Gardening help and tips

Hi everybody, I need your help. We are moving to Spain in 6 months time and I would like to bring some raised trough beds to grow my own veg, salads and spices. We will be living just outside Albox, and a friend of ours said that because of the heat and bugs and especially the lack of water, it would be almost impossible to grow these thing. I really would like to be self sufficient in a small way, and this kill joy seems to have put a dampener on that, could you help raise my spirits again. please

Provided you have a good irrigation system you should be fine. The only lack of water here is from the sky. We have successfully grown tomatoes (cherry and salad) and lettuce. For herbs, we have found you need to keep them in a shady place. Rosemary grows wild everywhere and seems to thrive in all conditions but things like parsley and oregano need to be kept shady or they will burn off despite how much water you put on them. Garlic is also easy (haven't tried onions as they seem to give them away in the shops). Small chilli type peppers also seem to thrive.

And don't forget the fruit. Obviously citrus like orange and lemon thrive but we have a small (in a pot) pomegranate bush which was (what we thought) an ornamental flower just a couple of inches high when we bought it. After 2 years, it is producing fruit like nobody's business. We decided to keep it in a large pot after a neighbours one suddenly took off and grew about 10 ft high with a 20 ft spread. The large pot we use keeps it to a manageable 5 ft either way although the fruit is somewhat smaller (but still lovely and juicy).

The tomatoes need feeding with a liquid fertiliser and the lettuce need constant spraying (at least every 2 months) against slugs and other pests but we get so much from one long trough that we end up giving them away to neighbours.

Good advice from Mariedav, me if it grows then I am lucky, if it don't thats what I expect.

The other thing is you are coming to live in Spain anyway so why let some kill joy ruin it over some vegetable troughs etc, if you take to much notice of what many say then nothing would have ever been done, past or present, where's the lack of water for instance, you do have a tap, don't you?

Bring them, do your own thing, if it works great, if it don't the only thing you can say is "At least I tried" which is a whole lot more then the killjoy would have done by the sound of things.

Good luck, I know Suffolk very well, just don't expect the same amount of rain though.

Don't think this friend is being a kill joy but logical for many villages in the Albox area of Spain are without water for days, even weeks so knowing how a tap works is not necessarily going to solve the problem .  This problem is frequently highlighted on the forum local to this area.

If one lives near the coast being self sufficient is easier as the moisture from the sea makes everything bloom. But not so if living inland. The heat from the sun for 6 months of the year bounces off the arid earth and is extreme so to survive, let alone thrive,  plants need to be in constant shade and with constant , mega expensive, watering.

Suggest OP wait until he relocates before making any decisions.

Thank you to Mariedav, Baz1946 and Floella for your comments, I will take them all on board. The 2 raised trough beds I have are 4' long and 2' wide and 18" deep. I intend to grow spuds, peas,carrots,Toms, lettuce, peppers + a few spices, and like you say if you don't try you don't get. If it all goes wrong then at least I tried, once again thank you