How to Garden in the Desert

Desert Gardening can be easy - if you remember some simple tips.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• WATER
• Manure/soil amendments
• Pick-axe/shovel
• 2x6's
• nails/wood screws
• willingness to get dirty
• desire for fresh, organic veggies

1. Pick a garden site. Assume that you will garden year round - this is one advantage to desert-living - winter gardens!! Place your garden where it will get plenty of shade (or at least indirect sun) during HOT summer months but also get plenty of sun and warmth in the winter.

2. DIG, DIG, DIG. Desert soil is known for being either too sandy or too clay-heavy. Digging up your garden site and using copious amounts of soil amendments is a key to desert gardens flourishing.

3. Build. Making your desert garden a raised-bed is essential to success. This allows you to control for drainage issues and to make plenty of room for all the soil amendments you're going to need to add to your plot. This can be as simply as screwing together a framework of 2x6's on the ground over the area you plan to garden.

4. Making water-wells. Unlike other environments, desert gardens will generally be planted in the low areas of a garden. Watering using nighttime irrigation is key. Break your garden into sections, and assure that each section holds at least three inches of water by building berms between sections.

5. Planting. Choose wisely. Certain plants will not do well at certain times of year. Be willing to try new things and get creative. Use heat resistant tomato hi-brids to shelter your heat sensitive peas, carrots, and peppers. Plant delicate herbs under hardier and leafier squash and melons.

6. Harvesting. Don't wait too long. Water continually - even through monsoon season in the summer and pick ripe produce constantly. Nothing is more frustrating than watching perfectly good produce go to seed or get eaten by bugs and pests.

7. Enjoy. Make garden-time a family event. Introduce children to sweet peas as a fresh and tasty treat. Get everyone involved - maybe even start a community garden in your neighborhood.

Tips & Warnings

• Water often - but water wisely. You can conserve water by only water in late evening and night.
• Also conserve water by using a bedding material like straw to cover the soil around your planting beds. - This also helps with pests and weeds.
• Go Organic. Use worms, pure manure, and helpful insects instead of miracle grow, chemicals, and pesticides.
• Don't forget to water yourself. Any outdoor activity undertaken in the desert heat includes serious risks for those who don't stay hydrated and keep cool.

[Danarax]

on 7/30/2009 Try adding a Water Barrel for rain water harvesting...
Check out my article "How to Build and Install a Rain Barrel"

[cincin1]

on 7/28/2009 Nice article. Keep up the great writing, looking forward to reading more. 5* and a recommend.