I'm Back! Get Ready for More Content!!

Hello Fellow Greenthumbs!!

 (Heirloom Nantes Carrots, grown from seed)

     It has been quite a long time since I have posted anything, but that will change! I have more free time and that means more time to write.

     I was busy with setting up several public school vegetable gardens throughout the Las Vegas valley, which to be quite frank was absolutely amazing and rewarding in itself! I taught students from grade kindergarten to seniors in high-school how to cultivate and harvest their own vegetables/fruit. I also helped several culinary students and chefs with vegetable grows for dinners, I'll post photos of that sometime in the near future! These past two years have been quite the journey for me. I learned various ways how to get anyone involved in the future of agriculture and I also turned some individuals into absolute foodies, which is an amazing feat I believe.

(Heirloom Rainbow Radish Mix, grown from seed)

     Please keep in touch with my blog for future updates, also follow me on Instagram @DesertOrganicFarmer for constant and delicious photos, don't worry I'll follow back ;). Again friends, stay tuned for more content!

Happy Gardening!

Farmer Jeff

WAYS TO WATER YOUR GARDEN

    So many Las Vegas residents end up asking me how do I water my garden without wasting so much time actually filling a bucket then watering each plant individually. I actually DO NOT do this. In my opinion, that is a waste of time. Especially during the summer months when an individual can get heat-stroke from just tending their garden.

   So I came up with a plan! I dug up all of my water pipes throughout my backyard, so I can see where each sprinkler head is located at. After doing that, I took off the sprinkler head and attached a top where I can attach about 8 individual hose lines with a drop stake that can be put right next to my plants.

    Doing this method, I have saved myself from heat exhaustion and also granted myself more time to focus on the well being of my plants. Take a look at the picture above, do you see the little knob right next to the stalk of my Pepperoncini Plant? That is the drip stake. I promise you, this is probably one of the best methods to use for watering your garden in this desert climate.

    I hope this helps out you guys and puts into perspective how harsh gardening in the desert can be on the gardener. Make sure to wear sunscreen and don't exert yourself just to water your plants. They won't benefit from anything if you cannot take care of them! Until next time

¤ Keep it GREEN and Keep it GROWING!

HyperSmash

USING WATER SMART IN DESERT CLIMATES

    To me having a yard with grass in a desert climate is a complete and utter waste of time. More importantly it is a complete waste of WATER. I never understood anyone in Las Vegas who decides to keep a yard with grass. You could be saving that water and much more money by just having a garden, in my opinion. Take this for instance, my neighbor puts their water on for about 9 minutes roughly 4 times a day. Where our yards meet, my side is filled with rocks and it usually is drenched with the water from their sprinkler system. I watch everyday as the gutter fills with overly used water from my whole street. It saddens me so that these people are so ignorant to the fact that they could be growing crops and actually using those crops for a purpose.

    Everyone I see with grass in Las Vegas in their yard, usually ends up only being green for about 2 months because of the vicious desert sun. Then you'll see the same people complain about wasting time and their water to feed their dead grass, yet they still continue each year with the same cycle. I believe we should break that cycle in Las Vegas and maybe REQUIRE people to have a garden of their own. Since the majority of all veggie crop and fruit crop are imported into this city.

    I whole heartily believe if the city of Las Vegas does push some requirement like that out, we'll see more healthier people out here. Let me know what you think and if you see the same problem where you live. Keep the gardening passion growing and grow something green! Until next time....

¤ Keep it GREEN and Keep it GROWING!

HyperSmash

Onions: Thinning out the Old, Spreading out the New

    Spring has sprung for Las Vegas and that means I had to go out to the garden and figure out which plants need to go and which need to still grow! I absolutely love it when spring comes around, it's such an addicting feeling. Once I started harvesting several different alliums, I just could not stop! I saw a couple of onions that did not get the chance to fully grow through the previous Winter months, so I took the liberty of freeing them from their claustrophobic growing space.

    Once I pulled the clustered onions to safety, I put them into a cup of water in order to make certain the roots will not dry out. After making sure every single onion had enough space to fully mature and grow into a nice sized crop, I worked the soil of my onion patch yet again to add some manure into it.

    I'm telling you, there is an incredible feeling when you work with your hands in a garden. I really can't put it into words other than, zen. So why not go and make a little bit of space in your backyard or front yard for your very own therapeutic slice of heaven. Until next time...

¤ Keep it GREEN and Keep it GROWING

HyperSmash

TIME TO START YOUR OUTDOOR GARDEN, INDOORS!

Organic Indoor Tomatoes and Peppers

    That is right folks! It is time to start getting everything ready for gardening outdoors! If you have been following my blog posts and various tweets I have put throughout the Winter Season, you will know I have already had some organic vegetable plants started indoors for my Outdoor Garden Spring run.

    But you guys are in luck! You still have time to start your outdoor crop, indoors. I would recommend doing this by the end of the week so your plants will be big enough and healthy enough to transplant into your outdoor garden beds or pots. I have been using only one hundred watt growing lights to propagate my seeds, which truly does the job quite well I must say.

Organic Flamingo Pink Swiss Chard

    I also use a mixture of manure, compost, plant matter and dirt to germinate my seeds so I don't have to add any rubbish to promote growth. But you can always use whatever soil medium you have on hand and just add manure or compost or both even down the road. If you start your seeds next week or the week after, don't freak out! Just wait the extra week or two and keep your plants indoors until they are healthy enough to transplant. You do not want to waste all that time just to aggravate yourself in the end.

    Well I hope you all are getting busy and warming your green thumbs up from the winter season. I wish you luck and hope all your plants are healthy and vibrant. Until next time folks....


¤ Keep it GREEN and Keep it GROWING!

HyperSmash