Adaptation

In the effort of getting things to grow well in the desert, I have to deal with the necessity of adapting plants to this environment, not just adapting the environment to be hospitable to plants. 

My plan for the solarium has been to make it 60 ft long. However, I think I'll reduce that by 10 ft and leave more space behind the structure for outdoor gardening. Plants adapt well to new environments, if introduced to the new environment gradually. So, if I start plant indoors and move them outdoors over time, they should adapt. I know some will adapt and others won't. Especially over several generations of the same plant species, I believe it would be possible to adapt them to a desert environment. 

One of the biggest keys to this is definitely going to be harvesting my own seeds. Store bought seeds will work to start with. However, most store seeds are from plants grown in a less harsh environment. 

There's no question plants will still require the same nutrients for growth. Otherwise, they will not produce anything or very little. One likelihood will be planting lots of bean crops (legumes) for N fixation in the soil and rotating crops. I've seen produce grown in this area and most of it looks rather weak and stunted. I'd like to overcome that tendency of desert growth in food plants. However, that part will likely come back to adjusting the environment by planting trees or taller crops alternating with shorter crops. It may be necessary to include low bushes as wind breaks.

If I have any success with this, the seeds can be distributed as adapted to this environment. It would help in many places across the world which has such a harsh climate. Maybe I'll fail at it but it's definitely worth the effort to attempt.