Dang birds! They just cost me $26 worth of pipe and netting. Bird netting specifically.  I attached a simple wood beam across the top of the garden boxes. Then I bent 3/4 inch conduit over the beam and slipped it over rebar into the corners of the box.

The netting is fix in place on the ends. I will not need to have access into the garden from the ends. The side sections lift to reveal my plantings. I have full access to each side for harvesting my veggies and berries. The dang birds don’t.

This should solve the problem  and was a very easy fix. Now I can have my beets and eat them too.

Gardening in Prescott Arizona with our mild weather allows me to plant early and often. I hope to get 5 crops from each square foot space and will plant seasonal plants as summer comes. The Prescott Country Club is an ideal setting. My garden overlooks the golf course’s 11 green and 12th tee. We are back far enough not to have to duck errant  shots.  That is unless I am approaching the 11the green.  But that is another story.

I have had to put a ball retreiver on the end of my putter so I don’t have to bend over to get my ball out of the cup. With so many shots to get it in there any assistance is appreciated. So I raised the garden up like a pool table. I can tend it without getting on my knees. Getting down there isn’t the problem. Getting back up is.

I celebrate(that is a joke) my 63rd birthday in just 2 weeks. The back is not that of a 20 year old any more. So laugh at my raised bed square foot garden if you have to. Your turn will be coming very soon.

www.allofprescott.com  For Property info in Prescott

www.prescottcountryclubsite.com For country club homes

Jerry Germansen 928 632 3906

I spent the last week building a Square Foot Garden raised to a height so I will not need to bend over. It has a 3/4 inch plywood bottom with drainage holes every foot or so.

I will be putting in the soil materials today and dividing the 4 foot by 8 foot areas into 1 foot squares.   I started composting a few weeks ago. It was at the time I was pruning the roses and ornamental grasses in the yard. I added kitchen scraps too. Only add scraps of fruits and veggies plus coffee grounds and their paper filters. And add all the yard waste organic materials too. It is amazing how much of that material can be composted for the garden. It saves landfill space and makes a great soil. It gets me off the couch and active too.

The Square Foot Garden is an interesting concept. It was developed by Mel Bartholomwe  years ago. He has written a couple of books about it and even had a Public TV show featuring his efforts and results. This garden is expected to produce 5 times what a regular single row garden will do because of the design, layout, and soil.

The soil is the real key. The garden is only 6 inches deep ( I made mine 8 inches for good luck).  It is a mix of 1/3 compost, 1/3 peet moss, and 1/3 vermiculite. You will never have to fertilize it or till it. It will remain loose and moist. I do have an irrigation line right in the garden area that I will hook up in a week or 2. Until then I’ll water with a hose. This soil mix will take much less water too. It is built from water retaining parts.

I can start planting now.  Beets, cabbage, spinach, radish, potato,  mint, and onion will take any remaining morning  frost rather well. I’ll start some now and then again in 2 weeks so I have a continuous supply for an extended time.

Trips to the grocery store will be ,much less expensive and fewer. I’ll have organic daily fresh veggies and fruits all the time. It’s a great way to have a healthy diet and a fulfilling pass-time too.

I’ll post more as the garden takes shape and make some observations and suggestions. Until then, keep composting!

Prescott Arizona is a prime location for second homes.  Our location, just over an hour from Phoenix, and 15 degrees cooler, is ideal.  In the ten years I have lived here I have not used air conditioning over night. We drop an average of 30 degrees once the sun sets.

We offer a wide variety of activities too.  Prescott is the first territorial capital of Arizona with a downtown courthouse square reminiscent of the Midwest. Most weekends bring festivals to the square for a walk in the park with great people watching. Music from bluegrass to folk to blues crosses the downtown carried in a gentle breeze. Artist display their works. Cowboys walk their dogs.  The Prescott National Forest ranges in elevation from 3000 ft to over 8000 ft. there are large pine forests with camping and trails. Quad riders can find hundreds of miles to explore.  Equestrian trails crisscross the historic landscape. Our mountain reservoirs offer up trout for dinner. Let’s not forget the golfers.  the area has six courses. My favorite is the Prescott Golf and Country Club in Dewey. It is a par 72 built in 1971. the mature course offers a challenge but not one so difficult that it turns away those of us less athletic. And the clubhouse has great food. The Country Club has over 1300 homes. Of course there is all the shopping that you could ever want from mom and pop shops to the big boxes.

Second homes come in a wide variety of styles and prices.  Everything is available from mini-ranches to estate homes to manufacture housing to cabins in the pines. We have something for your budget. Many people look at Prescott as a place to retire. A good investment at the right time can provide you with a second home get-a-way that will become your retirement home. With 80 million boomers hitting retirement age, now is the time to secure home.

Contact Jerry Germansen, eXp Realty Associate Brokerat 928-632-3906  for more info on the Prescott Area and second homes in Arizona.  We provide Arizona Second Home Lifestyle Services and real estate investments in the Cool Country.

Jerry.Germansen@SearchonPrescott.com’

www.AllofPrescott.com www.PrescottCountryClubSite.com

We have now melted and the course is open again. Play this time of year is great. No long waiting. Noboody rushing you.

Although the trees are dormant this time of year, you can still enjoy a great course for small cost.  And the course remains in very good condition for winter.

If you are a golfer of just like to walk the neighborhood, we have a great location for you.

Book your tee time right on our website. http://prescottcountryclubsite.com/community-resources/golf-tee-times/

Our 4 mild seasons are now returning to normal. We expect mid 50s to low 60s later this week.

Jerry Germansen, Associate Broker, eXp Realty

I got up at the usual 5:30 AM and got in the spa outside. Today was a special morning. The Geminid Meteor Shower was in full glory. Although I only stayed about ½ hour I saw at least 30 meteors hit our atmosphere.

I am not an astronomer. I can only recognize a few consteallations.  I do have a new Droid ap that is fun. Try Google Sky Map and see what is out there any time. It’s a free download.

I am thrilled that we have dark and clear skies to enhance the night sky display. While thinking about are dark skies I was reminded about an article I published a few years ago. It is time to dust it off and send it again. Here it is.

Saving our Western Skies

          Northern Arizona enjoys some of the best star gazing anywhere in the world. Our elevation coupled with dry air creates an environment that allows us see a remarkable display of the universe almost every night. But that is something we need to respect and protect.

          Phoenix once possessed a diamond sky too. It is now an example of what city lights can do to our wonderful ceiling. Look toward the south on any night and you can see it. Light pollution reaches upward from the Valley. Unless we protect it with controlled lighting, we will start to pollute the sky right here in North Central Arizona.

          Light is relative just like color or sound. Try this. Find a white wall or white car. Hold a piece of white paper against it. You discover that one is white and one is actually a color. The same is true for light. It too is relative to its surroundings. Go outside on a dark night. Close your eyes for minute. Open them and see just how much light there really is available.

          So why do we need to light our outdoor spaces so brightly? Would a 25 watt bulb give enough light in your immediate yard? What about using low voltage or solar patio lights to guide your way rather than a bright yard light? Why have a light on at all if you are not outside?

          You will hear 2 different answers to that question. First is the theory that you need one to see where you are going. If you let your eyes adjust to the darker condition, you will likely not need much light if any. I left a friend’s home last week. They had a spot light on the house facing the driveway. I was walking in my own shadow toward my car and could not see my path. The surrounding light washed out my vision in the area I was actually walking. I turned around to wave goodbye and was met with a beacon of light that blinded me. That lighting was totally ineffective. The second answer you will hear to having lights on is for security. Yet you are only providing light for an intruder. I remember a movie where a blind person was being attached by a bad guy. He turned off the lights to put the intruder in a situation where he was not familiar. The property owner now had the advantage of familiarity. You know your property. Strangers do not. Why provide them the advantage of a well lit area.

          I live with a long view over Dewey and Prescott Valley. It amazes me to see the thousands of lights that are left on all night. You could send a kid to college with the money that is spent lighting unoccupied yards. We complain about utility costs yet leave the lights on unwarranted and cause pollution to our night sky.

          Commercial building must comply with codes for lighting to reduce light pollution. We, as homeowners, should be concerned about light pollution too.

          Here is a good tip to save costs, increase security, provide lighting only when needed, and save our wonderful star filled skies. Change your light fixtures to ones with motion sensors or add a sensor to your existing fixture. The new fixture will pay for itself in a short time with energy savings. It will increase security too. Motion sensor lighting will scare an intruder away when it comes on while a bright light will only invite them. A motion sensor light is there when you need it and off when you do not. It is always ready.

          The next time you look up at the night sky and enjoy the gaze, think about what you are doing or could do to protect it. Your actions will guarantee that the view will be there for your kids and grand kids.

          Another cost saving convenience for your home is to add a timer to the bathroom exhaust fan. Turn it on to vent the room of shower moisture and it will turn itself off. You will save your bathroom from moisture problems and save energy. And you will not have to remember to go back and turn it off

Jerry Germansen, Associate Broker

eXp Realty Arizona

www.AllofPrescott.com