But not the kind you might be thinking of.

Last year I moved away from the Southeast where the summers are hot and humid and the winters are mild. It would be considered a temperate forest zone (as opposed to a tropical forest zone – though sometimes it felt pretty tropical!). This is what my garden in Charlotte, NC looked like:

Now I am in the Intermountain West, in the high desert or steppe, where the summers are hot and dry, with cool nights, and the winters are frigid and dry. Everything I learned about growing plants within my southeastern framework I am now trying to adapt to this new climate.

Whereas in the southeast I had to be careful not to plant things too deeply, so they didn’t rot, here it is the opposite. We have to plant things deeper than the surface of the soil to give the water a chance to soak the plant roots before running off and/ or evaporating.

However, since the challenges are greater here, there is even more need for smart solutions. Planting in rows are what my sweetie has been practicing for the past several years. This requires a lot of time watering as you have to lug the hose to each row. I’m working on a design for this space that should cut down on the amount of watering time involved and really help build up the soil to hold on to more moisture. I’m looking forward to sharing and would love feedback!

Until then – toodles!