Resources: Newcomers to the desert might want to buy, or borrow from the library, one or more of the fine desert gardening books such as the Sunset Western Gardening Book. Check in with your local county extension office, they have good advice. Gardening clubs are another great source of information. These nice people love to be helpful to other gardeners.
Veggies as Perennials In The Desert: The most interesting thing about desert gardening is that some plants that are strictly annuals in other parts of the country are perennials here. We have an urban garden, raised beds at the south end of the house and a couple of spots at the north end. At the south end, banana peppers have been blooming and bearing almost non-stop for two years. At the north end of the house under the chinaberry tree, bell peppers have been blooming and bearing almost continuously for over a year. They are in complete shade in the winter with morning sun in summer. The eggplant in a pot, which I thought had died last summer revived this spring and is blooming. The desert is marvelous for this!
Planting Methods: I prefer the gardening method which early inhabitants of the deserts used - making a basin for planting by dragging dirt into a raised edge around the planting area. This helps retain moisture and makes mulching easier. I also use raised beds with success but I still pull the dirt up around the edge to hold the water in. Mulch is helpful in keeping weeds down, keeping plant roots cool and conserving the moisture in the soil.
Mulch: You can buy mulch commercially, but experienced gardeners have their own favorites such as grass, straw, or other light organic materials. Be careful if using straw from barns and stables in summer; the salts in the urine could burn tender plants. Instead of piling it on fresh, let it 'age' for a few weeks in a pile to allow the organic material to break down. This is also true for manures, which probably should 'age' longer - which you may use for soil amendments in winter.
Tips and Hints: Plant tomatoes deeply, right up to the leaves. Or, you can lay them sideways and cover stem to the branches. Tomatoes make roots all along the stem.
'Wired Tomatoes' In the May/June issue of National Gardening, Charlie Nardozzi wrote about Mr. Brimble of Geelong, Australia, who threads 18 guage
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