Hi Staci,

I'm NannSea. We live in SE Cochise County. We are about 4500 feet.
Some charts say we are zone 7, others say 8a. Check with your local
agriculture office / 4H / university. All three of those sources should
be able to tell you what should grow in your area, and tips on how to
grow them. They will also tell you what not to import that will become
a destructive, invasive weed in the desert. They will also be able to
tell who the Master Gardeners are in your area, and if there are
gardening groups. The y sometimes have newsletters that will tell you
what is the best time to plant things, and tips about it.

We used a 50% shade cloth over part of our garden and it did wonders.
Seems most serious gardeners around here use a green house. We will
start getting nice war early spring days, everything is growing nicely,
and then get hit by a hard enough freeze to kill everything around the
end of March. So, I would check those kind of sources I mentioned above.

Oh, Jack rabbits will eat everything. If you put a fence around the
garden, you have to use something tight like chicken wire, not field fence.


Let us know how things go for you! Hop this helps. ;-) :-)



Staci Inglin wrote:
> Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately no one seems to garden here! Maybe in
their backyards where you can't see it. But everything in the front is rock and
desert plants (cactus, palo verde trees, sage bush etc) LOTS of rock and dirt!
> The funny thing is we own a landscaping company! My husband could tell you
all you need to know about irrigation, drips systems, grass, trees and shrubs
for the desert! We have mastered flower gardening here. We have been in the
desert both in So. NV and AZ for the last 6+ yrs. But vegetable gardening we
are at a loss for! The nurseries here are going out of business like crazy due
to economy issues. So I will have to have him ask around. So far we keep
hearing "oh it isn't easy" but no tips!
> I am not sure about our elevation, I will have to ask? We moved into our
house in Dec. I am attaching a picture of your backyard so you all can see what
I am working with. NOTHING! :-)
> I have started a compost area that I hope will give me a nice rich soil to
start with and we are going to get chickens.
> Another concern we have are the jack rabbits and other desert wildlife that
may take interest in what we plant.
> IDEAS?
>
> Thanks!
> Staci Inglin
> Inglin Properties, LLC
>


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