Gardening and Landscaping in the High Desert
Frank’s Intro
You know, sometimes it can really feel like I’m “swimming upstream” as I pursue living a more independent, self-sufficient life. Some obstacles can just seem too big to overcome. But then all of you remind me of what’s possible if I just stick with it! I want you to meet Margaret, a Power4Patriots customer and regular blog reader, who has used a little ingenuity and a lot of hard work to create a garden that not only survives but thrives in the western Arizona desert, one of the toughest environments our great country has to offer. Well, we managed to persuade her to share her secrets with us, and if you thought there was no way to create a garden that could feed your family in the desert, you sure are in for a surprise! The next time I’m grumbling about pulling weeds in my garden, I’m going to remember that there are folks like this out there making this work in much tougher circumstances than mine. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Thanks Margaret!
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By M. Ghost Dancer Wene
When one speaks of gardening in the high desert, one speaks of challenges. These challenges are not insurmountable, but they do require a great deal of effort, persistence and patience. When we moved here in September 2005, our two acres were barren. All we had on our land was our house, goatheads and some other problematic plant growth. All of the cactus and agaves had been rustled by people in the area.
We have, first of all, the challenge of weather. The summers can be blazing hot. In my area, we get temps of 120-125 degrees. By 9 a.m., it can already be up to 100 degrees, therefore, our days start early…really early. I am normally up around 4:30 a.m. and out the door as soon as there is enough light to see and work. The work continues until around 11 a.m. when I go indoors to do house things until around 3-3:30 p.m. Then it’s back outside.
Rain does not come often. When we get it, we pray for gentle, feminine, Earth-nurturing rain, not “gully washers” which do nothing for our gardens or Mother Earth herself.
In the winter, we can get hard freezes with temps around 20 degrees. And yes, we do occasionally receive snow. Not much, and believe me it doesn’t hang around long!
Soil Preparation
The ground here is like rock. To prepare a garden/growing area, one must first break up the soil. I found that the easiest way to do this is to map out your chosen area and clear all native, unwanted plant material. Soak the ground thoroughly and cover it with 6mm black construction-grade plastic sheeting. Let it stand for about four days and then roll back the sheeting, soak thoroughly again and recover. This job gets repeated for about two weeks, then we start digging and turning, praying that we will not run into any caliche (a tough, rock/concrete-like substance).
Once the ground has been turned initially, I wet it again thoroughly and recover it. I then let it stand for three to four days, then uncover it and start adding amend (Kellogg’s Amend). This is an organic blend, which includes gypsum to aid in retaining moisture so that your plantings will thrive, not die off in hard-baked soil. At this point, I also start adding manure, blood meal, bone meal and compost.
The first year of our 20 x 40 garden, we added one bag of amend for each four square feet of space and one bag of manure for every eight square feet of space. Turning the soil and working these in thoroughly is important (we purchased a tiller to make the job easier). Then it was time to start planting.
Please do NOT expect optimum gardening soil the first or second year. It takes time for this to be accomplished.
When planting trees, shrubs, etc., one always needs to add amend to the soil and work it in well.
Cute Ground Squirrels, Lizards, Birds, Jackrabbits, Black Widow Spiders, Scorpions and, yes, Snakes
These are definitely a challenge. I personally hate to injure or kill any critter, but they do have to be kept out of the garden. As for snakes, well, we have rattlers and Mohave Greens (a very nasty type of rattler with an extremely dangerous neurotoxic venom), so caution has to be practiced to prevent any incidents. We found a product online that we have used since we arrived here. Serpent Guard is a 100 percent non-chemical compound that does NOT kill snakes. However, it interferes with their neural system and makes any area sprayed with it extremely uncomfortable for them to be in, therefore, uninhabitable. It is also against the law for us to kill rattlers or Mohaves.
There are many others that we wouldn’t want to kill – Gopher and King snakes, for example – as they hunt and eat the ground squirrels, jackrabbits and so forth. The lizards consume the bugs. Each spring we spray around all the buildings on our property, plus porches, access steps, decks, gardens, landscaped areas and all the fence lines.
The ground squirrels and lizards, as well as the birds, are another situation to deal with. Our gardens are fenced and protected with galvanized hardware cloth, poultry netting and bird netting. The perimeter posts are Yard Guard 1¾-inch by 3½-inch by eight feet. We use steel “T” posts, except in the gate area where the support posts are four-inch by four-inch Redwood posts. All the posts are buried in the ground two feet deep. A one-foot deep trench is dug around the perimeter and the galvanized wire is buried against the post extending up three feet above ground to prevent the ground squirrels from burrowing in.
The wire cloth is secured to the posts with wire ties. Then the poultry wire is attached, running to the top of the posts and overlapping the wire cloth, here again secured with wire ties. Down the center of the garden, we install galvanized pipe uprights and bars to form a support system for the bird netting. Once that is done, we spread the netting and here again secure it around the perimeter with wire ties. (Netting will last about two years here due to the heat and sun). The gate is made of 2-inch by four-inch wood, treated with a weather-resistant stain and screening. Poultry wire put in place around trees and shrubs will protect them from the jackrabbits and other critters that would feast on them, right to the ground.
Watering
Out here, we are in a constant conservation situation when it comes to water, and it’s one we do not take lightly. Drought is the norm, so ensuring that the gardens/landscaping get what they need without waste is mandatory. All of our landscaping and gardens are maintained by drip line watering. We installed and ran waterlines to various watering stations around the property to ensure that we were not wasting water. These separate lines also have below-ground shutoff valves from the main water lines.
The main lines from the watering stations are buried underground and the drip tubing is run from them to each plant in the landscaped areas. The vegetable gardens have three-quarters-inch drip line running above ground along the planting rows with a shutoff valve where each is attached to the main line.
To ensure that the ground stays moist and does not become hard baked, I use construction-grade 6mm black plastic over all of my landscaped areas around and up against the house and the gardens. This is laid down with more than ample openings around each plant, perforated so that any rain we get is allowed to seep through, and then topped off with crushed or decorative stone. We do not use crushed stone topping on the vegetable gardens.
Watering of the landscaping is done on a schedule. Commencing in February, landscaping plants are watered once a week for one hour (due to the amount of landscaping, it actually takes three days to do this). In May, it is increased to 1½ hours per day for the three days and continues through August. In September, we return to the one hour per day schedule, and in December we go to one time every two weeks. Then, once a month in January, UNLESS we have freezing temps. And yes, we do get them!
Garden Planting
I have always used the hill method of planting. After tilling the ground, I rake the soil into hill planting rows, then spread and secure black plastic over the entire area. The plastic is slit across the top of the rows, folded under and secured with u-shaped metal stakes to expose the planting area. Then planting gets underway. Drip lines are then laid along the planted rows to ensure that there is a water supply to everything.
During the growing season, additional composted material is worked in around the plants to ensure that they have the needed nutrition. I do not use chemical fertilizers EVER. Kellogg’s does make some excellent Organic Fertilizers and I do use them on my fruit trees. Remember also that rotation of crop planting is necessary; design a planting layout each year and make sure you’re not planting the same thing time and again in the same spot.
Composting
Our household composts EVERYTHING we possibly can. At the end of the growing season or as plants no longer produce, we chop them up and add them to the composter. The exception to that rule is the tomato and potato plants; we do not compost them. We also do not compost newspapers, magazines, etc. nor do we use these items as mulch, because of the dyes in the inks. I just do not trust them.
The gardening season
Out here, we are really lucky as we have two growing seasons. We can actually start planting in late February and then a new crop of certain things can go into the ground in August. I have had many plants started in February that are still producing in early December. This means I have lots of food to process either by drying, freezing or canning. It also means I have seeds to start/plant for the new growing season. My kitchen garden (lettuce, mesclun, chives, spinach, parsley, onions, basil, etc. is right outside the back patio door and produces year ‘round. This past fall, I let it go fallow and this spring I am changing it to raised beds (which will be easier on my aging back).
Closing the garden
In the fall when the plants have blessed us with their final gifts, we take up the water lines, clean out the spent plantings and take up the black plastic from the current season. The planting hills are spread down once again and the area turned gently. The entire area is once again watered thoroughly, and after a month, watered again. Then black plastic goes on again (this will be used on the new garden again in the spring), perforated to allow water through and left to sleep for the winter.
I have been exceedingly successful in growing both landscape plants and food crops here. We have Agaves, Cactus (several types), Red Yucca, Oleanders, Jasmine, Texas Sage, Sacred White Plains Sage, Australian Bottle Brush, Pomegranates, Palo Verde Trees, Fruitless Mulberry Trees, Grapes, Peaches, Plums, Nectarines, Apricots, Beets, Carrots, Jalapeno and Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Eggplant (two varieties), Peas, Snap Beans, Acorn and Lakota Squash, Asparagus, Strawberries and Iris. I just planted four Pistachios last year, and my orange and lime trees have yet to produce.
The gardens and trees have not only provided for my husband and me, for gifts of canned jellies, jams, pickles, etc., but also for a neighbor living on a very small income and a family with eight kids whose father has been out of work for two years. We have been blessed abundantly.
So you see, growing is possible even in the high desert, if you are willing to work at it!
To combat the heat and low humidity here in the high desert, when planting I dig a wide hole, put sand across the bottom from the plant position to a water reservoir position, put the plant in the hole with a half gallon upside down juice bottle with the bottom cut off. I fill the reservoir with water and it all seeps down to the root level of the plant along the sand path. Every plant gets its own reservoir. I have 43 plants and each plant gets its own reservoir. I’m averaging 60 gallons a day on my garden. I started my garden in Feb indoors, all went into the ground on May 1st. While the plants are developing roots I also add water to the top of the soil, by June 21st the roots should be getting all its water from below. This helps preventing the water from evaporation from the heat and wind. Last year in the evening heat all my garden would be wilted, I had to water more just to save it. Throwing water at a garden doesn’t help, it just cost to much.
I wonder where Margaret lives as I live in Phoenix area and think about the high desert as being more around globe and snowflake. Citrus does not do well in those areas unless done in a heated greenhouse. it does well in my area but some years must be protected from freezing.
very interesting about the Volcanic ash as a soil amendment, wonder where I can get some.
Mark, I too have been looking for an acre or two away from the city. Last year, I came across a property about 50 acres owed by about 10 people as part of a homestead type situation with deep wells, etc.
Sounds really nice but have not had a chance to see it. About 45 minutes from San Diego.
Will try to look thru my old email correspondence with the seller. Hope I still have it, and will let you know.
Give me a call a couple weeks from now to see if I find all the info…my number is 254 577 1588
Since the soil is nearly depleted of minerals, what is the best way to make sure minerals at put back into the soil.
Doris, I use to travel to Washington State. I came across mounds of volcanic ash. I used garbage bags for the yard to pack this ash up. As I understand it, you can purchase crushed granite rock or volcanic ash. Both items have the minerals you need to supply your garden with healthy plants. You can also make compost tea. It is very easy to make for yourself. Look it up on Youtube.
Volcanic ash is excellent as a soil amendment. Back in “the good ole days” I was raised on a ranch that had a wide variety of soils. The best hay and grain crops came from fields where the soil was black from it’s ash content. “It’s GOOD STUFF.” That’s what “Papa” used to tell us.
Understanding a soil test would take most of the hard work out of your job. Sounds like you have high Mg like us. So you need more calcium and gypsum will work but we use microna lime since it is 97% Ca and cost so much less along with cold processed fish (Pacific Gro) which is acid. Mix the two and you will see that soil mellow quickly. Then you check the trace minerals and you are ready to do. We have another nutrient product that will give you protection from weather extremes. We also can get very hot early in the morning and stay that way all summer. And then we have winds!! This process will reduce your water needs by 50%. As you build your soil humus, you can reduce your water needs more.
I too live in high desert and got an idea from a flatlander, He had cut 55 gallon drums in half and used them with wire underneath to keep the little varmints out. You can use straw and mulch and horse manure for planting. I’m going to try it this real soon!
All of us need to have more than “Cans of food or boxes” of dry hamburger helper type stuffs in order to get all the Nutrients we need! I’ve got non-GMO seeds & all kinds of things, and I get it a little at a time. Shelter needs, food / water needs, and protections! I can’t buy it all at once but if you get some out of each group when you can, soon you’ll have much more than you thought! Be smart with your monies & get multi use tools to lighten the load! And I hope we never need these items but it’ll teach our youth to think ahead as well…lol…that’s a good thing if they help you and leave the video games alone for an hour or two per week, don’t you think>?? Plus you get time with them. a win/win situation!!
Hi, I live in San Diego and am going thru a divorce, and hope to get some equity out of my house once it is sold. I want to have enough property to start over, and be in charge of my life, expecially the food I eat and feed my family. Most places in this area that fit the bill are in the “boonies”, and water may be an issue. Wells 1000 yards apart can differ I output of 60gpm to 2 gpm, not enough to sustain large planting. I grew a lot of edibles in the Midwest, and know that end of things, but the dry southwest is new to me.
Anyone have advice for the “east county or “north county” rural areas in San Diego? Child custody is an issue, so I can’t move out of the county, or I will not be able to see my boys, also very important!!
So, I guess my big question is about buying raw land (needs to have a well drilled), and what areas might be most suitable. The other question is size, do I need more than an acre or two? I will be raising broiler and layer chickens (already doing that) but to a larger scale, and rabbits for meat. Might do goats some day, but they have proven to be too much maintainence for some people I’ve met. Won’t be doing cattle or pigs, way too much work. Been there, and done that 30 years ago!
Thanks for any help you can give!
Mark
Hey Mark, I’m sorry to hear about your pending divorce. As to your question, I too live in San Diego and this is what I did for my garden: I allowed the well to pump the water into a large storage container. I used a above ground swimming pool and covered it with a plastic cover to retard evaporation. I then pumped the water through a drip system to my garden. The drip system had a direct impact on my plants and water use. They grew bigger and faster than if I just poured the water from a hose directly on the plants. Once the pool was filled to capacity it was a simple matter of having the underground well just keeping up with the water used on a day to day use on the garden and household needs. In short, I had my own reservoir system. My neighbors were impressed to the extent that they copied my system for their own use. Of course when it rained we were able to save the water that came off of roofs which was added to the garden before using the swimming pool reservoir. I hope this helps.
Hey Mark I forgot to mention I bought cattle and pigs but made a deal with the rancher that it bought them from to keep them on her property. When it comes time to slaughter these animals, the rancher gets 25% of the meat. Since I bought the animal from the rancher and they get 25% of the meat it works out to both of our benefits. I didn’t have to deal with the animal on my property, plus I had an expert raise the animals for me. I was well worth it. Give it a try.
thanks, I have been looking for some inspiration to get my garden going. I live at 5,000′ in Southern Montana and do get some extreme weather. Time to get started. DLL
Re; goatheads are called punchure vines here in CA but we called them “goatheads” in NM,too.
when times become so hard as we may see come to pass, won’t water be an issue? would’nt raised gardens and dry packaged goods do you better? just a thought. this is all very difficult for me to realize, im just glad that im on the tail end of life. i feel for my children and grandchildren.sorry. a matter of power has been uplifted with bates books, but i still worry about water, since so many properties dont have wells or will letyou have one. in a little water area i wonder the fate. food storage can last up to 5-10 years. but what happens after that, and still what about water? the only thing ive considered is to go back to iron skillets and pots. at least you can cook with them on a campfire.
sorry, i need more info on water promises. it seems wonderful to garden, but it takes water????