Im hoping maybe this can be a helpful thread for anyone growing anything in desert!
Hey y’all! I’m curious if anyone else grows fruits trees in high desert or arid conditions. I have 2 bare root apple trees that I’m getting ready to plant. Any ideas tips or anything useful would be great. Also growing raspberries, blackberries, potatoes, eggplant, watermelon, honey dew, cantaloupe, various peppers, herbs, strawberries. Any experienced help would be great thanks all!
You Can Do this to start your garden if you are in a really arid Area 
https://youtu.be/GRYJr9-_Nvk?si=BR5mIUNMKKYOmKZd
Sorry there is no translation
Only french🤦
The auto translation to English on YT works fine. 
Click the subtitles button then choose the language in the settings button.
Even better would be swales on contour, horizontal swales that run all the way around the hill.
Like the lines you see you a contour relief map.
Just imagine the lines are gutters that slow down the water and let a maximum amount of water soak into the soil instead of running down the hill taking all the soil with it to the bottom.
Plant acacia trees for shadow + nitrogen, grows very fast and is draught tolerant and you can prune it to the exact amount of shadow you want for your crops, and use the pruned organic material to mulch and feed the soil. The big roots also help the water penetrate the soil.
I was wondering if you were all about fruity cannabis strains or something… I guess you’re really about fruit trees, lol
Fig trees grow crazy fast as well.
When growing strawberries plant them like potatoes, and put straw in the trenches, then the strawberries don’t rot so fast when in contact with the soil.
I guess this is why they’re called strawberries.
The straw also shades the soil so much less water is needed.
Would be perfect but is highly invasive here thanks though. I like the layered trough and straw makes sense.
I was thinking maybe sweet potatoes great ground cover, great composting and the horses love them. I have a couple of figs kadota and mission due quite well here. Pretty much anything Mediterranean not coastal. I know they hang sheets soaked in salt sea water or cardboard in salt water to help with humidity and temp control.
Will take any real advice or tricks thanks all kinda going for broke this season
Check out Geoff Lawton. He’s very well known and an expert in permaculture.
He has a project called greening the desert. It was a project started about 10 years ago in Jordan.
Here’s the link to the greening the desert project website.
You can search Youtube for more videos.
Amazing what is possible. Hope that helps you.
