How to Grow Fall Vegetables in a Desert Area

Learn to grow fall vegetables in hot dry desert areas. This is not always simple but it can be done.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A garden bed location
• Thick compost
• Fertilizer
• Sun screening
• Wood or other material for garden bed, such as railroad ties
• Water
• Choice of cold weather vegetables that you like.
• Simple tool, shovel, rake spade
• Seeds if planting in early fall

1. Decide the best location for your garden, one easy to get to, water handy and enough room move around easily. Build the garden bed with lumber at least 23 inches wide by 8 ft. long. Railroad ties will also work for the sides of the bed. If you have soil that is not pure sand compost can be dug into the garden bed for added nutrition.

2. After the bed is ready to add compost or soil fill the bed till the soil is as a least 4 or more inches deep. Water the soil as it is layered into the bed to ready it for planting. The soil once wet will be easier to keep moist continually.

3. Decide which plants you would like to have in the rows and how many. Some will grow large such as cabbage so they will need more room than onion sets. Seed those plants that have time to mature before a hard cold freeze or frost. Buying plants to transplant gives a head start to the garden.
   There will be windy and hot days until late fall, add the garden screening to posts set at the corners of the bed to protect small plants from wind, and small animals or birds.

4. Placing the plants into short rows across the bed will leave room for many varieties of vegetables, or herbs. There can be at least 4-5 plants per row without too much crowding. Some may die off due to damage or heat so an extra one or two is good at first. Thin later if necessary

5. After the bed is level, use the corner of the rake to cut in the rows. Most seeds need about 2 inches in depth. The transplants need to be planted to the base of the first leaves and dirt packed well on seeds and around plants.

6. Water the plants well after the final planting, and keep watered well so the soil doesn't dry out completely below the surface. On the desert winds and sun dry soil quickly, so dig down with the hoe about twice a week to check the soil is staying moist, but not soggy. Add the screening to the sides to protect the small starts and be patient.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose the plants you like the most, and some herbs for spicing the pot after harvest.
• Keep tools handy, and the water hose in reach
• If you see signs of birds eating leaves or bugs, place the shade screening up quickly, and get some vegetable spray or natural bug repellent for vegetables.
• Don't eat any mushrooms that might grow up in the compost after it is watered a few weeks.
• Be sure to watch for garden pests.
• Water on a schedule and well, cool evenings in the desert gives time for the leaves to dry before the sun hits.

[joni04]

on 11/12/2009 Thanks for the great tips!!!