The biggest success (and blessing) has been the tomatoes. Up till now, we have never been able to do very well with them. This year, we have really gotten quite a lot. We are still trying to figure out how to keep the tops from splitting and the bugs and birds from thieving, but we have enough to harvest and eat every day.
We sort of stumbled on to a solution that keeps the hot desert sun from just cooking them on the plants, without rigging shade screens. I suppose tomatoes are supposed to be planted 3-4 feet apart in order to keep them from growing together. Well, ours are about a foot apart. We affectionately call it 'the tomato mass'. It makes them a little bit difficult to get to, but they seem to be self-shading. We are actually able to get a fair percentage of un-split fruit out of them.
We have also gotten some decent cucumbers too, although we seem to be having a battle over them with mildew. It has been attacking the leaves. Removing the affected leaves seems to help, but we are having to remove so many of them, they are really sad to look at.
We also have had elephant garlic (already harvested), and onions. Still waiting to see what the taters do. We aren't even sure how they will do here. The plants themselves look great though.
We have some corn that is fixing to bear:
We now also have a few melons and cantaloupe starting:
The spaghetti squash was a big fail, not sure why. Probably not enough direct sunlight. The zucchini are growing great plants, but are failing to produce any female blossoms. Pumpkins seem to be battling with the leaf mold as well...
However, we did have this tasty garden medley for lunch. Sliced cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes. The only thing store bought was the Italian dressing. Yum!
Of course all the peelings and such are headed back out to the compost bin.
A couple of take-away lessons that we have learned so far about desert gardening:
1. Can't say enough about soil preparation. There is a lot of nutrient material in the desert, most of it was sea-floor at one time. The problem is alkalinity. Lots of fertilizer and mulch can neutralize the ph, or you can treat the ground with muriatic acid. Be very careful when using the latter method, as it can be very dangerous. The former method is better and more rewarding in the long run.
2. Irrigation: It's dry in the desert, fact of life. A once or twice a day watering with the hose just doesn't get that moisture down to the roots where it needs to go. Water evaporates right out of the upper layers of soil too fast. Deep watering is critical. We put in a drip irrigation system with soaker lines for about 40 bucks, and the plant life has simply exploded! Also it's a bit easier on the wallet when the water bill comes due, unless you have a well.
Well, that's about it for now. Stay tuned for further updates.
Posts
Looks outstanding!!!!I had to replant my melons...had some pest do in the first try. But we have a year round growing season.....thanks or the post!!
ReplyDeleteKerry T