One of the joys of living in the Phoenix area is that we get to grow things here just about year round. Everything currently in the garden was grown from seed.

Here are a few snapshots from Amy's raised-bed garden. These were taken in mid-January.

As you can see, the Bright Lights Swiss chard is prolific. She tends to let it get a bit big before harvesting, but it's still yummy. You can use the chard in soups, saute it with some garlic, olive oil and a squirt of lemon, or fold it into some eggs and cream cheese for a yummy omelette.

There are also two DiCicco broccoli plants and a tangle of Cascadia snap peas. The broccoli is just now starting to form heads but the snap peas are about a week away from being harvested. Our guess is that she'll just munch through them before they even make it to the kitchen for a salad or stir-fry.

Just before the rain last week, a spring mix leaf lettuce was planted in front of the chard from seeds purchased at Greensgrow Farms in Philadelphia last summer. It's beginning to sprout and we're hoping the weather stays cool for most of February so we don't have a bolting problem.

What's growing at your place?

Calling all volunteers!

Please join the good folks at Rio Salado Habitat for National River Clean Up on Saturday February 6th, from 8 a.m. until noon. Be part of the national effort to keep our waterways clean and healthy, and spend the morning helping to remove litter from the Salt River habitat. With 33 storm drains lining the project, there is lots of street litter. After spending the morning cleaning up, you'll never use plastic bags again!

Volunteers are needed (in groups or as an individual) to participate in this fun and rewarding day. Stay after the clean-up for a free pizza lunch as well as "unique trash contest" with prizes sponsored by REI. Light refreshments will also be served at 8 a.m. check-in. Pre-registration is required, so please e-mail Rebecca Smart at rebecca.smart@phoenix.gov 602-262-6863 if you'd like to help.

Date: Saturday, February 6th
Time: 8:00 a.m. registration and check-in (light refreshments served). 11:30 a.m. pizza lunch.
Where: Rio Salado Habitat - 7th Ave Trailhead (2801 S. 7th Avenue, Phoenix 85004).
What to bring: Work gloves and a reusable water bottle. Wear closed-toed shoes.

As we head into the final weeks before the holidays, we'd be remiss if we didn't suggest some of our favorite gardening tools as possible gifts for the gardeners in your life. We've used almost all of these and we love them. Everything here is available for purchase at the Southwest Gardener shop, 2809 N 15th Ave. Phoenix, AZ. Some are also available online. Just click on the image.

First on the list is the Circle Hoe. This little tool is perfect for weeding in rough, hard-t0-reach spots. It's lightweight and sharp.

Next, we love the Kitchen Compost Holder. This handy bucket holds several days worth of food scraps, tea bags and coffee grounds so you don't have to trudge out to the compost pile every night. It's tidy, fits inside a kitchen cabinet and the filter blocks odors.

Snip-its make deadheading and trimming flower stems a snap. Just pop them on to your thumb and index finger and you've turned your hands into razor-sharp scissors. Kitchen gardeners will use them to trim fresh herbs.

This handsome Copper Rain Gauge is an attractive way to measure rainfall. When water flows into the blue tube it floats up to show water accumulation. We know, we know, we live in a desert, but honestly, next to the heat all we talk about is rain. A great gift for dads.

Indoor plant enthusiasts will appreciate a Moisture Meter. This easy to use device helps determine the watering needs of potted plants.

You know what all gardeners appreciate? Gloves. They can never have enough. Our favorites are the West County gloves with their sturdy palms and velcro wrist closure. West County also makes a glove with long gauntlet sleeves that protect arms from thorny roses, trees and bushes.

Stacking joints are a thoughtful gift for anyone ready to build a raised garden. These eco-friendly joints are the corners for any shape garden bed and allow you to build a garden to your desired height. Just add the timber and fill in with soil.

If you're stumped, you can't go wrong with an
Adjustable Rake, an easy-to-use Composter, Plant Nannies and Ollas. Plant Nannies and Ollas have become customer favorites when it comes to watering systems. Or consider giving a gift certificate to one of our expert gardening classes. There are sessions on growing tomatoes, herbs and keeping chickens.

If you're trying to grow a young gardener, consider this child-sized kit with six tools, a watering can and a brightly colored bag to carry it all. You'll get lots of help and your child learns the pleasures of gardening with you. The perfect gift!

Call us with any questions 602.279.9510 or e-mail us at info@southwestgardener.com

Happy Holidays!

Here in Arizona, we don't have traditional wooden fences. We have six-foot high, concrete block walls that surround our backyards. These bright, solid barriers beg for some decoration, and homeowners have started to take heed. Many are painting those walls in vibrant shades of red or blue, allowing the plant life in front of them to literally "pop" into view. People are also decorating with mosaics and murals.

We think these three hand-crafted iron pieces make a unique statement on your block walls. The Yucca fits perfectly with our desert scenery, the Cattails piece is right at home in a landscape with a water feature, and the Daisies are just plain happy.

The pictures are small, but these iron pieces are an impressive size and built to last. They are on display now at the Southwest Gardener shop on 15th Ave. in Phoenix. The folks who make these pieces have also sent us some square shapes with beautiful leaf patterns - ginko, maple and vines. They would make a perfect niche piece or a nice trio when hung together.

This is the time of year when those of us in the desert southwest need to pay particular attention to the hummingbirds. It's hot, really hot, so there's not a lot blooming that these wonderful creatures can eat. The Costa's and Anna's who live here all year need a bit of help from their human friends.

Food
Hummingbird nectar is the easiest thing in the world to make. You can also buy it, but here's a good recipe.

1 part sugar
4 parts water

Bring the sugar and water to a boil, just enough to dissolve the granules. Cool and store it in the refrigerator. It should last about two weeks. Never use honey or artificial sweeteners. Also, never use red food dye because it can hurt the birds.

If your birds don't lap up the nectar in a day or so, replace the food with a fresh supply, especially in hot weather, and wash the feeder with hot water every few days. If you see black spots in the feeder, it needs washing with hot water and mild soap that is easily rinsed out. Black spots mean mold and that can make your birds sick.

Our best advice is to start by filling your feeder only halfway to see how much the birds can eat in two to three days.

The Bee Dilemma

Some feeders seem to attract bees more than others - we're not sure which ones or why. We just know that occasionally we get a call asking how to get bees away from a feeder. The thing to remember is that bees and wasps like the same kind of nectar as hummingbirds.

If you find you have a bee problem it's probably because hummers lap the nectar, they don't suck, and in lapping a small amount of nectar ends up on the outside surface of the feeder near the ports. The best thing you can do is wipe off the feeder with a wet cloth. You can also try moving the feeder to a different spot in your yard. Rest assured, the birds will find it.

If and when ants become a problem, invest in an ant moat. A moat is a small, inexpensive vessel that's easily attached to most feeders. It goes between the feeder and the ant source - usually a tree - and the little pests can't get across.

Attracting hummers
Out here in the southwest we have hummingbirds all year round. There are two migratory - Black-chinned and Broad-tailed hummers - and two here all year - Anna's and Costa's. All you need to do to attract them is have some tubular shaped flowers in your yard - any color will do.

Shrubs such as (all common names) Arizona yellow bells, valentine bush, fairy duster and butterfly bush are favorites as are the flowers hollyhocks, penstemen, lantana, hibiscus and firecracker plant.

Hummingbirds are very territorial, so if you have two or three fighting over a feeder, put a second feeder across the yard. To entice them to a new feeder, pick a flower from one of your yard plants and insert it in one of the feeder holes. They'll find it quickly.

Now sit back, near the window of your cool, air conditioned home, and watch these energetic birds enjoy your hospitality. They will dart and buzz and fly backwards and forwards. It's quite a show. Next thing you know, you'll recognize them as your birds.