Suzie's comment on the blackberry thread has got me thinking.   Most varities of black berries don't do real well in the desert.  Mullberry trees produce a similar fruit, and appear better suited to our drier and usually less acidic soils. 

Is anyone growing mullberries in the desert?   Any suggestions or observations?

Just be forewarned- some mulberries are messy when the fruit falls. Don't plant them near anywhere you sit or anything you don't want stained.
And the raccoons and bushy tailed tree rats will come from all over.

When people say "desert" a lot of people assume Arizona, or Nevada. I live in Idaho, and although I'm surrounded by mountains, my growing climate is similar to a desert. Dry, windy, and a below 30% humidity unless it snows. I have mulberry tree growing. My observation is simple. Water. I have a "snake mister" not sprinkler. It mist water. It's actually my secret to growing fig tree in my yard. It gets so dry here, your skin is itchy. My mulberries do very well. I fertilize and water. Truthfully I neglect mine. It does fine

Thanks for the information folks.  

I cut down four very large fruitless mullberry trees in my back yard last year to make room for my fig hedge.   I have 4 varieties of blackberries in another area, but even with four varieties, the harvest season for them will be like...8 weeks tops.

I have read that there are everbearing mullberry trees that produce fruit from June through October.   Since the over all goal for everything I grow is to produce fresh food for as much of the year as I can, it seems like a no brainer.  

I have also read that these trees can get HUGE (like the ones I cut down).  But they can also survive heavy pruning, (like fig trees) and be kept small.   Hence  the nursery rythme...."Here we go 'round the mullberry bush."  (Or something like that).

Does anyone know how they respond to heavy pruning  and if they still fruit?

From my experience they respond well to pruning, and I know folks that pollard them, but you might consider a Geraldi Dwarf they stay real small and in AZ you might be able to grow Morus Nigra many which retain a bush shape, and Nigra Have the best Flavor so although it isn’t recommended to do well in my area I have one on order.  Illinois Everbearing and that type are very vigorous growers. If you are interested in some you can contact me.

I grow Illinois ever bearing, it produces fruit for extended period in summer. I also grow collier, similar to Illinois ever bearing in size but bears one big crop early summer. I also have Greece a sweet white variety that bears a nice crop early summer. Pakistan is not very hardy in my area and dies back every year.

Say Bass, is are your trees in the ground or in container?  I just got 2 Mulberry trees yesterday, Pakistan and Illinois Everbearing.  I know these things can get big.  I got room to plant them and maybe the coons will stay away from my figs once these trees start putting out fruit.

I have 5 mulberry trees but they only get big if you let them.  Because they bear on new wood you can prune them as hard as you want to and keep them as a bush.   They do draw tree rats and I take advantage of that to thin both the squirrels and the raccoon's.   

I got one tree with a white and a black mulberries that I grafted to save space. I prune them back twice a year. In summer after they bear, then in late winter again. They stay about 12' tops. As far as the mess goes, white mulberries have no stain, the dark ones I pick as soon as they turn deep purple. Never had an issue.

Dennis they are in ground. Still have a few types in containers

Dennis
You should be OK in ground in Zone 8a.
I am in Zone 5a with Illinois Everbearing in ground. It is thriving here. However, I am disappointed with the term 'everbearing'. It is pseudo-everbearing meaning that all fruit embryos are formed at about the same time, however, the embryos ripen gradually at different times. So, if some factors accelerate the ripening, the season can be short.

Dave, on Thanksgiving a forum member gave me a rooted cutting of a dwarf, weeping mulberry, so if I can manage to keep from killing it I'll let you know how it likes the climate in Tucson.

I have 2 types of Mulberry trees here in Vermont, 2 are Ill,.everbearing and the others are from white mulberry seeds,trees are in 3rd year and 15 ft tall, all have taken temps to 30 below 0. Rex