Phil Carlson

Believe it or not, I reside on private property in Death Valley. Recently, I spoke with a gentleman who said his drip-irrigated rosemary will wilt a bit during the high heat of summer. So, I am quite iffy about the peach growing. Yet, date palms grow here. And with the application of permaculture, I was hoping to make it possible. How could one cool and humidify the air around a tree without overshading it? Would a stack of rocks positioned to where air would cool as it passes through be plausible? Or, a shallowly buried tube?

Hi, all,

I was interested in growing a peach tree in an area that has temperatures varying from over 110 degrees for at least a month out of the year to below freezing during a few a days of winter, only gets 2 inches(if that) of precipitation a year, is at sea level, and is frequently windy. Is this possible? What sort of varieties can handle the temperature swings? The water, I am not so worried about. Per Brad Lancaster's rainwater harvesting book, I thought that digging a hole and filling it with lots of newspaper, cardboard, and other spongy-humus-type stuff would take care of that. If not, sprinklers might be available. Logs from salt cedars are available as a resource as well if that helps any.

Thanks!