Gardening on the Moon ( GOTM )

Written by Jeff

Follow Jeff on Twitter for daily garden tips and news!

The Story

We moved into a house where we were the first people to live there. Essentially it was a new house. When builders put these “spec houses” on the market, they want them to look as nice as possible at the moment they finish. What often happens is that plants are put into tight places where they look good at the moment, but when they mature, the will be cramped or hinder passageway. We found ourselves facing that situation with a slight variation. Our plants have spines and tended to stick people as they walked by. Many things in the southwest pinch, sting or stab. Here is one picture of the situation before we began the project. Notice how a couple agaves lean into the walkway with their spines which became a nuisance, if not worse, to passersby.

Our goal was twofold. We wanted to partially shield the view of the vacant lot across the street and provide a focal point near the entryway to the casita. We were in the market for a trellis to hold a vine that would provide the screening and color we were seeking. We had purchased two trellises the year before at one of the home improvement big box stores, but alas they stopped carrying that trellis and all others were too thin and not “artistic” enough. We looked and looked, but could not find a suitable trellis. We even went as far as visiting a blacksmith to see if we could have one made. That would be no problem if we wanted to pay for a custom trellis. We decided to continue to look. Luckily, we live in Cave Creek, AZ where there are many artist studios and craft shops. After looking quite a while we finally found something that held promise. It was a metal display rack that was slightly damaged. Although it was costly, we felt it was a good deal for the money.

[ This is a detail on the trellis we purchased for use! ]

We wondered if we would be able to modify it to meet our needs. It was a four-fold copper and metal screen that was used to hold sale items. It would have to be cut into separate bi-fold sections to serve as the trellis we envisioned. Let the games begin! The first thing was to get out my hacksaw and cut the masterpiece into two sections. This went smoothly and only caused a modicum of sweat and consternation. Now for the real fun. I am a strong believer of preparing a $100 hole for a $5 plant. The rule of thumb in the desert is to prepare the soil in an area of 3-5 times the circumference of the pot and to the same depth as the pot. Since we were going to be planting a vine and we were confined to the space at hand, I decided to modify the soil to a depth of one foot and for the entire length and width of the planting area. This would give the vine which would grow tall and wide plenty of room. Part of the challenge is to remove all of the stones that are in the dirt used to raise the level of our house to achieve a floodplain variance. There are tons of stones in our soil; literally. The first thing I built upon moving in was a framed, wire mesh sifting device to assist us in removing the stones and it has seen plenty of work.

[ Here I am picking out some landscape rocks to save for use and leaving others to be discarded. ]

My wife and I first removed all of the decorative stone that was used as mulching and covering material. Below is a shot of that stone. We stored the stone on top of drop cloths we had saved for this purpose.

Next, we removed all of the soil to the depth of one foot and sifted it little by little. We then mixed the dirt with composted manure and sand and placed it back into the space. Obviously we had to add quite a bit of material to make up for the rocks removed. We repeated this process until we were finished.

[ Dirt was stored on drop cloths. ]

[ This is how the dirt appeared (right side of plastic lid) prior to our sifting and amending. ]

Below is photo of our cart with the amended soil in it. We added sand, composted manure and the dirt from our yard and mixed it very well. The drainage was excellent when we are finished.

[ The cart with improved soil. ]

After improving half the soil, we used the top of one of our storage bins to mark the modified planting bed on the left from the untouched bed on the right as shown above. Whenever digging in our landscaping as well as most landscapes in the Phoenix, AZ area, one has to be very careful not to cut the water lines. Here is a picture of the exposed water lines that we carefully avoided. If there is an accident, we can repair it without too much difficulty, but t is always wise to avoid the extra work.

[ Above - Notice the water lines toward the bottom of the picture. ]

Once all the dirt was sifted, amended, returned to the bed and both sections of the trellis well-placed, we stood back for a moment to admire our work. The board (pictured) was use to level and space the trellis.

[ Mary admires the trellis as we prepare for the fun part of the project; planting! ]

Read Part II – Plant Stabbings and Other Issues –

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post