We had a unseasonably warm weekend, even for Phoenix. I even turned the misters on for my rabbits because I worried the shade on the porch wouldn’t be enough to keep the cool. Everyone is fine, thankfully.
Planting Calendar
Even though I am an Arizona native I am not a fan of heat; ironic isn’t it? But I was determined to get out there and plant my 4th box because I was already behind on my schedule. I like to follow my Maricopa Extension Office planting calendar which has you planting the 1st and 15th of every month. This keeps me on track, especially during busy fall planting. If you are not in Maricopa county, check your local office or try Sprout Robot .
I am happy to report that on Sunday I planted Box #4! I also got to use my new Garden Stamp for the first time!
This is the box plan I made up during the week…and for once, it is exactly what I planted! I dedicated a lot of the box to spinach again. We eat a lot of spinach and I will feed it to the hens as needed too; have to keep up their greens intake when the weeds in the yard have died off.
I filled the box up with a combination of my home-grown compost and organic soil. I hope in the near future I will not need to purchase soil, but alas, for now I don’t have enough compost.
The hubster built another dog/bird fence for the box and I was ready to go!
So with my new tool in hand I set out to box #4. When I got the stamp out I was thinking I would need with with various “pegs” for all the different projects and planting. But what’s great is the stamp has a guide on it so you can use the right holes for the number of seeds you’re putting in the soil.
My 8 year old had a great time “stamping” the soil! Then I filled in the hole she didn’t need to drop seeds 
into. But she was able to plant with perfect spacing. <3 Check out these beautifully spaced rows ready for planting!
I have to be honest…Prior to using the stamp I’ve been eyeballing it and using a pencil for make my seed holes. It’s worked but this, this is amazingly easy and I love to have the spacing just perfect. 🙂
When we were done planting I simply gave the stamp a rinse with the hose and it was brand new again.
Because the stamp is a perfect square I decided to try planting without grids…don’t tell Mel! I have to tell you that made me nervous and I sort of miss my symmetrical lines. The stamp would work within each square foot without issue and we’ll see if I go back or not with Box #5.
The box was planted perfectly and I am excited to watch this one grow without lines; I guess it is the first step away from my SFG crutch. 😛 Either way I’m hooked on the stamp and it will now be a part of my planting routine with each box.
Look Mom…No Lines!
I love my garden stamp 🙂
But my makeshift grid seems to make it difficult to stamp in some places. I was tempted to remove my grid but thought I ought to wait till next year to do so. I was nervous to remove it, what would I do without those guidelines!
I’d love to know how you find the difference, I think I might just try to do without the grid next year and stamp away happily.
I think my grid has been my “comfort zone”. I feel like I have the same results…I actually ran my finger around the stamp while planting. This way I knew for sure where to start the next one. 😉
I too Love the garden stamp 🙂 If I had a garden, I would definitely get one of those. I haven’t even planted my winter lawn yet. I am SO far behind….. Happy Harvesting!
I can’t wait to do another box. Makes plant spacing so easy!