Garden Gambler

Cistern Math

With the summer monsoon season starting on June 15 and running through September 30, it’s time to do the cistern math. If your cistern is below capacity and you’re hoping for rainstorms to come and fill it, how much water will you need? In this episode, I’ll walk you through the calculations.

Garden Gambler Update

Back in Episode 59, I announced that I was a gambler, a garden gambler. I planted a pre-monsoon summer garden. Now it’s time for an update. It’s a combination of gardening successes and failures, along with some much-needed problem solving and no monsoon rainfall–yet.

2026 Arizona Monsoon Outlook

The National Weather Service just released its summer monsoon forecast. It calls for above average rainfall for the entire state of Arizona, especially northeastern Arizona. El Niño is also becoming a factor, which could lead to an active hurricane season. This episode discusses how the second activity of water harvesting, storing rainwater for later use, relates to the forecast.

A Meditation on Mulch

This is an episode devoted to an organic superstar– mulch! This a layer of material that’s derived from carbon-based life forms like trees, shrubs, bark, and leaves. I’ll talk about the wonderful things that mulch can do for your yard and the plants in it, and explain how you can get mulch. Includes a special guest appearance by a wood chipper.

Keep Off the Grass

With the Southwest suffering through a long-term drought – and Colorado River cutbacks looming – it’s time to take a hard look at that thief in the yard. I’m talking about those water guzzling lawns, and why it’s time to remove them. Cities like Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tucson are offering grass removal rebate programs. I’ll explain how these programs work.