindi)
      Onions
      Peas-Snap
      Peppers-hot
      Peppers-bell
      Spinach
      Squash-Summer
      Tomatoes-early girl
      Tomatoes-golden pear
      Tomatoes-Roma

     

Planned our layout and prepped the soil with organic fertilizer.  Couldn't wait for the next day to start  our endeavor.  It took a few days to get the majority planted.  We got everything in the ground and on the desert planting schedule.

We have now created not only organic, healthy and fresh food for us but also a space for peace,tranquility and harmony.