Keeping your garden healthy and green can be a challenging task, especially in the Arizona heat. Our experts here at AZ Sprinklers have provided some tips and tricks, as well as, certain steps you will need to follow to ensure a happy, healthy thriving garden.
The Essentials for Planning Your Garden
• First you will need to figure out where and how much space you will want to use and the location.
• Second, what vegetables you and your family prefer to grow and the ones that fit with the season.
• Third, you need to determine when you need to start planting
• Fourth how to maintain and water your plants
How to Size the area and Select the Location
While there is no right or wrong way to size your garden, the general rule is to start small. A garden that is 10 feet by 10 feet is considered to be a normal size garden if your landscape permits the space. Almost any vegetable can be planted in your own garden bed, planters, or containers. To select the location you may want to consider a space that gets sunlight in the morning and offers a bit more shade in the afternoon.
Deciding What to Grow in Your Garden
Different vegetables suit different seasons and require different types of temperatures to survive and thrive. Vegetables that thrive in cooler weather are vegetables such as beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, and turnips. These vegetables can even be planted at the end of the summer in preparation for the cooler weather. They thrive in cooler weather due to them being tolerant of frost and are able to germinate in cooler soil.
Vegetables that thrive in warmer temperatures are vegetables such as beans, cucumbers, eggplants, melons, peppers, pumpkins, squash, sweet corn, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. These vegetables mature properly in warmer climates, but it is important to remember that temperatures should not be too high. This could leave you with poorly colored tomatoes or sunburned fruit
How to Water Your Garden
Many people make the mistake of watering their garden every day for a short amount of time. You make think watering your garden every day is helping your garden but in reality you are only harming it. This will either cause over or under watering depending on the weather. You can cause under watering by not allowing the roots of the plant to get enough water. You can also cause your plants to be over watered by watering your plants when they have enough water.
When watering your garden look for signs of under or over watering.
Signs of Overwatering:
• Yellowing leaves
• Moldy odor
• Algae
• Limp, wilted leaves
• Fungus
• Mushrooms
• Runoff
• Puddles of water in areas
• Very soft soil that becomes soppy
Signs of Under Watering:
• Bluish-grey tint.
• No new growth
• Plants look brown, wilted, or dry
• It is tough to put a screwdriver into the soil.
• Now growth
How to fix this…..
Water your plants less often but with more water. Once plants are
established they do not need to be constantly watered. To test to make sure your plants are getting enough water dig 4 to 6 inches down to see if the dirt is moist. If it is moist then you do not need to water that day but if it is dry proceed to water. To ensure that your plants are getting enough water to promote deep root growth water your plants at a slow rate!
Know your garden
Knowing your garden and the type of care your plants need is key.
If you have a spacious garden try to group plants with similar water needs together. For example growing herbs and lettuce by each other and watering them the same amount will either give you bitter lettuce or tasteless herbs. This is because lettuce thrives in lush areas where herbs like drier areas. By knowing your plant’s needs, you will not only save water but have a healthier garden. For more tips on how to cultivate a healthy garden visit our blog here.
Our experts here at AZ Sprinklers are ready to help you grow the perfect garden or lawn. Give us a call at 1-800-420-6010 or click here to contact us!