Healthy seeds start with healthy plants! Fortunately, our area is well suited to growing a large number of types of plants.
Add comments below to add your own tips for growing.
(courtesy of USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
from Native Seeds/SEARCH
Successful gardening depends on utilizing what nature has provided. While there are basic tenets that hold regardless of the environment in which you’re gardening, certain approaches and techniques are unique to different environments. What it takes to garden successfully in Seattle differs from Boston, which differs from Tucson. If you’re familiar with gardening in humid climates, you will quickly discover `that many of those practices no longer work well in the desert.
Among the first things one should consider when gardening is to look for local sources of information – and seeds. Since NS/S is based in the Sonoran Desert, our gardening tips are geared to the Tucson area.
In order to produce healthy seed, you must start with healthy seed. Only plant healthy, non-diseased seed or transplants. There are many sources for organic, open-pollinated or heirloom seeds on the market today, starting with the largest assortment of aridlands-adapted varieties at NS/S.
Garden soil is the foundation of good gardening. Healthy soil teams with thousands of micro-organisms that break down decaying organic matter and provide nutrients to growing plants. Overall, there are thousands of different types of soil, but aridisols are the primary soil type found in deserts around the world and in the Tucson area specifically. Aridisols are alkaline, light-colored and low in organic matter. Already alkaline by nature, aridisols are treated differently than soils in more humid climates, where lime and wood ash are often used to increase soil alkalinity (raise soil pH). In the desert, gardeners must lower soil pH, primarily through the addition of compost and manure. Addition of organic matter also provides nutrients and improves soil structure and water holding capacity. Unfortunately, some gardeners in the Tucson area will have to deal with caliche (calcium carbonate that often forms a cement-like impenetrable layer that must be broken up or removed before planting).
Plants compete with each other for light, water and soil nutrients. Use recommended spacings when planting, both within and between rows. Don’t hesitate to thin plants that have been over-seeded or are too close to each other. Plants often compensate for less space by growing smaller, producing fewer fruits or even smaller seeds. More plants in an area doesn’t necessarily translate into more yield. Don’t skimp on the space required to produce healthy, abundant seeds. Additionally, good air circulation between plants can help reduce insect and disease problems.
Recommended plant spacings for desert crops (within a row):
4-6 inches: Bean, Garbanzo, Garlic, Lentils, Onions (shallot-like), Peas, Wheat
6-12 inches: Amaranth, Basil, Black-eyed Peas, Chiles, Corn, Herbs, Mustard Greens, Tobacco, Tomatillo, Tomato
12-18 or more inches: Cotton, Devil’s Claw, Gourd, Melon, Okra, Squash/Pumpkin, Sunflower, Watermelon
New gardeners often worry about how deep to sow seeds. For very small-seeded crops, such as carrot, seeds are only covered by 1/4 inch or so of soil. Larger seeds can be planted up to a few inches (2-4 inches). The main trick is to ensure that soil in which seeds are planted remains moist, but not waterlogged, until the seeds germinate.
Perhaps the most difficult task for those new to desert gardening is watering. Forget what you learned in more humid climates, it won’t help much in the desert. Desert soils around Tucson tend to dry out somewhat quickly and can become hard as rock on the surface, making it difficult for young emerging seedlings to break through. Mulching helps keep soil surfaces moist for germination. A light spray of water on the surface is all that’s needed, as no more than the top 2-4 inches of soil needs to be moist for germinating seeds. Once seedlings emerge, however, deep watering will be necessary