your own food ORGANICALLY
(Yes, organic gardening is possible even in a hot, low desert!)

Though focused on super hot, arid climates like the desert I live in, much of what I share in my blog and consulting service can also be applied to edible gardening in more temperate climates.

The temperature in 2018 near my home rose to 118 at the highest and hovered around 110 for most of July. Conversely, the last two summers in Phoenix gave us many 120+ days. Most of the information provided in my organic gardening consulting service can be most easily be applied to a number of parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico, and more. If I can grow well in Phoenix, Arizona (a true desert and Zone 9B), you who are in cooler climates with more rainfall can do it even better! 100-degree summers would be a breeze compared to ours as 100-degree heat (perhaps up to 105) is what many people are thinking of for heat-tolerant plants. 
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Regarding winters, we rarely get freezing weather, and it's usually only for 1-3 hours in the middle of the night. During longer freezes, measures will need to be taken to insulate more of your plants.

For those in a climate like mine, with sufficient knowledge and effort, you truly can grow food (trees with edible foliage, fruit trees, leafy greens, vegetables, herbs, and fruiting plants) organically in even a supremely hot low desert summer! The many sample photographs on this website are of my own organic vegetable garden--herbs, leafy greens, vegetables, and fruit--from May, 2018 onward.

And for those of you with small yards or less (perhaps just a patio), I am well equipped to help you with container gardening. Because my own space is limited, my urban gardening area (once a front yard instead of the usual backyard garden, and it received many compliments from neighbors!) was about 150 square feet with about sixty of that in the form of a raised bed. The rest was in containers. And in my new yard, all but one of my plants are in pots.

Even with my small amount of space, organic vegetable/edible gardening has been well worth the time spent given the knowledge for making it work. But I note that I have also simplified my life in many ways including by not owning a television and by not spending time on elaborate meals. I would much rather spend my time growing super fresh nutritious food than doing many of the things that used to entertain me.​

For those with a budget to consider, the upfront cost of my project was about $1,000 including the bricks for the raised bed, but someone else paid for those. Watering, fertilizer, additional seeds or plants plus soil and containers for them, pesticides, fungicides, and time are the primary other costs. Oh, and the cost of the property with space for growing.
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My first edible garden was started around March 1st of 2019. It has been said that I have a green thumb, but I say I have a researcher’s nature and patience. I learn what is needed to keep plants happy, I study my plants, and I ask lots of questions. I regularly (every few days, at least--usually while I am watering) take note of what’s going well, what looks a little less than perfect and of the unknowns like new insects. This allows me to catch problems in the early stages and resolve them in time.

Successful gardening also takes nurturance; so, I have to gently warn that if you have many projects far more important than your garden (for the food and education it provides), it will probably fail. This has to be your baby. You are the parent responsible for birthing it and raising it. Nature won't always “do its thing” in your favor--in a desert or anywhere else. The watering amount has to be right, the light, the nutrient levels, the soil type, the temperature, the pruning, the insect control, and more. These things take attention to detail, love, and a good measure of time with more in the beginning as you are learning.
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The goal of my blog and consulting is to greatly shorten the learning curve for you with details galore! I can cover suppliers, products, raised bed and container gardening, soil, watering, pruning, heirlooms, what to plant and when to plant, productive and fast growing varieties, heat and drought tolerant plants for summer growing, insect and disease management, when to harvest, flavor profiles, plant dimensions, how much to plant, vermicomposting, organic fertilizers, light requirements, and more. 
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Please enjoy the photos of my garden on this page, and let me know when you are ready to learn grow your own food, Arizona (plus Texas, California, Nevada, New Mexico and others)!​​

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