The Garden Guy

Here is a cool web site about gardening in the Sonoran Desert (specifically Phoenix area). The guy does everything organically, so it is a good resource for that type of information, and he guides you on when to do pruning, weed control, and things like that.



I am getting very interested in gardening around my house, and I like to use organic approaches.
Here is a method of weed control that I got from the site:

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Weed Control Recipe
Mix:
1 gallon white vinegar
1 oz. citronella or citrus oil
1 tsp. Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap (Wild Oats, Sunflower Market)
Put in a pump sprayer and apply to weeds.
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My first approach to gardening will be to get some pallets and make a compost area behind my back wall. We are going to need a lot of compost once we reach our final garden configuration. My mom composted when I was growing up, and it still pains me to throw away vegetable peels and such. My mom didn't turn her pile or anything - we just dumped the stuff. Eventually, it would decompose. In the spring, we'd get some really good tomatoes off of the plants that sprouted from seeds we had dumped the year before."

Citrus Oil for Insect & Pest Control

This is from ThriftyFun

'Make citrus oil to keep aphids, white flies, fire ants and mosquitoes away! Soak the rinds of 2 orange peels in 1 gallon of water (closed) for about 10 days. Strain out the rinds/peels and store in mason jars until ready to use. If you will be applying to fire ant mounds, apply full strength. If spraying on plants, dilute 2 ounces of citrus oil with one gallon of water to avoid burning plants.'"

A Sonoran Desert Garden

I've been messing around with blogs for a while. I don't put a lot of time into them - I'm not into writing much, nor do I want to take away time from my other interests to do so.

One of my blog experiments didn't have much of a focus, but I noticed more and more postings on (mostly organic) gardening and landscaping. So, I decided to focus on that, this blog being the result.

I will be posting some of my experiences with my garden and yard, as well as material I find on the web that seems pertinent or interesting. If its useful to someone other than myself - Great!