Simple composting

Nothing will get your garden growing faster than compost. Just ½ INCH of compost can feed your entire garden for the entire summer. That’s quite a powerhouse! Not only is it healthier for your soil than using liquid fertilizers, it also encourages earth worm populations and helps the soil hold water.

Some people use compost piles, which are fine, but a challenge to keep at just the right moisture level to be successful, and in the desert heat that can be a major challenge. The pile needs to be watered and turned regularly, which can be a ton of work. Another option is a composting barrel or bin. These are small and more easily turned, but you will need to regularly empty it to keep the compost going.

I have found over the years the most efficient way is to compost right in the garden itself. This depends, of course, on if you have room. Essentially what you do is bury kitchen scraps (only produce scraps, no meat, fish, or dairy. Eggshells are okay.) in between the rows. It will compost quite quickly since it is in an ideal situation for keeping moist. No turning needed, just bury in a different spot each time. When you rototill in the spring, mix it up good and you are all set. No transporting, no turning…works great.

Setting up drip irrigation to water your garden

I have found the most efficient way to irrigate my garden is with drip irrigation. It is efficient and easy to assemble.

To get started, you will need to select a supplier. Not all parts are interchangeable, so make sure you pick someone that you intend to stick with for a long time. It is pretty frustrating when you get all set up, only to find that when you need repair parts you can’t find ones that fit. 

Here is a list of supplies you will need:

Polyethylene tubing-1/2”

Elbows

T’s

Straight Connectors (also known as menders)

4 gallon per hour emitters

Tubing cutter

Hole punch

In-line valve

Flush valve

Heavy wire

Pliers

Battery Operated Timer (optional)

Gated Y hose bib (optional)

The quantities of everything you will need are based on how big of an area you are irrigating. Lay the plan out on paper so you have a pretty good idea of how much tubing, fittings, and emitters you will need. 

Assembling the system is quite easy. If your garden is fairly large, you will want to have each planting bed on a separate system, or at least install an in-line valve so you can turn one off while watering another. The system can lie on the ground as the polyethylene tubing is unaffected by sunlight. I use a gated Y at the faucet, too, to separate beds. Design your system so you have a flush valve at each bed to clean out calcium buildup. I also made mine so that each area was set up in such a way that I can fold back the entire layout when I need to rototill.

I always wire all connections together to make sure they do not come apart.  If you opt for the battery operated timer, you can run your irrigation in the very early morning hours, which reduces the changes of the fittings coming apart. Early morning is the best time to water as it reduces loss to evaporation and decreases the chance for the fittings to come apart since they expand in the heat of the day.

Space emitters 1 to 2 feet apart. You will be planting at each emitter, and not along the whole length of the line.

Growing herbs in the desert

Mexican Oregano

There are a number of herbs that do quite well in the desert, as long as you pay attention to their needs, and not kill them with kindness (overwatering and over-fertilizing).  Some are annuals (which must be replanted every year) and some are long lived biannuals or even small shrubs.  Most herbs prefer filtered shade (such in the shade of a native mesquite).

BASIL

Basil is very easy to grow from seed, and in the right conditions will reproduce on its own. There are many varieties to choose from, including cinnamon, lemon and lime flavors. Lettuce Leaf basil’s leaves are indeed the size of a lettuce leaf. I enjoy growing many different kinds. 

BORAGE

Most people have never heard of this herb. Borage is a fun annual (which can overwinter if the winter is mild) that produces tiny bluish flowers that taste like cucumbers, adding a delightful color to salads.

CILANTRO (CORIANDER)

Cilantro grows best when planted in the fall or very early spring. It will bolt (go to seed) very quickly in the heat of the summer. The seeds are known as Coriander, so don’t throw away the seeds!

OREGANO

I find that Mexican Oregano (Poliomintha maderensis ‘Lavender Spice’) doesn’t die out like the Italian version, and is a hummingbird magnet to boot. It is best started from containers. This small shrub grows in filtered shade to about 3 feet tall and wide, with multitudes of pale pink to lavender flowers for months and months. The tiny leaves have a mild oregano flavor.

ROSEMARY

Rosemary is a tough, drought tolerant shrub from the Mediterranean. There are many varieties, from trailing to large shrubs, but only Trailing Rosemary and the variety called Tuscan Blue are considered good for culinary uses. Other varieties tend to taste overly “piney”. Rosemary needs good drainage, and does not like to be overwatered.

SAGE

Culinary sage is also from the Mediterranean, and becomes a small shrub, about 2’ tall by 3’ wide. It prefers filtered shade and well-drained soil.

As with all herbs, do not apply regular fertilizer. Fertilizing reduces an herbs potency, resulting in rather bland flavor.