Veggie Bins, Easy Arizona Gardening

It started with salsa. You can't live in the Southwest without good salsa. It's pretty much imperative. What else are you going to eat while you sip margarita's, and drink Mexican beer? Sure you can buy it, but nothing beats homemade. The trouble? Tomatoes that taste like tomatoes!

Some of you out there might be old enough to remember, or have had the privilege in your young lives to smell and taste the juicy goodness of a REAL tomato. No wonder nobody wants to eat their veggies! Fruits and Vegetables available in the store have been bred to transport well and look perfect, not for taste or nutrients. Because our produce is picked well before it's really ripe, we can be missing up to 50% of the nutrition we would get if we had stepped out back and picked it ourselves.

But gardening in Arizona? SCARY! The dirt is hard, soil and drainage poor, and all those critters! So while on the path to growing salsa with his sweet family, my friend Mike, who is very creative and excellent with design work came up with the veggie bin concept.

Some of the things my friends have successfully grown:

• Jalapenos




• Cantaloupe




• Tomatoes




• Basil




• Cilantro




• Zucchini




• Blueberries




• Strawberries
  

Mike's bins are galvanized metal with steel mesh on the bottom, and come in a variety of sizes. He runs drip irrigation and covers the bins with a framework of netting to protect his harvest from the birds. After the bins are set up all you need to do is plant and harvest! You don't even have to bend over! Those I know who are using his system have been very successful with their gardens. There is no limit to what you can grow!

To learn more about Veggie Bins contact Mike Nelson veggiebins@hotmail.com