Desert Gardening: Fruits & Vegetables

Book excerpt: An illustrated guide to growing plentiful fruits and vegetables in the driest of American climates Wherever you live in the desert--up to 3,500-feet elevation--this guide is for you. Enjoy plentiful fruits and vegetables from your desert garden. Desert gardening expert George Brookbank will help you with your desert garden. Two books in one . . . A tremendous reference tool you'll use all year 'round! 1. Complete how-to-do-it guide--Drip irrigation and watering --How to prepare desert soil --Which plant and tree varieties to choose --Citrus: Watering, pruning, fertilizing --New varieties for favorites: tomatoes, strawberries, grapes, melonsAnd the unusual . . . Low-chill applesOriental vegetablesYard-long beans--New chapters on hydroponics and alternatives to poisonous chemicals 2. Week-by-week desert calendar--Learn how to work with the desert's short seasons, hot weather, insects, and soils--When to plant--When to prune Over 650 photographs Great for Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas!