Down To Earth - Backyard gardening in Arizona
Contributed By - Radhika Bukka
Continuing with its concept of introducing mavens from myriad métier, AZIndiatimes meets up with a few men and women of the soil who not only grow their own vegetables and fruits but also provide guidance and consultation for organic cultivation and preservation of the soil fertility standards.
All the ancient wisdom traditions of the world worship Nature. Our very own earth is revered as Mother Earth. The nourishment we need, apart from every other thing, is all given by Nature. What we eat is what we are. Our food influences our thoughts. Of late, the quality of food is being compromised due to the heavy commercialization and business orientations of the food industry. Heavy pesticides, fungicides and artificial fertilizers are being used to increase the yield of the crops. But in reality, synthetic fertilizers kill the bacteria in the soil and the plants get more dependent on the fertilizers provided. As a result, the soil slowly starts dying crop after crop.
To eat food that is more natural, more and more people are turning towards growing their own fruits and vegetables in their backyards.
Arizona, being a desert, has soil that is not very good for the Indian type of vegetables. There are many gardening enthusiasts in the valley who grow food naturally in their backyards. They share their experiences and knowledge about growing Indian vegetables with others via Facebook pages and websites. There are seed exchange groups too. A couple of such local Facebook pages are Gardening in Chandler and Padma Gardens. These pages help Indians figure out what to grow and how to grow in the Arizona weather.
Nature farming and organic farming teach us about managing the kitchen waste in a wise way. This also reduces a lot of stress on the environment.
Praveen and Lavanya Dantuluri from Chandler conduct classes from past few years during early spring on Home composting. They teach how to use kitchen waste like vegetable peels, egg shells, fermented yogurt, coffee ground and the dry waste like newspapers, wood chips, shredded stems, dry leaves to create compost and form protective layers for the soil.
“We have been farming in our backyard for the past 11 years. It takes a couple of years for anybody to know the seasoning of the crops and things like that. The quality of the soil decides the type of produce. Preparing the soil is very important. Just as our gut works very well with the healthy bacteria and enzymes in it, the soil too works wonders with organisms, earthworms and natural compost. We conduct classes about composting. We have also recently started worm composting. It takes about 3 weeks for the compost to get ready. The city of Tempe gives free compost every couple of months” says Lavanya.
“Best time to start planting is Spring. Apples, Peaches, Jujubes, Apricots are very easy to yield in this Arizona weather. Freezing during the winter actually helps Apple trees. All tropical trees like Mango and Banana require lot of water and great protection during winters. Wood pieces placed near the roots prevents soil from drying out. We plant the trees closely and they survive better. They help each other grow. That’s what we have observed”, adds Lavanya.
Padma Ambadipudi from Chandler has 9000 followers on her Facebook page Padma Gardens. She sells seeds and plants once a year during early spring. She is planning to acquire a license to bring plants and seeds from India legally. She also plans to buy a farm here and make all the Indian vegetable plants available for the Indians in the valley.
“Organic farming for the past 10 years in my backyard brought me closer to India. The Tulsi, and all the Indian vegetable plants make me feel at home. Every vegetable can be grown here. All the greens, and fruits like Guava, Papaya, Lychee, Mango can be grown here. The soil here is not for our type of vegetables. Irrigation is very important. Preparation of soil is the most essential of all. I get dry cow manure from dairy farms and prepare my soil during winters. A 3-inch layer of dry cow manure and a 4-inch layer of soil is how I prepare. That’s what prepares my soil and makes it ready for planting by spring. Good soil preparation removes 90% pests. Good soil, earthworms, sun, rain will do wonders for the plants and trees”, remarks Padma.
She also mentions that adding coffee ground to soil increases the acidity of the plants which reduces the bitterness in vegetables. Padma explains how seashells powder, eggshells powder, fermented garlic and chilly paste, sugar syrup are effectively used to tackle pests.