Arizona fall garden

My moon phase was a little off but I went with it due to the lateness of the season.
This was a long hot summer here.
I lost 4 weeks.

I was able to get a full truck bed load of compost at a farm for 20$
If you can find horse rather than cow manure you do well...
It is a much better balanced nitrogen without so much salt in it.
That right bed is the root bed dug down 12 inched and screened, no rock, no clod just
"let my roots spread out"
sorta finery

So we began this first cool morn of the fall.
A Wednesday.
This is what I began with.
Soup to mix as it were the soils and compost, amendments of 10-10-10- and peat moss for the root bed. Carrots and the like want a good 50% of it if you can swing it. They just love peat moss. Get the good stuff see the last post.

This is all that was left after the beds had the added levels and the raised beds of the extension were filled. This will be used to hill up the leek as it grows ever so slowly 120 crop.
The South extension bed is a High Nitrogen bed so the thick load of composted manure/straw and grass was the perfect thing some of the clod is in it too. It is hoped that the moisture with the watering of it will break them down.

All the former straw mulch raked out and the compost was added in its stead and dug in a bit.
The cucumber to be replanted soon.
Some of the pan squash is beginning to bloom.

A thick layer of the compost added all around the giant pumpkin and the other winter squash.

Not just one corn cob in the mix was found.
Good to see real life in this compost.
Everything but the cob rotted down.
All of this stirred and mixed very well.
This a LOW nitrogen bed the amendments were light see old post...the 10-10-10- and the other things were already melted into the mix from days and watering before.

Now the raised beds full must be turned and prepared with the final mix as per the needs of those things yet to plant.

The bails of straw that were the garden wall last season will this year don the tomato plants.
This will cover the tank and also raise them higher for me to harvest.
Much easier on my back.
Using a spade and a hand rake the center was dug out a bit.
Then compost and peat moss was tapped into the hollow.
Watering it and feeding the soil will come after to have them ready come the spring.

By setting up a work table my life was made easier.
It was nice to be with the dogs and the birds, they especially thought so.

A nice glass of soy milk and coffee a huge glass of ice water and all the books, charts and seeds set me up for success.

Enjoying my coffee the almanac was pursued and the plans began to be set into motion.
What to plant, when and where.
It all came together but then the temperature was tipping up toward 90* and I had to stop.
All the seeds that had to be soaked were brought in with my dishes and it was time to cool off.

Today began I with the seeds at the ready.
Day 2

The seeds that were soaked were
Carrot
Parsnip
Pea
Beans

The inoculate is on try to set with the bean and pea seeds.
It is a black granular thing.


So this morning with seeds soaked I set out to task.

Peas were an the agenda
I am going to be bold and do this over.
This time the soil got a load of good compost and the whole thing dug in real well.
Then the inoculate peppered over the top of it and dug in.
Fine tilled it all with the rotary wheel on the hand held pole.

All the lumps gone and the dirt soft and well broken down...

Two trenches of seed stagger two inches apart

center is bare 1/2 cover

Between the rows pea poles I made from the tree our front when I trimmed it.
We just removed the leaves and sun dried the wood.

Tip
Put water in the carrot seed and swirl it will pour out down the row controlled...


This the roots
back trench for Leek
Then mixed Parsnip and radish every 4 inches down the row.
Carrots for cooking
Carrots for the children to munch
Radish between carrot rows for salads

There is a little 1x3 at path edge on the left for some salad greens.
The left south corner yet to throw the pick and screen the soil.
Lots of rocks there.
I hope to tend to it after the south bed gets planted.
It will hopefully get cooler by then.

All the stones now removed from my path those bare foot days are ahead with the straw underfoot a soft step to the earth.

Pan summer squash bloom teased me this morning.

A waxed china marker was used to mark the wooden stakes...

The beets and dill will go here the next in the morning.

Celery needs to get in too.

Outdoor Wedenesday

Built for me was a screened frame. It can be used several ways. This on a bit heavy just due to the wood we had at hand to use. (use what you have).
Some of these are put on a frame that has rocking legs...
The trick is to break up the earth the day you dig or turn it. Once it dries out you have a bit more of an issue. That was learned this year the hard way:)

Making a rock free tilth for root vegetable bed

Using a pick first I picked down 12 inches. This is for the carrots. One day the yams may also be grown here as well as potatoes. The soil clods then broken up a bit I used the hand held part of my hoe tool (the long handle is removable) to scrape the dirt back and forth. By hand removing any and all stones. This bed is purposely being made for my root veggies.
Using the spade shovel I dug out the picked loose soil and clods tossed them to the right. Working in the hollow created I then screened the dirt. Once all stone and the small soil partials were removed I chopped a bit against the frame to get any other easily broken down clods to soil.

All of the clods were either down to tilth or removed.
Once the soil was screened it was shoveled over to the left and just kept rising there as I worked in a hollow moving from left to right and then piling all the huge clods left and the good earth right.
All for happy carrots and root crops.
.I then added two buckets moss, 2 buckets vermiculite and two of horse manure/mulch mix.
Made a good ol' soup of it and filled in the hole.
Leveling it off as I went.

This to use in building up the raised beds in the extension.
I did not want to bring in outside dirt.
We have scorpions in the desert...I have been very blessed not to have them.
The left over clods to the wheel barrow to toss into the raised bed. This is fine for the raised beds are for those brocades that are fruiting above ground. This a good root hold is fine and the clods will break down over time.

Once the heat got me and the time was to stop

Now a glass of ice water later I am cooled and the row has a good 2-3 feet more done on it. I have three more days of the lunar cycle to just tend to soil.
Thank God the temps have come down a little . I was able to work until 10:30 today.

The research to amend the earth per the needs of my root crop is still to be rehashed
... for I forgot What I learned
:(

Water harvesting first use! YA!

According to this the weather issues would of been avoided had I one of these little book. It tells better of when to plant here and even includes the moon phases.
A lot of work was done by me to study the phase of the moon for gardening. From now on I think that this will become a yearly tool.

close up of the Assembly for the tank spicket.
He set this up facing the ground as to keep me from being struck in my leg as I walk by it.

The bib is now set on the main tank
tip here a bit of Vaseline helped to cinch the parts no leak at the valve YA!!

I left the slow trickle for 5-7 minutes here.

start point
After 5-7 minutes and just the one set of squash the tank came down to the 200 liter mark.
After watering the pumpkin and the spaghetti squash.

So it looks like 150 liters is the usage for the things growing now..

It is so wonderful not to have to drag the hose around!

Over at the main bib we set up a 4 point bib (found it in the garden clearance $6.)and it will be wonderful!

The main hose will stay over on the harvesting tank

A new 50 ft. hose (got it for $7 ya! on clearance) will be used for the dogs water.
One for the compost, one for the hens and the other left open to keep for direct use.

Outdoor Wedenesday

This morning the garden called may name loudly
With a pitiful "save me"!

Our heat has been over the top.
As have gone the rain clouds...over the top of our neighborhood and onto the next!
92* with 32% humidity got to me and after two hours I started to throw up...
OPPS.
Inside went I to a cool shower a glass of water then another of carrot juice and I sit here a limp rag of a gardener imagining that I am with you dear Southerners in the sweet cool of your fall.

Working under the gazebo The pile of debris into the tin barrel to clear up the ground.
This iron bed frame was free on craigs list.
It was around the tank but as I was taking the hose back to the main yard I fell into the gap in the earth where we removed some of the concrete and brick boarder.
I think It will get set here after all.
I need to keep my knee safer.
Oh I am alright a little sore from twisting it a bit I think it is alright.

After watering, working the mulch straw around the plants and finishing up the 8 foot of bed I did.
The umbrellas were set for the heat of the day.

All of the straw that was in the extension space is now moved under the wheel barrow.
It is decomposing and will continue to be put to good use.

Now that area is clear so The work on that South bed can commence.
The main extension bed is 3/4 full and well decomposed.
To plant toward the end of the month.

That silk tree so beautiful
Well when it was inside my home the Lab lifted leg on it and spoiled it.
Needless to say he is an outside dog now.
Well anyway it was a gift from my MILove
It will searve me well to keep the compost and the storage can disguised.
The left over two straw bails are a nice sitting spot to rest in the shade.

This had a big problem.
Bermuda grass...no way except poison to kill it...or perhaps I have a good idea here.

That 8 foot span is screened and till with horse manure, bone meal, humus, 10-10-10, composted straw. I watered it and then went back and used the hoe to turn it again.

summer squash is still alive...
The Lab broke the water bottle to the dog bowl...
idea...I filled it and as the soaked filled the bed the jar leaked more slowly to water there. I think in principle it will serve well as a feeder jar or for compost tea later.

zucchini to the right and the spaghetti squash to the left
Some cosmos may have survived.

Pumpkin

Two lone bean plants survived

Two or three corn and a pea plant...

but the heat and drought got the better of my garden so far...
The earth is just to hot and I lost

cucumber
chive
carrot
raddish
corn
bean
pea
sunflower
a good $15. in seed to replace arg!

The soil temps matter more than anything the almanacs may tell you.

The straw pile moved it is much nicer out there.

I raked the grounds under the gazebo and had to call it a day or die.
Probably no joke for I got a bit of sun stroke this morning.

OH FOR FALL!!!!!!!!!