High Desert Fruit Tree Guild Members?

Hi y’all.

Albuquerque, NM, USA here. Zone 7b, mile high, in the river valley with the water table about 10’ (3m) down.

I’m turning my urban backyard into a food forest. So far we have apricot, pomegranate, peach, apple, jujube, wild plum, currant, and sand cherry. I would love to know, from folks’ personal experience, what are good companion plants in the fruit tree guild in the high desert.

MY QUESTION:

What are good mulch plants for the high desert? What have others used with success?

I’m thinking about hollyhock, mullein, artichoke, and winter squash or summer melon.

So, in my own person opinion, I am not sure I have plant ideas that will be much good, but have some thoughts on what to look for.

First, I would not look for good mulch plants that need much water, at this point. Like a lot of places in the SW (including where I live, and my brother is in Albuquerque as well), the water cuts coming this year and the following, from the Colorado river, are likely to up the price of water and lower the availability.

Since some of your fruit trees will require irrigation, you don't want a lot of plants that are going to need a lot more water on top of that, you know?

Second, also related to both the water and the crap soil, if you can find plants that are doing more than one task, that'll help cut down on the irrigation needs while still getting you some help. So, like, mulch and nitrogen fixer and pollinator attractor, as an example.  I have really enjoyed looking to native plants because they tend to bloom at the same times that pollinators are coming out in my area, and they usually do find on the water in the area without extra irrigation needed.

One that I use over in AZ is lupines. I know there are some lupines native to NM, and some that are native to the higher elevations, too, and I believe most varieties are nitrogen fixers. And as they are native, they tend reseed pretty easily. Just need to cut down maybe half of them before they got to seed, chop and drop 'em, basically, and let the rest reseed for the next year. It'll attract pollinators as well.

While melons and such might be nice, they will eat up a lot of water that you may not have to spare. Even mullein out here often needs more water - the local mullein where I am only grows up in the mountains on the edges or even IN the arroyos that have lots of water throughout the year. That's gonna be hard to recreate, I would think.

Another neat little plant that I have with some of my tree guilds, on the edges where they get a little water but not much, is Mexican yellowshow. It's only native to AZ and NM here in the USA. (http://southwestdesertflora.com/WebsiteFolders/All_Species/Bixaceae/Amoreuxia%20palmatifida,%20Mexican%20Yellowshow.html#:~:text=Recorded%20Range%3A%20Very%20rare%20in,in%20extreme%20southwest%20New%20Mexico. )  It only comes out when it is hot, in mid-summer, when the monsoons come. It makes a low level bush that attracts pollinators, and the leaves, the seeds, and a tuber (when you have enough you can dig it up) that are all edible and mild tasting and don't have thorns. Then after the summer, it dies back so completely you can't even tell it's there, which can make it nice for the rest of the year if you want to plant native herbs or something in the same areas. It's been a great companion plant so far -doesn't seem to outcompete anything, just does its little thing for a short period every year.

Climbing tepary beans have been something I've used as well that were pretty good, and do well in our climates.

Sorry I don't have more ideas, though - there are other plants I use but most of them can't quite tolerate the colder temperatures up in Albuquerque

shauna carr wrote:
Another neat little plant that I have with some of my tree guilds, on the edges where they get a little water but not much, is Mexican yellowshow. It's only native to AZ and NM here in the USA. (http://southwestdesertflora.com/WebsiteFolders/All_Species/Bixaceae/Amoreuxia%20palmatifida,%20Mexican%20Yellowshow.html#:~:text=Recorded%20Range%3A%20Very%20rare%20in,in%20extreme%20southwest%20New%20Mexico. )  It only comes out when it is hot, in mid-summer, when the monsoons come. It makes a low level bush that attracts pollinators, and the leaves, the seeds, and a tuber (when you have enough you can dig it up) that are all edible and mild tasting and don't have thorns. Then after the summer, it dies back so completely you can't even tell it's there, which can make it nice for the rest of the year if you want to plant native herbs or something in the same areas. It's been a great companion plant so far -doesn't seem to outcompete anything, just does its little thing for a short period every year.

Hi Shauna!

Thanks for sharing about this little beauty. I’ve never heard of Mexican yellowshow and she’s beautiful. I’ll keep an eye out for her at the local flora nurseries.

As for water, being so close to the river and with heavy clay soil, we actually have more moisture than you might think. And it’s both hotter on summer and colder in winter than just a short ways away in uptown and the heights. And I’m working on companion planting where higher water needs go together. With heavy mulching and shade, our garden holds on to a lot of moisture. So we can accommodate some of the more moisture loving plants in certain nooks.

Also, we grow native melons in basins that do really well with minimal water and still create an abundance of foliage. Which reminded me that coyote melon might be a great mulching plant in our native garden towards our zone 4/5.