new to veggie growing...please help us succeed

[boricuaqueen327]

My daughter and I have started a small vegetable garden. Right now we have radishes, cherry tomatoes, and bell pepper plants growing. The radishes were started in small cups and are about ready for going outside I think. I am not sure how to go about making raised beds for vegetables. I am not having much luck finding easy instructions online. We are in Yuma, AZ which is desert so I am trying to do whatever I can to avoid killing the plants. My daughter is so excited about her garden, I really want it to do well. I was hoping that we could plant carrots and potatoes but root vegetables scare me for some reason. Do you guys have any good websites that dd and I could browse together? Any suggestions for keeping my plants healthy in a desert climate?

[goldfinches]

I've only made raised beds by screwing 2x8's to 4x4 posts. I believe they ended up being 16" tall and 4' square. If you're not too handy, I've seen pre-made raised beds at big stores like Walmart where all you do is put them together. I think they were resin or metal?

Carrots are fun, especially the multicolored ones. But, they're not hot weather friendly, they get bitter. So, you should plant them now. Something we had luck with when I was younger was turnips. They're easy to grow and completely edible, the greens and roots.

This blog has links to bloggers gardening nationwide. They're down on the right hand side. Maybe you could find one near you with some helpful local info? http://carletongarden.blogspot.com/

[Owen'nZoe]

I'm from a wet, northern climate and have never gardened in a climate like yours, so I have no first-hand experience, but I am fascinated with Zuni waffle gardens. They are kind of the polar opposite of a raised bed - a sunken bed that helps to collect and conserve water. I know people have adapted them to kitchen gardening, and it might be something that would work for you.