Here in the East Valley of Phoenix we have a lot of new homes. And almost all the new homes have regular city sized lots. Meaning, the space in the backyard is precious to us.
The East Valley also has lots of farm land. Now, most of us don’t have the space to have a farm, but we enjoy the zen-like qualities of having a garden and planting that garden with vegetables and herbs.

Square Foot Gardening to the Rescue

Square Foot Gardening solves this problem. You can grow vegetables, herbs, and still have room for your pool, BBQ area, lawn, and the other things you enjoy in your landscape retreat.

What is Square Foot Gardening?

The square-foot gardening concept is simple: Build a raised bed, divide the space into sections of one square-foot each, and then plant vegetables (and/or flowers) in just the amount of space they need. The advantages of this system include reduced workload, less watering, easy weeding (and not much of it), and easy access to your crops. All within a tiny space. A great total area size would be a 4×4 section. Then just give enough space between each of these to walk around.

There are 10 basics steps or rules for square foot gardening:

• Layout. Arrange your garden in squares, not rows. Lay it out in 4′x4′ planting areas.
• Boxes. Build boxes to hold a new soil mix above ground.
• Aisles. Space boxes 3′ apart to form walking aisles.
• Soil. Fill boxes with this soil mix: 1/3 blended compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 coarse vermiculite.
• Grid. Make a permanent square foot grid for the top of each box. A MUST.
• Care. NEVER WALK ON YOUR GROWING SOIL. Tend your garden from the aisles.
• Select. Plant a different flower, vegetable, or herb crop in each square foot, using 1, 4, 9, or 16 plants per square foot.
• Plant. Conserve seeds. Plant only a pinch (2 or 3 seeds) per hole. Place transplants in a slight saucer-shaped depression.
• Water. Water by hand from a bucket of sun-warmed water.
• Harvest. When you finish harvesting a square foot, add compost and replant it with a new and different crop.

So, lets that that mower out, drop it done, and really cut that lawn down, RIGHT?!

There really are some simple steps to follow to ensure that your lawn stays healthy and green.

1. Never cut more than 1/3 the grass height when you mow. That way, you leave enough of the grass blade intact so it can capture sunlight and build strong roots. This helps your lawn squeeze out weeds and defend itself against disease and pests.
2. Never scalp your lawn. Scalping is when you cut your lawn too short leaving brown spots. You may think you will have to mow less often if you cut your lawn very short. This is the worst thing you could do for your lawn. The grass is damaged when you cut it too short, allowing weeds and pests to take over. Plus, it just looks bad.
3. Mow with a sharp mower blade. Every year, have your mower blade sharpened. This produces a clean cut, allowing the grass to essentially “heal” quickly between mowings.
4. Don’t forget to water correctly.

Pretty simple. Take your time and you will have a lush green lawn all summer long.  Check out some of our other tips and tricks.

For starters installing a good quality hybrid Bermuda sod or grass seed is most important. Common Bermuda Grass is drought resistant, grows on many soils, and makes a good turf if fertilized and mowed right, making a beautifully landscaped yard. Bermuda Grass prefers full sun, is drought resistant, and can withstand heavy traffic.

Getting Ready for Watering

If you install an automatic sprinkler system for your landscaping, which is highly recommended, you’ll want to make sure you backfill the trenches and water compact them so that the trenches don’t sink down after the sod is installed leaving “ruts” in your yard . After the sprinklers are installed and sprinkler trenches backfilled, prep the ground with “sod mix” which is mixture of screened topsoil, mulch and sand. It is also important to create a nice level lawn area so mowing is easier. “Rolling” the prepared sod bed prior to laying the sod and after the sod is installed is also important. It’s all about the proper preparation. Taking time at this step will insure that you have a perfectly landscaped yard that will be the envy of the neighborhood. Water in the new sod three times a day with light watering about 5 minutes per station.

On Going Maintenance

Once the lawn is established, to keep the lawn green I recommend proper watering which is early morning and about 2-3 times per week at this point in the season. Most people over water by watering everyday Also use a well balanced lawn fertilizer with slow release nitrogen and micro-nutrients including iron-just make sure to clean off the surrounding sidewalks, patio etc. since the iron can stain the “hardscape”. Also don’t mow the lawn too short or “scalp” it since it will take it a long time to recover. I would recommend applying the fertilizer at half the recommended rate so the lawn doesn’t grow too fast and cause more mowing and work for you. You can always fertilize a second time in a couple of weeks if the results weren’t what you expected.