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Any tips on using produce to grow plants (esp. pond plants) in AZ?

I live in central Arizona. I have a small garden, and will eventually have a small pond/water garden. I like growing things I can (at least theoretically) eat, and... well, I'm very frugal. So, I'm wondering if anyone has tips, success stories, or instructive failures for growing plants from grocery-store produce, seeds sold as food, or other things likely to be cheaper than little packets of seed-sold-as-seed. I'm particularly interested in taro (for the bog portion of my water garden), lotus (for the non-bog portion of my water garden), and sweet potato (probably for the bog, though if it'd grow in the pond...) I'm also interested in any advice on what grocery-sourced plants would tend to grow well in Arizona--hotter-than-<bleep> summers, dry air, alkaline soil, and, well, drought tolerance would be good, I don't always remember to water things as often as I should. If it helps, I have a large Asian market near my house, so I can get some items that might be "exotics" at a normal grocery store. I... actually don't know if I've seen watercress in stores around here. the lotus I'd be going for is, well, whatever they have at the Asian market. Probably whatever sort tends to be grown commercially.

Public Comments

1. The only thing I have been successful with is watercress and I started with a already growing plant. I think I might ask the folks at the market if they know anyone who does what you want to do. You can grow lotus from seed, but it takes years and years.
2. Just buy a bunch of watercress fro a greengrocer / supermatket, trim 1/2 inch off the bottom of the stalks and throw it in the pond. It will grow like wildfire.
3. I live in central TX where we have grossly alkaline water/soil (~pH10) and hellish heat, so I can sympathize. As far as produce that provides viable seed, I've had success with pomegranates (very well suited for arid alkaline conditions), beans (pinto, anasazi) and hard-rind squashes (spaghetti, acorn, butternut, etc.). If you amend your soil heavily with compost and then mulch heavily once planted, this will help the plants considerably. Also, water chestnuts are probably a wiser option than lotus, but I'm not sure if you're going for a specific lotus or not. Arid crops worth considering: Prickly pear (get a sweet cultivar) Amaranth Pinto beans Lentils Petin peppers Melons