Hello Tucson Gardeners!

I left a lot of memories at the Stoner home which included my first real garden. Among the things that I miss from Stoner Place includes the fig tree. This tree likely preceded the Eppleys… I know that Ron cut it back the the trunk about once a year and that he did not favor figs from the tree.

I wasn’t always interested in figs either and for the first many years the birds had no competition with me… they could have em! That all changed one day and I began to enjoy the taste and the fight was on!

Since I’ve left that property, I have continued to propagate that fig tree with no success… Until now!

What I learned is that fig cuttings do well standing in water. I’ve learned that dry roots are difficult to recover from. I’ve learned that standing in mud is a viable way to root a watered cutting. I’ve learned that short hard wood cutting 6-12 inches with 1/2 inch or so diameter is better than larger cuttings. I learned to be patient and how to transition from water to soil. I learned that mulch does wonders to both keeping mosquitoes at bay and later keeping soil moist.

The term “raised garden bed” gives a visual picture that can include many different designs. The vision that you have depends on your exposure to the concept of getting the garden above the ground in some way, often to satisfy the need to grow where there is no soil, perhaps on a porch, patio or balcony. Or the goal might be to avoid (nearly) impossible to work or contaminated ground. All are reason but I think that the most popular concept or visions of “raised garden beds” are to get the garden high enough to allow gardening without having to bend over or kneel.

Gardeners or would-be gardeners with physical limitations that reduce the their ability to bend or kneel can prefer counter height garden beds. Because I’m a “tweener” gardener (in between good and bad health), I can still bend and kneel sufficiently but would like to benefit from other aspects of raised bed gardening.

So, here is what I chose. I chose a Sandbox style with a cutout for access without having to stand in the garden bed. I confirmed that 4 foot width enables me to reach just beyond center from any side. I also thought of the appearance and determined that this is more attractive than a rectangle or square!

I selected a slightly sloped space, I trenched to make level.

My ground (dirt) is not the worse that I’ve seen but it’s bad enough that I would not attempt to grow vegetables in. It does not have enough biology in it, Wont retain water or nutrients, and it is difficult to penetrate. Think caliche!

I needed to provide for at least 12 inches of soil depth. I selected 2×12 standard lumber from local home improvement store. Although the ground (previously described) is difficult I knew that in order to achieve the desirable depth, that I would need to remove dirt from below the height of the boards. By doing so I actually doubled the originally planned depth.

For design and construction information see link below.

Points of knowledge 1. Soil beds that do not contact the ground will have more rapid (think unstable) temperature changes. If off the ground soil bed is a requirement for you consider a). as deep of a soil bed as you can develop b). build a skirt around the base to provide insulation. Maybe even adding insulation. Adding mass like pavers in the base might have some benefit but keep in mind that cold temperature are retained by the added mass too.

Points of knowledge 2. Larger is better! Not always true. Refrain from dimensions that exceed your reach. Unlike ground gardening the gardener can’t simply walk to a location in the garden bed… (especially a raised bed) You have to be able to reach it! If access will be available on all sides you can simply work with the length of your reach multiplied by 2 and maybe add or take away a bit to accommodate. a). Bigger and or deeper also means more soil! That also means more money (if you have to buy soil, amendment and fertilizer) and more work establishing the bed and maintaining it over the years. Note that you’ll likely not be tasked with removing soil but you will need to add it.

There are various issues that contribute to the difficulty of gardening in Tucson or any other desert location, all of which can be diminished to some degree by labor and money $$$. Lots of time and effort goes into gardening in the best of conditions… Here in the desert… particularly in urban areas, a dedicated gardener has his/her work cut out for them.

For simplicity I’ll address two major points (1) Growing and (2) Keeping what you grow. There is little that frustrates a gardener more than to not be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor! There is nothing but heartbreak in store for us gardeners when the precious booty is scarfed up by four legged and winged critters! Protection is a must and though “Keeping” is second to “growing” Keeping should be a primary consideration in developing a desert garden. That is why “Keeping what you grow” is the best place to begin your gardening plan.

What’s needed to protect your garden will vary depending on what you intend to grow and the adversaries that you plan must defeat.

Protection

Netting and chicken wire are essential parts of the gardening protection plan. If you’re new at gardening you might, or have never had to deal with critters. Desert fauna are expert surviver, even thrivers! Ground squirrels, birds, etc., will eat all or even ruin anything that you grow. Garden beds must be protected from climber, burrowers and fliers. Fliers include all manner of birds and insects that include grass hoppers, beetles, aphids, etc. and birds.

The sun shines in Tucson!

If you live here and didn’t already know how much the sun shines in this desert…. You might want to find a gardener to coop with… letting your money support the gardeners efforts and share in the harvest. There is also the possibility that a gardener might work with you to plant and maintain in their garden.

As for the sun!

There are many plants that are or can be acclimated for our climate, Be careful when you see instructions to plant in “full sun.” Full sun in Tucson could be excessive sun for some plants. Screening with nets might be beneficial for some “full sun” plants.

Priority considerations of your gardening design should include, and incorporate a protection plan.

H2O (Water)

Not all water is the same . All plants respond better to rain water than to tap or well water and the produce taste better too. Tucson gets a lot of rain for being a desert location. (See Tap water vs. Rainwater)

I have a large and sprawling yard that easily provided space to install multiple 1500 gallon water storage tanks. If you have the space and a vision that includes storing and using rain water, then you might consider the same. In Pima County where I live there are financial incentives available to help offset the cost of adding rainwater harvesting to you home and yard. The incentives that are currently available apply to gutters and tanks there are other rainwater management categories that the rebate program supports. Where ever you live… Check your local government for information.

For those of us in the Pima County… Here is a link to the website.

For me… I’ve been able to provide for all of my recently planted trees for the better part of a year (Installed the tank and planted the trees in summer 2022), and with the various rains have maintained a nearly full tank.

Expecting that most people wont have the space to allocate for large tanks… there is still a rain water harvesting plan that can work for you using smaller containers. Here is a link to some options.

I anticipate eventually using harvested water for household uses including drinking water. In order to safely drink harvested and stored rain water there must be filtration and purification protocols to develop, implement and adhere to. Converting collected water for potability is a future capability. This article will only reference considerations for the addition of this future capability. For example I will consider the placement of the single tank with the idea that I might add additional storage and filtration in the future. With this in mind selected a location that can accommodate few additional tanks beside this one and have the idea of connecting additional tanks without having to redesign things. Again… If your available space is limited… there are other options.

Distribution (How to disperse the stored water)

Immediately my initial need is to distribute water by way of water hoses. This method satisfies my initial need to water the trees that I’ve just planted. However, a plumbed distribution solution needs to be considered and is part of basic planning.

I’ve chosen to install PVC in the ground with the a drain at a low point in order to evacuate the standing water in the pipe to protect from freeze ruptures.

Location of the water storage tank is best if the the garden beds are are a lower relative place than the tank. If done properly the result will be gravity delivered water to the garden beds. If this is not possible you may have to include an electric pump if gravity feed is not feasible. So consider the need for electrical services near you water service location and maybe install a conduit for future electrical.

Garden Beds

There are many options for garden beds. For small spaces there are options for growing in planters or pots of various sizes. There are some who grow tomatoes and other “amiable” plants on patios. I’ve seen successful planting directly in a sack of soil laid flat with one side split open on balcony and patios. When you done with it it can be used to augment the soil or lawn. (Link to Growing in soil bag) There are even methods of planting in hanging pots for vining plants like tomatoes. (Link for hanging tomatoes)

I’ve only experienced traditional in the ground planting. I’ve used various techniques to maximize space usage to varying degrees of success. At my current address, this will be my first garden.

For reasons that are common, I am resigned to pursue the raised garden bed method. Raised bed gardens allow you to avoid the issues of digging and augmenting the existing ground, especially if you have caliche or similarly difficult ground. By the way… I’ve used holes in the caliche as pots in the ground and have placed soil in the hole. The idea of this worked well over time to convert the entire area from being difficult to use caliche, to a rather nice and typical area that I eventually was able to garden. If this idea is for you I might also add that there must be precautions taken to not drown the plant.

Raised beds also make gardening less painful for individuals who have difficulty bending and kneeling. Raised beds can be construct at nearly any height to accommodate your needs and can be made to stand on a patio or a gravel lot. Features could be added in the design to allow for sitting or kneeling places around it.

Raised bed gardens can be made of many materials. Be cautioned that treated lumber can pass chemicals to you plants by leaching into the soil. Untreated wood… If the design does not force wetness of the wood will still last many years in the dry climate of Tucson.

There are many designs and styles that can be found on the Internet and how to’s on YouTube. Here are a few links to designs that I have found to be useful. (Update Link required)

Remember to consider the protection aspect when choosing bed styles so that the garden bed style that you choose can be constructed to accommodate the protection style of your choosing. (Update Link required)

Native American farmer grows amazing multicoloured corn