Be Inspired Blog - Arizona
Organic Gardening
While there are many benefits to organic gardening, sometimes the topic can seem overwhelming. At SummerWinds Nursery, we're here to help!
Why Organic Gardening Works So Well in the Phoenix Area
Gardening in the Greater Phoenix area presents unique challenges—from intense summer heat to naturally alkaline desert soils that can be low in organic matter. Organic gardening helps improve these conditions by building healthier soil that supports strong root systems and better moisture retention.
Adding organic matter such as compost, worm castings, and organic planting mixes helps loosen heavy soils, improve drainage, and increase the soil’s ability to hold water—an important benefit in our dry desert climate. Over time, organic amendments also encourage beneficial microbes and earthworms that help plants access nutrients more efficiently.
Organic fertilizers feed the soil as well as the plants, providing slow, steady nutrition that supports steady growth without excessive salts that can build up in desert soils. This approach helps plants become more resilient to heat stress and encourages healthier vegetables, herbs, flowers, and landscape plants.
Using organic pest control methods also helps protect pollinators like bees and butterflies, which are essential for productive vegetable gardens and healthy landscapes throughout the Valley.
Organic gardening and landscaping provide eco-friendly benefits, nutrient-rich soil, optimal plant growth, and biodiversity through chemical-free practices. Plus, it yields resilient plants, reduces water usage, and ensures safer, healthier produce—benefiting us, our environment and local wildlife!
Grow Organic
You can enjoy the benefits of eating organic vegetables and organic fruits by growing them in your very own Tasty Garden. To grow your garden lanscape organically, or to grow organic produce, you'll want to use natural and organic products that encourage soil and water conservation and reduce environmental pollutants.
Organic Agriculture
To grow organiclly means using products such as organic soil, organic fertilizer, organic compost, and organic potting soil. At SummerWinds, we have a wide variety of organic soils, amendments and fertilizers to help you do just that!
Here are Some of our Favorite Organic Soils
Click on the links to learn more about each soil:
- SummerWinds High Performance Organic Potting Soil – our premium organic potting mix designed to support strong root growth, balanced moisture, and long-lasting plant health in containers, raised beds, houseplants, vegetables, herbs, and more.
- SummerWinds Organic Potting Soil – a versatile organic potting mix made with high-quality natural ingredients to support healthy root development and strong plant growth in containers, houseplants, flowers, vegetables, herbs, and more.
- Citrus & Palm Potting or Planting Mix - by E.B. Stone Organics
- Raised Bed Potting or Planting - by E.B. Stone Organics
- Recipe 420 Potting Soil - by E.B. Stone Organics
- Other Specialty Soils - by E.B. Stone Organics:
- African Violet Mix
- Azalea, Camellia & Acid Mix
- Bonsai Soil
- Cactus & Succulent Mix
- Orchid Mix
- Seed Starter Mix
Organic Amendments
We Offer a Variety of Organic Amendments, Including:
- SummerWinds Organic Planting Mix – an all-purpose organic transplanting mix developed with E.B. Stone Organics, designed to help flowers, vegetables, shrubs, trees, and other garden plants establish strong roots and thrive when planting in the landscape.
- Soil Conditioner & Seed Cover - by SummerWinds Nursery
Organic Amendments by Brown Banana Organics:
Organic Amendments by E.B. Stone Organics:
- Chicken Manure
- Citrus & Palm Potting or Planting Mix
-
Organic Compost
- Peat Moss
- Perlite
- Raised Bed & Potting Mix
- Rose & Flower Potting or Planting Mix
- Soil Booster
- Super Earthworm Castings
- Top Soil Plus
- Volcanic Pumice
Other Organic Amendments:
Beat's Peat - by PlantBest- Chicken Manure - by Espoma
- CocoTek - by General Hydroponics: An environmentally friendly alternative to shphagnum peat moss.
- Lava Sand Extreme Soil Builder - by The Organic Garden Guy
- Mushroom Compost - GardenTime
- Peat Moss - by Sunshine
- Pure Worm Castings - by WormGold® Plus
- Turf-Tone Weed Preventer - by Espoma
- Vermiculite - by Uni-Gro®
Organic Fertilizers
At SummerWinds Nursery, we offer a wide vareity of Organic fertilizers. Click the links to learn more!
Organic Fertilizers by Earth's Original Organics:
Organic Fertilizers by E.B. Stone Organics:
-
All Purpose Plant Food
- Azalea, Camellia & Gardenia Food
- Bulb Food
- Citrus & Fruit Tree Food
- Hibiscus & Palm Food
- Rose & Flower Food
- Sure Start
- Tomato & Vegetable Food
- Tree & Shrub Food
- Ultra-Bloom Plant Food
Organic Fertilizers by Espoma:
- Bulb-Tone® Bulb and Flower Food: An organic fertilizer specially formulated to support healthy bulb development, strong roots, and vibrant blooms in flowering plants such as tulips, daffodils, lilies, and other garden bulbs.
- Cactus! Plant Food
- Indoor! Houseplant Food
- Orchid! Bloom Booster
- Violet! Plant Food
Organic Fertilizer by The Organic Garden Guy: Extreme Juice All Natural Plant Food
Organic Liquid Fertilizers by True Organic™:
Organic Granular Fertlizers by True Organic™:
- Annuals & Perennials Food
- Blood Meal
- Bone Meal
- Fruit & Nut Tree Food
- Herb & Leafy Greens Food
- Organic Lawn Food
- Organic Root Enchancer
- Raised Bed Food
- Seabird Guano
Organic Pest Control
You can control unwanted insects and pests in your garden through the use of beneficial insects and nematodes, companion planting, and the application of organic sprays, organic insecticides, and organic pesticides.
Incorporating Beneficial Insects
Beneficial insects like Lady Bugs, Praying Mantis, Earth Worms and Beneficial Nematodes can be used in your garden to help deter unwanted insects and animals, or to amend your soil.
Organic Sprays
- Bio Neem - This wide spectrum insecticide containing Azadirachtin derived from the Neem tree Azadirachta indica. For use on all crops, including grains, vegetables, fruits, vines and flowers. Contact insecticide effective against worms, caterpillars, white flies and grasshoppers.
- Captian Jack's Deadbug Brew - by Bonide: Kills bagworms, borers, creepy crawlies, caterpillars, coding moth, rover moth, loopers, leaf diggers, creepy crawly bugs, tent caterpillars, thrips and more. Use on apples and oranges, vegetables, berries, citrus, grapes, nuts and ornamentals.
- Captain Jack's Neem Max - by Bonide: This Ready-to-Spray, 4-in-1 organic gardening solution acts as an insecticide, fungicide, miticide, and nematicide. Made with Cold Pressed Neem Oil, it controls pests at all life stages—including aphids, mites, and caterpillars—and prevents major fungal diseases on vegetables, fruits, ornamentals, and more. Conveniently ready-to-spray, just attach it to your garden hose, shake, and apply. Always follow label instructions for safe and effective use.
- Captain Jack's Rose Rx - by Bonide: This 4-in-1 spray works as a fungicide, insecticide, miticide, and nematicide in your garden. Control a variety of pests and prevent fungal attacks, including issues like black spot and powdery mildew.
- Captain Jack's Tomato & Vegetable Spray - by Bonide: This 3-in-1 spray works in three ways—as a matricide, insecticide and fungicide. Prevents insects, diseases and mites. Effective against caterpillars, rust, powdery mildew, leaf spots, blight, whitefly, aphids and other listed pests and diseases.
- Neem Oil - by Bonide: An all purpose insecticide, miticide and fungicide for organic gardening. For use on any plant. Kills all stages of insects—eggs, larvae and adults. Makes a great dormant spray.
- Monterey B.t. - This biological insecticide controls worms and caterpillars on fruits, vegetables, ornamentals and shade trees.
More questions about Organic gardening? Stop in to speak with one of our Trusted Garden Advisors!
In a desert environment like ours, building healthy soil is one of the best ways to grow stronger plants while conserving water and supporting a thriving garden ecosystem.
