Why Diversity Is the Secret to Growing Almost Anything in Phoenix Soil
Successful gardening isn’t really about finding the perfect fertilizer. It’s a common assumption — that if your plants aren’t thriving, the right product applied at the right time in the right amount will fix it. And while fertilizer matters, it’s only one piece of a much larger picture. Healthy soil ecosystems don’t actually work that […]
Salt River Valley: What Salts Are Doing to Your Soil
The Hidden Desert Variable Phoenix sits in the Salt River Valley, and that name tells you exactly what we’re dealing with. Spanish explorers named the river for the mineral content in its water. The valley we live in is a bowl. Water flows in carrying dissolved minerals. With only 8 inches of rain per year […]
Phoenix Soil pH Is Stubborn — Here’s What’s Actually Happening Underground
Most Phoenix area yards have soil with a high pH, that’s not news to anyone. But you’ve probably wondered what you can actually do about it. Sulfur and other acidifying amendments can help, but in Phoenix they often don’t move the needle as much as you’d expect. There’s a reason for that, and understanding it […]
Phoenix Soil Is NOT Bad
Stop believing the lies, and stop repeating them…our soil is not “bad” and it’s not impossible to grow anything. If our soil was truly “bad” then how did the Native Americans farm here for centuries before we came along? (You can read more about the Hohokam canal systems in the Salt River Valley here: https://www.usbr.gov/lc/phoenix/AZ100/1899/firstfarmers.html) […]