Hi Gina
>> My husband has experience in golf course landscaping,
Ahhh! So grading and drainage are well in hand.
I should have stressed up front, though you may already know that in real estate it's "location location location", but in gardens it is "sun sun sun". Maybe in AZ you have plenty of sun, or too much sun, everywhere, but vegetables in the shade are usually unsuccessful.
Or maybe "partial shade" in AZ is like "full sun" in the PNW.
>> Everything just runs off - no absorption to speak of.
>> caliche
Gaak. In that case, grading and drainage are key. I hope you have some slope and that it does not direct all rain and runoff into your basement!
>> cattle ... cottontail, jackrabbits, ground squirrels, and moles ... birds ... snakes and scorpions.
Double Gaak! I'll stop grumbling about slugs, cats and squirrels! I knew that deer require hugely tall fences.
Since you already knew to look at the coop extension site, you have plenty of local-savvy advice.
It will be great to know how things go for you. Desert gardening is something I've never done.
P.S. NewYorkRita does a lot of vegetable container gardening, which is another way to get around caliche. And you could move the pots into partial shade for the summer.
