Arcadia's Edible Garden Tour

The desert valley of Phoenix Arizona is an amazing area for growing a wide variety of garden edibles. Our farming history began long ago with ancient canals dug by Native Americans. The irrigation canals were expanded by the early settlers, clearing their way through the greasewood growth, guiding the waters of the Salt River to the communities of the valley. The Arcadia area was part of the desert colony that developed into a agricultural oasis. Citrus orchards, vineyards, fields of sweet potatoes and barley grew in this once dusty and parched settlement. Today, healthy, mature orange and grapefruit trees line the streets and properties of our community.

This is where we come in! Everything is laid out for us. The canals are dug, the irrigation is flowing. The water is deep and cheap. All we need to do is make a few changes and we can feed ourselves and our neighbors from our own back (and front) yards.

Instead of a lawn filled with grass, we can plant a yard filled with vegetables. A variety of fruit and nut trees, vines, berries and edible shrubs combine beauty and practicality to our home landscapes. This is called edible landscaping. Edible landscaping is using the resources you have to make your property, large or small, into a productive garden space. Gardening in this manner can change the way we live and eat. Think about it. We (I am talking to my neighbors) are blessed to live in a location, right in the middle of the city, that could provide our community with fresh, local, organic food! We know this concept isn't new, only a few generations ago this was a way of life. There are gaps in the corporate agriculture business that they cannot fill. We can live a more sustainable life in our suburban communities. We need to restore our connection to the food we eat, our soil, and our neighbors. We should observe, share, and teach one another.

For those of you that live in my area, I have a special invitation for you. We, along with four other families, will open our edible gardens for viewing on December 5th. We'd love to share what we have coming up in our gardens, and show you how easy and enjoyable it can be. At Arcadia's first annual Edible Garden Tour we would love to meet, share, and discuss gardening with new, interested, and seasoned gardeners. We hope that you can come enjoy an afternoon of fun when our carrots, broccoli, spinach, swiss chard, radishes, and much more is in season. Tickets are limited, and going fast! For more information and to register go to Ediblegardentour.com