Yes, You can Grow Vegetables in the Desert

Many people move to Arizona and think there is no way they can maintain a successful vegetable garden and
enjoy fresh produce.  The conditions are tough for growing, from the scorching sun to the hard, rocky red soil.  However, there is a gardening method that works well in any climate, takes up very little space and produces a steady stream of seasonal produce to enjoy.

Square foot gardening takes a small space and makes the most of it. Using raised beds or planting boxes allows the home gardener to create a garden with excellent soil and optimum growing conditions.  The gardening space is divided into a grid of squares, each containing a different type of plant.  Using the concept of companion planting allows the gardener to make the most of the space, by placing plants that actually benefit each other in close proximity to one another.  Some squares will contain one plant, others will contain multiple small plants.  Using a sequential planting schedule allows you to harvest small amounts every few weeks during the season, instead of having huge amounts of one vegetable to harvest all at once.

Local Master Gardener, John Chapman, has created a system of box gardening that allows Valley residents to get started with vegetable gardening easily.  Chapman addresses issues such as fertilization, irrigation, and provides many informative links on his website such as planting schedules, a vegetable garden model and books on square foot gardening.  October is a great time for planting and working outdoors, so why not get your green thumb back to growing?

My House Needs to Be Painted…Again

There are several reasons why your home may need to be repainted sooner than you thought.  Of course,
maintaining a quality painted finish on your house is not only aesthetically pleasing – no one wants to look at peeling, cracked or discolored paint – but also good for the life of your home.  So when you start to see problems with your exterior paint finish, it’s a good time to act.

Even a quality paint job will wear over time, especially in our extreme climate. Rain and snow aren’t really environmental factors that affect paint here in the desert, but sun and high temperatures certainly take a toll on your exterior paint.  The sun’s UV rays can cause paint to break down and fade.  Heat will cause paint and the surface beneath it to expand.  Repeated expansion and contraction can cause cracks that eventually expand and result in peeling paint.

Another reason you may need to repaint your house stems from improper preparation before a previous paint job.  If the surface was not properly prepared, the paint won’t adhere properly.  Quality of paint or choosing the incorrect type of paint can also result in peeling and cracking prematurely.  More expensive paints generally contain higher quality materials and should last longer if applied properly.  One coat of paint may be a quick fix, but you won’t get the wear out of it and your house will not be as well protected as it should be.

If you think your exterior paint is showing signs of wear, call in a qualified professional painter to evaluate the condition, identify any potential problems and provide your home with lasting protection and beauty.

Fall Home Maintenance Tasks

Are you ready to enjoy the fall and winter in beautiful Arizona?  Time to relax with family and friends, get outdoors, whether you’re golfing, hiking or attending the many festivals or art events in the area.  But, before you can play it’s a good idea to get your home maintenance list squared away.  September is a great time to handle routine maintenance items around the house as it begins to cool off a little.

Walk the exterior of your home and check for peeling paint, cracks in the foundation or stucco, damage to the soffit and fascia, and the slab and any plantings around your air conditioning unit.  As temperatures cool, adjust your irrigation timers accordingly.

In fall, solar screens can be removed, cleaned and stored.  Of course, that means windows can be washed after all of our summer dust storms.  It’s also a good time to check your sliding glass doors and clean the tracks and treads.  Check your garage door for proper operation, and follow manufacturer’s instructions for oiling the door if necessary.

Fall is also a good time to check and/or change batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.  Remember to have your HVAC system checked by a qualified professional, and change your air filters.  While you are checking filters, don’t forget about your water filtration or softening systems – do you need a new filter in your fridge or bags of salt in your water softener?

Spend a day thoroughly checking out your systems and structure, keeping things clean and running smoothly and you’ll be ready to get out and enjoy the beautiful  Arizona fall weather.

September Landscape and Garden Tips from the Desert Botanical Garden

September brings the hope of fall temperatures in the Valley, even though we’re not quite there yet.  Here are some landscape maintenance tips for homeowners from the Desert Botanical Garden for this transitional month.

Because we are still in Monsoon season and can be experiencing high humidity and rain storms, you should be careful about watering cacti in your yard.  Once things dry out for at least a week, you can begin to water your cacti.  Wait until the end of September and slightly cooler temperature to cut back on watering your trees and shrubs to prepare for winter.  However, if your soil is saturated from heavy rains, be careful about irrigating.  Trees can blow over and cacti can be susceptible to rot.

If the weather has cooled off by the end of the month, take advantage of the ideal planting conditions that encourage root growth and help new plants get established before winter.  Hold back on pruning, as trunks and branches can actually get sunburned if exposed to the still-hot summer sun.    You can give plants their last application of fertilizer before the winter, but you’ll want to use a low nitrogen formula to prevent excessive new growth that could freeze if we get a winter frost.

Finish out the summer with these simple tips for caring for your landscape and prepare for cooler days ahead.

It’s a Buyers’ Market – Invest in a Home Inspection

Home prices and mortgage interest rates are staying low, and it's a great time for home buyers to invest in a

home.  An important part of the home purchase process is having your potential new home inspected.  Sometimes even the current homeowner isn’t aware of issues that could be a problem for you when you move into the home.  Having a home inspection brings any potential problems to your attention, giving you the opportunity to correct them before you move in.

You might discover that the home is poorly maintained overall.  Lack of knowledge, time or money can result in a home that isn’t well cared for.  You can see signs of poor maintenance in peeling paint, cracks, or broken fixtures. A good home inspector will pick up on the little things that may have gone unnoticed in the electrical system, plumbing, HVAC system and structure of the home.  Faulty plumbing fixtures and old piping might be discovered, or insufficient or out-of-date electrical systems.  It’s obviously important that all components of the electrical system are functioning properly and are up to code.

Another common issue that home inspectors uncover is leaks.  Signs of water damage could point to a roof leak due to damaged or deteriorated shingles or tiles, improper flashing, or a worn out flat roofing surface.  Leaks can also be the result of poor caulking or weather stripping around windows and doors.  Gaps or cracks here can also allow air flow that can raise your energy bills.

A good home inspector will cover all of the home’s major operating systems, structure and exterior factors such as grading and patios.  If you’re making an investment in a home, you’ll want to know exactly what you’re getting inside and out.

Outdoor Lighting Boosts Your Home’s Security

If you have an older home or haven't given much thought to your outdoor or security lighting, you may want

to consider updating your exterior with lighting that is functional, beautiful and enhances your home’s safety.  Outdoor lighting is a deterrent to intruders, as it leaves them exposed with nowhere to hide.  It also provides safely illuminated areas for you and your family as you come and go or spend time outdoors.  

You’ll want to choose lighting based on the location and the need in that particular area.  For example, driveways and entrances are great places for lighting that detects motion.  When you (or anyone else) enters the driveway or approaches the door, the lighting will automatically kick on.  These fixtures should be positioned to maximize safety and minimize any glare that might disturb you in the home.  A downward orientation and shielded vision on these types of fixtures creates clear lighting without glare.

For areas where you want more continuous lighting, such as backyard, patio or play areas that might be used in the evening, floodlights are effective.  High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting is energy efficient and long lasting, and is used often in landscape lighting.  Halogen or incandescent lights are commonly used in floodlight applications. 

Take a look around your home with an eye toward safety.  Brighten your entrances with welcoming fixtures, illuminate dark corners with floodlights and consider keeping your home secure with motion detecting lighting.

Benefits of Interior Plants – Bring in the Green for Health

Although our desert landscape can be prickly and monochromatic, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy a beautiful interior “landscape” with houseplants. Interior plants add color, lush greenery, and can add punch to your decorating scheme. In addition, interior plants offer numerous benefits to everyone living in the home.

In our dry desert climate, indoor plants act as natural humidifiers and also act as natural air filters. They can remove contaminants from the air, such as the airborne contaminants from cigarette smoke and emissions from products in your home that contain VOCs. These type of contaminants are often trapped inside our interior environment while our homes are closed up in hot weather.

Having indoor plants in your home has been shown to significantly reduce cold-related illnesses by increasing humidity and reducing dust. Exposing children to plants at an early age can lessen the chances of allergies developing, by helping to build immunity to the allergens.

In commercial and work settings, plants add not only beautiful focal points, but can help improve the interior environment. They can elevate mood and improve the health of occupants. Consider brightening up your space and your health with interior landscaping featuring easy to care for plants.