Growing food in the southwest mountains: A permaculture approach to home gardening above 6,500 feet in Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado and southern Utah 3rd edition

If you live in the mountains of the Southwestern USA, from Flagstaff to Southern Colorado, this book is a must-have. It is packed with strategies and tips specific to the unique challenges that face gardeners in this area. Not to say that it is the ONLY book you need. But it is an indispensible companion for more general, non region-specific works like Gaia's Garden.

The agricultural concept of permaculture is what enables gardeners to grow food crops under almost all environmental circumstances including areas affected by high winds, intense sunlight, cold nights, insect infestations, water restrictions, and many other agriculturally relevant conditions. In "Growing Food In The Southwest Mountains", author and gardening expert Lisa Rayner provides expert commentary on issues and challenges gardeners can face with respect to soil conditions low in organic matter due to compositions of clay, sand, and volcanic cinder; precipitation ranges of 18 to 25 inches annual (or less under conditions of drought as now afflicts the southwestern United States); high altitudes and large day-night temperature swings; windy weather commonly encountered in spring and fall dry seasons; as well as 'pest' animals, birds and insects. Focusing on home gardening conditions common to altitudes above 6,500 feet in Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Colorado, and Southern Utah, "Growing Food In The Southwest Mountains" is an essential and very highly recommended instructional introduction to successful gardening throughout this region -- as well as invaluable for gardening efforts under similar conditions elsewhere throughout the country.

This book is a great reference and introduction to the ways to work with the natural challenges of growing food in the high-elevation southwest. I am in Santa Fe, NM and have found many of these techniques and plant list suggestions invaluable. Many other gardening books are based on experience in more temperate, moist climates with totally different soil conditions. This book fits those of us without the benefit of regular rainfall and decent soil. Small format book, decent illustrations and planting suggestions.

This book is simply the best book out there on the subject of growing food in the mountains of the Southwest. Author Lisa Rayner is a real perfectionist who goes the extra mile to get her facts straight. In this third edition of her now-classic permaculture text, her attention to detail is beautifully combined with the helpful illustrations of Zack Zdinack into a well-organized guide that has become even more indispensable as the need to grow more of our food locally has become more intense. This book not only explains how to grow food in an arid, high-altitude climate, but also how to do so in a way that works with nature using permaculture techniques. Even if you have never heard of permaculture, you will learn how to follow nature's examples to succeed at growing food in a harsh environment. As with Rayner's other book The Sunny Side of Cooking - Solar cooking and other ecologically friendly cooking methods for the 21st centurythis book on growing food is well researched and contains an extensive list of resources. In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I am the author's husband. (In 2009, Lisa Rayner published another book about food. This one is called Wild Bread - Handbaked sourdough artisan breads in your own kitchen)