The Top Ten Blunders of Desert Gardening

It has been a year since I have started growing my first garden in the desert. I have learned that there are many challenges that go along with the rewards of growing a garden, especially in the desert. Throughout my gardening experiences I have gone through a lot of "yes I got a tomato," "yes there is a cucumber," and even "this month was a very successful month." I have also gone through even more "oh no's" throughout my gardening experience. Here is a list of my top ten "oh no's" that I have gone through during my gardening experience.

The First Blunder of Gardening in the Desert:

One of the most common mistakes is forgetting to water. This is especially common if you have a busy life and we all know in today's society people are very busy. This is a big problem in desert gardening because it only takes a day to completely dry out the soil. A dry soil will lead to a dead plant. A dead plant leads to a sad gardener.

The Second Blunder of Gardening in the Desert:

Another mistake that is opposite of forgetting to water is over watering your garden. Assuming that you can overwater the garden in the desert to make up for the time that a time you cannot water is a big mistake. If a plant is overwatered then it will literally drown. Plants need oxygen just like any other forms of life however most plants get their oxygen from the soil through their roots. Therefore, over watering the soil will push out all of the gasses and thus suffocating the plants.

The Third Blunder of Gardening in the Desert:

Fertilizing in the heat of the day is another kind blunder that is made in gardening especially in deserts. Fertilizers are chemicals and when exposed to heat they are activated. When these chemicals are activated it heats up the plant and the soil. Vegetable plants have a really hard time in the desert because of the extreme heat therefore, trying to keep the soil as cool as possible is very beneficial. If the soil and the plant get too warm because of the fertilizers then they will begin to experience what is called a chemical burn. This also can ultimately lead to a plant that won't produce any vegetables and even a dead plant.

The Fourth Blunder of Gardening in the Desert:

Underestimating the heat of the desert is one of the fatal mistakes of gardening in the desert. This is a problem because when it is extremely hot it can sunburn the plants, dry them up faster, heat up the plant and the soil, and in some cases the plants can die. The way I have gotten around that is by planting the vegetables earlier in the year just after the last freeze. I also grow a lot of my vegetables in the fall. For the plants that I grow in the summer I have found watering the garden more often is another way to keep the plants as cool as possible. What makes the temperatures of the desert such a problem is that they continue on for months at a time.

The Fifth Blunder of Gardening in the Desert:

Underestimating the insects of the desert is another way to have an unsuccessful gardening experience. The desert has all the same kind of insect pests that gardens back east have. There are aphids, hornworms, and other insect pests that can do damage to your vegetable garden. As an experienced gardener of the desert I have learned how to avoid insecticides and pesticides around my garden. I battle the aphids by planting marigolds all round which actually repels these tiny pests. For the hornworms I am just vigilant and when I see them I remove them. However, when removing the hornworms do not touch them use thick gloves or a garden tool to remove them because they are poisonous. Spiders, lady bugs, praying mantis, soldier beetles, lace wing larvae, and parasitic wasps are all great to keeping pests out of your garden.

The Sixth Blunder of Gardening in the Desert:

Gardeners in the desert usually run into problems by not using the proper soil. Using just sand and/or clay is not a good choice. Neither sandy nor clay soil has good drainage. Therefore, when I build up my soil I mix it with mulch, peat moss, and cow manure. You can also mix in Miracle Grow® Soil Mix in with the soil to help build up the nutrients. If you mix all of this really well then the plants will have a very good start with nutrients and drainage. Also with the peat moss and Miracle Grow® you will have a little easier time at controlling the soil moisture in the desert. You will still have to fertilize your garden but you won't have to worry about it for about a month after you start planting.

The Seventh Blunder of Gardening in the Desert:

Another problem that any gardeners run into including desert gardeners is planting vegetables with onion family when they are not good companions. For examples bean plants and onion plants are not good companions. When the beans are planted near onions or frequent plants will obtain their taste. Also when you plant vegetables with other vegetables that are not their companions then you can cause conflict and one or both plants will end up not producing anything or dying. This occurs when the two plants require the same kind of nutrients and they end up competing for these nutrients.

The Eighth Blunder of Gardening in the Desert:

One of the mistakes that a gardener might run into is using weed killing spray around the garden thinking it will kill the weeds. The first question that should come to mind is "what are weeds?" Weeds are plants that are unwanted in a specific area. That is all that weeds stand for. Weeds are not a particular plant. For example if you have a carrot growing in with your spinach it could be considered a weed if you do not want it to grow there. Therefore, the chemicals that are used to kill weeds will also kill your vegetable plants.

The Ninth Blunder of Gardening in the Desert:

A problem that a gardener may use if they lack the space is using a Topsy Turvy. The Topsy Turvy has a lot of downfalls and if you would like to know more about it and why it is one of my "oh no's" then click onto this link http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1955536/the_pros_and_cons_of_the_topsy_turvy.html?cat=32. This will take you to another article that I had done about the pros and cons of using the Topsy Turvy for tomato plants. This product is not really all that great and is over rated in the commercial ads. Personally would rather just grow the tomato plants by using the old fashion method and growing them in the garden bed.

The Tenth Blunder of Gardening in the Desert:

Although this odd for anyone to make a mistake on it is possible but letting your pet rabbit free in your yard forgetting that they love vegetables is the fastest way to destroy your garden. This really has nothing to do with desert gardening and can be a problem in any garden. I had a pet rabbit at one point and I thought it was happier running free in the yard therefore, I decided to let it just roam free in the desert. I thought my garden would be fine because I had a fence high enough to be protected from my rabbit however, this is not the case. I forgot that rabbits could dig and he dug under the fence and ate almost my whole garden. I was not too upset because it was not the rabbits fault.

Conclusion:

With all these mistakes I have learned a lot with in the year. I have also written a more detailed article on desert gardening and if you are interested please click on this link http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1952104/vegetable_gardens_in_the_desert_is.html?cat=32. Having a desert garden is a very difficult task and yet it can have great rewards. Also understand that these mistakes can also be made in gardens that are back east or in moister climates.