Gardens provide sustainable, healthy, money-saving options
Home gardens are not just good for your yard, they are good for you and your family, providing nutritious food options and helping you save money. Creating a successful garden may take practice, but many people who have undertaken the task will tell you that it is well worth the effort. Whether you have acres or merely a few square feet to create your own garden, gardening can be a rewarding practice.
Desert vegetable gardens
Southwest desert gardening can pose a number of challenges: little annual rainfall, rocky soil with few nutrients, and extremes of temperature and weather. However, desert gardens also benefit from long growing seasons and plenty of sunshine. With careful planning and management, an assortment of vegetables can thrive in this environment.
Generally, vegetables are placed in two categories: cool-season crops and warm-season crops. Because some vegetables withstand cool and even slight freezing weather and others need warmer conditions to germinate and to produce, it’s important to know when to plant vegetable varieties to have a successful garden.
Cool-season vegetables are hardy or frost-tolerant and germinate in cold soil. For best quality, these crops need to mature during cooler periods rather than in the heat of the summer. In southern Arizona, cool-season vegetables should be planted in winter or spring, but can also be planted in late summer when the crop will grow into the cooler fall months. Warm-season vegetables do not tolerate frost, but rather they need warm temperatures to set and properly mature fruit. Because extremely high temperatures can reduce quality even in warm-season crops, you will need to take additional care, such as adequate shading and mulching, for the best yield.
Compost and mulch
Compost is decomposed vegetable matter that, when mixed with soil, adds essential nutrients to a garden. To create compost, pick a corner of your yard that’s out of the way, and put fresh soil over alternate layers of greens (e.g., vegetable peels) and browns (e.g. leaves). Once a week, turn the whole pile over with a shovel, letting in air to grow rich and healthy compost.
Mulch is placed on the surface of the soil to keep moisture in and weeds out. Old newspapers, which break down after a season and add to the organic matter in the dirt, can serve as effective mulch when laid in garden rows. Wood chips, dry lawn clippings, old straw and pine needles also work to keep the soil from drying out.
Diminishing the harsh aspects of the desert is important in any southwest garden. Designing a new garden or improving an existing one requires planning and work before anything gets planted. A shady patio minimizes heat and glare. Roofs, sidewalks and streets create areas of water runoff for collection. Groups of small trees or shrubs provide wind control. A small fountain or trickle of water attracts birds and adds humidity. Using native plants adapted to the area increases the garden’s success.