Category: fruit trees in desert gardens

Growing a backyard orchard

Imagine stepping into your backyard and being greeted by the sight of thriving fruit trees ladened with succulent, sun-kissed fruits. A dream? Not at all. It takes a little planning and some digging but you can easily start a backyard orchard this weekend in your desert garden.

On left, green figs and on right, ripe peaches. Both would be delicious fresh from the tree in your garden and on your table. (Photo of peaches on tree by Czapp Botond on Unsplash.)

Not all fruit trees are created equal

First you need to select the right varieties suited to arid conditions in order to create a successful backyard orchard. Opt for drought-resistant and heat-tolerant species such as pomegranates, figs, quinces, citrus trees (like oranges and lemons), and stone fruits like nectarines, apricots, plums, and peaches. These varieties have adapted to thrive in the challenging conditions of a desert environment.

(Note that citrus trees do not do well in low desert locations like Phoenix. And fruiting olive trees and mulberries are banned in Las Vegas, NV and Pima County, AZ.)

If you want to branch out, consider adding nut trees like pecans to your orchard. Keep in mind, however, that pecan and other nut trees (and fig trees) grow very tall and may put the rest of your garden in the shade–literally–blocking out almost all sunlight.

Soil Preparation and Watering

Desert soil always poses challenges, so you need to start your mini-orchard by improving the soil structure with organic matter, such as compost. This should enhance water retention and nutrient levels. Adequate drainage is also crucial to prevent waterlogging, especially in desert climates where heavy rains can be sporadic but intense.

To install your fruit trees dig a hole that is only as deep as the root ball, and be sure that it is three times as wide. This will allow roots to spread out, grow faster, and anchor the tree better.

After the young fruit trees are installed it is important to set up a drip irrigation system to ensure a slow, steady release of water directly to the root zones, minimizing evaporation and wastage. Use mulch around the base of your fruit trees to further retain moisture and regulate soil temperature.

Protecting Against Extreme Temperatures

Desert climates are notorious for their extreme temperature fluctuations. To protect your new fruit trees consider installing shade cloth during the hottest parts of the day. It can be just something as simple as an old sheet or length of burlap draped over the top of the tree. As you can see in this photo from the Tucson Mission Garden, this cloth cover will shield the trees from the intense sun and reduce stress on them. Additionally, planting trees in locations that receive some natural shade during the day can provide relief from the harsh afternoon sun.

Pruning and Maintenance

Regular pruning is essential for shaping your backyard orchard and promoting healthy fruit production. Pruning regularly and tightly also lets you plant trees much closer together so you can grow more fruit. For example, nectarines only produce fruit on new growth so they should be pruned annually. On the other hand, pomegranates need almost zero attention. And fig trees, if left unpruned, will grow to 20 to 30 feet tall and cast deep shade.

Prune during the dormant season, typically in late winter, to remove dead or diseased branches and encourage new growth. Avoid over-pruning, as some fruit trees in desert climates may benefit from a bit more foliage for sun protection.

Timing Matters and Size Doesn’t

Fall or early Spring are the best times to plant trees — or almost any long-lived tree or shrub–in a desert garden. By planting now you will allow the new trees to acclimate and establish strong root systems before the scorching heat of summer arrives.

If you have any doubts about planting a backyard orchard because you think the space is too small, I hope you can visit the Tucson Mission Garden. You will see fruit trees planted densely and producing fruit, especially figs, abundantly. And then think of how good your own home-grown fruit will taste in a summertime fruit salad.

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Quinces and Figs thrive in the desert. Make great jam, too!

In 2014 Quinces (Cydonia oblonga) were named the Fruit Tree of the Year by the California Rare Fruit Growers Association. Well, maybe rare in California, but here in Tucson quince trees have been growing since the late 1600s. Brought to this locale by Jesuit Father Kino, one of the first Europeans to the area, later travelers complained that the only fruit tree in Tucson was the quince, which is basically inedible fresh off the tree. It has to be cooked and then it is delicious as a jam. I’m sure the travelers were hankering for juicy Spanish oranges or crisp German apples–but no luck. In Tucson hard quinces were the only choice.

Two quinces fro Tucson Presidio
These two quinces were given to me by a docent at the Tucson Presidio. The are unripe, hard, fuzzy outside and have no scent. More modern hybrids have a smooth peel and are fragrant when ripe.

While I have seen plenty of pomegranates growing in yards around Tucson I hadn’t seen a quince tree until I visited the replica of the original Tucson Presidio where a quince tree is planted side-by-side with a sweet Spanish orange tree and a lemon. As you can see, it is loaded with quinces, which are drought tolerant, sun and heat-lovers that need good drainage. Online it stated that 2 trees were needed for pollination, but this solo plant seems to be doing okay by itself. One other thing to note about quince trees: they are covered with lovely white flowers in Spring. So if you are thinking about adding a small tree to your hot, dry garden, maybe a quince is the tree for you. (Or maybe a fig–see below.)

Quince tree at Tucson Presidio Hot Gardens
The quince tree at the Tucson Presidio.

While quince trees are naturally small, fig trees can become enormous, as this fig, below, growing in one courtyard of the Tucson Presidio demonstrates. And it does not take decades to grow to this size. This Presidio was built from scratch on a former parking lot and opened in 2007, so this fig (and the quince above) are no older than 12 years!

fig tree in downtown Tucson Hot Gardens
A huge fig tree in the courtyard of the Presidio in downtown Tucson

In addition to producing delicious figs to eat raw or cook into jam, fig trees (Ficus carica) have large leaves that cast a dense shade to create a cool oasis in a desert garden. The ‘Black Mission’ and ‘Brown Turkey’ are good varieties for the desert. Most produce two crops of figs per year and need regular watering, especially when the fruit is growing. If you intend to plant a fig in your garden, be sure to ask the nursery staff how large the tree is expected to grow. Smaller size fig trees can be espaliered along a wall. (I know. I did this in my garden in Las Vegas!)

Pomegranates on the ground at the Tucson Presidio.

Now a word about pomegranates, which I have written about before because they are among the easiest and most forgiving of neglect of any fruit tree in a desert garden. There are ignored pomegranates on the ground all over my neighborhood, as well as at the Tucson Presidio. But it looks like they are providing food for birds and animals. A good thing!

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Are you suffering from homegrown vegetable envy?

For a few weeks now I have been seeing images of luscious vegetables on my Twitter feed.  Big juicy-looking red tomatoes, golden orange carrots with lively green leaves, a basket of potatoes with earth still on them, and, of course, deep green heads of lettuce and more lettuce. Interestingly enough no one has posted brag-photos of kale, the worst so-called vegetable on the planet. Maybe the kale insanity is passing.

Red and Yellow cherry tomatoes Hot Gardens
These organic red  and yellow grape tomatoes were delicious in a fresh lettuce salad. Simple to make and very healthy too.

The truth–a sad truth–is that trying to grow vegetables of any kind in a hot dry garden is a next to impossible unless you are willing to invest a lot of money and water into the effort. The two people I know who tried it several years ago in Las Vegas–one was particularly interested in growing her own tomatoes–used shadecloth as a tent to shield the plants from direct sunlight. The plants were in raised beds and pots, not in the native soil. And I’m not even going to guess what their water bills were. For both these gardeners the results were not satisfying.  Neither repeated the effort the following year.

There is, however, a commercial tomato grower in Las Vegas, but the plants are grown hydroponically in an absolutely controlled environment for his primary customers, the casinos’ kitchens.

Eggplant Montrose Farmers Market Hot Gardens
Ratatouille anyone?  There were also tomatoes, onions, peppers, zucchini, and garlic in this market booth.

In hopes of being able to suggest an alternate to (not) growing vegetables outdoors in a hot dry garden, earlier today I checked out equipment for hydroponic gardens. It turns out that it’s very expensive and would not be a very practical or economical way to grow veggies for a family.

As the upsurge in organic farming continues and the distribution of organic vegetables increases into every big box grocery store in the U.S., a better choice than growing one’s own fresh vegetables is to buy organic ones.  Even better, buy them at a farmers’ market so you are as close to the earth as you can get without getting your hands dirty.

(The photos in this post were taken yesterday at a farmer’s market where each farmer had to certify that they grew the vegetables themselves.)

And keep in mind that fruit trees–apricots, peaches, plums and nectarines–will grow beautifully in hot dry gardens.  Grapes, pomegranates, and figs will also thrive. So instead of a vegetable plate from your own garden, plan to make a fruit salad!

Note:  It’s too early and too hot to plant a fruit tree in your hot dry garden.  Wait until it cools down.

Climate Change Update

Not good news.  It is bad enough that Trump pulled out of the Paris Accords, but today, August 20, 2018, Australia pulled out of the limits set up in that agreement. The government spokesman said that keeping the price of fuel low took priority over meeting the temperature limits in the Accord.  This is a surprising decision considering the horrible drought that is afflicting ranching and cattle growers in New South Wales

UPDATE:  That Prime Minister lost his job and the new PM has declared that environmental issues are more important than fuel costs.

Our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  2. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  3. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  4. Six distinctively different landscapes to replace a lawn
  5. Cover up that naked wall
  6. Nine trees to combat climate change
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat

Best fruit to plant in a hot, dry desert-like garden

pomegranate fruit on bush (

Shortly after moving to Las Vegas back in the 1990s I went on a hike with the Sierra Club in what is now the Red Rock  Canyon National Conservation Area. Our destination on this hike was an old abandoned ranch about 3+ miles from the pull-out on Highway 159 where we parked our cars. The ranch owners had walked away from the ranch years ago and turned it over to the Bureau of Land Management. (And the BLM had pretty much just ignored the place.)

So about 10 of us tromped off across the wide canyon floor. As a newcomer to desert hiking I forgot to bring water and it turned out there was no water at this old ranch. Just a weather-beaten house, a couple of fences that tilted and sagged…AND a row of pomegranate bushes still producing big red pomegranate fruit. These 8-10 foot high shrubs had survived for years with only the water that fell from the sky. And in Las Vegas, the average annual rainfall is about 4 inches! It might be a bit higher up in Red Rock Canyon, but not by much.

This was evidence that pomegranates grow well even under very dry conditions. And if you add a little bit of care and water they will do even better. Another plus: the leaves turn a lovely yellow in Fall and at Christmas time the fruit–if you haven’t picked it–looks like red ornaments in your garden.

So if you want a low-water usage fruit to harvest from your own backyard, plant a pomegranate. The ‘Wonderful” variety is an excellent choice and will do well even with neglect.

But don’t neglect taking water with you on a desert hike. I have always had water with me ever since that day.

Las Vegas Red Rock canyon (
This view is from the pull-out where we parked our cars. The abandoned ranch where the pomegranates were growing is up against those mountains.

See more suggestions about fruit trees for hot dry gardens.

Our 8 most popular newsletters

  1. Best and beautiful native shrubs for extreme heat
  2. Five fragrant plants for your garden
  3. Where to get free or cheap trees for your garden
  4. Six distinctively different landscapes to replace a lawn
  5. Cover up that naked wall
  6. Nine trees to combat climate change
  7. Four desert trees good for soil, 4 toxic ones
  8. Plants that bloom even in mid-summer scorching heat