Experience Nutrition

Tag: grow your own

Experience Nutrition: Gardening: 10 Steps to Plant Your Summer Garden
So many people are gardening now with the Coronavirus pandemic. I hope you are inspired to plant and enjoy your own garden this year. Then enjoy the harvesting and cooking of the beautiful food you grow with and for your family and friends.
Happy to share with you the second phase of planting my little Arizona edible garden. Click to see Gardening Part 1: Earth Day: Slow Down with Home Gardening. Worms!

10 Step Summer Gardening Experience

After returning from the Arizona Worm Farm (see more in the Earth Day Blog), I knew I only had a few hours to plant my garden and use the Worm Tea. Thus, I was focused, mindful, and in the moment with these 10 Gardening Steps:
1. Choose your Plants.
2. Gardening “Mise en Place.” Get organized with the plants, mulch, worm castings, and worm tea for your garden.
3. Take out the old (plants) to leave room for the new.
4. Pull out all old roots and thoroughly mix the soil.
5. Add mulch and mix it into the old soil.
6. Plant the transplants.
7. Sprinkle a layer of nutrient-dense Worm Castings onto the top of the soil.
8. Drizzle Worm Tea onto the top of the soil, around all of the plants.
9. Water the garden.
10. Enjoy!
Let’s take a quick video look at the Pre-Garden and then get started on our New Summer garden.

Step 1. Choose Your Plants

In general, at this time of year, in the Phoenix area and in many different areas across the USA, it’s time to plant warm-weather, hydrating crops. Think tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, watermelon, melons, summer and winter squash, beans, and herbs.

Top Tips to Choose your Edible Garden Plants

When purchasing plant-starts (transplants) be sure to purchase:
- “Organic” or pesticide-herbicide-free.
- Local crops, that will do well in your area.
- Seasonal crops, to be planted now for the Summer.
- Your favorite veggies, fruit, herbs, and edible flowers.
Although I’ve lived in Arizona, this time for 15 years, I totally rely on the expertise of our local Phoenix area entrepreneurs who grow plant-starts for our community. A quick list of what I’ve purchased so far this season:

Vilardi Gardens, Phoenix

Vilardi Gardens is known as one of the best places for high-quality Arizona-grown edible transplants: All-natural, chemical- and pesticide-free. Perfect for growing in our Arizona climate. During the Coronavirus “stay-at-home,” at this point in time, Vilardi Gardens is selling at the Roadrunner Park Farmers Market (Cactus Road & 35th Street) on Saturday mornings and delivering to our homes!

A few weeks ago, I opted for home delivery of a few summer favorites:
- Tomatoes
- Purple tomatillos
- Peppers
- Sweet marjoram
- Italian oregano
The Vilardi Organic Transplants.

The Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix

Thanks so much to Billy Anthony, farmer at the Farm at South Mountain, for my favorites, including edible flowers!
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Watermelon
- Lemon balm
- Peppers
- Marigolds
The Farm at South Mountain. Soil & Seed Garden. Plant-Starts.

Step 2. Gardening “Mise en Place.” Get organized with the plants, mulch, worm castings, and worm tea for your garden.

Step 3. Take out the old (plants) to leave room for the new.

Step 4. Pull out all old roots and thoroughly mix the soil.

Step 5. Add mulch and mix it into the old soil.

Step 6. Sprinkle a layer of nutrient-dense Worm Castings onto the top of the soil.

Worm Castings onto the Soil.

Step 7. Plant the transplants from The Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain.

Step 8. Drizzle Worm Tea onto the top of the soil, around all of the plants.

Step 9. Water the garden.

Step 10. Enjoy!

Let’s take a video look at the newly planted elevated garden…All ready with Summer plants!

Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutrition on your edible gardening and plant-based culinary creations.

By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.
April 29, 2020
Happy Earth Day 2020! Three Views of Gardening. Slow Down. Worms. Plant. (Part 1 of 2)
Happy Earth Day 2020.
Synchronicity. Celebrating our 50^th Earth Day with Gardening. Of course!

Now during our Coronavirus “stay-at-home” across the USA, gardening has become more meaningful. So many people around the world are getting back to the basics with more home cooking, more home gardening, more self-care, and more time to reflect.

As many of you are aware, my passion is creating with beautiful locally grown Arizona farmers produce, herbs, and edible flowers, all grown with organic practices. I’m honored to share my gardening experiences, as a few friends have been requesting my thoughts.

It has now been 13 months since I first set up and planted my little elevated garden in my backyard in Phoenix, Arizona, and I’m looking forward to another season. Thanks to my farmer friend, Billy Anthony of The Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain for the encouragement and the plant-starts for the last few growing seasons. – Melanie Albert

This week, I’m honored to share with you my 3 Different Views of Gardening.
- Slow Down with Home Gardening.
- Worms. Oh, My! Oh, Yes!
- 10 Steps to Plant Your Summer Garden. (“Next” Blog)
Slow Down with Home Gardening

Summer 2020 Elevated Edible Garden, Experience Nutrition, Phoenix, Arizona

This week, while prepping and planting my little elevated edible garden, I also took extra time to reflect. My gardening experience was a personal day of incredible self-care, quietly outside in beautiful Phoenix with connection to our Earth.

As many of us are aware, planting and gardening have been a metaphor for life and growth.

We get rid of the old (plants).

We plant seeds (or transplants).

Nurture and care for them.

Practice patience.

Mindfully enjoy the growing process, days by days, weeks by weeks, and months by months.

And, we enjoy the fruits of our labor when we experience the amazing freshness and life of our own home-grown food in our meals. I am already happily enjoying my recently planted fresh herbs and edible flowers!

Importantly, I look forward to seeing the new growth in my life, alongside the growth of the garden.

Pause. Enjoy Your Mindful Gardening.

Take time this season to really enjoy your own home-gardening. Enjoy the beautiful, slow, mindful process.

Pause and take time to reflect on how your gardening experience reflects your life.

Worms! Oh My! Oh Yes!

My early memories of worms were getting the “best” worms for fishing (we lived in Baltimore with a river to the Chesapeake Bay in our backyard) from my grandmother’s rose garden. Humm…worms for fishing and gardening?

Thank you farmer, Billy Anthony

This season while getting set to plant my Arizona Summer garden, I reached out to my knowledgeable, passionate farmer friend, Billy Anthony at The Farm at South Mountain. Since my little edible garden already had “good organic soil” and mulch from the Arizona Worm Farm from the prior growing season, Billy recommended fertilizing it this season.

Arizona Worm Farm

For fertilizing, I visited the incredible Arizona Worm Farm, only 7 miles from my home, currently operating as a Farmers Market on Saturday’s, where we can purchase produce, as well as compost and worm products for our gardens. “The Arizona Worm Farm is a unique little urban farm centered around sustainability, soil improvement, and turning garbage into food.”

Arizona Worm Farm

Take a look at the Arizona Worm Farm Worm Casting and Garden…

For the extra fertilizer, my first thought was worms. Oh My, Oh My.

And, second, Oh My, buying the Worm Tea and Worm Castings, I had a feeling I knew what they were. And, oh yes. Worm castings and worm tea were what I suspected. (I totally trusted the process.)

Worm Castings

Worm castings are basically worm poop. There’s the “Oh My.” According to the Arizona Worm Farm, worm castings or vermi-compost are a nutrient-dense amendment, high in microbial activity. The richest natural fertilizer. Castings rapidly stimulate plant growth because they contain nutrients in plant-available form and easily absorbed. I bought 3 gallons for my 6 x 2 feet elevated garden and to top off my 2 large galvanized steel garden pots.

Worm Tea

Worm Tea is compost tea made from Worm Castings. This tea must be used within 4 hours of purchase to be effective in our gardens. So definitely, be prepared to garden the day you purchase your Worm Tea. As far as I know, the Arizona Worm Farm only sells the Worm Tea on Saturday mornings during the farmers’ market. For perspective, I purchased 1 gallon of Worm Tea.

Be sure to come back for our “10 Steps to Plant Your Summer Garden,” with the Worm Castings and Worm Tea and local Arizona plant-starts from Vilardi Gardens and The Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm at South Mountain.

Stay in touch with us on www.facebook.com/ExperienceNutritionAZ and Instagram @experiencenturitionaz and tag us #experiencenutritionaz on your edible gardening and plant-based culinary creations.

By Melanie Albert, Plant-Based Cooking Leader, Founder & CEO, Experience Nutrition in Phoenix, Arizona. Award-winning cookbook author, speaker, corporate wellness, team building, retreat leader, and caterer.
April 22, 2020
Experience Nutrition: My First Arizona Spring Home Garden. Steps and Tips to Grow your own Edible Veggies, Herbs, and Flowers.
By Melanie Albert, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition, Intuitive Cooking Expert, and Award-Winning Cookbook Author
I’m very excited to share that this first weekend of Spring 2019, I planted my first “real” edible backyard garden in Phoenix, Arizona. And, I’m happy to share my learning with you.

Honestly, while I feel really confident with guiding people to cook beautiful, tasty farm-to-table plant-based food, I am going out on a limb with sharing my new gardening adventure with you.

When I was a kid, my parents always had a garden and fruit growing in our yard in Dallas, Pennsylvania. I especially remember the asparagus, carrots, cucumbers, and sweet peppers. Plus, we enjoyed all kinds of berries, my favorites being raspberries and strawberries. Today, my 92-year old Dad still gardens in Cocoa Beach, Florida, primarily with his banana and onion crops.

I’ve never grown a ‘real garden’ in Phoenix. Until now.

Melanie’s Personal Goals with the New Edible Garden

Sharing my personals goals with you, which might motivate you to plant your own garden!
- Get out of my comfort zone. Do something new, while learning.
- Enjoy edible gardening as self care. Time away from the computer. Time out with nature.
- Garden-to-Table. Ultimately, enjoy my garden bounty with my culinary creations.
Three Steps to Get Started with an Edible Garden

Since gardening in Arizona is different than the East Coast of the US, I reached out to an expert in the farming and gardening in Phoenix, my friend, Billy Anthony, who is the Garden Operations Manager at The Farm at South Mountain. Billy has been growing at the beautiful The Farm, which is about half-mile from my home for a few years. I admire his passion, knowledge, and hard work ethic and knew that he’d be a talented guide for my small edible garden project.

Step 1: The Elevated Garden.

A few months ago I started researching elevated gardens online and purchased a simple rectangle 22”x 66” wooden garden that is right outside my back patio, on the West side of my home facing the golf course. The first step, was, of course, building the elevated garden. Thanks to Phoenix urban farmer Billy Anthony for assembling it for me and in choosing the right location for the garden, where it will get full sunlight during most of the day.

Step 2: The Right Soil.

Billy guided me to purchase the “right” soil for our Arizona climate. I used two 2cu feet of Kellogg Garden Organics – Organic Plus for the bottom layer of the garden. For the top layer, at Plant Stand, a garden supply store in my neighborhood, purchased two 1.5 cu feet of Fox Farm Ocean Forest Potting Soil, made from earthworm castings and bat guano.

Step 3: What to Plant in the Spring (in Phoenix, Arizona)

In the Arizona desert, right now our local urban farmers are doing their Spring planting, so I took their lead and visited Billy at The Farm at South Mountain to be sure to plant the “correct” veggies, herbs, and edible flowers for this time of year.

Picked up a few Spring goodies from my urban farmer friend Billy Anthony who has been such an inspiration around growing beautiful food.
- Herbs: Oregano, Genovese Basil and Amethyst Basil, French Lavender, Flatleaf Italian Parsley
- Edible flowers: Viola, Calendula, Snapdragon
- Greens: Dandelion
- Melon: Sugar Baby Watermelon
- Cucumbers: Gherkins
- Tomatoes: Blush Tomato
- Berry: Pinchuberry
5 Tips on Planting Layout from Phoenix Urban Farmer, Billy Anthony

Since I wanted to get it “right,” Billy gave me a few tips on where to plant the different plants in the garden. A few tips:
1. Watermelon near the edge of the garden, so it could grow down the side towards the Earth.
2. Basil plants at the end of the planter, as they will become quite large.
3. Lavender in the middle surrounded by the edible flowers.
4. Dandelion greens next to the violas (hope I got that right) to give them a little shade.
5. Plant larger plants (pichuberry, tomato) in pots to give them room to grow.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of the Plants…

Spring Arizona Garden Day 1: The plants planted into the Elevated Garden, according to the Plan.

And, pausing to enjoy our Arizona sunset with the new Spring Garden. Self care!

Top 5 Basic Edible Gardening Tips from Phoenix urban farmer, Billy Anthony

As a final thought in today’s new Phoenix Backyard Gardening Blog, simple advise from Billy to me, to you…
- The right soil.
- The right plants at the right time.
- Sunshine.
- Water.
- And, I’ll add, have fun!
My final reflection on Day 1 of my Spring 2019 garden.
- Enjoyed the process of learning the steps and planning to plant my little garden.
- Loved being outside in my backyard, with a purpose, and enjoying the self care sunset with my new garden.
- Felt a sense of new accomplishment.
I’ll keep you posted as my gardening adventure evolves.

I’ll be using the #ediblegardentotable so we can easily find the edible garden progress.

If you are in the Phoenix area and would like to meet Billy Anthony, we are co-hosting a Spring Farm-to-Table Cooking Class at The Farm at South Mountain, April 7, 2019, 11am-1pm.

Purchase Tickets for Raw Farm-to-Table Plant-Based Intuitive Cooking with Melanie Albert and Soil & Seed Garden Farmer Billy Anthony. The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona, Sunday, April 7, 2019, 11am-1pm

INTERESTED IN PLANT-BASED COOKING RETREAT IN SEDONA, September 13-16, 2019. CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Purchase Melanie Albert’s award-winning cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating: Simple Intuitive Cooking with Real Whole Foods”
March 24, 2019