I used to live in NM for 14 years and boy, was gardening tuff there! Lack of rainwater, too close to sun (7000ft altitude), thirsty rodents looking for succulent leaves of sempervivums, etc.
While living in NM, my husband and I installed a 8000 gal. cistern underground to catch the rainwater off of two roofs so that I could pump the water into my landscaping. We also installed a MultiFlow septic system which recycled our house waste water to 90% to use for irrigation too. I think in some ways I'm still water conscious like I am back in NM. There are buckets in the shower and juice bottles near the kitchen sink to collect the cold water as I wait for the hot water to clean.
I decided to move back to CA and finally planted the 11 flats of sempervivums that I have lugged around from CA to NM to WA and back to CA. They are all in that raised bed now (minus a few arachnoidems).
