Category: The Deserts

Growing a Vegetable Garden in the Southwest USA offers a distinctive set of trials, particularly if you are new to it. So What Shall You be Planting in Your Garden? To start planting your garden, you’ll need to get some vegetable seeds. Order your seeds from reputable seed companies to verify the seeds are high-grade…

Planting Low Hot Desert Plant Asparagus crowns into prepared beds from January 12 – January 27, after the soil temperature reaches 50 degrees F. Optimum productivity occurs at 75 to 85 degrees F in the day and 55 to 66 degrees F at night. Planting Middle Desert Plant crowns into prepared beds from March 27…

Getting Water to Your Plants The object of water use in the desert is to conserve the water whenever possible. There are many water conservation methods that can be used when watering the garden.  A gardener of the desert must learn to live with the limitations of the climate. Water Properly to Improve Yields In…

Raised Garden Bed In my opinion, a raised garden bed is the best way to grow Vegetables in the Desert. The soil in a raised bed is well aerated, which encourages healthy root systems and healthy soil. Raised beds allows you to put your resources into a small area, allowing you to grow vegetables as…

Composting is an extraordinary soil improver, and is especially important for successful desert gardening. The soil is not, as many suppose, a dead, inert substance. It is very much alive and dynamic. It teems with bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, molds, yeasts, protozoa, algae and other minute organisms. —J. I. RODALE, PAY DIRT The desert is infamous…

SOIL PREPARATION AND BUILDING The best soil should be deep, well drained, and fertile, and should contain plenty of organic materials and retain moisture well. The preservation of a good level of organic matter in the soil solves a lot of common desert gardening problems.  Here in the Southwest you will need to add a…

Plan Ahead & Keep Records Taking the time to prepare a helpful plan is one of the most significant things you can do for your garden. You’ll need to consider which crops to raise, how much of each crop to plant, and when to expect your crop. It’s no overstatement to say that a comprehensive…