[Arid_gardener] New to the Desert

[Renee Zuck]

Hi,

I'm new to the desert and gardening in general and I've got a few 
questions.

First, we are putting in a raised bed vegetable garden using railroad 
ties.  This area previously had bermuda grass which we dug up and are 
planning to put down some soil acidifier, then a weed cloth and then 
topsoil.  We are planning to place plastic around the railroad ties to 
limit the creosote etc. that might leach.  They are fairly old ties.  
  
Do you have any other suggestions for keeping the bermuda grass at 
bay?  

What should we do with the dirt and Bermuda grass that we've dug up?  
Can it be composted?  Should we just throw it away?  Can we separate 
out the grass and then use the remaining dirt as fill in for the 
vegetable bed?

Do you have any other suggestions for the railroad ties in terms of 
limiting creosote leaching?

We have a jacaranda tree that we just had planted.  It has some 
branches growing out very close to the base of the trunk.  Is it OK to 
prune these or should I wait until the tree is more settled?

I also have a mesquite tree whose branches are blocking part of the 
entryway to our house.  
Is it OK to prune now, should I wait until the tree goes dormant?  
Should I use tree seal when I prune or just leave the cut alone?  I've 
read desert gardening books that have differing opinions on this.

I guess I'm kind of a perfectionist and am just afraid of making a 
mistake or killing one of my plants.  Please forgive this wordy 
message.  I would appreciate if you could help me out with my 
questions.

Thank you,

Renee