Adjusting to New Climate? (temperate forest to desert)

[blackox]

Relocated from Mansfield, Ohio (Zone 5a-ish) to Yuma, Arizona (Zone 10a) and finally have a little plot of land in front of a small house I'm renting. I've got hold of mixed pepper seeds, radish seed, sunflower and California Poppy seeds, and even zucchini squash. I am now in a place that's not only five USDA zones above my old place, but also the polar opposite of the climate that I was living in before. Where there were Sugar Maples there are now Citrus trees and date palms. The dirt has a high sand content, if you can call it dirt. The temperature swings from day to night are pretty shocking. So - desert growers - I guess what I'm asking is what are some of the things that I'm going to need to worry about growing in the desert. Salty soil? Do I need to use shade cloth? Can I still direct - sow? What are some of the precautions that I'm going to need to take to ensure the safety of my crops? Also I don't have enough money to buy a test kit for soil at the moment - am I going to need to eyeball things to tell how/in what amount I'm going to need to amend my "soil." (Now that I think about it, there is some good soil around the Colorado River - which isn't far away. I could always bring some of that in.) 

Having only lived in this area for so long I lack that connection that I had with the land that I had lived in before (and was born in). I'm a little bit overwhelmed at this point.

[philagardener]

Great to hear from you again, blackox ! Sounds interestingly different. Back yard citrus - always wanted that!

[zeedman]

I live in Wisconsin, so what do I know about heat?

Yuma gets really hot in the summer... during my years in the Service, my squadron used to spend a couple weeks there for training. You will need to completely re-adjust your garden strategy, because you can garden there year-round. Shade cloth will probably be helpful for some crops, especially during the hottest months. Absent a soil test, a high pH (probably around 8.0 or above) is a fairly reasonable assumption.

The link below has a lot of good info to get you started, including recommended planting dates:
Arizona Master Gardener Manual

I gardened for many years in San Diego. The temperatures there were much more moderate than Yuma, but I too had to deal with arid climate & alkaline soil. It took me several years to build up the soil, and I added a lot of organic matter each year to keep it fertile. Use a lot of mulch to preserve moisture, and to keep the root zone cool.

[steev]

Zeedman is right; don't bring in soil; just add all the organic matter you can. Also mulch, mulch, mulch.

[richardw]

Depends how far away and what the soil is like for start, if it were a good peaty soil i would say 'do it', only need a bit of clay to add to it and there ya have it.

[blackox]

I'm aware that Native Seed search is nearby in Tuscon. I've made a few friends in the nearby Cocopah and Quechan reservations so I might talk to them as far as native growing techniques go. Zeedman - thanks!! I've got access to some old straw bales no so plenty of mulch. Plenty of greywater coming from the house also. Radish and poppy seeds are in the ground and I might have a few pounds of rye seed i can throw in the mix (and later turn into mulch?). I've got some farming friends here already along with some that work in the alcohol/drug rehab arena. I've been talking to them and if this little garden in front of my house turns out well, Yuma might end up having it's own community garden, with me playing a big part in it. Wishe me luck.

Philagardener - I've got some Yuma- grown key lime seeds that you can have. You could probably pull those off in pots. If interested send me a pm and I'll send them off as soon as I have sufficient funds.

[raymondo]

Good luck with it blackox. Must say I'm a little envious of the idea of backyard citrus. Gets too cold here for them. I would only echo what others have already said ... mulch, mulch, mulch and cover crops where possible.