The Secrets of Arizona Desert Gardening, Part 2
Welcome back for more Secrets of Arizona Desert Gardening. In part one we discussed the growing seasons, importance of nutrient rich soil, and the most vital of ingredients, water.
Growing and Maintaining the Health of Your Plants
Plant varieties for Arizona Desert Gardens should mature and produce quickly since growing seasons are relatively short. Transplants or Seedlings are available for some crops (tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.), and they should always be used whenever possible. Mulch is important in Arizona Desert Gardens, as adding this kind of surface protection helps preserve soil moisture, reduce weeds, decrease soil temperatures, and protect delicate plants from high Arizona desert winds. Gravel makes an excellent choice for desert mulch, because it is quite hardy yet porous enough to allow the root systems of sensitive plants to eliminate excess moisture following heavy rains.
Vegetable and fruit-producing plants need at least six hours of sunlight each day in order to thrive. In the Arizona Desert environment, however, the sun can be a killer. The heat of the afternoon in particular needs to be avoided, which is why you need to shade your plants from the sun during this part of the day. One way to provide shading is to locate your garden on the east side of a man-made structure or geographical feature so that your plants will get plenty of sun in the morning hours, but will be protected by shadows during the times when the sun is especially brutal.
If this is not an option, then you can purchase sheets of shade cloth from a gardening products supplier. This cloth works by allowing a certain percentage of sunlight to penetrate and reach the plants sheltered beneath it. Shade cloth should be suspended above plants on a frame, and plans are available that can show you how to build your own frame from materials like wood or PVC pipe. In desert environments, shade cloth should be chosen that will block out 50% of the sunlight.
When In Doubt – Ask Someone!
The final thing to remember about gardening in the desert is that others have been doing it successfully, and they would be happy to share their knowledge with you. If you don't know anyone in your area that has a garden, or if you are a little shy about approaching someone, you can always go to the Internet instead. There are plenty of expert desert gardeners out there who have websites or are on forums who enjoy offering advice and insight to anyone who would like to join the exclusive club of Arizona Desert Gardeners.
If you did not catch our first article on The Secrets of Arizona Desert Gardening or some of our other resources, you can find below.
The Secrets of Arizona Desert Gardening, Part 1
Free or nearly free composting bins for Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix
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