Gardening

Comments on Gardening by Kato D. Haws Jr.

Biggest Secrets of Gardening:

• Build the soil with organic material
• Plant at the right time of year

Central Arizona Plantings (Overview)

• Plant greens, roots, and peas in succession plantings from Sept. 20 to November 30.
• Plant corn, beans, squash, melons from March 15 to April 15.

Planting Guides (Very Helpful)

• Order from various sources including your county extension service and nurseries. (Do NOT assume that you should plant things as you used to before you made your last move).

Quit Complaining

• Quit complaining about the "terrible soil" or "terrible growing seasons" in your area.
• Build your own soil, its not that difficult.
• Talk to successful gardeners in your area.

Grow in "soil" not "dirt"

• If your garden soil is so hard or light colored that it would better be called "dirt" than "soil", do something about it. Organic matter does wonders to turn "dirt" into "soil".
• Remember vegetables love "soil"!!

Consider raised beds

• You can grow a lot of food in a 3' x 10' area.
• A simple 8" high bed is tall enough.
• 4x8x16 fence blocks make wonderful 8 inch high beds.

Fertilizer

• Horse or cow manure loosens the soil and provide nitrogen
• Ironite@ is a great fertilizer.

Weeds

• Weeds are a challenge if you let them get out of hand, just don't!
• If you have a really bad weed problem, and live in a hot area of the country, consider solarization.

Solarization

• Done in the hottest months of the year.
• Till the soil.
• Water heavily.
• Cover with clear plastic.
• Seal the edges.
• Leave in place for six weeks.

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