3 Keys To Plan For Sun & Shade

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📝 In This Week’s Nutty Goodness

This Week’s Focus: Planning Your Sun And Shade Exposure
This Might Suit Your Fancy: Seeds, deep raised beds & the best but least expensive compost & mulch.
Where The Roots Meet The Soil: 3 Keys To Plan For Sun & Shade
Inspirational Stories: Restore A Native Woodland, Untrammel Wilderness, and GIANT restoration in Arizona

I've got a packed newsletter full of insights, stuff you should think of doing or getting, upcoming events, and inspiring stories.

🐝 This Might Suit Your Fancy

Seeds For Southwest US, True Leaf Market (large selection, heirlooms, etc), Botanical Interest (large selection), High Desert (high desert CO), SeedsTrust (high desert), Terrior Seeds (AZ based), San Diego Seed Company (regionally adapted)
Deep Raised Beds, Vego Raised Beds, deep, beautiful and they have a variety of shapes and sizes.
Pesticide-Free Mulch & Compost, Arizona Worm Farm, this place has been my lifeline and really helped me turn things around. They hold in person classes (sign up online), and sell only veggie, flower and succulent starts that thrive in the Phoenix climate. Plus they are worm composters on a next level scale!😍

🎙️Where The Roots Meet The Soil

Let’s Talk About Planning Out Your Garden’s Sun & Shade

Gen X is really about self sufficiency, provision not reaction. That means figuring out what works best for your own situation, creating solutions from scratch or with what’s available and ditching what doesn’t work.

What that looks like when it comes to gardening, as a GenXer, it’s being willing to learn but not getting stuck on what’s always been done or what others are doing.

If you don’t get started figuring out how to grow stuff that’s on you, the Darwin Awards will be glad to have you.

Maybe you haven’t noticed the supply chain is changing and we don’t know what we can depend on. That’s why you need to grow stuff GenX style.

Key #1 Align Rows For Max Sun Exposure

You might think that planting in a straight line running East to West would give each plant the most sun. But what actually happens is each plant shades the next one and they all miss out.

If you plant rows running North to South, all the plants get equal amounts of sun.

The caveat is months or locations when the sun is lower in the sky. In that case, spacing is your friend and you could consider planting on the diagonal.

This key can also be used to your benefit if you’ve got too much sun, like I’ve got here in Phoenix. I leverage planting for shade going east to west.

You need to account for shade extending 1.5 times the height of your shade providing plant, tree or trellis.

Key #2 Planting In Succession To Take Advantage of Sun Conditions

Seeds and transplants don’t have the same nutrient needs that a more mature plant will have. But they do need more limited exposure to sun.

Planting in succession means you plant another round of the same after the first round has matured some. This gives you the effect of an ongoing harvest.

BUT you can also use this technique to get the next season’s plants going. For example, while my onions are finishing maturing they are providing enough shade while allowing sufficient light for my Roselle Hibiscus starts.

The Roselle needs to get rooted now so they can mature enough to do well in the summer.

In Montana, we would plant the bulbs in fall for the following spring. You can’t plant bulbs in frozen ground, so you have to take advantage of the right sun conditions.

Key #3 Water Before The Sun Comes Not After

Watering in the morning allows moisture to soak in before the heat of the day.

BUT it also allows enough time for the surface moisture to dry out that can perpetuate molds and other unhealthy conditions for your plants.

Another reason NOT to water at night is soil temperature. Warmer soil holds and takes in less water. You might water the same amount but the pores and spaces that allow water to flow through will be smaller.

Depending on where you live the bacteria and other organisms that also need the water may not be as active when soil temperatures are higher.

If you find your soil is drying out too much, try ground cover or go back to Key #1 and plant some shade.

🔖Did you miss last week when I talked about GenX Gardening Isn’t About Survival, Learn How To Grow GenX Style.

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