The mag  “biblical  Archaeology Review” in1985 published a story about the Sinia,  part of which described Bedouin orchards there.  As the copyright is apparently owned by the author I cant reproduce it here but I am taking a liberty with a picture.  These are located at 4,000 to 6,500 foot elevation between impervious granite mountains.  Water runoff collects in the valley, underground .  a well taps into the water to irrigate the orchard and garden about 1 acre or less, where they grow aprox 1,600 lbs of fruit and a veg plot of 500 to 600 sq feet.  While figs aren’t the main crop the fact that they grow so much in a inhospitable area is interesting.  The pix is a cross section of a typical valley and a chart of produce grown. 

It makes me wonder what they would grow with more rain and land.

Hi William,

Thanks for sharing the article. I will have to look it up. I spent six months in Israel and took a trip to Sinai! Was the water collected underground in a cistern? Modern Israel is advanced in their technology when it comes to irrigation but there are still wonders about how they produced some crops back then with limited rainfall.

Dry gardening has always been an interest of mine. You might try reading Steve Solomon. A lot about limited rainfall has to do with plant spacing. The farther apart they are the better so that the plants can spread their roots and soak up water during the rainy season and don't have to compete with plants of the same or different kind close by.

Cisterns to be used for irrigation were a must in the climate of Sinai but how their techniques are still a mystery.

The cistern is in the geology the well taps into the underground water trapped in the valley. I read somewhere that they used rocks as a mulch to limit evaporation.  i can email you to rest of the art. I didnt want to post a copyrighted story. 
bill e Md.