Growing Your Own Food and Gardening In The Desert! What to, How to, and When to

Gardening in the desert can seem to most as impossible or not worth the investment. They go to dig with their spade and realize they can’t get past the first 3 inches of soil, then resorting to using a pickaxe only to find large rocks, swinging into the soil repeatedly only to hear, ”BINK, BINK, BINK”. Finally, having a hole just big enough to squeeze that once potted plant in the ground and creating a berm around the tree no more than 2 ft in diameter. Patting yourself on the back, a job well done, throwing a hose on it to give the plant the water it needs, possibly give it a 1/4in line with tiny emitters at the end and say,” well if it lives it lives.” Only to find out a few months later that the tree is fried up, the summer heat decides to crisp things up a bit. That can really be frustrating and that would make anyone want to quit, I’ve been there.

Good News, I’m here to fix this problem for you gardeners who want to be, “desert gardeners”. It’s a bit different than anywhere else in the world. Most places have either neutral ph or acidic soils, this can typically be beneficial to most plants. However in the Desert we have ph levels that are alkaline. Alkaline soils require a bit more work than ph neutral or acidic soils. Not only that, it’s HOT!!! Reaching temperatures as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit or even higher you wonder how anything survives here without being in the comfort of A/C. Well I’m here to tell you, a lush green oasis can be found in the desert. I can point one out in my very own backyard.

Even our front yard resembles nothing of what you think of when you hear the word, desert; except you would think, “ paradise, oasis, jungle, or forest”. 

Now I will say, “ jungle” and “ forest” can be a bit exaggerated, however we practice gardening concepts that imitate growth habits of what you see in a forest or jungle. What is this gardening concept you say? Well it’s Permaculture; permaculture is a method of gardening that really brings us back to nature. Through the process of compact bio diverse planting, mulching, and composting, your garden space will imitate what you would see in a forest lush and full of life. This is what I did through an 8 year span, and the results are quite impactful.

I live in Arizona Zone 9b. I decided I wanted to grow my own food, because of the way food was, and still is, being grown in the United States. It really had me in disgust when finding out the kinds of herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, and whatever other “cides”, I could possibly ingest when consuming the produce that is supposed to keep me strong and healthy. That is another story on its own. However, that’s the reason I took on the challenge to grow my own food in the desert.

 

WHAT TO

Knowing what to do to be the best desert gardener you can be may seem tough but follow these 3 simple steps and you will be an outstanding gardener! There are 3 major components when using permaculture practices to sustain your gardening upkeep. The first is Compost, it’s the first major key to any successful garden. Compost is highly concentrated with microbes like bacteria and fungi. They are what’s going to help your plants thrive and not just survive. So, how do you get compost? Inside your house, get a tin or a bucket that you can throw your scraps of plant material in (i.e. ends of veggies, old fruit, or old veggies). Fill this bucket up, and at the end of the day, or periodically through the day, either A) toss it in your tumbler or vertical style compost pile,  B) move some of the mulch away and bury your food scraps, or C) simply toss them around the plants in your garden and let nature do the rest. I personally enjoy option “c” for my garden at home.

The 2nd, and probably the most important, factor is mulch. What is mulch? It is all the parts from a fresh tree being chipped: wood chips, twigs, leaves, and flowers. The more diverse your mulch is, the better it will be for your garden. You do not want all bark for instance, as this will really rob your soil from nitrogen. Mulch also provides insulation for the soil, mulch really keeps your soil warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Over time mulch will create a product known as humus which is what you typically find in a forest when you brush the debris away. Humus is a really dark brown, or black, and normally a very soft when dry and almost clay-like when moist, material. Humus is the end goal you are looking for when building soil. Building soil takes time, so it is important to keep up with applying mulch and compost to your soil as frequently as possible. 

The last key to a successful garden is to learn how to make and utilize compost tea. Why compost tea you ask? Well, compost is loaded with bacteria and fungi. When making compost tea you are spiking that by 100x! Compost tea can be made anaerobic and aerobic. In this passage we will focus on aerobic compost tea, it’s safer for those who are new to the process. Aerobic compost tea is constantly moving, which allows oxygen to pass through it. This makes the end result a clean, typically sweet smelling product. 

First, get a 5 gallon bucket with a lid, a fish pump, and old pantyhose. If you don’t have the hosiery laying around, you may get some from a 99 cent store. Cut the leg of the panty hose long enough (with enough space) so you can add 4 cups of compost and a few other ingredients, while still being able to tie a knot at the top. Add the compost (4 cups) and about a ¼ cup gypsum and ¼ cup kelp meal this will give something for the bacteria and fungi to hold onto. Now set that to the side. Second, take a sharp knife and pierce an “x” in the center of the lid from your 5 gallon bucket. Take the pantyhose and stick the open end through the lid so the open end is out from the top of the lid. Tie a knot at the top of the pantyhose so it won’t slide any lower than the knot. Next you are going to need non-chlorinated water. So either use a reverse osmosis unit, or distill it yourself. Worst case, let a 5 gallon bucket of chlorinated tap water sit for 24 hours with the running fish pump. After 24 hours have passed, add a squirt of hydrogen peroxide 3% to sterilize your bucket of water. Wait a few minutes for the hydrogen peroxide to do its job, then add 2 tablespoons of molasses into the water and stir it with any utensil. Now close the lid so the pantyhose is suspended in the water, and let it brew for 24-48hrs; no more, no less. I personally prefer to wait until the 48 hour mark. This is when the tea is really foaming and you know it’s filled with 100’s of thousands of bacteria and fungi inside that 5 gallon bucket of water. After the waiting period, you should see foaming and smell a sweet earthy smell. If that’s the case, you can now dilute it and foliar feed (spray the leaves) or drench your soil. 

If you follow these 3 keys you can garden in the desert with ease. Here is a video that will better explain this process. 

 

HOW TO

Let’s get into the “How To’s” of growing your own food sustainably, organically, and FREE from nasty, harmful chemicals in the desert. First thing you are going to want to do is find out if you have any forms of microclimates within your yard or if you are working with a clean slate. A microclimate is when you have pre-existing plants in specific areas of your yard that provide a different atmosphere than the rest of your yard. (For example, you have a tree that is large on your property and is well established in an area of your yard that would normally have the sun beat down on it but now has shade due to the large tree.) That is microclimate. 

Once you’ve decided which areas receive shade, and at what times of day, you need to figure out how you are going to get water to the future plants you want to grow. Some areas where we live have what is known as flood irrigation. This is a form of irrigation that floods your entire front and back yard with water once every 2 weeks typically. Flood irrigation is awesome, and I envy those that have it. The other form of irrigation is known as “drip irrigation.” This irrigation is more typical in most homes in Arizona, and specifically, this is what I use. Lastly, there is hand watering, which is only ideal for small garden spaces. However, even if you have a small gardening space, I would recommend you invest in the drip– you won’t regret it! (Quick note – when installing drip for an edible food forest in the desert, please watch this video here so you understand what kind of system you should be installing. No ¼ inch lines: they suck and are a waste of money.) 

Now you know your microclimates and your watering situation, let’s talk about plants. I’m going to talk about plants that grow where I live specifically. You need to find out what grows in your area as well. The best way to do this is to check out your growing zone, (as said before I am in zone 9b). It’s easy to find your zone. You can simply search it on google by typing in,” growing zone for (fill in with your zip code, or city)”, this will get you the best results. Or you can use the chart in this link here. When choosing plants for gardening climates like zone 9b you really can get away with plants that grow naturally in the desert, Mediterranean, or even subtropical conditions. What does that mean for you, my desert gardeners? It means you have more options to grow the food you love vs growing what you have to. At my home, we personally grow everything from your typical veggie, to deciduous fruit like peaches, persimmons, apples, etc. We even have subtropical fruit like mangoes, bananas, guavas, and a whole lot more!

 

WHEN TO

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is now” -Chinese proverb. Okay we are going to break this part down and make it as simple as possible. First here is a chart that makes planting veggies a breeze, click this link to get that chart. Now when it comes to your deciduous plants, we recommend you plant them when they are deciduous (they have no leaves because it is winter and cold outside). When it comes to citrus, we recommend planting in the fall when nights are below 80 degrees Fahrenheit. As far as subtropical plants, we recommend planting when nights are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit; we typically get this weather around April. What can you plant in the summer you ask; we can plant a lot of your summer loving veggies early summer, you can still plant some of your sub-tropicals in early summer. However the best thing to plant in summer is your desert acclimated plants such as cacti, succulents, and desert trees. Make sure to plant either in the morning or the evening to avoid shock. Fertilizing is another “when to” that is important. Knowing when to fertilize will help you from making mistakes like burning all your fruit before they develop, from applying fertilizer too late or too early. Instead use this chart that will benefit you greatly when fertilizing your permaculture garden in the desert.

In conclusion, growing your food in the desert can be very easy as long as you use permaculture as your gardening practice of choice. Permaculture changes the biomass in your soil and really diversifies the microbes teaming in your soil. This makes your soil easier to grow in, year after year. Always remember to inspect your potential garden space for microclimates before deciding what you are going to plant in that location. A piece of additional info, you can always test your soil using a lab near you, or go online and search for a soil testing lab. They will break down your entire soil make up and let you know what you can do to improve your soil to grow whatever you are trying to grow. It’s time to take control of what foods you put in your body. It’s time to grow your own food and change the way you live. Remember to “Live Your LYF Free and Keep on growing!”