Bob Radcliff, a Tombstone local who grows more than half of the vegetables his family consumes, said he eats his store-bought produce very quickly because it's not fresh when he buys it.

"When you get stuff from the grocery store, it often travels 2,000 miles before you even see it," he said, but added that in Arizona, "gardening is a constant struggle with the elements."

Some gardeners find the harsh climate impossible, while others have found ways around it.

"My dad always complains that the soil's too hard," said Josh Uchimura, whose family is originally from Hawaii.

Radcliff agreed, saying that the desert soil is "terrible."

Some gardeners choose to make compost piles, which enrich the arid soil.

Cody Aitken, a student in Tombstone High School's advanced agricultural science class, said his family uses manure, coffee grounds and eggshells, while local gardener Kathy Curtis said gardeners can use almost anything decomposable. She adds leaves, moldy hay, peelings and shredded paper to her pile.

Knowing what to grow in the desert can help yield more fruitful crops, said Donald Slack, a professor of agriculture and biosystems engineering at the University of Arizona. He recommended growing citrus, but not bothering with apple, pear or almond trees because they need colder climates. He also said giving plants plenty of water is key.

"The main thing one needs to do for any vegetable crop in the desert is to water it adequately from March until the beginning of July, when we get very little rain," he said.

"I had my whole garden fry one summer," said John Sundstrom, a retired photographer. "If you do a vegetable garden, you really have to do it in the shade."

A few gardeners have built greenhouses to grow their vegetables. Curtis, who works at Cochise College, built one out of PVC pipe and shade cloth. The greenhouse is 12 feet wide by 28 feet long and is home to many vegetables such as peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes.

"The greenhouse helps," Curtis said. "I usually don't have to worry about the sun scorching anything."

Curtis uses rye hay or straw to keep moisture in. She said she can grow lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and peas year-round, and everything else will keep growing into November or December.

Many Tombstone High School students whose families garden reported going to the store more often in winter, when it's harder to grow produce. The 15-minute commute to Sierra Vista for groceries didn't seem to bother most.

Some students said their parents go to the store about twice a week, while others go as little as once a month.

Sundstrom, a Tombstone resident, sometimes eats dandelion leaves, which are rich in B vitamins.

"You just eat the dark leaves and put a little bit in your salad, otherwise it's too bitter," he said.

Sundstrom tries to keep his produce fresh for as long as possible. He said lettuce goes bad the fastest, and recommended drying the head thoroughly before closing it tightly in plastic bags and putting it in the refrigerator crisper.
Other gardeners had their own methods of keeping produce fresh.

Curtis said she has more than one refrigerator in her house, so she can hold more food in the crisper sections.

John Brooks, a Tombstone High School student, said his family buys mostly organic, while many other students said they buy frozen produce.

Joanie Cowden, a para-educator at the high school, tried using green bags that absorb food's gasses, but didn't think they worked any better than regular bags.

Amanda Telles, Tombstone High School's agricultural science teacher, said she thinks there are actually more ranchers than farmers in the Tombstone area. She knows a lot of people who value fresh meat and eggs as well as produce.