Hello! We just moved into a rental house near Phoenix AZ and for the first time ever I have a yard (south facing) to plant a large container garden. I've read up a bit on monsoon gardening and purchased seed packets from Native Seed Search (so bred for desert conditions, drought resistant, etc.). I have punta banda tomatoes, texas wild cherry tomatoes, ordono chiles, california wonder peppers, tomatillos, and beit alpha cucumbers, all of which are listed as being suitable for a late season monsoon garden. Here is my question (and yes, I bought these seeds in spite of knowing this was a concern - I was excited!): with the exception of the cucumbers, it seems that all of them should have been started inside earlier and then transplanted outside around this time. We only just got here and so I didn't have opportunity to plant inside before. And now, a) I have a toddler who will destroy them; and b) there is limited sun exposure in the house due to overhangs. The backyard has ideal conditions (there's one corner that gets full sun in the morning but is shaded by a tree in the afternoon). Can I just go for it and plant them all in the backyard from seed now and hope for the best? It seems like the large tomatoes might not have time and perhaps I should abandon planting those, but perhaps the cherry tomatoes will be OK? It says the tomatillos take 60-70 days to bear fruit. Surely, with the amount of heat we have left, this will work? Or will this all fail and I should just wait to plant a winter garden? I am also planning to plant marigolds, nasturtium, zinnia, and basil with the veggies to help with pests, etc!
Thanks for the help!
