The Chihuahuan Desert, long a corridor for trade between Mexico City and Santa Fe, New Mexico, is now home to five million people. The Rio Grande basin covers 172,000 square miles, crossing three U.S. states, more than a dozen Native American nations and five Mexican states.
Plant Answers. PLANT: March is a month to plant the gardener's favorite vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet corn and snap beans and pepper as well as cucumbers, lima or butter beans, cantaloupe, okra (if the soil has warmed sufficiently --70 degrees F. or higher), southern peas, pumpkin, squash, peanuts and watermelon.
Statewide Crops. Annual vegetables common to home gardens, such as tomatoes, green beans, peppers and corn, do well anywhere in the state. Plant tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) from May 5 to June 15. Try Amish Paste, Brandywine or Matt's Wild Cherry varieties.