I'm an avid gardener from way back so when I moved to the Southwest I had to learn some new rules.
- The ground is rocky here so it is likely that you are going to have to grow vegetables in raised beds.
- You probably will need to be fenced in to keep out the critters.
- It takes a long time to get the top soil that is delivered to be a rich soil. Make friends with someone with horses and get manure.
- You don't need calcium - -the soil is high in calcium. There is something called caliche which is big, hard deposits of calcium.
- The plants will be smaller in general but there'll be good size vegetables. Back in New Jersey, the tomato plants would be 6 feet high. Out here, maybe 3 feet tall. And you don't have to plant each plant so far apart.
- For water, I have a holding tank for rain water that helps augment watering. Be sure to let the soil dry out (the roots need oxygen). Water deeply so that the roots will go deep.
- In really hot dry areas, you would lay plants on the ground so that they shade the vegetables. That's not really necessary where I am; I think it depends on how much sun your garden gets.
- It seems that every spring we have a hail storm or two. I don't plant outside until after May 15th. I also keep a bunch of empty pots and buckets near the garden so if I fear a hail storm, I just put a pot over each little plant to protect it. A lot less heartbreak!
- In New Jersey I would use ashes from the fireplace. Out here that's overdoing it. Our soil already has lots of potassium which is what ashes would be adding.
- Concerning tomatoes, I have had regular issues with ‘root-end rot'. This is where the fruit will form, but then the end will rot and kill the tomato. There is a spray you can buy for cheap that takes care of this. Well worth a couple of bucks to avoid the heart ache.
I hope that some of this helps you with your gardening success!
Linda Ferrara - Associate Broker
Coldwell Banker Enchantment Realty
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