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1. How to plant, grow a Vegetable Garden
A vegetable garden is easy to grow
in the desert if the right plants are planted. The plants that do well are
1. Eggplant
,best varieties-Black beauty, Japanese long eggplant
2. Okra 
, best varieties Clemson Spineless
3. Tomatoes, best variety Early
Bird
4. Green Peas.
All these plants are pretty easy
to start directly in the ground from seeds but they are better bought
from the nursery in 6 packs. They grow quicker and take less time to come
to fruit.
The herb Mint 
does very well too but is very invasive and is best
planted in pots. This works better started from a 6 pack or a 4 inch pot
available in the nurseries.
Where to Plant:
All these plants do good in a sunny location
with atleast 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
How to Plant
Simple 1,2,3,4 steps on how
to plant.
1. Cultivate the soil with an inch or two of
top soil, peat moss and fertilizer.
2. Mark 3 feet rows about a feet apart.
3. Make a line with your fingers in the soil
and plant the seeds about 3 inches apart. (Eggplant seeds are very small
and are best sowed over the soil and covered with 1 inch of soil).
4. Water the seeds everyday and keep the ground
moist with a layer of mulch.
Tip: For Mint just cut off the bottom
of the pot in which you bought the mint and plant it in the ground, leaving
the sides of the pot intact. This way the mint cannot spread and will stay
in the same spot.
When planting potted plants in the ground turn
the plant upside down and give it a few pats. This will loosen the plant
from the pot. Then hold on to the plant and give the pot a shake and
the plant will be out easily.
Dig a hole a little deeper than the plant's
pot. Now loosen the soil around the bottom of the plant and plant it in
the ground. Cover it with dirt. Be sure to fill in the dirt tightly around
the plant without any air pockets. You are done with planting.
Fertilize the plants when they are 4 inches
above ground with a liquid fertilizer like Miracle Grow. Repeat once in 4
weeks. Keep the plants watered well. In summer try to water the plants in
the evening or early in the morning. This helps the plants to absorb the necessary
water before it gets hot as the sun dries out the water.
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2.Perennial
and Annual Flower Garden
Planting Annuals and Perennials together
makes the garden look colorful and in full bloom all year round. Plan it
in a way that there are a few perennials and a few annuals planted together
to complement each other.
The best Perennials are
1. Eurorips Daisy
2. Shasta Daisy 
3. Mums
4. Fox Glove
5. Arabian Jasmines, Star Jasmines which are
very scented
6. Honeysuckle which attracts hummingbirds
(grow as small bushes)
7. Lantana (which is very tough, drought tolerant)
8. Verbena
9. Lavender
10. Hibiscus
11. Oleander
12. Bird of Paradise/Mexican bird of paradise
to name a few.
The best Summer Annuals grown directly
from seeds are
1. Zinnia's 
,
2. Marigolds 
,
3. Bachelor's Buttons
4. Snap Dragons
5. Alyssum or Baby's breath
6. Sunflowers
7. Cosmos
and
8. Four 'O Clocks
to name a few.
The Zinnia's especially do very well.
All these plants do good in a sunny location.
The seeds of the annual plants like zinnia's, cosmos and marigolds are the
petals of the flowers themselves when they dry up in the plant. They can
be stored and sowed again the next season.
The best winter annuals are
1. Petunias
2. Pansies
3. Sweet Pea & Sugar snap pea
4. Mums
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