If you live above 5500 feet and receive less than l2 inches of rain you are probably in the high desert country and need to have some useful information before starting a garden.
Few places in the country can compare to the high desert in that there are many odds to overcome, the climate, the water supply and the soil all determine, to a great extent the activities of the high desert gardener. A lack of rainfall is naturally the most obvious climate problem in the high desert but it sure isn't the only one. At
nightfall the temperatures can get very cool and this delays the ripening of many crops that need the heat the entire twenty four hours. The winds can also be very strong thus breaking little plants so they can't grow plus the winds rob the soil of any moisture it might have accumulated
from the winter snows.
The water supply is very uncertain, when it doesn't rain the gardener needs to look for another source for water to make the crops grow. A gardener has to have a good respect for the water supply and also has to work toward improving the soil to have a good gardening experience.
If a person has the space the garden needs to be placed against a structure of some sort, a house or a wall, plus the exposure must be considered. If the garden is placed on the north side then there won't be enough light for the plants to grown. Be careful not to block the sun at any time if possible. Putting the garden in a western
exposure also is not good as the quality of the light makes it less than desirable. Western exposures receive lots of hot, afternoon sun that can bake a garden by overheating the soil and stressing the plants. A southern exposure is the best choice for a vegetable garden site if it can
be adjacent to a structure. Then it will get good light and plenty of it.
After you have made a decision on the site, you'll need to take a shovel and pick ax and dig the soil to a depth of at least l6 inches at each site. Sometimes the ground can be very hard and you'll need the pick ax to break open the ground. If you can't get down at least l6 inches with the shovel and the pick ax then you'll have problems as you
will be at a layer called hardpan, the bane of the Southwest. This is sometimes called caliche and is almost impossible to break up at any time.
It won't allow roots to penetrate the soil and the crops won't grow. Sometimes adding gypsum to the soil can help but not often and it would take the rental or purchase of expensive equipement to do this most of the time.
If you have been able to dig down the l6 inches, now take a bit of soil in your hands, wet the soil and determine is it sandy or mostly clay. If it sticks together after having been rolled in your fingers and in the moisture it is caly, if it crumbles then it is sand content. The clay would hold water better than the sand is better in the high desert country for gardening.
You also might want to consider having a raised bed for your garden as this methods means the soil is well aerated which promotes te growth of healthy root systems and healthy soil. You also would not be walking on the soil and it won't compact. Also you are only applying fertilizer and
water to the raised bed so there is little waste of either resource.
This garden should be planned on paper first then planted, and keep in mind that space will be needed for you to knell or stand to tend to the crops. Raised beds are really the way to go when growing vegetables in the high country. Now dig your bed, plant your crops and enjoy the fruits of
your labour.
