Special Event - Meal Tasting - Thursday, March 25, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. - We love sharing cool things with you, so we're excited to introduce The Gardener's Kitchen, a new local enterprise making healthy, delicious ready-to-bake meals. The Gardener's Kitchen creator Jordan Stejskal will be here sample two favorites - Stuffed Green Chilies and Veggie Lasagne Rolls. Come by on your way home or as you run errands and taste these great meals. Jordan will have her full menu available if you want to put a couple in your freezer. Home cooking never tasted so good or was so easy! Read more about The Gardener's Kitchen here.

Spring Veggie Plant Sale - April 10 a.m. to noon. Yeah! Gregory Ware from Dos Arbolitos nursery will be here selling his tasty vegetable and herb starts in the Southwest Gardener courtyard. These plants are grown organically in the Phoenix area so they are well acclimated to our desert climate. Pick up seedlings for your garden - don't miss out.

Special Event - Make 1,000 Cranes
To Benefit Phoenix Children's Hospital - April 17, All Day. Our goal: Fold 1,000 cranes in a day and raise money for PCH. The Origami Crane is a symbol of luck and many believe that if you make 1,000 cranes your wish will come true. This event honors Sadako Sasaki, a victim of leukemia after the WWII bombing of Hiroshima, and benefits Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Origami Master Brian Harrison will teach you to create Origami Cranes. Then, we invite you to fold as many as you can. Lessons will be scheduled in half-hour blocks. Let’s fold 1,000 cranes in one day! All the cranes will be strung together and displayed at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and the proceeds from your lesson will go to the PCH Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. The workshop donation is $15, so call 279.9510 today to reserve a time slot. Bring friends, everyone is welcome!

We love the way this spinner makes us dizzy.

Two pinwheels that measure 23" in diameter and are separated by a 7" inch rod sit on top of a stake that stands 69" tall after you've planted it into the ground. When the wind blows the wheels spin and the effect is amazing. Encased ball bearings make the wheels go fast - whee!

Eight of these windy wonders just came into the shop, and they won't last long. Each is $99

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!