Winter Yard and Garden Week One

After much procrastination and excuses, it is ready! The raised garden that I hope to add to our household’s security in case of zombie apocalypse is ready for seeds!

Arizona has horrible soil for just about anything to grow in so instead of relying on digging into the backyard, which also has an array of broken water systems under it, I built the garden plot on top of the hard ground. I also have the luxury of an abundance of decorative river rock covering a quarter of the yard. The river rock worked great to create a irrigation bed to lay the layers of soil on top of and to surround the garden plot. I am also so fortunate to have several leaf shedding trees surrounding the yard. The fruits of their decay litter the yard faster than I can usually dispose of it but it is great for a mulch layer on top of the rocks.

Now, I have a layer of tightly packed large rocks that allow water to run through, but not too fast. Above the rocks, a layer of mulchy plant to catch more water, and to decay into further nutrients for the next layer. Finally, store bought rich soil tops it all off. A low rock wall and a chicken wire frame to keep critters at bay surround all the layers. The next step is to wait a few days for the current layers to settle a bit before adding layer of my very happy compost, and a final layer of more soil. I may try to grow some plants as it sits now though, just to see if they take. I would really like to give the compost a bit more time to decompose and I really am trying t save money after the holidays.

Any seed suggestions for winter in Arizona?