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How to grow the perfect onion in the AZ low Desert (or so we hope!)

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How to grow the perfect onion in the AZ low Desert ( or so we hope!) I have had so many people ask me about how to grow onions successfully here in the Low Desert, that I thought I had better write a few destructions - oops sorry - instructions !! Anyway, here goes......... You can start onions here either from seed or onion starts. Onions are a cool season crop and actually pretty easy to grow here. They like relatively good soil, but don't seem to mind clay soil too much ( unlike carrots, which hate clay soil). Avoid using soil sulfur as a soil amendment: this affects the onion flavor, making them incredibly pungent. Trust me on this one, as someone who inadvertently did this once, my poor watering eyes suffered terribly when cooking with them, never to be repeated ! I digress..... You can start onions from seed in late September, either directly sowing the packet into the ground (making sure to keep the soil moist for good germination - not always that easy in Septem
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Upcoming Gardening Classes

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Hello Gardeners, I am teaching quite a few gardening classes at Desert Botanical Gardens over the next few months, they include: March 19th - Explore Organic Gardening March 24th - Compost 101 ... March 26th - Importance of Soils March 28th - Spring Vegetables April 3rd - Seeds Germination and Planting April 14th- Free-Range Chicken Gardens April 18th - What’s wrong with my vegetable garden For details and registration - https://www.dbg.org/classes-workshops Hope to see some of you there Happy Gardening !  
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Date for Tomato Sale

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Date for Tomato Sale   Hello Gardeners, Here's the updated information on my annual tomato plant sale. This year I am growing over 20 different varieties. The date is Saturday February 17th, time 8am, location 16440 East Bainbridge Avenue, Fountain Hills, AZ, 85268 See list in previous post for detailed descriptions of each variety. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions and feel free to spread the words to your gardening friends who might be interested. Looking forward to seeing both new faces and old friends. Don't forget to bring a box to take them home in !! Happy Gardening everyone
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Tomato Sale 2018

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  Tomato Sale 2018     Hello gardeners, Well it's that time again - yes, my annual tomato plant sale. This year I am growing over 20 different varieties - I know, I must be mad !! Some old favorites and some new ones to try. Date yet to be finalized, but like the last few years, towards the middle of February, depending on how fast the little darling plants grow !! See list below for detailed descriptions of each variety.  As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions and feel free to spread the words to your gardening friends who might be interested. Looking forward to seeing both new faces and old friends. Further details on exact date, time and place of sale to follow.  Happy gardening everyone !   Tomatoes planted 2018 Most are Heirloom and all are organically grown. Seeds are from Baker Creek, Botanical Interests, Native Seed Search or Italy. Plants will be $3 to $5 depending on plant size. Speckled Roman – 85 days. Indete
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Spring Gardenng Classes I am teaching

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Spring Gardenng Classes I am teaching  ​Hello fellow Gardeners and Happy New Year to you all !    Here are some gardening classes I am teaching in early 2018. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Hope to see some of you in the next couple of months.     Happy Gardening !       Desert Botanical Gardens    https://learn.dbg.org/mainstore.asp?cid=1265 Square Foot Gardening .   Sunday January 28 th   2 - 4 p.m Square-foot gardening uses intensive planting methods to grow edible plants in a small area. Carol will guide you through this space-saving method of gardening, perfect for people short on room and time, or anyone new to vegetable gardening. She will discuss how to plan and lay out a square-foot garden, how much to plant and how to properly space your plants or seeds. Sensational Salvias. Sunday / Feb. 11 / 2 - 4 p.m. Salvias comprise the largest genus of the mint family and are a popular feature of Southwestern lan
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Gardening Class on Tomatoes

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Gardening Class on Tomatoes I am teaching a class this Saturday , December 9th 2017, at the Fountain Hills Community Centre from 1.30pm to 3.30 pm. The Class is "How to grow the perfect tomato in the AZ Low Desert". It is free to Fountain Hills Community Garden members and $5.00 for non members below is the link on their face book page https://www.facebook.com/events/369928800132734/
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Seed Saving Workshop

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Seed Saving Workshop   Glass Gem Corn    Hello Gardeners, I attended a one day seed saving workshop at Arcosanti yesterday run by the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance and am now going to be sharing many of those techniques at a free Workshop. The date is Saturday November 18th, 9-11am at the St Vincent De Paul Urban Farm, 420 West Watkins Street. Here is the link to register. Registration is required, even though the class is free. ( note the date for the class is wrong , it does say December 2nd, but it had to be changed to November 18th - not sure why they have not changed it on registration form though - oh well.) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1B4-wfhAdCPiNdbdUbe6ar7n50FfiXMMV9SkfR-wNH5c/viewform?ts=59cea12f&edit_requested=true Please bring any seeds you yourself may wish to share. The workshop is held outdoors, so please bring hats, sunscreen, water, notepad, pen and any other thing you might need for an outdoor workshop. You may also want to bring a bag
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