Spring is in the air, and for many gardeners, that means it’s time to start cleaning up the yard. But what if I told you that your garden beds will be better off with a little mess?
Leaving the leaves is not just for fall. Here are seven critical reasons to keep them on your garden beds as winter turns into spring, and spring into summer.
1. Protects good bugs.
Above: Leaf litter provides shelter and nutrients to beneficial insects like centipedes and millipedes. Photograph by Jim Powell for Gardenista, from 10 Essential Insects You Need in the Garden.
Leaves provide a vital habitat for pollinators like butterflies, moths, and native bees as well as other beneficial insects. All of them need a place to overwinter. They all come out of diapause (bug hibernation) at different times between March and May. Removing the leaves too early means you’re throwing out Luna moths, red-banded hairstreak butterflies, and leaf cutter, miner, and mason bees.
2. Provides free mulch.
No need to buy mulch. Leaves keep moisture in and weeds out just as well as wood mulch.
3. Builds healthy soil.
Above: Mulched leaves in a vegetable garden. Photograph by Sheila Brown via Flickr.
Leaves decompose over the course of the year and by doing so, they provide the trees exactly what they need in the way of nutrients…since they came from the tree. And when leaves break down in garden beds, they add to the soil structure that keeps your soil, and by extension, your plants happy.
4. Reduces pest issues.
No pesticides necessary when you leave the leaves, thus providing a home for beneficial insects that eat mosquitoes and other garden pests, such as dragonflies and crane flies. Native insects also attract birds and bats that eat mosquitoes. And leaf litter is a draw as well for opossums that love to eat ticks.
5. Decreases your carbon footprint:
Above: Fallen leaves gathered from the yard and placed in a garden bed. Photograph by jacki-dee via Flickr.
The methods by which many homeowners remove leaves from their property are often not very eco-friendly: Using a leaf blower contributes to greenhouse gases and noise pollution, and harms the topsoil as well. And if the leaves are placed in garbage bag and sent to the landfill, the leaves decompose without oxygen, producing methane gas. When you rake the leaves into your garden beds, the only energy you’re using is your own.
6. Contributes to a balanced ecosystem:
Above: Snowdrops love damp-ish conditions, and fallen leaves are great at locking in moisture. Photograph by Britt Willoughby Dyer, from Gardening 101: Snowdrops.
Leaves are not trash. They are an integral part of your ecosystem. They provide food, shelter, and nutrients. Your garden is not just a bunch of plants but an interconnected system in which all parts are equally important for its health. For instance, caterpillars are the only thing most baby songbirds eat. Keeping the leaves helps caterpillars thrive, which in turn helps birds in the spring.
Citrus is easy to grow in warm climates, but it is important to avoid a few key citrus growing mistakes many home citrus growers make. Learn from others’ mistakes and enjoy better-tasting citrus fruit for years to come.
The information in this blog post about citrus growing mistakes is for citrus planted in the ground in warm climates that can grow citrus outdoors year round. Read this article about how to grow citrus in containers for cooler climates.
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
10 Biggest Citrus Growing Mistakes
Citrus Growing Mistake #1: Planting a tree without trying the fruit
Try to sample the fruit – this is another advantage of purchasing from a local grower, they often have mature varieties growing.
Does the fruit have seeds? Do you like the taste? Citrus trees are long-lived and produce hundreds of pounds of fruit. Make sure you like the fruit.
Citrus Growing Mistake #2: Planting at the wrong time of year
Citrus is frost-sensitive; plant it after danger of frost is passed. In hot climate areas (like the low desert of Arizona), don’t wait too long in the spring. Planting earlier in the spring allows roots to get established before the heat of the summer. Citrus roots grow and develop quickly in the spring.
In the low desert of Arizona, do not plant citrus from June through mid-September.
There is a second planting window in the fall but be aware newly-planted citrus is more susceptible to frost damage. Cover young citrus during frost events.
Be an informed consumer. Local retailers may have citrus in stock all year long, but do not purchase if it’s not the right time of year to plant citrus in your area.
Citrus Growing Mistake #3: Planting the wrong size for the space available
Allow enough space for trees to reach their mature size. Over-planting causes problems with restricted sunlight and airflow around trees.
Plant far enough away from buildings, fences, and property lines to allow the tree to reach maturity. It’s easy to make this citrus growing mistake; young citrus trees can look deceivingly small.
Dwarf varieties produce the same quality and size of fruit but yield about half as much fruit.
Dwarf varieties produce the same quality and size of fruit but yield about half as much fruit.
Semi-dwarf trees are usually 12-15 feet tall and wide.
Standard-size trees are usually 20-25 feet tall and 16-18 feet wide, depending on the variety.
Citrus Growing Mistake #4: Planting the citrus tree too deeply
This is one of the most common citrus growing mistakes. Different citrus types are always grafted onto a root-stalk.
Look at the trunk and you will see the graft.
Do not bury the graft; instead, plant at the level of the root ball (not necessarily the level they were in the nursery pot).
Before you purchase a tree, dig around the soil to ensure they didn’t put a smaller plant in a larger pot and fill it with soil. Roots should be close to the surface.
It’s best to plant trees with the root ball at the level of planting or a little bit higher. Dig a hole as deep (but not any deeper) as the root ball (but 3-5 times as wide).
If a tree is planted too deeply, it can have problems for life: disease and pest issues, lower fruit production, and finally death.
Citrus Growing Mistake #5: Amending the planting hole with rich soil or compost
When you plant the citrus tree, backfill the planting hole with the same native soil that was removed. If you amend the soil with compost and rich soil, you are creating a small area for the roots to find everything they need.
Backfilling with compost and rich soil may create a smaller root system and a weaker tree.
Backfilling with native soil stimulates the roots to spread and seek out nutrients in the surrounding soil.
Native soil encourages a larger root system that anchors and strengthens the tree.
Citrus Growing Mistake #6: Not watering deeply enough
Problems with citrus can often be traced back to insufficient or improper watering. Watering correctly is the most important thing you can do for healthy trees.
Learn how to recognize when citrus trees need water, and water as needed.
Citrus leaves that droop or curl inward are a sign of insufficient water. Leaves that have plenty of water are usually flat or curled slightly downward.
Newly-planted and young citrus trees need watering more often.
Once established, citrus trees do best with slow, deep infrequent water that encourage the roots to go deeper to find the water.
Water to a depth of at least 18-24 inches and up to 3 feet for mature trees each time you water. Use a soil probe to determine how deeply the water penetrates.
Use a soil probe to measure how deeply water penetrates.
The soil probe will penetrate through wet soil
Citrus roots need air as well as water. Allow the top several inches of soil to dry out before you water again. Overwatering leads to root rot.
In the low desert of Arizona, our fertilizer application dates are typically Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.
Citrus Growing Mistake #9: Exposing bark to sunlight
Citrus bark is easily sunburned. Avoid exposing bark by not skirting trees (see mistake #7), and protect exposed bark from direct sunlight.
Citrus Growing Mistake #10: Not harvesting fruit
Leaving overripe fruit on the tree invites insects, birds, and rodents to your tree.
Citrus harvests usually begin in late fall and carry over into spring. Sample fruit at the beginning of the harvest window for that type of tree to see if it is ripe. Citrus often remains ripe on the tree for several weeks. Enjoy it!
Once the fruit begins to soften and drop, get all the fruit off the tree. This is a simple citrus growing mistake to remedy. Clean-up any fallen fruit to discourage pests and rodents.
This is part of a series with Perfect Earth Project—Edwina von Gal’s nonprofit dedicated to toxic-free, nature-based gardening—on how you can be more sustainable in your landscapes at home.
According to a recent National Gardening Survey, a third of people are now choosing plants to support wildlife and a quarter of them are specifically seeking out native plants. That’s cause for celebration. But we can do more. Let’s bid adieu to outdated gardening norms and forge a green path to a healthy and sustainable future. Here are seven easy things we can all do:
Set mood lighting . . . for insects and other nocturnal wildlife like fireflies, migrating birds, and moths, that is. These beloved creatures are all negatively impacted by bright artificial lights. Fireflies, in particular, are suffering great declines. According to Xerces’s guidebook Conserving the Jewels of the Night, artificial lights can “obscure natural bioluminescence,” which makes it hard to find mates and avoid predators. (Consider joining a community science project like Firefly Atlas to help protect them.) Instead of lighting up your yard like a sports arena all night long, opt for warm LED lights only (avoid short-waved blue lights) in areas when you need illumination for safety. Make sure bulbs point downward and install a motion sensor so they only go on when needed. Learn more at Dark Sky International.
2. Replace spic and span with natural and wild.
Above: Edwina von Gal adds order to a looser planting style, packed with native varieties, in her home garden by plotting her design into graphic, geometric beds. Photograph by Melissa Ozawa.
Free your garden! Why be a fashion victim when you could be the queen of eco chic? Just because your neighbors have a manicured lawn and tightly clipped hedges, doesn’t mean you should. Nature doesn’t want to be controlled – nor should it be. As landscape designer and Perfect Earth Project’s founder Edwina von Gal says, “Get your garden out of shapewear!” Don’t keep up with the Joneses. Be the Joneses. Do something so fabulous in your yard, everyone wants to emulate you. Plant an abundant biodiverse yard.
What grows in low desert Arizona gardens in March? I’ll show you. All of these pictures come from my garden in Mesa, Arizona.
March in the low desert Arizona garden is one of the most beautiful times of the year. Take time to enjoy your garden this month. Many gardens offer garden tours during the month of March. Enjoy the beautiful weather at the tour and take note of plants, flowers, trees, and vegetables you see growing and would like to add to your landscape.
Low desert includes elevations below 3500 ft in the Southwest, such as the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.
“Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of his instruments, not the composer.”
Geoffrey Charlesworth
There are important garden tasks to do in March, such as pruning frost-damaged plants and thinning fruit trees (see a list of garden tasks for March below). Harvests from fall plantings are ending as planting continues for the spring and summer gardens.
Keep reading for garden inspiration, a March garden checklist, and a list of vegetables, herbs, and flowers to plant in your low desert Arizona garden in March.
Vegetables growing in the low desert Arizona garden in March
Cucumbers grow best with a long warm (but not hot) growing season. To overcome the challenges of growing cucumbers in Arizona, the key is to plant cucumbers early in the season and plant short-season varieties that will ripen before the hottest days of summer.
Asparagus harvests begin in late February and continue throughout the month of March. Harvest stalks that are at least ¼ inch in diameter. Let smaller stalks grow through the summer to give energy to the roots.
If you aren’t growing asparagus, consider dedicating a 4 foot by 4 foot raised bed for growing it. Plant asparagus November through February in the low desert of Arizona.
SquashSwiss ChardTomatillosCelery
Tips for growing flowers in the low desert Arizona garden in March
In Arizona, plant sunflowers from February through July, so you can enjoy the blooms nearly year-round. Pops of yellow flowers brighten up a summer yard. Learning how to grow sunflowers is an easy way to add color and variety to a summer garden and yard.
Purple lilac vine is in bloom in February and March. This Australian native flowers in winter. It can be grown on a trellis or as a ground cover. The vine has green foilage when not in flower.
Wildflowers planted back in the fall put on a show for much of February and March. Plant wildflower seeds of cosmos, poppies, lupine, blue flax and more in the fall.
Flowers to Plant Outside & Seeds to Start Indoors Each Month in the Low Desert of Arizona. • PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists annual flowers and bulbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors. • BLOOMING GUIDE: Photos show what may be in bloom that month.
Fruit trees in the low desert Arizona garden in March
Plant fruit trees this month. Look for trees with low chill hours (less than 400), mature early, and self-pollinate. This fruit planting guide has a list of fruit trees that do well in the low desert of Arizona.
As blossoms become fruit on your fruit trees, fruit should be thinned before it is an inch in diameter. Thin fruit within about a month after full bloom. Fruit thinned later than this lessens the chance that fruit size will increase. For more information, read this article.
Herbs in the low desert Arizona garden in March
Harvest chamomile when the petals are flat or beginning to fall back from bud. Harvest flowers on a sunny day after dew has dried. Flowers can be air-dried or dried in a dehydrator – they are dry when flower crumbles easily. Use 1 teaspoon of dried petals in a diffuser per cup of water for tea. If using fresh flowers for tea, double amounts – drying flowers concentrates the flavor and oils. Read this article for more information about how to grow chamomile.
Consider planting borage next to each tomato plant. The bees and your tomatoes will thank you. Read this article for more information about how to grow borage.
Plant fruit trees early in the month so they have time to settle in before the summer heat. Look for varieties that require less than 400 chill hours, have early maturing fruit, and are self-pollinating.
Plant roses this month on the north or east sides of the yard that receive afternoon shade in the summer. Use code GARDENAZ24 at Heirloom Roses for 20% off through 2024.
Plant cold-tolerant trees, bushes, perennials, and frost-sensitive plants such as lantana and hibiscus. Plant summer flowering shrubs. Do not over-plant; be aware of the plant’s mature size and space accordingly.
Although the weather is still cool, think twice before planting cool-season annuals this month. It will be heating up soon, and their time in the ground will be short. Better to plant warm-season annuals when they are available.
Check irrigation system and timer. Run system, and inspect all drips and sprinklers for leaks and proper watering.
As temperatures heat up, annual plants will need more frequent watering. Water to a depth of about 6 inches, and allow top of soil to dry out before watering again.
Check containers with a moisture meteror make sure top inch or so of soil has dried out before watering.
Water established citrus trees once every 2-3 weeks.
Water established fruit trees once every 7-10 days.
Thin warm-season annuals to keep plants from overcrowding each other.
Clean up and remove dead or damaged wood and crossing branches on citrus.
Remove dead plants in yard. Look at the landscape and make note of how plants look and their performance. March is a good time to transplant and move plants within your yard to areas where they get more or less sun, depending on the needs of the plants.
Apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around the base of shrubs and trees. Mulching reduces soil temperatures and adds organic matter to the soil.
What to plant in the low desert Arizona garden in March:
Before Planting:
Vegetables, Herbs & Fruit to plant in the low desert in March
(Click the link to read “How to Grow” articles on my website.)
Vegetable, Herb, and Fruit Planting Guide for the Low Desert of Arizona
The ultimate resource for gardeners in arid regions with hot summers and mild winters—designed specifically for the low desert of Arizona. It features information on how and when to start seeds indoors and when to transplant them outside for nearly 100 different fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
Vegetable, herb, and fruit seeds to start indoors during March
(Click the link for seed sources.)
PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists vegetables, fruit & herbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors.
HARVEST GUIDE: Photos show what may be ready to harvest that month.
Planting dates are for the low desert of Arizona (zone 9b).
Flowers to plant in the low desert garden in March
(Click the link to read “How to Grow” articles on my website.)
Flower seeds to start indoors in the low desert in March
(Click the link for seed sources.)
Flowers to Plant Outside & Seeds to Start Indoors Each Month in the Low Desert of Arizona. • PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists annual flowers and bulbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors. • BLOOMING GUIDE: Photos show what may be in bloom that month.
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If you go online to search for a book on vegetable gardening, you’ll discover there are literally thousands of titles on the topic. One new standout in the category is The Climate Change–Resilient Vegetable Garden: How to Grow Food in a Changing Climate by Kim Stoddart (available on February 27). Stoddart’s book covers everything a gardener needs to know about growing produce in a time of uncertain climate, including how to capture rainwater, breed and propagate resilient plants, control pests naturally, and even how to handle extreme conditions like wildfire and flooding.
When asked the climate and gardening journalist why she published this book now, Stoddart says, “I’ve been writing and teaching about this topic for more than a decade, but what I have realized in recent years is how important it is to build resilience in the individual, as much as the garden itself,” Stoddart says. “We are living through such stressful times. It is no longer gardening as usual with the challenges of our changing, more extreme weather.” So, in addition to the practical how-to advice, Stoddart says, “I offer hope and an upbeat approach to help gardeners cope with it all.”
We interviewed Stoddart to find out more about what climate-resilient vegetable gardening looks like, and how you can get started. Here’s her advice:
Photography courtesy of The Climate Change-Resilient Vegetable Garden.
1. Focus on the soil.
Above: Natural hedging, trees, and shrubs slow the flow of water (and therefore mitigate flood risks) into Kim Stoddart’s vegetable patch. They also provide a wind-break.
Stoddart says if she had to choose one thing for every vegetable gardener to do to increase resilience, it would be to focus on soil health. “In an organic gardening system, soil health comes first, making the soil the most resilient it can be. Going no-till is a huge step to help maintain soil structures and the life within it. It will also help keep carbon in the ground and may also help increase the nutritional content of the food you grow (there is research currently being done in this area).” Then, of course, mulch and compost to feed and improve soil.
2. Don’t coddle your plants.
“Veggies that are over-pampered can become lazy and develop shallow root structures, becoming reliant on the gardener and less resilient, as a result,” cautions Stoddart. By spreading out the time between watering and skipping chemical fertilizers, Stoddart says, “Plants can be encouraged to root deeper, thereby tapping into the mycorrhizal fungi that can help them take up water and food.”
3. Think before your spend.
Above: Stoddart’s book includes a rainwater harvesting guide with tips for all size properties and budgets.
“Gardening has become so synonymous with spending, but less can be so much more,” says Stoddart, who wants gardeners to spend less time focussed on acquiring the perfect gadgets or tools. “I gardened for free for a few years and it made me realize how valuable natural resilience and homemade or free materials are,” she says. (N.B.: We agree! See Your First Garden: How to Start a Garden for Practically Free.)
4. Save seeds.
Above: Stoddart shares her favorite resilient and perennial crops, including Jerusalem artichokes.
Saving some seeds from your garden is one of the best things you can do to create resilience. “Although you wouldn’t want to save seeds from everything (and believe me, I’ve tried), some seed saving is realistic and the rewards are many,” says Stoddart. In the book, she details how home-saved seeds can become more adapted to your growing conditions. “Having been produced on your own plot, after a few years, the plants grown from seeds you saved will be better adjusted to your space,” she says.
5. Don’t go it alone.
Above: Stoddart says she’s always looking for wildlife in her vegetable garden. “Every creature has its place in a biodiverse garden.”
Ah, the perks of an indoor garden in winter: Fruit, flowers, fragrance, and…fungus gnats? If you are the parent of any indoor plant, the chances are good that you have already met fungus gnats. These small flies are non-buzzing and non-biting, but an annoyance in large numbers because they are attracted to moisture, even if is from your breath, or around your eyes. Swat, swat. Worse, if you do see a lot of the tiny, winged varmints, it means that their even tinier but much hungrier larvae are living in your pots, eating organic matter that includes the roots of your plants, which they damage.
Getting rid of fungus gnats is a three-step process. This is what has worked for me.
Fungus gnats are a warning sign: They thrive in moist environments, and their presence indicates you might be overwatering your plants. Long-term, this can lead to their slow death. So take the gnats’ presence as a helpful hint, and then banish them. While the adults do not feed on anything, they do lay eggs. And it is their larvae that do the quiet, subterranean damage.
Above: Adult fungus gnats, trapped.
Where do fungus gnats come from? Like scale insects indoors, they seem to materialize from the ether. A possible source of fungus gnats in your home is the new plant you just bought, whether it’s a seasonal poinsettia, Christmas amaryllis, or your kitty’s fresh wheatgrass from the pe(s)t store. The insects are a common pest in professional greenhouses. Because new plants might be carriers of fungus gnats, if it is practical, keep them apart from your established, unaffected plants for a period of three weeks. (The four-stage fungus gnat life cycle is about three weeks, from egg, to larva, to pupa, to adult fly.)
They could also be present in your growing media, in egg or larval form. Most potting mixes are sterilized, but it’s hard to know for sure.
Above: The pros and cons of indoor growing—fruit, and pesky critter control.
Here are the three steps to getting rid of fungus gnats.
Step 1: Do not overwater.
Above: I water my plants when the meter reaches the red zone.
This is a permanent care-protocol in eliminating fungus gnats: Only water your plants (deeply) when they have come close to drying out. I have been an indoor grower now for over a decade and you’d think I’d know better, but I am still prone to overwatering. A moisture meter’s long probe is able to give me a better sense of what is happening in the soil, not just in the top inch or so.
Allowing your pots to dry between waterings helps prevent a fungus gnat infestation, and it also keep your plants healthier: Root rot is caused by overwatering and can be fatal. It’s hard to turn that around, so the pesky gnats are the canary in the coal mine for indoor growers. Unlike the poor canary that keels over in bad air, they thrive in the unhealthy environment.
Step 2: Use yellow sticky traps.
Above: Ugh, but excellent. Forty-eight (cute) yellow sticky traps are $6.98 on Amazon.
Adult fungus gnats are attracted to yellow. Place sticky yellow traps in your pots. The traps effectively sequester the adult gnats, interrupting their relentless life cycle by preventing them from laying eggs in your soil. I choose traps that are the least offensive aesthetically (pretty shapes!) and change them when I can’t stand seeing the bodies pile up. Aside from catching the bugs, the traps are a good indicator of infestation, even when you have controlled the problem. I keep them to warn me of potential fungus gnat re-emergence.
Chamomile’s daisy-like flowers are a beautiful and practical addition to your garden. Roman and German chamomile are two common types of this popular herb. Learn the differences between the two types and how to grow chamomile with these five tips.
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
5 Tips for How to Grow Chamomile
1. Understand the differences between German and Roman Chamomile
German and Roman chamomile have many similarities but also a few key differences:
2. Plant chamomile correctly and at the right time.
German chamomile does best started from transplants. Plant German chamomile after last spring frost date.
Roman chamomile does best started from transplants. Plant Roman chamomile when soil temperatures reach 45°F.
Space both types of plants 8 inches – 12 inches apart.
If growing from seed, scatter chamomile seeds and lightly cover them with dirt. Keep soil moist until the seeds sprout. Thin to groups of 2 or 3 plants about 8 inches apart.
Chamomile grows in full sun, but needs partial shade while roots are getting established.
Plant 1-2 chamomile plants per square foot for square foot gardening.
Flowers to Plant Outside & Seeds to Start Indoors Each Month in the Low Desert of Arizona. • PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists annual flowers and bulbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors. • BLOOMING GUIDE: Photos show what may be in bloom that month.
Chamomile’s daisy-like flowers are a beautiful and practical addition to your garden. Roman and German chamomile are two common types of this popular herb. Learn the differences between the two types and how to grow chamomile with these five tips.
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
5 Tips for How to Grow Chamomile
1. Understand the differences between German and Roman Chamomile
German and Roman chamomile have many similarities but also a few key differences:
2. Plant chamomile correctly and at the right time.
German chamomile does best started from transplants. Plant German chamomile after last spring frost date.
Roman chamomile does best started from transplants. Plant Roman chamomile when soil temperatures reach 45°F.
Space both types of plants 8 inches – 12 inches apart.
If growing from seed, scatter chamomile seeds and lightly cover them with dirt. Keep soil moist until the seeds sprout. Thin to groups of 2 or 3 plants about 8 inches apart.
Chamomile grows in full sun, but needs partial shade while roots are getting established.
Plant 1-2 chamomile plants per square foot for square foot gardening.
Flowers to Plant Outside & Seeds to Start Indoors Each Month in the Low Desert of Arizona. • PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists annual flowers and bulbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors. • BLOOMING GUIDE: Photos show what may be in bloom that month.
Locally sourced, field-grown flowers—ideally grown using sustainable farming methods—are the gold standard for sustainable floristry, says Feldmann, and if a florist is doing the work to source these blooms, they’re likely talking about it in their marketing materials.
4. They’re selective about imported flowers.
However, it may not be realistic for a florist’s flowers to all come from local farms. “There are times where I need a certain thing or I just need to fill the gaps in, especially now in the winter time,” explains Hauser, who tries to source as much as she can from local growers. When it comes to imports, eco-conscious florists will look for certifications like Fair Trade and USDA Organic that demonstrate sustainable and fair work practices throughout supply chains. She notes, however, that some farms may use organic methods but simply can’t afford the certification process, so it’s best to do your own research.
5. They never wrap flowers in plastic.
Above: No plastic here. This beautifully wrapped seasonal Orchid Bouquet is currently available at Isa Isa in Los Angeles. (Read about founder Sophia Moreno-Bunge’s floral residency in Italy in My Two Months at Villa Lena In Tuscany.)
“Sustainable florists present their designs simply with natural fibers and easily recyclable or compostable materials like unbleached paper and natural fiber ties,” says Feldmann. They also avoid plastics materials like plastic wraps, balloons, and synthetic ribbon that are staples in conventional flower shops.
6. They have a compost bin.
In addition to avoiding packaging waste, sustainable florists are diverting their floral waste from the landfill by composting. Hauser uses a local commercial composting pick up service and notes that composting should be a no-brainer for most businesses because it offsets their expenses from conventional trash removal.
7. They’re local but they might not have a shop.
Above: Hauser’s Field Trip Flowers arrangements, ready for local delivery. Photograph courtesy of Field Trip Flowers.
A retail storefront inevitably means more waste, which is one of the reasons Hauser no longer has a retail shop. “People didn’t understand the difference between my shop and the traditional florist down the street,” she says. “I don’t have the huge display cooler with the overabundance of imported flowers that people are used to seeing.” With her storefront online, Hauser’s sustainably-minded customers can pick up at her studio or request local delivery. Hauser says that she sees many of her eco-conscious floral designer peers doing the same, but she notes that moving your retail online is not the same as an online-only business that ships flowers to customers via fossil-fuel burning overnight delivery.
The nasturtiums planted in the cement blocks of my garden border are a familiar and much loved part of my winter garden. Learn how to grow nasturtiums, and add bright pops of color to your garden (and spice to your salad) with this easy-to-grow edible flower.
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
7 Tips For How To Grow Nasturtiums
Follow these 7 tips to learn how to grow nasturtiums, and keep reading to learn how to grow nasturtiums in Arizona.
1. Plant nasturtiums at the right time
Start nasturtium seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost, and wait to plant outside until all danger of frost is past.
Alternatively, large nasturtium seeds are simple to plant, and it’s easy to direct sow nasturtiums in the garden.
Sow seeds in the garden 2 weeks before the last frost. Plant seeds ½ to 1 inch deep and 5-6 inches apart.
In the low desert of Arizona, plant nasturtiums from October through January.
2. Choose the right location to plant nasturtiums
Grow nasturtiums in moist well-drained soil. Water well until plant is established and then provide regular water.
Nasturtiums prefer cooler weather, so in warm climates grow plants in partial shade (4-6 hours of sun) to prolong their growing season. In cool climates, plant nasturtiums in full sun.
This adaptable plant grows well in shady areas, poor soil, dry conditions, and areas where other plants may not grow.
Nasturtiums come in a range of colors and varieties including trailing, vining, and bush.
Trailing varieties make an excellent ground cover in shady spots and areas with poor soil. Trailing types can also be trained along a fence, cascade down from a container, or fill in a border.
Dwarf varieties grow low to the ground and are more mounded. Grow them where space is limited or in containers.
4. Encourage blooms
If you want an abundance of flowers, do not fertilize nasturtiums. Nutrient-rich soil grows plenty of green leaves, but not as many blooms.
Removing faded blooms also encourages more flowers. Trim back container-grown nasturtiums to keep the plant tidy and producing flowers.
The two photos above are of the same area of my yard in different years, but in the second image the seeds were planted in rich compost. We had an abundance of leaves that year, but not a lot of blooms.
5. Grow nasturtiums as a companion plant
Nasturtiums are a great way to prevent pests organically. For instance, nasturtiums help repel squash bugs, whiteflies, and borers.
Tomatoes, radishes, squash, and fruit trees benefit from nasturtiums planted nearby. Nasturtiums are a ‘trap crop’ (insects feed on and lay their eggs in trap crops, instead of in other areas of the garden).
6. Don’t forget, nasturtiums are edible!
The flowers, leaves, and stems of nasturtiums are all edible. They have a fresh peppery taste and can be quite spicy! To harvest blooms and leaves for eating, pick early in the day (but after the dew dries).
To keep flowers fresh longer, immerse in cold water for about 10 minutes immediately after picking. Use flowers and leaves immediately, or store them in the refrigerator in a damp paper towel. The unripe seed pods can be pickled for a tasty caper substitution.
7. Save seeds to share and plant
Each flower sets several seeds, and nasturtiums will self-seed easily year after year. At the end of each season, collect extra seeds from the ground to save and share, or plant in other areas.
The large seeds are easy to collect. I often enlist my kids and their friends to collect the seeds for me (the going rate in my garden is 1 cent per seed). For more information, read this post about saving seeds.
Bonus Tip: How to grow nasturtiums in Arizona
Plant nasturtiums directly in the garden from October through Januaryin the low-desert of Arizona.
You can expect blooms from about February through May.
Nasturtiums planted in shaded areas will last a little longer (into May) than those planted in full sun.
Nasturtiums thrive in cool winters. If we get a frost event for a day or two, cover them with frost cloth and they may survive.
Want to add more color to your garden with flowers?
Flowers to Plant Outside & Seeds to Start Indoors Each Month in the Low Desert of Arizona. • PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists annual flowers and bulbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors. • BLOOMING GUIDE: Photos show what may be in bloom that month.
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How to Grow Nasturtiums: Nasturtium Growing GuideHow to Grow Nasturtiums: Nasturtium Growing GuideHow to Grow Nasturtiums: Nasturtium Growing Guide
The nasturtiums planted in the cement blocks of my garden border are a familiar and much loved part of my winter garden. Learn how to grow nasturtiums, and add bright pops of color to your garden (and spice to your salad) with this easy-to-grow edible flower.
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
7 Tips For How To Grow Nasturtiums
Follow these 7 tips to learn how to grow nasturtiums, and keep reading to learn how to grow nasturtiums in Arizona.
1. Plant nasturtiums at the right time
Start nasturtium seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost, and wait to plant outside until all danger of frost is past.
Alternatively, large nasturtium seeds are simple to plant, and it’s easy to direct sow nasturtiums in the garden.
Sow seeds in the garden 2 weeks before the last frost. Plant seeds ½ to 1 inch deep and 5-6 inches apart.
In the low desert of Arizona, plant nasturtiums from October through January.
2. Choose the right location to plant nasturtiums
Grow nasturtiums in moist well-drained soil. Water well until plant is established and then provide regular water.
Nasturtiums prefer cooler weather, so in warm climates grow plants in partial shade (4-6 hours of sun) to prolong their growing season. In cool climates, plant nasturtiums in full sun.
This adaptable plant grows well in shady areas, poor soil, dry conditions, and areas where other plants may not grow.
Nasturtiums come in a range of colors and varieties including trailing, vining, and bush.
Trailing varieties make an excellent ground cover in shady spots and areas with poor soil. Trailing types can also be trained along a fence, cascade down from a container, or fill in a border.
Dwarf varieties grow low to the ground and are more mounded. Grow them where space is limited or in containers.
4. Encourage blooms
If you want an abundance of flowers, do not fertilize nasturtiums. Nutrient-rich soil grows plenty of green leaves, but not as many blooms.
Removing faded blooms also encourages more flowers. Trim back container-grown nasturtiums to keep the plant tidy and producing flowers.
The two photos above are of the same area of my yard in different years, but in the second image the seeds were planted in rich compost. We had an abundance of leaves that year, but not a lot of blooms.
5. Grow nasturtiums as a companion plant
Nasturtiums are a great way to prevent pests organically. For instance, nasturtiums help repel squash bugs, whiteflies, and borers.
Tomatoes, radishes, squash, and fruit trees benefit from nasturtiums planted nearby. Nasturtiums are a ‘trap crop’ (insects feed on and lay their eggs in trap crops, instead of in other areas of the garden).
6. Don’t forget, nasturtiums are edible!
The flowers, leaves, and stems of nasturtiums are all edible. They have a fresh peppery taste and can be quite spicy! To harvest blooms and leaves for eating, pick early in the day (but after the dew dries).
To keep flowers fresh longer, immerse in cold water for about 10 minutes immediately after picking. Use flowers and leaves immediately, or store them in the refrigerator in a damp paper towel. The unripe seed pods can be pickled for a tasty caper substitution.
7. Save seeds to share and plant
Each flower sets several seeds, and nasturtiums will self-seed easily year after year. At the end of each season, collect extra seeds from the ground to save and share, or plant in other areas.
The large seeds are easy to collect. I often enlist my kids and their friends to collect the seeds for me (the going rate in my garden is 1 cent per seed). For more information, read this post about saving seeds.
Bonus Tip: How to grow nasturtiums in Arizona
Plant nasturtiums directly in the garden from October through Januaryin the low-desert of Arizona.
You can expect blooms from about February through May.
Nasturtiums planted in shaded areas will last a little longer (into May) than those planted in full sun.
Nasturtiums thrive in cool winters. If we get a frost event for a day or two, cover them with frost cloth and they may survive.
Want to add more color to your garden with flowers?
Flowers to Plant Outside & Seeds to Start Indoors Each Month in the Low Desert of Arizona. • PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists annual flowers and bulbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors. • BLOOMING GUIDE: Photos show what may be in bloom that month.
If this post about how to grow nasturtiums was helpful, please share it:
How to Grow Nasturtiums: Nasturtium Growing GuideHow to Grow Nasturtiums: Nasturtium Growing GuideHow to Grow Nasturtiums: Nasturtium Growing Guide
Are you wondering how far apart to space your plants? This post shares helpful tools and guidelines for plant spacing in square foot gardens.
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 plants in square foot gardening?
A key factor in being successful with plant spacing in square foot gardening is adding a grid to your garden. Mel Bartholomew said, “If your garden box doesn’t have a grid, it’s not a Square Foot Garden.” His book also emphasized that the grids be “prominent and permanent”. I have come to see the wisdom in this tip.
Why use grids for plant spacing in square foot gardens?
In the past, I had some garden beds with grids and some without grids. After using both, I can say the ones with grids have several advantages:
Garden beds with planting gridsutilize space more efficiently by eliminating the need for rows.
Using a garden grid helps you see exactly where there is space to plant. When I see an empty square, I’m quick to fill it with seeds or plants. In the past, empty spots in beds without grids were often left empty.
Garden grids help an unorganized gardener (like me) be more organized – I don’t have to worry about straight rows.
Following plant-spacing guidelines with garden grids allows for proper spacing between plants. This prevents overcrowding, which causes plants to compete for limited resources of sun, water, and nutrients.
Using garden grids in your garden beds allows for a system of polyculture (several compatible plants growing together) as opposed to monoculture (row after row of the same crop) which is better for pest and disease prevention.
Which type of garden grids should I use for square foot gardening?
Once I realized the benefits of using grids with square foot gardening, I added grids to all of my raised beds. My favorite way to add grids for square foot gardening is with the Garden Grid™ from Garden In Minutes.
Assembly is simple; the garden grids come in preassembled sections that press together by hand in seconds.
At the end of each season, it’s easy to lift the grid off of the bed to add compost to fill the beds. With my previous grids made of wood, it was difficult to add compost because the grids were screwed into the beds.
Each square is watered evenly with 16 water streams, which helps seed germination.
How do I know how many seeds or plants to put in each square?
Now for the fun part – adding plants to your square foot garden. To calculate how many plants or seeds to plant per square, look at the back of your seed packet. Ignore the space between rows, but pay attention to how much space is needed between plants.
For example:
3″ plant spacing = plant 16 in each square.
4″ plant spacing = plant 9 in each square.
6″ plant spacing = plant 4 in each square.
12″ plant spacing = plant 1 in each square.
Some plants (such as melons, large squash, and tomatoes) require more than one square.
Use this tool to space seeds perfectly in your square foot garden.
Plant-spacing guidelines for garden grids
You can also use this plant-spacing guide from Garden In Minutes to easily see how many plants to plant per square.
Plant spacing guide for square foot gardens
Why is plant spacing important in square foot gardens?
Follow the plant-spacing guidelines. Planting the recommended amounts allows you to utilize all the space in the beds without overcrowding. Proper spacing ensures adequate airflow for plants.
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Learning how to grow sweet potatoes is surprisingly easy – just a few plants provide a plentiful harvest. Sweet potatoes need along warm growing season, are heat-tolerant and drought-resistant, and have very few pests or diseases. All of this makes them perfect for growing in the low desert of Arizona (yay!) Here are eight tips for how to plant, grow, and harvest sweet potatoes.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
8 Tips for Growing Sweet Potatoes
1. Plant sweet potatoes at the correct time
Plant sweet potatoes 2-3 weeks after the last spring frost, when the soil temperature is at least 65℉.
In the low desert of Arizona:
2. Prepare soil correctly before planting sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes need well-draining slightly-acidic soil. Amend clay soils heavily with compost. Soil should be worked to a depth of at least 8-10 inches. Sweet potatoes can also be grown in raised beds or large containers. Plant in an area with full sun and/or afternoon shade in the low desert.
3. Plant sweet potato slips
Sweet potatoes aren’t grown from seed like many other vegetables. Rather, they are started from slips – rooted sweet potato shoots grown from a mature sweet potato. Grow your slips from sweet potatoes or purchase slips.
‘Soil method’ for starting sweet potato slips‘Water method’ for starting sweet potato slipsRoot slips before planting
Looking for more information about how to grow sweet potato slips? This article about how to grow sweet potato slips will help.
Most varieties of sweet potatoes do well in the long growing season of the low desert. In higher elevations or places with shorter growing seasons, choose from quickly-maturing varieties such as ‘Beauregard’ and ‘O’Henry’.
Plant rooted slips deeply, burying slips up to top leaves. Space sweet potato plants 12-18 inches apart. Water well and feed with a starter solution high in phosphorus (if your soil lacks phosphorus) to ensure the plants root well.
4. Allow vines to grow for larger sweet potatoes
Occasional small harvests of greens to eat is fine, but do not prune back vigorous vines for the best-sized harvests. The size of the sweet potatoes is determined by the amount of sunlight the leaves receive. More sunlight and leaf surface area that receives sun means larger sweet potatoes.
If space is an issue, consider growing vines vertically up a trellis to allow sunlight to reach the leaves and produce larger sweet potatoes.
Check longer vines occasionally and lift them up to keep them from rooting in the soil along the vines. Additional rooting will take energy away from the main tubers and instead create many undersized tubers.
5. Water deeply, less often
Deep watering is crucial for sweet potatoes during hot dry periods. However, it is important to let soil dry out somewhat between waterings. Sweet potatoes tolerate dry conditions better than soggy ones.
6. Harvest sweet potatoes at the right time
Here are a few things to look for before harvesting sweet potatoes:
The longer a crop is left in the ground, the higher the yield.
Sweet potatoes may be ready to harvest between 90-120 days after planting.
Harvest when tubers are atleast 3 inches in diameter.
Harvest sweet potatoes before the first fall frost.
When the leaves and vines begin turning yellow, production is slowing down. Leave them in the ground a little longer for the largest tubers.
Once the top growth has died down, remove foliage and harvest.
7. Harvest sweet potatoes correctly
Once you have decided to harvest the sweet potatoes, cut back vines and loosen soil around the plant with a spade fork. Carefully find the primary crown of each plant, and use your hands to dig up the tubers. Shake off any excess dirt, and handle tubers carefully to prevent bruising. Keep harvested sweet potatoes out of direct sunlight. Do not wash sweet potatoes until ready to use for longest storage life.
8. Cure and store sweet potatoes correctly for the longest storage life
To cure sweet potatoes, set potatoes in a single layer (not touching) in a warm (about 80℉) humid area for 10-14 days. Curing allows cuts and bruises to heal and helps the starches inside the sweet potatoes convert to sugars.
HOT CLIMATE SWEET POTATO CURING TIP:
Put the sweet potatoes in a single layer in a plastic grocery sack (cut a couple of holes in the bag for ventilation) to trap moisture in a warm spot INSIDE your house. Outside temperatures may not be the right temperature for sweet potatoes to cure properly.
The curing process is complete if the skin remains intactwhen the sweet potatoes are rubbed together. Sprouting will occur if potatoes are cured too long. After curing, throw out or immediately use any bruised potatoes.
Store cured sweet potatoes in a cool (about 55-65℉ if possible) dry area for the longest storage.
HOT CLIMATE SWEET POTATO STORAGE TIP:
If stored above 70°F, the storage life of sweet potatoes is shortened considerably. When outside temperatures are cool, store sweet potatoes in the garage in a box with individual potatoes wrapped in newspaper. Once temperatures heat up, bring the box inside to your coolest room. Check potatoes often and use any right away that show signs of sprouting or rotting.
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Learning how to grow sweet potatoes is surprisingly easy – just a few plants provide a plentiful harvest. Sweet potatoes need along warm growing season, are heat-tolerant and drought-resistant, and have very few pests or diseases. All of this makes them perfect for growing in the low desert of Arizona (yay!) Here are eight tips for how to plant, grow, and harvest sweet potatoes.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
8 Tips for Growing Sweet Potatoes
1. Plant sweet potatoes at the correct time
Plant sweet potatoes 2-3 weeks after the last spring frost, when the soil temperature is at least 65℉.
In the low desert of Arizona:
2. Prepare soil correctly before planting sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes need well-draining slightly-acidic soil. Amend clay soils heavily with compost. Soil should be worked to a depth of at least 8-10 inches. Sweet potatoes can also be grown in raised beds or large containers. Plant in an area with full sun and/or afternoon shade in the low desert.
3. Plant sweet potato slips
Sweet potatoes aren’t grown from seed like many other vegetables. Rather, they are started from slips – rooted sweet potato shoots grown from a mature sweet potato. Grow your slips from sweet potatoes or purchase slips.
‘Soil method’ for starting sweet potato slips‘Water method’ for starting sweet potato slipsRoot slips before planting
Looking for more information about how to grow sweet potato slips? This article about how to grow sweet potato slips will help.
Most varieties of sweet potatoes do well in the long growing season of the low desert. In higher elevations or places with shorter growing seasons, choose from quickly-maturing varieties such as ‘Beauregard’ and ‘O’Henry’.
Plant rooted slips deeply, burying slips up to top leaves. Space sweet potato plants 12-18 inches apart. Water well and feed with a starter solution high in phosphorus (if your soil lacks phosphorus) to ensure the plants root well.
4. Allow vines to grow for larger sweet potatoes
Occasional small harvests of greens to eat is fine, but do not prune back vigorous vines for the best-sized harvests. The size of the sweet potatoes is determined by the amount of sunlight the leaves receive. More sunlight and leaf surface area that receives sun means larger sweet potatoes.
If space is an issue, consider growing vines vertically up a trellis to allow sunlight to reach the leaves and produce larger sweet potatoes.
Check longer vines occasionally and lift them up to keep them from rooting in the soil along the vines. Additional rooting will take energy away from the main tubers and instead create many undersized tubers.
5. Water deeply, less often
Deep watering is crucial for sweet potatoes during hot dry periods. However, it is important to let soil dry out somewhat between waterings. Sweet potatoes tolerate dry conditions better than soggy ones.
6. Harvest sweet potatoes at the right time
Here are a few things to look for before harvesting sweet potatoes:
The longer a crop is left in the ground, the higher the yield.
Sweet potatoes may be ready to harvest between 90-120 days after planting.
Harvest when tubers are atleast 3 inches in diameter.
Harvest sweet potatoes before the first fall frost.
When the leaves and vines begin turning yellow, production is slowing down. Leave them in the ground a little longer for the largest tubers.
Once the top growth has died down, remove foliage and harvest.
7. Harvest sweet potatoes correctly
Once you have decided to harvest the sweet potatoes, cut back vines and loosen soil around the plant with a spade fork. Carefully find the primary crown of each plant, and use your hands to dig up the tubers. Shake off any excess dirt, and handle tubers carefully to prevent bruising. Keep harvested sweet potatoes out of direct sunlight. Do not wash sweet potatoes until ready to use for longest storage life.
8. Cure and store sweet potatoes correctly for the longest storage life
To cure sweet potatoes, set potatoes in a single layer (not touching) in a warm (about 80℉) humid area for 10-14 days. Curing allows cuts and bruises to heal and helps the starches inside the sweet potatoes convert to sugars.
HOT CLIMATE SWEET POTATO CURING TIP:
Put the sweet potatoes in a single layer in a plastic grocery sack (cut a couple of holes in the bag for ventilation) to trap moisture in a warm spot INSIDE your house. Outside temperatures may not be the right temperature for sweet potatoes to cure properly.
The curing process is complete if the skin remains intactwhen the sweet potatoes are rubbed together. Sprouting will occur if potatoes are cured too long. After curing, throw out or immediately use any bruised potatoes.
Store cured sweet potatoes in a cool (about 55-65℉ if possible) dry area for the longest storage.
HOT CLIMATE SWEET POTATO STORAGE TIP:
If stored above 70°F, the storage life of sweet potatoes is shortened considerably. When outside temperatures are cool, store sweet potatoes in the garage in a box with individual potatoes wrapped in newspaper. Once temperatures heat up, bring the box inside to your coolest room. Check potatoes often and use any right away that show signs of sprouting or rotting.
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If you care about the environment, you’ve likely already banned the use of insecticides in your garden. Take it a step further: McMackin and other experts we spoke to say that gardeners should purchase only plants grown without insecticides, too. “Pesticides like neonicotinoids work inside a plant, making the plant’s own tissue toxic for insects. Growers use them to keep plants pest-free in the nursery, but they can persist for years in plants and soils,” says McMackin. The best way to avoid these toxins is to ask growers and retailers if the plants were grown without pesticides. “If they can’t say for sure that the plants are safe, you’ve got to do the hardest thing imaginable, and leave those plants on the shelf,” McMackin says.
This year, grow it yourself. In addition to propagating plants from cuttings or divisions, get into the habit of collecting seed from plants you’ve grown, says Marissa Angell, a landscape architect based in Brewster, New York. “These practices are doubly beneficial,” she says. “You can replenish your stock for free and it will help you avoid the plastic pots that are standard fare in retail garden centers.” (See Gardening 101: How to Sprout a Seed.)
Ditch the bark mulch: Both Rainer and Angell want you to replace traditional mulch with “green mulch” (aka “living mulch”), such as clonal spreading native groundcovers. “Using ‘green mulch’ to cover bare ground around the base of your taller plants enriches the soil and suppresses weeds,” says Angell. “Plus, traditional shredded bark mulch doesn’t retain moisture as well and can remove nutrients from your soil as it decomposes.” Rainier points to native clonal spreading ground covers like groundsel (Packera sp.), Robin’s plantain (Erigeron pulchellus var. pulchellus ‘Lynnhaven Carpet’), and green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum var. australe), which are all spring-flowering, shade-tolerant species that grow under other bigger plants.
Worm composting directly in the garden bed simplifies the process of vermicomposting. When you use in-bed vermicomposting bins, the worms live, work, reproduce, and make worm castings in the garden bed right where they are needed.
In-bed vermicomposting solves the problem of what to do with the worms during extremes of hot and cold. For example, vermicomposting in hot weather places (like the low desert of Arizona) is difficult unless you bring the worms inside during the summer months. With in-bed vermicomposting, the worms simply burrow deeper in the beds during the heat of an Arizona summer and then emerge again in the fall.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
How does vermicomposting work?
Worm composting – also called vermicomposting (‘vermi’ = worm) – is the process of using worms for composting food scraps into vermicompost. Worms eat up to half their weight daily in kitchen scraps, and worm castings are the byproduct of all that eating. Worm castings = GARDEN GOLD!
During digestion, the worms secrete chemicals that break organic matter into nutrition readily available for plants. Worm castings and the chemicals secreted during digestion make up vermicompost.
What are the benefits of worm composting (vermicomposting)?
Vermicompost improves soil texture and structure and aerates the soil.
Vermicompost increases the water-holding capacity of soil.
The nutrients in vermicompost are immediately available to plants.
Worm castings contribute to faster plant growth and higher production.
Worm castings are dense in microorganisms and nutrients.
The chemicals in worm castings help prevent “damping off” and other diseases.
Worm castings from vermicomposting
What is the easiest way to make and maintain a vermicomposting (worm composting) bin?
A vermicomposting bin built into your raised beds, containers, or in-ground garden bed is the easiest way to make a worm composting bin.
No need to harvest the worm castings or move the worms inside for extremes of hot and cold temperatures. The worms live, work, reproduce, and make worm castings in the garden bed, right where they are needed.
Adding worms to an in-bed worm composting bin
When should I add in-bed vermicomposting bins to my garden beds?
If you live in a hot summer climate, do not add worms during the hottest months of the year. In the low desert of Arizona, the best time to add in-bed vermicomposting bins to your garden is from mid-September through May.
Which type of worms should I use for in-bed vermicomposting?
Red wigglers are composting worms that hang out in the top six inches of your garden. “Earthworms” is a generic term for one of the hundreds of varieties of worms. If you dig them from the garden, they won’t stay in the compost level.
That’s not bad, but they won’t hang out in the habitat we set up. Most bait worms need cooler temperatures than Arizona summers. If you buy nightcrawlers, you will probably lose them in June or July. We want all worms. Red wigglers will stay and live better, but no worm is bad.
Purchasing red wiggler worms locally is the best choice. I get my worms from Arizona Worm Farmhere in Phoenix. You can also buy them online.
How do I make an in-bed vermicomposter (worm composter)?
Supplies needed for in-bed vermicomposting:
The 24-sheet shredder I use to shred cardboard for my vermicomposting bins
Bin (see options below).
Shredded cardboard – This shredder from Amazon will shred cardboard boxes (remove tape and labels first).
Kitchen scraps – Perfect worm food includes bananas, watermelon, pumpkin, strawberries, apples, and more. I keep them on the counter in this container until I add them to the bins.
Worms – Red wigglers are preferred. I get mine from Arizona Worm Farm. Look for a local supplier if possible. If you can’t find one you can get them online here. The earthworms typically found in the garden aren’t suitable for vermicomposting.
Bin options for in-bed vermicomposting:
The bin helps designate a place in your garden for the worms to go. Choose one slightly smaller than the depth of your garden bed. There are several options:
A wire garbage can with wide openings is the simplest way to add bins to your beds. They are available at Dollar Tree or Amazon.
Lifting the bin out of the bed is simple when it’s time to collect the finished worm castings.
Shape hardware cloth into a cylinder slightly shorter than the depth of your garden bed.
Wire the ends of the hardware cloth together.
2-gallon bucket (with the bottom removed and holes drilled in the sides)
I used this drill bit (for drilling holes) and a Dremel (to cut off the bottom of the bucket).
If you use this type of vermicomposting bin, it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to remove the bottom of the bucket.
Directions for installing and using an in-bed vermicomposting bin:
1. Dig a hole in the garden bed the bin size.
2. Place the bin in the hole.
3. Fill the habitat with shredded cardboard, and wet it down. Allow cardboard to absorb moisture overnight.
4. Add 300-600 red wiggler worms. Red wigglers are preferred. I get mine from Arizona Worm Farm. Look for a local supplier if possible. If you can’t find one you can get them online here.
5. Begin feeding worms – see worm feeding details below.
6. Cover the food scraps with a layer of “brown” materials. Examples: wood chips, dried leaves, soil, and shredded cardboard.
7. Cover the worm habitat. Use a thick layer of wood chips. You could also use a piece of wood or a tile. If you are using a bucket, the bucket lid works well.
8. Check back occasionally and add more food scraps. (Always top with browns). Remove any large pieces of uneaten food.
9. When food scraps are gone, and the bucket is empty, you can harvest the castings. (The worms will leave the bucket and migrate to other areas of the bed). Spread the castings around the garden bed. You can also leave the castings in place.
10. Begin the process over again, starting with fresh shredded cardboard, food scraps, and browns—no need to add additional worms.
How many in-bed vermicomposting bins should you have?
I have one worm habitat in each bed. One habitat per bed is enough to get a continuous flow of microbes.
You can add as many bins as you need to process your food scraps and waste, but you don’t need a high density of worms for a successful garden.
Add at least 300 worms for each habitat. 600-800 is better, if possible.
Worms multiply to fit the space and available food. In a big garden, worms will breed faster.
Feed worms in moderation: Bread, potatoes, pasta, rice and other starchy foods
Avoid feeding worms: Citrus, meats, bones, eggs (crushed shells are ok), dairy products, processed foods, salty or greasy food, and pet waste.
Tips for feeding worms:
Add equal amounts of greens and browns each time you feed.
Greens
Fruit scraps, vegetable scraps, bread & pasta (small amounts), coffee grounds, crushed eggshells
Browns
Cardboard, mulch, dry leaves, shredded paper
Make sure worms have eaten previously added food scraps before adding more. Plan on feeding worms about once per week.
Cut or blend food before adding to bins. Smaller pieces of food break down faster and speed up the composting process.
Cover with browns after adding food scraps (greens) to avoid attracting fruit flies.
Remove large pieces of uneaten food. Pay attention to what the worms are eating and not eating.
The bin’s interior should have the moisture consistency of a wrung-out sponge (damp but not overly wet). Spray lightly with a hose if necessary.
Cover with a thick layer of wood chips, or replace the lid on the bucket after feeding.
Frequently asked questions about in-bed vermicomposting:
Question: I have a ton of black soldier fly larvae in both of my bins. Will they be detrimental to my red wigglers?
Answer: Black soldier flies are unusual in the Phoenix metro area because it is so dry here. They won’t hurt the worms, and within two or three weeks, they pupate into harmless flies (the live fly has no mouth – the only stage of the insect that eats is the larvae) that die within a day or two.
The larvae are voracious eaters, so someone who finds them in the bin should feed much more than normal. If they put buckets or bins in the ground like your setup, they may observe fewer worms in their bucket or bin as the worms will move away from the heat the larvae produce.
The worms are fine and will return when the larvae leave. The larvae don’t bite – if someone wanted to remove them (easiest is with a kitchen strainer) and toss them, that is a fine option too.
Question: I dug into two of the buckets to see how my worms were doing, and they were missing. Not a worm to be found in either bucket.Would you expect the worms to stay in that bucket full of compost, or have they perhaps left their original home and crawled around through the rest of my garden, maybe just coming back to the bucket for their meals?
Answer: The worms go through the beds, and some are in the buckets with the scraps. I’m guessing with the intense heat we are having, they are burrowing down as deep as they can go.
Adding fresh shredded cardboard after emptying the bucket of the worm castings. The worms will return to the bins.
Question: I have two guinea pigs, and feed them alfalfa hay, organic alfalfa pellets, and leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, and parsley. They produce a lot of waste (approximately 1 quart of waste hay and pellets daily). I read that I can add their waste and their waste hay directly to my raised bed gardens, which I have been doing and have been digging it in with a hand spade. Will red wiggler worms compost the guinea pig waste and waste hay?
Answer: Red wigglers will eat guinea pig manure as it decomposes – and they will not eat anything that they don’t like until it decomposes enough for them to eat. A pound of worms will eat about a pound of waste a week. You will likely produce a lot more than that, but that’s not harmful either. The worms will eat what they want, and the rest will feed your beds as it has. Your current process will probably produce good results – the worms will improve it.
Full bin of food and castings. Let the worms complete the food before harvesting the castings.
More frequently asked questions about in-bed vermicomposting:
Question: How often do you add water to the compost buckets in Arizona heat?
Answer: The beds get watered 2-3 times a week during the summer and about once a week in the winter. The buckets are in the middle of one of the watering grids in my beds, and get watered as well.
Question: Can you add chicken poopto the buckets?
Answer: You can, in small amounts. Too much will overwhelm the worms. Just mix the poop with bedding (anything that was a tree…leaves or shredded cardboard or mulch) and they will do great.
Question: Do the finished castings seep into the garden through the holes in the bucket or does it need to be scooped out?
Answer: Both. It is carried out of the bed by the worms movement. When the worms have completed the food scraps you can also scoop the castings out and spread them around the bed. You then begin the process again, adding fresh cardboard and food scraps. The worms will come back into the bin.
Red wiggler worms are perfect for in-bed worm composting.
More frequently asked questions about in-bed vermicomposting:
Question: How do the in-bed vermicomposting worms do during the summer? Is there anything special you do to keep them cool during Arizona summers so they don’t die?
Answer: They burrow down into the beds and look for cool spots to stay cool. In-bed worm composting in Arizona is a great option for our hot summers. Beds should be at least 12 inches deep.
Question: Do you ever have problems with ants attacking the worms in the in-bed vermicomposting bins?
Answer: Ants don’t generally attack worms. By making the area more moist, you can discourage ants and make the habitat better for the worms. You can use these ant bait traps.
Question:Will in-bed vermicomposting work in containers?
Answer: Generally, it will work fine. The challenge with worms in pots for most people is that they tend to let plants get root bound and there is less soil than the worms like. As long as you have organic material and space for them to move, they will do great. You don’t need to bury a bin in the container. You can do the same thing if you just dig out a hole and put a lid on the hole.
More frequently asked questions about in-bed vermicomposting:
Question: Can worms eat bokashi compost?
Answer: Absolutely. Done right, bokashi produces lots of microbes and breaks down waste to make it easier for the worms to consume.
Question: My bed is raised completely off the ground, due to the previous owner PLANTING Bermuda grass (sigh). I’ve been reading that these sorts of beds are not a good home for worms since they may get too hot or drown. We are in Arkansas, so it doesn’t typically get above 100. The bed has good drainage, and a soil depth of about 10″. Do you think worms would be OK to add or no?
Answer: We never worry about drowning worms. They will find dry places to hang out. If she can grow vegetables, the worms will be fine. Fully-raised beds (off the ground) do tend to get hot. She should shade it in the summer, but they will probably be fine. The worst thing that might happen is they die over the summer and she has to add more in September when they start getting cooler nights.
Question: Will chemical fertilizers hurt the worms?
Answer: In small amounts, probably not, but direct contact or a large amount could. The whole idea of worms is to let them convert organic materials into a natural source of nitrogen. The worms should reduce or eliminate the need for inorganic fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers such as inorganic nitrate salt will reduce the pH, but they also kill some of the microbes we like.
More frequently asked questions about in-bed vermicomposting:
Question: Can I use earthworms or do I need to use red wrigglers for in-bed vermicomposting?
Answer:Red wigglers are composting worms that hang out in the top six inches of your garden. “Earthworms” is a generic term for one of hundreds of varieties of worms. If you dig them from the garden, they won’t stay in the compost level. That’s not bad, but they won’t hang out in the habitat we set up. Most bait worms need cooler temperatures than Arizona summers. If you are buying night crawlers, you will probably lose them in June or July. We want all worms. Red wigglers will stay and live better, but no worm is bad.
Question: Are red wigglers native?
Answer: Red Wigglers are not native to the US – No worm is- they were all killed off during the Ice Age. But, Reds are not considered invasive. Especially in Arizona. They stay where they are at and can’t live in our natural native soils.
Question: Is cardboard toxic?
In our world, it is hard to avoid all chemicals. Cardboard is the most heavily used packaging material, and feeding it to our plants and trees is the best way to make use of a very valuable resource. The benefits of feeding it to our worms (and then our plants) dramatically outweigh any other option. If it’s painted with colored ink from overseas, it is very remotely possible that it has toxic heavy metals. Almost all the inks used in the US (something like 99.3%) are made from soybean oil and are completely harmless. It is also possible (but not likely) that the adhesives include formaldehyde. But, Formaldehyde also occurs naturally in the soil. It is produced during the decay of plant material in levels considered safe.
Question: Can I feed my vermicomposting worms bread?
Answer: Yes. Grain-based items are fine (i.e., crackers, cooked rice, pizza crust, and bread).
Question: What do I do about cockroaches in my bins?
Answer: Cockroaches can be hard to eliminate completely, but the best bet is to aggressively cover the food waste with browns. Adding at least an inch of browns on top will help.
Want more information about composting? This article shares 10 simple steps to get you started.
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Learn how to make nutrient-rich organic worm castings tea for bigger harvests, healthier trees & pest-free gardens. Zach from Arizona Worm Farm shares his recipe.
Worm castings tea, also known as vermicompost tea, worm compost tea, or worm casting tea, is a nutrient-rich, organic fertilizer brewed by soaking worm castings (and other ingredients), in aerated water. It’s a natural way to feed your plants and boost soil health, teeming with beneficial microbes and minerals.
Zach from Arizona Worm Farm has spent the last five years perfecting his recipe, and now he’s sharing it with us so we can learn how to make worm castings tea at home.
How & Why to Make Worm Castings Tea: Zach’s Recipe for a Pest Free Garden
It’s a lot of trouble – so let’s start with why. Quite simply: Your vegetable yield will increase. Your trees will be healthier. Your flowers will be bug-free.
What are the benefits of worm castings tea?
There’s a lot of soil science – pure academic research and decades of field testing that backs up this basic concept: if you suspend microbes in clean water and add air, the microbes will multiply dramatically. When you then transfer that microbe-laden brew into your soils and onto your plants, the microbes thrive and do what they do almost immediately.
Here’s what all those microbes do:
Help produce thicker leaves so your plants protect themselves against frost, sunburn, and pests.
Rapidly convert organic matter from the soil into food for your plants.
Tell your plants there are pests present before those pests arrive, so your plant protects itself from the inside out.
Extend the reach of your plant’s roots so your plants grow better with less water.
Eat harmful microbes.
Improve soil structure through the formation of soil aggregates.
Increase soil porosity, resulting in better aeration and water retention.
Stop the degradation of soil pollutants and provide pH buffering.
Convinced about the benefits of worm castings tea? Let’s talk about how to make it.
Worm castings tea recipe development
Over the last five years, I have run more than 125 experiments where a standard recipe was compared to variations of ingredients or procedures.
We then looked for and counted microbes under a microscope.
Worm castings experiment findings:
The 27-hour brewing time increased protozoa activity.
Humic acid stimulated fungi activity.
Kelp stimulated protozoa activity.
Fish fertilizer stimulated fungi activity and increased nutrient content.
Worm castings resulted in increased fungi content.
I am going to share our recipe and approach – although I will reiterate, that this is a bit of a bother, and you need the correct inputs to get this right.
We sell it fresh every Saturday morning here at the Worm Farm. An easier option is to just come by a gallon or two.
Use fresh and varied inputs for the best tea
Start with as varied and healthy a collection of microbes as possible. Use your castings, fresh from your worm bin, and your compost, fresh from your piles. Use other sources of microbes like hydrated mulch that is breaking down or mushroom compost.
Worm castings from in-bed vermicomposting bins
If you don’t have your own, buy them from a local farm where you can get fresh. The big box compost and worm castings sealed in plastic do not have much microbial life. If you come here to my farm and want inputs for your tea, tell us so we can sell you unscreened material.
Decomposed hydrated wood chip mulch
We don’t screen any of the inputs before we use them to make our tea here. The compost and castings will have larger chunks of wood than our typical commercial product. This mostly serves to reduce microbe exposure to heat and dryness and to avoid breaking fungal hyphae strands.
The other ingredients are humic extract, kelp meal, fish hydrolysate, and Arizona Worm Farm’s BSFL Nutrient +. How many of these you use is up to you. The extra additives will improve the tea but are not essential.
A “tea bag” (You can add the material to the water and aerate it, but the bag makes it easier to spray and use in our gardens.)
A pump that can produce a “rolling boil” – bubbles that make the water look like it is boiling hard – with no heat. We recommend this home brewing kit from Compost Tea Lab. It contains a pump, a bubble snake, and a tea bag.
5 Gallons (19 liters) of pure well water, collected rainwater, or city water allowed to sit out overnight. *see note
12 oz (340g) worm castings
4 oz (113g) of unscreened handmade compost
4 oz (113g) decomposed wood chip mulch (hydrated)
2 Tablespoons (30g) humic acid
2 Tablespoons (30g) kelp meal
2 Tablespoons (30g) fish hydrolysate
2 Tablespoons (30g) AZWF BSFL Nutrient+
Directions
Place the bubble snake in the bucket.
Add 5 gallons of water to the bucket. (see temperature note below)
Fill the compost tea bag with castings, compost, and mulch.
Tie the tea bag to the snake.
Add liquid and powdered ingredients to the bucket.
Turn on the pump.
Replace ingredients in the tea bag with fresh castings, compost, and mulch after 1 hour and again after 2 hours. After the 3rd hour of aeration, take the tea bag out of the bucket. (Add spent ingredients to garden beds or containers.)
Continue aerating the tea for 21-24 hours, but not longer.
Use tea within 2-3 hours. The microbes begin dying when you take the tea off the bubbler. After 4 hours, the numbers return to where you started.
* A note about water: Most city water has chlorine to kill parasites, bacteria, and viruses. It kills the bad stuff but also kills the good stuff. If you only have access to city water, add water to the bucket and let it sit overnight. The chlorine will dissipate. If you are in a hurry, boiling for 15 minutes will have the same effect. Allow to cool before use.
Temperature: Keep water temperature between 60-70°F (15.5-21°C)–above 85°F-90°F (29-32°C) is too hot.
Recipe courtesy of Zach Brooks, owner of Arizona Worm Farm
Printable copy of the worm castings recipe:
How to apply worm castings tea
There are many ways to apply tea – and they are all easy.
As a soil drench: Pour it on the soil around your plants. Add 2 gallons of water to each gallon of tea for a soil drench. Or use it at full strength and then water the soil well.
Foliar feed: Add it to a hose-end sprayer and spray it as a foliar feed.
Just before summer to get plants ready for the heat.
Use it as often as weekly; it only does good. However, more than four times a year is probably not worth the time and money.
2. When setting up new garden beds or adding fresh soil
Apply tea when you set up a new bed (to get the soil ready). For best results, apply it a week or two before you plant, and then keep the soil watered like you had plants in it.
3. When planting new trees
Using worm castings tea when you plant new trees has been shown to dramatically reduce transplant shock and help new trees establish roots.
4. To add microbes when fertilizing your fruit trees
As a low desert gardener, it’s exciting to learn how to grow a crop that I already use, is good for you, and grows well in warm climates. Ginger definitely qualifies on all three accounts. Learning how to grow ginger is easy, and growing it is even simpler (especially if you live in a warm climate).
Ginger is a heat-loving, tropical perennial herb grown for its bamboo-like leaves and flavorful rhizomes. It is grown as a long-season annual in all but the warmest locations.
Ginger is grown from rhizomes. Rhizomes are fleshy stems that spread horizontally underground and contain several buds or growing points. The ginger rhizomes are planted below ground and send up bamboo-like shoots that give energy to the developing ginger below ground.
Ginger shoots emerge from the ground when the weather is nice and warm in the spring. Throughout the long days and warm months of summer, ginger grows well. As the days get shorter and cooler, the leaves turn yellow as the ginger begins to go dormant.
You can buy ginger online from seed companies, but you can also purchase organic ginger from your local market. I get mine at Sprouts. When purchasing ginger rhizomes for planting, look for light-colored, thin-skinned organic ginger that is plump and firm with several bumpy nodules.
To prepare ginger for planting, cut rhizomes into 2″-3″ pieces (each piece containing at least 2 to 3 nodules). Allow cut ends to dry and heal over before planting.
3. Give ginger plenty of time to grow
Ginger needs a long, warm growing season of about 10 months to grow well.
Zones 8 and warmer generally have enough time to start and grow ginger outdoors. Plant outdoors after your last frost date and when the soil warms in the spring. In the low desert of Arizona, plant ginger in March.
Plant rhizomes with nodules pointing up 2″ deep and 6″–8″ apart.
Plant 4 ginger per square foot in square foot gardeningGinger sprouting in the garden
In cooler climates, you will need to pre-sprout rhizomes indoors before planting. Count back 10 months from your first fall frost date. This is the time to begin pre-sprouting your ginger.
To pre-sprout ginger, plant rhizomes 2″ deep in small pots on heat mats. Keep warm and slightly moist (but not soggy; it will rot). Once ginger sprouts, provide supplemental lightinguntil it is warm enough to plant outside. Gradually let plants become accustomed to outdoor conditions for a week and then carefully transplant sprouts to larger containers or garden beds outdoors.
4. Give ginger plenty of warmth
Ginger does not grow well in temperatures below 55°F. Temperatures below freezing cause damage to the leaves and also kills the rhizomes.
In cooler climates, choose your warmest location to plant ginger. Look for an area that gets reflected heat from a block wall. Consider planting ginger in a container. Containers often heat up more quickly in the spring. Move the container to a sheltered location when temperatures fall.
To grow ginger in containers:
Use a container for growing ginger that is at least 12 inches deep.
Container-grown ginger may need more frequent watering and fertilizer.
Harvest container-grown ginger by dumping it onto a tarp or into a wheelbarrow.
In hot summer locations, provide shade for growing ginger. Although it prefers warm soil, intense sun often damages the growing leaves. Look for an area to plant ginger that receives shade naturally, or provide shade for growing ginger.
5. Give ginger good soil and fertilize as needed
The best soil for ginger is rich in organic matter and well-draining. Rich, loose soil may provide enough nutrients for growing ginger. Mulching the soil with additional compost or straw helps provide nutrients, control weeds, and retain water.
While ginger is growing, you can add a few inches of compost to growing ginger sprouts, similar to “hilling” potatoes. This can encourage more growth in the rhizomes.
If your ginger is not growing well, consider feeding every few weeks with an organic fertilizer such as liquid seaweed or fish emulsion. Testing your soil will help you know exactly what the soil is lacking.
Ginger developing below ground
6. Water ginger correctly
Ginger grows best with regular water, especially when the plant is actively growing. Well-draining soil is important as the rhizomes do not like soggy conditions. Do not overwater. As temperatures cool, reduce watering.
7. Harvest ginger at the right time
In cool climates, harvest ginger all at once before freezing temperatures. In warmer climates, harvest ginger after the leaves begin to yellow and die back. Wait to harvest as long as possible for the largest rhizomes.
To harvest, gently dig up the entire plant.In warm areas, you can grow ginger as a perennial. Leave the ginger in the ground and harvest as needed. Plants will go dormant during the cooler months and shorter days of winter, but new shoots will emerge in the spring.
8. Preserve harvested ginger in a variety of ways
After harvesting ginger, rinse it well and cut off shoots and large roots. Use the leaves in tea.
Store fresh ginger in the refrigerator or freezer in plastic resealable bags. Unpeeled ginger keeps for about a month in the refrigerator or up to a year frozen.
Dehydrate ginger by peeling (young, fresh ginger may not need to be peeled) and slicing. Dehydrate at 95°F for 8-12 hours or until ginger is crisp and breaks when bent. I use this dehydrator from Amazon.
Sliced ginger before dehydratingSliced ginger after dehydrating
Store dehydrated slices in a glass jar with an airtight lid. Process small amounts of the sliced ginger into powder. Once ground, the powder will begin to lose flavor, so grind only a small amount at a time.
Process dehydrated ginger in blender to turn into powderStore dehydrated ginger in sealed glass jars
Process peeled ginger (young, fresh ginger may not need to be peeled) with a small amount of water in the blender.This is the blender I use.
Process young unpeeled ginger in a blenderPulse until smooth
Freeze in herb or ice cube trays. Use individual portions as needed. When processed this way, ginger lasts up to a year in the freezer.
Freeze in ice cube or herb traysStore frozen cubes in freezer bags for up to 1 year
Learning how to grow tomatoes may feel overwhelming. Entire books have been written about growing tomatoes, but these 10 tips will fast-track you to tomato-growing success.
The taste of homegrown tomatoes is the reason many people begin a garden. In the United States, it is said that more gardeners grow tomatoes than any other vegetable.
Wondering about how to grow tomatoes in Arizona, the low desert, and other hot climates? Keep reading; there is plenty of information for you too!
Low desert includes elevations below 3500 ft in the Southwest, such as the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links See my disclosure policy for more information.
10 Tips for How to Grow Tomatoes
Tip #1 for Growing Tomatoes: Choose a tomato variety suited for your tastebuds and climate
Decide which type of tomato you want to eat. Different types of tomatoes are suited for eating fresh, canning, making salsa, or cooking.
Choose a type of tomato suited to your climate for the best chance of success. Because of the heat of Arizona summers, we have a short growing season. Look for plants with short (60-90) days to maturity. These are often types with small to medium fruit or Roma or paste varieties.
Varieties highly recommended for desert climates like Arizona include: Punta Banda, Celebrity, Pearson, Speckled Roman*, Black Krim*, Atomic Grape*, Sungold, Sweet 100, Yellow Pear, Canestrino*, and Cherokee Purple.
(* Local Master Gardener Carol Stuttard recommended varieties.)
Florida gardeners battle high heat and humidity. The Everglades tomato does well in those conditions.
Different climates have other considerations and growing conditions. Ask a local grower for varieties that do well in your area.
Tip #2 for How to Grow Tomatoes: Plant tomatoes at the correct time
To give tomato plants the best chance for success, plant tomatoes right after the last spring frost date. This is usually around February 15th – March for the low desert of Arizona. For this planting, start seeds indoors from December – January.
Once planted, if necessary, protect plants from cold nighttime temperatures. Plant tomatoes in the morning, so tomatoes have the day to settle in before cooler nighttime temperatures.
There is a second (monsoon) planting window for planting tomatoes in Arizona’s low desert from July through September. For this planting, start seeds indoors from May – July.
Once planted, protect plants from high daytime temperatures with a shade cloth. Plant tomatoes in the evening so tomatoes have a cooler evening to settle in before hot daytime temperatures.
Tomatoes grow best in temperatures of 70℉ to 90℉, with nighttime temperatures consistently above 55℉. In Arizona, you want tomatoes to flower and set fruit before it gets too hot. Once temperatures reach 90℉, tomato pollen is not viable. Fruit that has set will continue to mature, but new fruit will not set if pollen is not viable.
Tip #3 for Growing Tomatoes: Plant tomatoes in the right location
The most important requirement for productive tomatoes is plenty of sunshine.
Give tomatoes full sun for the entire plant with adequate growing space around each plant for air circulation.
Allow 2 feet between each plant for healthy and productive plants.
Do not plant tomatoes in the same location year after year. Rotate the location to prevent the build-up of disease in the soil.
Tip #4 for How to Grow Tomatoes: Prepare soil correctly
Tomatoes need soil rich in organic matter; make a habit of amending your soil with compost. Good drainage is important as an area with standing or puddling water invites disease. Prepare your soil correctly, and your plants will thank you. If you are growing tomatoes in raised beds, this article talks about the best soil for raised beds.
Tip #5 for Growing Tomatoes: Plant tomato seedlings deeply
Planting deeply encourages a more extensive root system and a healthier plant.
Remove the bottom 2/3 of the leaves on the tomato transplant.
Dig a shallow trench or deep hole (depending on the depth of the planting bed) and plant transplant so that only the top leaves are above the ground.
Roots will grow along the entire stem of the plant.
Bear in mind that plants may appear to do nothing for a bit after planting the tomato- but they are growing roots.
Tip #6 for How to Grow Tomatoes: Mulch tomato plants well
Use compost, straw, leaves, or pine needles to reduce evaporation and insulate the soil from extreme hot and cold temperatures; soil will stay at a more even temperature.
Mulching helps control weeds, and plants will not have to compete with weeds for water and nutrients. Most mulch ultimately becomes fertilizer as it decomposes into the soil around the plant. Learn more about how to mulch in this post.
Tip #7 for Growing Tomatoes: Water tomato plants correctly
Water early in the day to prevent excessive evaporation.
It’s best to water at the soil level, so leaves do not get wet. Wet leaves encourage disease.
Water to a depth of at least 12 inches to encourage roots to grow deep in the soil to find nutrients and moisture.
Water slowly and deeply.
Deep, extensive roots help plants withstand dry spells.
Water regularly as needed, but do not allow plants to become soggy as plant roots need oxygen. How often you water depends on your soil and the weather conditions. Water deeply each time you water and then let the top few inches dry out before watering again. During the hottest months of the summer, that might mean every day. During the winter, that often means every 7-10 days.
Tip #8 for How to Grow Tomatoes: Feed tomato plants
When planting, if your soil is low in phosphorus it’s important to provide a source of phosphorus (bone meal or rock phosphorus) and again as plants begin to bloom and produce fruit. A soil test can determine if your soil is low is phosphorus. Without proper fertilization, plants do not produce well and are prone to weeds (which invite pests and other diseases).
Read through these practical gardening terms and definitions to give yourself an overview. Then, as you gain experience in your garden, you will see the words and meanings come to life. Don’t worry about memorizing everything; you will learn as you go. Refer to this page as needed. You’ve got this!
Starting a garden can feel overwhelming. You may have heard many gardening terms and phrases but didn’t clearly understand them. This post lists many helpful gardening terms with their definitions.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
ACIDIC SOIL: Soil with a pH lower than 7.0. Most plants prefer slightly acidic soil.
AIRFLOW: Proper spacing between and around plants allows air to circulate and prevents mold and moisture-related diseases. Airflow around plants is as essential as sunshine and water.
ALKALINE SOIL: Soil with pH higher than 7.0. Arizona native soils are typically alkaline.
ANNUAL: A plant that completes its life cycle from seed to flower to production of seeds within one growing season, after which the entire plant dies.
BARE ROOT: Dormant plants sold with roots exposed rather than in a container with soil. When purchasing and planting a bare root plant, note that roots should be kept moist until you can plant them in soil.
BENEFICIAL INSECTS: Insects or the larvae of insects that prey on pests and their eggs. Common beneficial insects include ladybugs, lacewings, hover flies, parasitic wasps, praying mantis, soldier bugs, and spiders. Read more in this blog post.
BIENNIAL: A plant that requires two years to complete its life cycle from seed to flower to production of seeds, followed by the plant’s death. Examples of biennials include carrots, onions, and parsley.
BLANCHING: Blocking the light from a plant to keep it paler in color or milder in flavor.
BOLTING: Producing seeds or flowers prematurely. Annual and biennial plants switch from storing energy to producing seeds at the end of their life cycle. When a plant is under stress, it may pre-maturely make a flowering stem that produces seeds. However, once a plant bolts, it often becomes bitter. Read more in this blog post.
BUD UNION: Place where the shoot or bud (scion) is grafted onto the rootstock.
BULB: Storage structure that contains the complete life cycle of a plant. It remains dormant until conditions are favorable for growth. Examples of bulbs include garlic and onions.
CALICHE: A type of sedimentary rock formed from calcium carbonate. Common in desert soils. Causes problems with lack of drainage.
CHILL HOURS: The number of hours when the air temperature between 32°F and 45°F. Winter hours above 60°F are subtracted from the total. The minimum period of cold weather a fruit-bearing tree needs to blossom and produce fruit. Cold climates have more chill hours than warm climates. See also VERNALIZATION.
CHLOROSIS:Yellowing of leaves due to chlorophyll breakdown or loss of production. It is often caused by high soil pH, lack of fertility, moisture, pests, or herbicide injury.
Gardening Glossary: Practical Gardening Terms and Definitions (cont.)
COCONUT COIR: A product made from the fiber of coconut shells and typically sold as pressed bricks; a common ingredient in many potting soils. Coconut coir allows for water retention, drainage, and aeration for roots.
COMPANION PLANTING: The practice of planting different crops to benefit both crops in various ways, including increasing productivity, pest control, and pollination. Read more in this blog post.
COMPOST: A mixture of decayed organic matter used as a soil conditioner or plant fertilizer. It improves soil’s ability to drain well and hold air and water.
COMPOSTING: The process of combining plant and other organic matter with air and water to encourage microbial activity and decomposition into a form usable as a soil conditioner or plant fertilizer. Read more in this blog post.
CONTAINER: Anything filled with soil and used for planting. Range from small to very large. Read more in this blog post.
COOL-SEASON CROP:Vegetables, herbs, or flowers that thrive during cooler months. Often originate from temperate regions.
CORM: Swollen, energy-storing structure (similar to bulbs) of ranunculus, iris, and crocus.
COVER CROP: Category of crops grown to cover the soil during periods where there would not be anything growing. It can enrich the soil, prevent weeds and erosion, and help with pests and diseases. Learn more here.
Cowpeas being grown as a cover crop
CROSS-POLLINATION: Often required with certain types of fruit trees. The second variety of fruit (pollenizer) is planted nearby to increase pollination and yield.
CUT-AND-COME-AGAIN METHOD: This method is a way to harvest continually from a single plant over several weeks or months rather than harvesting the entire plant. Use this harvesting method with plants such as arugula, celery, kale, lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard.
DAMPING OFF: Wilting or dying back of young seedlings, often caused by soil-borne fungal pathogens. Seedlings wilt, topple over, and die.
DAYS TO MATURITY:The amount of time from when the seed or transplant is planted until maturity (meaning the fruit is harvested or the flower blooms). It is usually listed on the seed packet or plant label.
DEADHEADING: The practice of removing faded blooms from flowers to encourage more buds, improve appearance, and delay seed formation.
DECIDUOUS: A type of tree or shrub that sheds its leaves each year, usually in the autumn.
DIRECT SOWING: Planting seeds directly in the garden or containers outside, rather than starting from transplant or seeds indoors. Read more in this blog post.
DIVIDING: Dividing a plant means digging it up and separating it into two or more sections. Each section should contain roots and part of the plant. These sections can be planted and become new plants.
DORMANCY: A time when plants’ growth and activity are at a minimum, generally during temperature extremes.
DRAINAGE: The downward movement of water through the soil. Drainage is often hindered if caliche is present. Poor drainage kills plants because the roots do not receive adequate oxygen.
DWARF: Smaller and more compact than the typical variety for that type of plant. Fruit is usually a standard size.
ESPALIER: Practice of pruning (usually fruit trees) to encourage flat growth against a vertical surface.
ESTABLISHED: After planting, the point at which the plant’s roots have begun to spread and grow below ground and above ground, the plant sends out new growth.
EVERGREEN: A plant or tree that retains its leaves throughout the year and into the following growing season.
Gardening Glossary: Practical Gardening Terms and Definitions (cont.)
FERTILIZE: To apply nutrients to a plant.
Granular fertilizer: dry, pelleted fertilizer.
Liquid fertilizer: a liquid fertilizer, usually mixed with water to form a solution.
Side dress: sprinkling fertilizer in the soil next to a plant.
Foliar feed: spraying a fertilizer solution onto the leaves of a plant.
Soil drench: pouring a fertilizer solution into the soil surrounding the plant.
FROST DATE: Date of the average first or average last freeze that occurs in spring or fall.
FROST HARDY: A plant that can survive a certain amount of freezing temperatures without damage to leaves, stems, or roots.
FROST SENSITIVE: A plant likely to be damaged or killed by freezing temperatures. Read more in this blog post.
FULL SUN: At least six hours (or more) of unobstructed sunlight each day.
GERMINATION: The development of a plant from a seed into a seedling in response to warmth, water, and sometimes light.
GROWING SEASON: The time during the year when conditions are right for plants to grow. Sometimes counted from the date of the last frost in the spring to the first frost in the fall.
HABIT: A plant’s growth pattern; can be described as trailing, upright, spreading, etc.
HAND POLLINATION: Assisting with the transfer of pollen in plants from the male reproductive organ (stamen) to the female reproductive organ (pistil) to form fruit. Use a small paint brush to transfer the pollen or remove the male blossom (long, thin stem) and lightly touch the center of the male flower to the center of the female flower (bulbous stem).
HARDENING OFF: Gradually exposing an indoor / greenhouse-grown plant to increasing periods outside to prevent shock when planted outside. Read more in this blog post.
Gardening Glossary: Practical Gardening Terms and Definitions (cont.)
HARDINESS: A plant’s ability to tolerate cold temperatures.
HARDINESS ZONE: The geographical zone where certain plants grow best in that particular climate. The hardiness zones show the average annual minimum temperature ranges for a specific area. Awareness of your growing zone helps you know which fruit trees will survive outdoors or if you must bring containers inside during cold months. However, hardiness zones are not a good indicator of summer temperatures. See also USDA PLANTING ZONE.
HERBACEOUS: A plant with soft or fleshy tissue. Commonly refers to any non-woody plant, annual, perennial, or bulb. Contrast with woody.
HÜGELKULTUR (pronounced “hoo-gul-culture”): Gardening technique for building soil structure through layering. Typically logs and other wood layered with soil. Benefits include a reduced need for watering and fertilizer.
HYBRID: The resulting plant from cross-pollination (intentional or natural) between two or more plants in the same family (genus).
HYDROPHOBIC: “Water hating”. Soil that repels or will not absorb moisture. If the soil has dried out too much, water may drain through the soil without being absorbed. If this happens to your soil, gently dig in it with a garden spade; don’t turn the soil over, just loosen it. Next, repeatedly sprinkle the surface lightly with water. After several sprayings, the soil should begin to break up and loosen, allowing more water to be absorbed.
INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM): Method of managing pests, weeds, and diseases with the least possible disruption to the surrounding ecosystem. Emphasizes observation and natural, biological solutions. Read more in this blog post.
IRRIGATION: Watering the garden and surrounding landscape using different methods, including drip systems, soaker hoses, flood irrigation, and hand watering with a hose. Read more in this blog post.
JUNE DROP: Natural thinning by a fruit tree of excess fruit; common on citrus trees. In warm areas, often occurs during May.
LARVA: The active immature stage of an insect, especially one that differs from the adult. The plural is “larvae”.
LEGGY:The condition of seedlings when there is not enough light present during germination and early growth. The seedlings stretch towards the light and often become unusable. Read more in this blog post.
MACRONUTRIENTS:Plant nutrients required in percentage quantities: calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur.
Flowers to Plant Outside & Seeds to Start Indoors Each Month in the Low Desert of Arizona. • PLANTING GUIDE: Each month lists annual flowers and bulbs to plant outside & seeds to start indoors. • BLOOMING GUIDE: Photos show what may be in bloom that month.
MICROCLIMATE: The climate of a small area. It can be a backyard or a portion of a yard. Microclimates are influenced by factors such as hills, hollows, surrounding structures, and existing plants.
MICRONUTRIENTS: Trace amounts of minerals such as boron, chlorine, copper, iron, maghanese, molybdenum, nicket, and zinc that are needed in parts per million for proper plant development.
MULCH: A layer of material spread over the surface of the soil. Types of organic mulch include leaves, grass clippings, peat moss, compost, straw, and pine needles. Organic mulch reduces evaporation, regulates temperature, and reduces weeds. Read more in this blog post.
MYCHORHIZA: A symbiotic relationship between certain fungi and roots of plants; literally “fungus root”. The plural is “mycorrhizae”.
Gardening Glossary: Practical Gardening Terms and Definitions (cont.)
NITROGEN: An ingredient in most fertilizers crucial for healthy leafy growth. Plants use more nitrogen than any other nutrient. The amount of nitrogen is listed as the first number in the three numbers on fertilizers (N-P-K).
NO-TILL GARDENING:Minimal disruption to the soil while gardening to minimize disruption to the soil food web. Removing plants by cutting at the base and leaving the roots in place is an easy way to begin no-till practices in your garden.
OLLA: A clay pot with a narrow neck and bulging body used as a watering technique that reduces evaporation and makes water available where the roots need it. The wider part of the olla is buried in the soil, with the narrow opening remaining above soil level. Fill the olla with water regularly, and it seeps out through the porous wall of the pot into the surrounding soil and root zone of the plant. I use ollas from Growoya. Use code GROWING to save.
ORGANIC FERTILIZER: Naturally-occurring fertilizers derived from rock, animal, and plant matter.
ORGANIC GARDENING: Gardening without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers to maintain plant and soil health. Read more in this blog post.
ORGANIC MATTER: Carbon-based material from plants and animals that is capable of decomposition. Includes products of organisms and the decayed remains of dead organisms.
PARTIAL SHADE: Areas of the yard and garden that receive between four to six hours of unobstructed sunlight each day.
PEAT MOSS: Partially decomposed moss remains; used as a common ingredient in potting soil. Peat moss holds water and air, decomposes slowly, improves the texture, and raises soil pH. It is considered a less sustainable option than coconut coir.
PERENNIAL: A non-woody plant that lives for many growing seasons. The top of the plant may die back in the winter and come back each spring from the existing roots. Or the plant may keep its leaves year-round.
PERLITE: A material formed when volcanic rock is crushed and heated; it is a common ingredient in potting soil. Adding perlite to soil keeps the soil loose and helps with water retention. Perlite retains less water than vermiculite.
PEST:Any organism that can cause disease or injury to plants or plant products. Read more in this blog post.
Squash Bugs
PHOSPHOROUS: An ingredient in most fertilizers that encourages strong root growth and the development of flowers, fruits, and seeds. The amount of phosphorous is listed as the second number in the three numbers on fertilizers (N-P-K).
PHOTOSYNTHESIS: The process whereby plants use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into usable energy for the plant.
PINCHING: Removing the top or sucker growth to encourage bushier growth, longer stems, or more blooms. Common on plants such as basil, tomatoes, zinnias, and peppers.
PLANT FAMILIES: Plant categories that share broad characteristics and have similar growth requirements and habits. The common names of some plant families and their members include:
PLANTING GUIDE: A reference that tells the optimal time to plant vegetables, herbs, and flowers based on a specific location or climate.
POLLINATION: The transfer of pollen in plants from the male reproductive organ (stamen) to the female reproductive organ (pistil) to form fruit. Some flowering crops have separate male and female blossoms (squash, cucumber), while other crops (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers) have perfect flowers (both male and female organs in one flower). Bees and other pollinators assist in pollination by transferring the pollen from one flower to another or vibrating the flower to distribute the pollen inside the flower.
POLLINATOR: An insect, bird, or animal that transfers pollen from one flower or plant to another.
POLYCULTURE: A variety of plants in each bed or plot of land. Diversity in plantings attracts a broader assortment of beneficial insects and pollinators. Read more in this blog post.
POTASSIUM: An ingredient in most fertilizers that increases the yield and quality of plants and helps plants resist disease and stress. The amount of potassium is listed as the last number in the series of three numbers on fertilizers (N-P-K).
Gardening Glossary: Practical Gardening Terms and Definitions (cont.)
POTTING SOIL: A blend of ingredients that holds moisture around plants’ roots, provides air for growing roots, and allows for plant drainage in containers. Sometimes called potting medium, container soil, or container mix. The ingredients may include vermiculite, perlite, coconut coir, and peat moss. Read more in this blog post.
POTTING UP: Transferring seedlings to a larger container. Often done when the roots or plant has outgrown the container the seeds were started in and conditions prevent planting outside in the garden.
POWDERY MILDEW:Common name for one of a group of fungal pathogens that form a white froth on the surfaces of plant parts. Read more in this blog post.
Powdery Mildew
PRUNING: Removal of dead, diseased, overgrown, or unwanted branches.
RESEED: The dropped seed from an annual plant that regrows the following season if conditions are suitable for germination and growth.
RHIZOMES: Fleshy stems spread horizontally underground and contain several buds or growing points. Examples of rhizomes include ginger and turmeric.
ROOT BALL: The grouping of roots and soil surrounding a plant when removed from the ground or container.
ROOT BOUND: Plants grown in the same container too long have tangled roots that circle the container. Roots restricted in too-small containers become “root bound” and are less likely to flourish after being planted in the garden.
ROOT CROWN: The area of the plant or tree where the roots branch off from the stem or trunk. It is essential not to bury this part of the plant when potting up trees and bushes.
ROOT STOCK: The base of a grafted plant is usually selected for size, hardiness, or disease resistance.
ROOT ZONE: The soil, water, and oxygen area below ground and around the plant’s roots that supply the plant with water and nutrients. The roots are usually concentrated in the top 18 inches of soil and spread as wide as the plant’s canopy.
ROW COVER: Lightweight or translucent fabric covers plants to protect them from frost, insects, birds, or other pests. Allows air, light, and water to pass through.
SEEDLING: The first emergence of growth from seed. Emerging leaves are called cotyledons, while subsequent leaves are called true leaves.
SEED STARTING MIX: Typically a sterile, soil-less mix of peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, or other ingredients. Used when starting seeds indoors.
SEED TYPES:
GMO – Genetically modified organism whose genetic material has been altered.
Heirlooms – Generally are open-pollinated varieties more than 50 years old.
Hybrid – Produced by crossing plants from different lines and chosen for desirable characteristics such as disease resistance. The seeds of hybrid plants are usually sterile or not true to type.
Open-pollinated – Plant type that produces stable seed characteristics from generation to generation.
Organic – Seeds produced using organic gardening methods.
SELF-FRUITFUL: Fruit trees that do not require pollination from a different variety of trees.
SELF-WATERING CONTAINERS: Containers with a water reservoir and wicking system that, when kept full, allow for a consistent source of moisture for plants. Self-watering containers are helpful if you cannot water your containers daily for plants that need a consistent moisture level, such as tomatoes, and in hot climates where containers dry out quickly.
SHADE: Areas of the yard and garden that do not receive direct sunlight.
SHADE CLOTH: Reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches plants. You can use it to extend the season, reduce temperature, or protect newly-planted seedlings. Shade cloth comes in different coverages. A percentage of 40-60% shade cloth is suitable for vegetables during the summer when temperatures are consistently above 100°F. Read more in this blog post.
Gardening Glossary: Practical Gardening Terms and Definitions (cont.)
SOIL FOOD WEB:All the life (seen and mostly unseen) happening in healthy soil. Minerals, oxygen, and organic matter with microorganisms, earthworms, beetles, and more. Bacteria and fungi coexist in a life cycle with nematodes, protozoa, and micro-anthropods.
SOIL PH: A measure of soil acidity or alkalinity. It is measured on a scale from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very alkaline). Most plants grow best when soil pH is between 5.5 and 7.5. A pH of 7 is considered neutral. Each plant has a preferred pH range. The pH level affects which nutrients are available to the plant in the soil.
SOIL TEST: An analysis of a soil sample, usually to determine the nutrient levels and pH. Read more in this blog post.
SQUARE FOOT GARDENING: An intensive gardening method based on planting in one-foot grids. Depending on the fruit, flower, herb, or vegetable size, a certain number of seeds or transplants are planted in each square. Learn more in this blog post.
STAKING: Supporting a plant or tree with poles, twine, or other mechanisms.
SUCCESSION PLANTING: The practice of staggering plantings throughout the growing season to ensure a continual harvest, rather than harvesting all at once.
TENDER: Plants that do not tolerate cold temperatures.
TERMINAL BUD: The central point on a plant where the new growth originates. Leave the terminal bud in place when harvesting outer leaves (cut-and-come-again method). Cutting off the terminal bud often results in branching below the cut.
THINNING:
The removal of some plants to make room for the remaining plants to have enough soil, sunlight, water, and airflow to grow well. Thinning often occurs once plants have two sets of true leaves.
Removing excess fruit from fruit trees to allow the remaining fruit to grow larger or prevent limb breakage and damage.
A pruning cut that removes a branch or stem to the point of attachment on another branch or the base of the stem.
TRELLIS: Vertical structure that provides support to growing plants. Read more in this blog post.
TRANSPIRATION: The process of plants breathing in water from the soil through their roots and out through their leaves.
TRANSPLANT: A young plant somewhat past the seedling stage, also called starts. Transplants usually have several sets of true leaves. Also, the process of moving a plant from one location to a different location. Read more in this blog post.
USDA PLANTING ZONE: System developed as a guide for planting and gardening. The United States is divided into thirteen zones by the lowest annual temperatures. A plant’s “hardiness zone” is the lowest USDA zone it can withstand without dying during cold temperatures. See also HARDINESS ZONE.
Gardening Glossary: Practical Gardening Terms and Definitions
VERMICOMPOSTING:Worm composting – also called vermicomposting (‘vermi’ = worm) – is the process of using worms to compost food scraps into vermicompost. Read more in this blog post.
VERMICULITE: A common ingredient in potting soil. It is made from a mica rock. Vermiculite absorbs water, makes the soil loose and friable, and adds potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Vermiculite retains more moisture than perlite.
VERNALIZATION:Period of time where seed or plant is exposed to cold temperatures in nature or artificially to induce to initiate or accelerate the flowering process. See also CHILL HOURS.
VERTICAL GARDENING: Growing plants vertically up structures rather than allowing the plant to sprawl along the ground. Vertical gardening allows more sunlight and air to reach the plant, which helps the plant be more productive. Read more in this blog post.
VINING PLANT: A plant that produces climbing or trailing stems from a central point or several points. Vines often require support or a trellis. Read more in this blog post.
WARM-SEASON CROPS:Vegetables, herbs, or flowers that thrive during warmer months and do not tolerate cold or frost.
WOODY: A plant with hardened stems or trunks. In contrast with herbaceous plants, which have soft stems.
WORM CASTINGS:Worms eat up to half their weight daily in kitchen scraps, and worm castings are the byproduct of all that eating. During digestion, the worms secrete chemicals that break organic matter into nutrition readily available to plants. Worm castings and the chemicals secreted during digestion make up vermicompost. Buy them here.
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