Ollas, Wicking Beds, and Sub-Irrigated Pipes! Who Knew?!

 I thought that I was doing everything possible to conserve water in my desert garden by harvesting rainwater, using drip irrigation, and heavily mulching my entire garden with huge loads of wood chips from Chip Drop.  That was until I attended Julie Knapp's Alternative Watering Techniques class last week at D.I.G. - Desert Institute of Gardening.  There I learned that I could reduce my garden watering consumption by up to 50% by using ollas, wicking beds, sub-irrigated pipes, and watering stakes.  Wow!

Ollas are clay vessels that you bury underground and plant your veggies around.  You keep the olla full of water and the water seeps through the clay and feeds the roots of nearby plants.  I am most intrigued by the automated olla system Julie introduced in class.  This system can easily be hooked up to a rain barrel!

Julie holding small hand-made ollas connected to drip lines for use in
an automated olla system.

You can make your own ollas with some silicone and clay pots as shown above, or you can buy them from a company in Tucson called Cutting Edge Ceramics

Another watering method from class that excites me are the wicking beds made using sub-irrigated pipes.  This too could be fed with water from a rain barrel.  What a great way to extend the use of my collected monsoon rainwater this summer!

Julie Knapp showing the perforated pipe wrapped in landscape fabric,
and a container for a wicking bed garden.

Master Gardener and desert forager Kelly Athena
starts building her own olla in class.

Making the ollas was fairly simple. First we used silicone to glue a glass marble over the drain hole in the bottom pot.  Then we sanded the rims of the pots to smooth out any imperfections so the rims would lay evenly together.  Next we spread silicone around the rim of the bottom pot and pressed the top clay pot down over the bottom pot. The final step was sealing around the outside with more silicone. 

Students in class using silicone and 2 clay pots
to build their olla.

If you decide to make your own olla, be sure to let it dry overnight, and test it before using it by soaking it in a bucket of water to look for leaks.  When you bury the pot, leave a few inches exposed above the mulch and after filling put a rock or pot tray over the hole to slow evaporation and keep bugs out.

Another watering method Julie introduced to class was watering stakes.  I had seen these before in gardening departments but thought that they would simply clog with dirt and be ineffective.  But Julie pointed out that there is a mesh inside to prevent the pipe from getting clogged with dirt.

 You can also make your own watering stakes/pipes by drilling holes in  2 inch PVC pipes and capping each end. Leave the top cap unglued so you can run the drip line through it.  Wrap and seal the tube with landscape cloth to keep the dirt out.  What a great way to ensure that you are deep watering your trees!

I will be implementing these methods into my garden over the coming months and will be blogging in more detail about automated ollas and wicking beds so stay tuned!

To learn more from Master Gardener Julie Knapp, read her blog -
The Transplanted Gardener.

Another great class from D.I.G. - the Desert Institute of Gardening - is coming up this Sunday May 6th, from 2pm to 4pm -  Harvesting Desert Bean Trees for Food & Medicine - Master Gardener Kelly Athena will give you a hands-on experience in becoming a desert forager of the three important bean trees in our area: Mesquite, Paloverde, and Ironwood. You will get to taste the beans and take away recipes for flour, syrup, jelly, edamame, tea, and more!

Speak Up for More Trees in Phoenix

Go to https://www.phoenix.gov/calendar/budget and scroll down to see times and dates of district budget hearings.

Citywide Hearing (Spanish/English), April 11, 2018, 8:00 PM at Maryvale Community Center, Auditorium, 4420 N. 51st Avenue

Residents are invited to attend community hearings to discuss the City Manager’s Trial Budget before final decisions are made. At the hearings, residents will have an opportunity to comment and make suggestions.  Phoenix City Council members and staff from the City Manager's Office, Budget and Research Department, and other city departments will be available to answer questions.  This public discussion is among the reasons the city's budget so closely matches the community's highest priorities each fiscal year.

Residents may review and submit comments on the 2018-19 proposed budget at the city’s website at www.phoenix.gov/budget

Plant Selection

When I began to gradually transform my Mediterranean landscaped yard to a desert landscaped yard, the booklet "Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert" was my bible.  As I would debate over what plant to put where, this guide was indispensable.  It allowed me to see at a glance what plants could take reflected heat from the swimming pool, which ones were low-water use, what season they are in bloom, how wide and tall they would grow,  and what wildlife they may attract!  Now there is an online version that has even MORE information!  See www.amwua.org/plants/

The city of Chandler has an awesome interactive landscaping tool online that also makes it easy and fun to plan changes to your landscape.  See http://www.chandler.watersavingplants.com/


Before:

 After:

Other excellent desert plant selection and care guides include:



The Arizona Low Desert Flower Garden - A Seasonal Guide to Bloom, Height, Color, and Texture by Kirti Mathura - The Arizona Low Desert Flower Garden features easy-to-use tri-cut flip pages that make it a snap to compare height, color, and growing season of hundreds of low desert plants. At-a-glance symbols indicate water requirements, along with whether the plants attract birds, butterflies, or caterpillars.

Pruning Planting and Care
by Eric Johnson

Pruning Planting and Care by Eric Johnson

Virtual Library of Phoenix Landscape Plants


Desert Botanical Gardens Gardening Guides

Also see Mountain States Wholesale Nursery Mswn.com  The plant care guides at this site are the ones posted at Desert Botanical Garden's bi-annual plant sales alongside each plant.

Upcoming Plant Sales:

Boyce Thompson Arboretum Spring Plant Sale 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. March 10 - 25 - A fundraising sale of trees, shrubs, herbs, flowers, cacti and succulents. Need planting and landscaping advice? Arboretum staff are joined by helpful volunteers from Pinal County's Superstition Mountain Master Gardeners program, there to advise and assist buyers with suggestions for trees and smaller plants ideal for a wide range of landscaping projects.  Special events during the March plant sale include lectures, guided tours and weekend wildflower walks; most are included with daily admission of $12.50.

Desert Botanical Garden Spring Plant Sale  Saturday, March 17 | 7 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, March 18 | 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. Prepare your garden for the season at the annual Spring Plant Sale. Choose from more than 30,000 plants, including cactus, succulents, trees, shrubs, groundcover, herbs, veggies, perennials and other oddities.

AZRFG Spring Plant Sale  on Saturday, March 31 at 8 AM - 12 PM Hosted by Arizona Rare Fruit Growers - at The Rose Garden at Mesa Community College, 1833 W Southern Ave, Mesa, Arizona 85202

Upcoming Master Gardener Training - Master Gardener Initial Training classes are taught by University of Arizona Cooperative Extension faculty, industry professionals and other horticulture experts. The program teaches the fundamentals of selecting, installing, and maintaining healthy, appropriate landscapes and gardens for the Arizona low desert.The cost of the 17-week training is $275.00.  University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85040  THE APPLICATION FOR THE FALL 2018 EVENING SESSION IS NOW AVAILABLE!
APPLY HERE: MASTER GARDENER FALL 2018 APPLICATION

Watering Tips for Desert Dwellers

See online version. or look for this
free guide at your local nursery.

Week 6 of the Master Gardener program covered watering.  Here are a few pointers -

1. We are probably all over watering our yards, especially if you have desert landscaping.  Big lush brittlebush popping up through your yard is a sign that you are over watering.

2. We need to move our drip emitters farther away from the trunks of our trees and shrubs out to the drip line (the outer canopy). The reason is that not all roots are water absorbing, the parts of the roots that absorb water are the feeder roots and they are out at the farther edges of the trees canopy, so that's why you need to move your emitters out farther.

3.  Learn how to operate your irrigation control box and change the settings at least 4 to 6 times throughout the year changing with the seasons.

4. Put on new emitters where you don't know the flow rate.

5.  Wateruseitwisely.com has a landscape watering guide and interactive online tutorial on how to water your landscape properly.

6. Try attaching a filter to your system to keep chlorine, calcium and salts contained in city water away from your plants and soil.  Available locally at GreenLife at a great price!



7. If you are really an avid gardener, and are buying a home in the valley, look for one in a neighborhood with flood irrigation. Its the best irrigation method and it's cheap! Flood irrigation water is river water, full of nutrients, no chlorine, flushes salts away from the tree root zones, and keeps salts from building up in the soil.

How irrigation works

Flood Irrigation | City of Tempe, AZ

The What, How and Why of Flood Irrigation

8. If you are not blessed with flood irrigation, the next best thing is rainwater harvesting.  The benefit is not just what you store in your tank, but that you can redirect the flow of water off  of your roof and into your garden and out to your trees.  Slow it, spread it, and sink it is the mantra of rainwater harvesters.

Rainwater Harvesting

Watershed Management Group

There are a lot of great rain water harvesting classes and workshops coming in the next few months!

City of Tempe Water Harvesting Class  Saturday, April 7 at 9 AM - 1 PM · Join us for a free class that will introduce you to strategies for using rainwater and greywater in your landscape. We'll teach you how to design your landscape to "plant the water" using rain gardens, rain tanks and greywater systems so you can grow lush plants, while saving money and water! vHosted by Watershed Management Group location - 1400 N College Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281

Rain Barrel Workshops and Giveaway on Saturday, May 5 at 10 AM - 2 PM - Tempe Water Conservation presents a Rain Barrel Workshop and Giveaway at the Historic Eisendrath House on May 5, 2018. Four workshops featuring a live demonstration of how to build and install a rain barrel will be offered starting at 10AM, 11AM, 12PM, and 1PM. Attendees need only attend one demonstration to receive a free 55-gallon barrel to take home. All attendees will also have the chance to tour The Historic Eisendrath House for Water Conservation where sustainable practices are on display. · Hosted by Project Rain Barrel - River Network and Watershed Management Group. Location - Eisendrath House, 1400 N College Ave, Tempe, Arizona 85281

Water Recycling - Saturday June 9th - 11:00AM at Tempe Public Library - Slash your water bills by learning to implement gray water recycling in your home! Do you have a pond or garden that could use rain water to keep it living? Did you know you can collect dew?  Join Garden Pool and the Tempe Public Library to learn all about water recycling: how to capture, store, and reuse rain, dew, and gray water. Hosted by Garden Pool  Location: TPL Meeting Room A, Tempe Public Library, 3500 S Rural Rd, Tempe, Arizona 85282

It's SOIL Not DIRT!

Happy peppers at Singh Farm, 2015

Ken Singh, working his magic at
Singh Farm with huge
compost mounds in background.

Earlier this month in the Master Gardener program we learned about the soil-food web and it brought back memories of spending time with the guru of soil-building, Ken Singh, at his oasis in the desert - Singh Farm.  In less than 10 years Mr. Singh transformed a bare plot of reservation land into an absolute Garden of Eden by building the soil up naturally.  I wanted to do the same in my own backyard so back in 2016 I asked Mr. Singh about picking up a truckload of his dirt.  He immediately corrected me, with his big bearded smile he said "Peggy, it's SOIL not DIRT!  Dirt is dead, soil is ALIVE!".  I never forgot those words, and I did move a few truckloads of  his amazing living soil to my yard.  What a transformation it has made!

My garden in April 2016 just after the first few layers of Singh Farm SOIL -

My garden in April 2017  -

In class at the Master Gardener program we delved into N-P-K - Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, oh my!  Those dubious three numbers that appear on all packages of fertilizer. What do they mean, and why should we care?  It can all be very overwhelming.  We should care about those numbers because Nitrogen promotes leaf growth, Phosphorus promotes fruit and bloom growth and Potassium promotes stem growth and overall plant health. Each number represents the percentage of that element in the fertilizer. So for example, in newly planted gardens you initially need nitrogen and potassium to develop big healthy leaves and strong stems so you would look for fertilizers with N-P-K 10-2-8  or 10-10-10.  Then later as plants start to develop flowers (which leads to fruit) you want plant energy going into the fruit so an N-P-K of  2-10-6 is needed.  ( FYI - The N-P-K percentages don’t equal 100 percent because there are other nutrients and filler product in fertilizer mixtures. This filler helps to apply the nutrients evenly over an area. )  

This is all fine and dandy but do we really want to add all of these salt-rich commercial fertilizers to our already alkaline desert soils?  NO.  When all is said and done, the best solution for our alkaline clay-textured soils is to build our own healthy living soils.  How?  Simply put - compost, compost, compost, mulch, mulch, mulch, and deep water to flush away salts!  A great example of what can happen when you build up a living soil is Jay Barringer's Edible Food Forest in Mesa, AZ.  On just 1/8th of an acre Jay has over 300 edible fruit trees and vines, producing lush crops of mangoes, apples, peaches, plums, passion fruit, grapes, you name it and Jay has got it!  You can see this incredible food forest this Saturday, February 24th from 9am to 11am.

Garden Tour & Fruit Tree Workshop w/ Jake Mace & Jay Barringer Saturday, February 24 at 9 AM - 11 AM Jay Barringer's Home is incredible. Only 1/8 of an acre of plantable land yet there are over 300 fruit trees and other gardens. This is a must see gardening event! In this tour and class Jake Mace and Jay Barringer will lead everyone through fruit trees, raised bed and in-ground gardens, where to get compost, how to make the best soil, wood chips, and the best edible trees to grow in the Phoenix area heat/cold! $30 per person. Location: 41 S 83rd Pl Mesa, AZ 85208

A great opportunity this weekend to see another style of soil-building called HugelKulture is at Agriscaping's Tour also on Saturday February 24th starting at 8am.

Agriscaping Edible Garden Tour Saturday Feb 24th at 8am in Gilbert - Tour Agriscape's Residential Research Facility and at 3 of their FAB 5 families' homes. Recent upgrades that you need to see include:  Loads of new fruit trees, a new elegant Greenhouse and a new Hugelkulture in progress.  Admission is $20 per person

Compost area at Singh Farm, Scottsdale, AZ

Local sources for compost and mulch -

(These are small operations, call or message to make arrangements)

Jay Barringer - Phoenix Fruit Growers

GreenLife by Shamus O'Leary

AZ Worm Farm

Greg Peterson - The Urban Farm
Singh Farm - must call first to arrange for pick up,
Farm is no longer open to the public :-(

When planting add in some Mycorrhizae (fungi). It is a critical link between the roots and the soil.  Mycorrhizae allows nutrients to move into the plant and produces plant growth hormones.

Local sources for Mycorrhizae-

GreenLife by Shamus O'Leary 

Longevity Garden -  Jake Mace

Hold the moisture into your living soil by adding thick layers of wood chips.  Contact a local tree trimmer and ask for a "clean load" of wood chips.  They will be happy to drop off a truckload for free, it saves them from paying to unload it at the city dump.  Or you can sign up for ChipDrop - then arborists in the field can quickly look at a map on their phone to find dump spots for their chips. By filling out a simple form, you can add your home to the map, which all the tree companies in your city can see.

www.getchipdrop.com

My Photos of Singh Farm -

Botany and Seed Starting

The previous two weeks of the Master Gardener program have been focused on botany.  Botany!!  Oh my!  Do I really have to know this?  Well, when it comes to seed starting it really helps to understand the basic anatomy of a seed.

Did you know that you should only plant a seed at a depth that is one and a half times the width of the seed?!?  Many of us have a tendency to just poke our finger into the dirt to make a hole, drop the seed in and cover it up.  Well that might work okay for a sunflower seed or a lima bean but think about a little tiny lettuce seed.  So why is that?


A seed is basically made of three main parts - the embryo, the food source, and the seed coat.  A  tiny seed has only got a tiny amount of food inside to use to germinate and push the first leaves above the soil.  If planted too deeply, it will simply run out of food before the little seedling can reach the surface.

Other common causes of seeds not germinating are - the seed is too old, the temperature is not right, or they did not receive enough water and the seed dried out.  Some seeds require further coaxing to come out of dormancy and germinate.   Before planting they may require soaking, scarification (scratching the seed coat), or stratification (refrigerating seeds).  So read the seed packet instructions on SOWING prior to planting, but don't follow the instructions on WHEN to plant, as it usually doesn't apply to Arizona.  Here is an Arizona Seed Starting Calendar:

Another great Arizona planting calendar is available at Greg Peterson's Urban Farm.

As for when to start herbs from seed, the best reference guide is the awesome Arizona Herb Association's book "The Low Desert Herb Gardening Handbook" -


Another great resource is The Herb Lady Catherine Crowley's book "Edible Landscaping in the Desert Southwest".  Catherine include's an extensive list of edible flowers in her book.  I knew that naturtium, calendula, and dandelion flowers were edible, but did you know that yucca flowers, carnations, and okra flowers are edible?

If you really want to learn more about growing herbs and edible flowers, come on out this Saturday, February 3rd to the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden from 8am to 12pm.  The Arizona Herb Association has herbs and flowers growing all around the perimeter of the demonstration garden and need volunteers to come and help tend to the plants. You can also volunteer to help in the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden every Tuesday from 3pm to 6:30pm.  Location: Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E Broadway Rd, Tempe, AZ 85040

Master Gardener Demonstration Garden

These are great opportunities to meet other desert gardeners, get hands-on experience, get questions answered by Master Gardeners, Herbies, and other experienced and dedicated gardeners.  You might even go home with a few seeds and volunteer seedlings!

Follow Me Through the 2018 Maricopa Master Gardener Program!

Yesterday I started my Master Gardener program at the UofA Maricopa County Cooperative Extension office!  So each week I will be blogging about class, volunteer opportunities, events, and about what is growing in the awesome Master Gardener demonstration garden.

This week the lesson was on composting and vermiculture with Bonnie Newhoff.  Bonnie's main message about composting was to KEEP IT SIMPLE.  You just layer greens and browns, add some water, turn it occasionally to get oxygen, and the bugs and microbes will come and break it all down into beautiful compost. Browns are carbon rich materials (dried leaves, straw, or wood chips) and greens are nitrogen rich material (food scraps or fresh garden clippings).  You don't need to buy fancy additives.  If you want to speed up the process, add more oxygen by poking holes into the pile, or by turning once a week or so.  If you are in a tight space you might try using the compost crank pictured below to aerate your compost pile.  A temperature gauge/thermometer is important to track the compost temperature.  A hot compost decomposes faster.  Add water regularly, the pile should be as damp as a wrung out sponge.  You can check the wetness by using a soil moisture meter.

Compost Crank to turn and aerate compost,
made in Tucson by LoTech, available
  at the Garden Tool Company

I've been doing the lazy method of composting - layering, no turning.  The bottom of the pile has a thick layer of sticks and branches to provide air flow.  There are 2 bins, one we are actively adding to, the other was filled and is now decomposing.  By the time that one has usable compost, the other bin will be full, so we keep rotating and starting new piles.  Irrigation lines lead to both bins, watering them regularly.  Metal grates are set down on top of each pile to keep the squirrels and roof rats out.   I keep a bale of straw and bags of leaves next to the active bin so I always have browns on hand to layer over greens (kitchen scraps added daily).

Its difficult to see, but under the metal grate and layer of straw
is the finished product, rich dark beautiful compost,
ready for my garden beds!

If you want to produce a larger volume of compost, look for outside sources of compostable materials.  Coffee shops are a great source for coffee grounds, beer brewers are a source for brewers leavings (hops), landscapers for yard trimmings, chefs for kitchen waste and neighbors for leaves and grass clippings.

Here is a chart showing which kitchen scraps and waste are compostable - 

 

Your city might offer free, or very low-cost, composting bins!  Check HERE

If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, the next Master Gardener program will be the 2018 Fall session held July through November. There is also an evening Fall session this year!  Details HERE