Gardening in Tucson (Zone 9)

One of the things I’ve loved about living in Poland is the  abundance of affordable fresh produce; I want that when we return home too. As European countries go, Poland is very large and much of it is farm land. Of course, we do have a real winter, and during that time the fruit and veg in the stores are imported from warmer places, but summer brings on a explosion of local products. You can find seasonal berries and stone fruit for sale on almost every busy corner in town. A drive on a country road and you’ll find farm stands offering their latest harvest and local honey.

It wouldn’t be accurate to say gardening is a popular pastime in Poland; it’s a way of life. Those who have a yard will have it planned with fruit trees, and a vegetable garden in the summer. Everyone makes jams and pickles. We’ve been guests at dinners where all most everything on the table came from the family’s garden. If you live in an apartment, not to worry; there are community gardens with plots for rent. I’m delighted to see this idea is gaining hold in the states. An Internet search tells me we have them in Tucson now, and that’s great to see.

(Tucson, 2009) This is a two-year old heirloom yellow pear tomato (originated in Europe during the 1700s) growing in a planter next to a couple of zucchini plants. It survived the winter and with an established root structure, it grew like crazy during its second summer. The only downside is that it was like crawling through a jungle to find the ripe tomatoes.

Our stateside home is in Tucson, and that climate is very different than Poland. We’ve had success growing grape tomatoes and little yellow pear tomatoes in the past, but I’ve been inspired by my Polish neighbors to try growing more things when we return home. I’ve started a Pinterest board called “Try Growing This” to remind me of potential projects. It’s been disappointing to find so little online about gardening in our area, and what I do find is based in Phoenix. The weather is Phoenix is different than Tucson, milder in the winter, hotter and more humid in the summer.

To rectify the shortage of information, I thought I would add a gardening category to this blog when I return. But why wait? I’ve invited my mother (blogger handle: tralf) to write guests posts on gardening in Tucson. You may have met my folks in my post about their homemade wine. They are quite the DIY couple. They’ve been growing vegetables in Tucson for years, so we’ll all (especially me) benefit from their experience.

Some things like my crazy tomato plant will grow in Tucson during the summer, but winter is actually a better time for gardening. It’s easier to cope with the occasional frost rather than battling high temperatures day after day in the summer. My folks are starting to think about their winter garden so watch here to follow the process.

Welcome, Mum, I’m excited about sharing this space with you and look forward to following your advice when I once again become a desert gardener.