The teepee would be a great way to camp! Kudos to Sarah for pulling that off - I'm sure it's an experience that won't be forgotten :) Saucy

joey: What you have to understand is that a greenhouse needs good temperature controls to be cooler than outdoors at peak summer heat. Just opening a vent here and there will give you 130+ during summer. To hold it down near 100F you'll need evaporative cooling and shade cloth. So I'd think the northeast side of your home would be good for orchids and such. There are ways to increase light levels in winter; remove shade cloth, put in reflectors on the floor or north side, etc. The south or west side of a home in AZ would be difficult unless you're working with heat loving plants.

An inch of soil is an awful lot of soil and in reality is an unnecssary addition to a compost pile. Sir ALbert Howard wrote that an 1/8 inch of soil was necessary for compsoting in the belief that the soil provided trhe necessary bacteria to digest the material to be compsoted, however today many of us know that the bacteria that will digest what we compost is already present on the material. Sir Alberts compost pile had a ratio of 3 parts vegetative waste to 1 part manure or 6 inches of veggie waste to 2 inches of manure (manure was his source of Nitrogen). misture can be a tricky part of the process since nmot enough keeps the bacteia from working and too much excludes the air they need to work. The dry material should be just moist, about as moist as a well wrung out sponge, one that no more water will come out when squeezed tightly but feels somewhat moist. Perhaps this web site can be of some help. Here is a link that might be useful: Composting Tutorial

Thanks to Jim Dennis, we have a great list of Arizona nurseries. Please use your own judgement when choosing a nursery or ask a forum member's experience with the nursery. Garden Web does not endorse any of the nurseries below. Favorite TUCSON Nurseries - Catalina Heights- Pima St. Harlow's- Pima St. Terra Designs- Pima St. Mesquite Valley- Way out on Speedway Rillito Nursery- La Cholla + Orange Grove Tucson Botanical Gardens Plant Sale- Check the website Plants of the Southwest- Near Blacklidge & Stone Phoenix Area Nurseries Arizona Nurseries     Name Address City/Zip Phone A and P Nursery 6129 E Brown Rd  Mesa AZ 85205 480-396-8800   2645 W Baseline Rd Mesa AZ 85202 480-839-5362   2601 E Baseline Rd Gilbert AZ 85234 480-892-7939 Australian Native Landscapes 29035 N Black Canyon Hwy Phoenix AZ 85085 623-780-8500 Australian Outback Nursery P.O. Box 799 Tonopah AZ 85354 623-780-8500 AZ Cactus Sales 1619 S Arizona Ave Chandler AZ 85248 480-963-1061 Bach's 8602 N Thornydale Rd Tucson AZ 85742   Baker Nursery 3414 N 40th St Phoenix AZ 85018 602-955-4500 Berridges Nursery 4647 E Camelback Rd Phoenix AZ 85018 602-952-8080 Black Mountain 4840 E Dynamite Blvd Cave Creek AZ 85331 480-585-3740 Boyce Thompson Arboretum 37615 US Hwy 60 Superior AZ 85273 520-689-2723 Desert Botanical Gardens 1201 N Galvin Parkway Phoenix AZ 85008 480-481-8101 Elgin Nursery 8606 W McDowell Rd Phoenix AZ 85037 623-936-1100 Harpers Nursery 2529 N. Hayden Rd Scottsdale AZ 85257 480-946-3481   1830 E McKellips Rd Mesa AZ 85203 480-964-4909 Greenfield's 2558 E Lehi Rd Mesa AZ 85213 480-830-8000 Green Goddess 4139 E Bell Rd Phoenix AZ 85032 602-971-8110 Mesquite Valley Growers 8005 E Speedway Blvd Tucson AZ 85710 520-721-8600 Moon Valley 2653 E McKellips Mesa AZ 85213 480-833-9268   14025 N 7th St Phoenix AZ 85022 602-938-6666   3775 W Chandler Blvd Chandler AZ 85226 480-812-3939   11320 W Indian School Rd Avondale AZ  623-772-8866   18047 N Tatum Blvd Phoenix AZ 85032 480-778-0611 Paradise Nursery 4949 W Peoria Ave Glendale AZ 85302 623-939-1481 Ralphs 7120 N 12th St Phoenix AZ 85020 602-943-6432 San Tan Nursery 2488 S Arizona Ave Chandler AZ 85248 480-899-9321 Shady Way 566 W Superstition Blvd Apache Junction AZ 480-288-9655 Shephard Iris Garden 3342 W Orangewood Ave Phoenix AZ 85051 602-841-1231 Summer Winds 8060 W. Thunderbird Rd Peoria AZ 85381 623-486-2550   6426 W Bell Rd Glendale AZ 85308 623-979-5296   3005 E Bell Rd Phoenix AZ 85032 Open?   1230 W Elliot Rd Tempe AZ 85284 480-413-9282   17826 N Tatum Blvd  Phoenix AZ 85032 602-867-8140   3160 S Country Club Dr Mesa AZ 85210 480-892-1469 Sun City Nusery 9715 W Peoria Ave Peoria AZ 85345 623-933-1592 Sunset Gardens 13614 N 59th Ave Glendale AZ 85304 602-978-1180 Tera's Garden 606 N 4th Ave Phoenix AZ 85003 602-253-4744 The Farm At South Mountain 6106 S 32nd St Phoenix AZ 85040 602-276-6360 Trader Joe's Various locations     Treeland 2900 S Country Club Dr Mesa AZ 85210 480-497-2525 Tropica Mango Nursery 3015 E Baseline Rd Phoenix AZ 85042 602-576-6948 Whitfill Nurseries 824 E Glendale Ave Phoenix AZ 85020 602-944-8479   820 N Cooper Rd Gilbert AZ 85233 480-892-2712 Other Related Businesses       Name Address City/Zip Comments Boyce Thompson Arboretum 37615 US Hwy 60 Superior AZ 85273 Arboretum Desert Botanical Gardens 1201 N Galvin Parkway Phoenix AZ 85008 Arboretum Fry's Marketplace Various Locations   Garden Center (most locations) Home Depot Various Locations   Garden Center  Lowes Various Locations   Garden Center Southwest Gardener 2809 N. 15th Ave Phoenix 85007 Garden accessories, seeds The Farm at South Mountain 6106 S 32nd St Phoenix AZ 85040 Produce,café Target Various Locations   Garden Center Trader Joe's Various locations   Specialty Plants,seasonal WalMart Various Locations   Garden Center