Best desert climate gardening books according to redditors

Thanks for your interest, everyone!! First, some background information: I live in a desert (zone 8b), and this is for a community garden. Since it's a community garden, we have limits on what we can and can't install. A regular drip system with timer is not an option.

So, I did a ton of research, and read about olla pots for irrigation, and they seemed like a good idea. I also used this book from the library. Preliminary tests over the winter season were promising enough to expand the system.

Each plot in our garden is roughly 4'x8'. We used a total of six six-inch unglazed terra cotta pots for each plot. We glued the pots together in twos to equal three large ollas. The hardest work was digging and pick axing a trench that is deep enough and roughly twice the width of the pots.

From there, we used PVC to connect a five gallon bucket to each of the pots. Since the pots are unglazed, water will seep out from their entire surface area. The distance the water reaches away from the pots depends largely on how broken up the soil is.

Once all of the PVC glue is dry, we will recover the pots, and run water through the system. We have already tested one plot, and it seems like the water is reaching 3"-6" away from the pots, so we'll plant in that area.

The idea is to reduce evaporation and use less water. If it works, I'll post an update later in the season!!

ETA: The cost for each plot was about $15 for materials. We completed three plots on a Saturday morning with four volunteers.

Succulents (Idiot's Guide)

I got it at the library!

It's definitely a challenge gardening in the desert and it's what I do for a living! Lots of trial and error still to this day and I've lived in the desert for 10 years now.

Here are some books that I have found very helpful:

Perennials for the Southwest

Native Plants for Southwest Landscapes

Arid Plants for Dry Regions

I used to work in a desert botanic garden nursery and these 3 books were our go to books for reference. Bear in mind that your area can get much colder than the low desert but all these books have plant temperature requirements.

But most importantly have fun getting to know the desert and after time you'll see what a magical place it is. If you have the time I recommend exploring the natural areas by hiking, camping or just doing a bit of road tripping. You'll get lots of inspiration and come to an understanding of how unique all the animals and plants are that have had to adapt to such harsh conditions. Winter is great time to explore. No bugs and all the snakes are sleeping! =)

These books might be useful:

https://www.amazon.com/California-Native-Landscape-Homeowners-Restoring/dp/1604692324


https://www.amazon.com/Designing-California-Native-Gardens-Ecological/dp/0520251105/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NQYP2D82BTGM308QXF0D

I've read the first one and can recommend it. They focus on native plants but as a result they discuss what works in different areas of California. As u/walkswithwolfies mentioned you can probably find them at your local library!

This is probably the book you are looking for:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Medicinal-Plants-Peterson-Guides/dp/0395838061

Here are some more good ones for your area:

http://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Desert-Gary-Paul-Nabhan/dp/0816510148/

http://www.amazon.com/Going-Seed-Identifying-Preparing-Southwest/dp/1580960065

http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Native-Plants-Rocky-Mountains/dp/0826303439

I am not an expert but have been growing here for several years and can try to answer questions. But check out gardenweb, it's a great resource.

Gardening here is different than the rest of the country so you might want to pick up a book to learn about the unique soil. This one is old but it's what I've used.

One suggestion is to adopt a durable philosophy that can help you keep sane during the darkest of times. Buddhism (as a philosophy, not a religion) is a decent one, but others such as stoicism might work. I would not recommend heading into a civilizational collapse with no philosophy, with only a survivalist mindset. That won't get you far.

Another would be to pick up a book on Fukuoka farming, aka "lazy farming". It's ingenious, and it can help keep you and your community fed through a number of collapse scenarios:

Sowing Seeds in the Desert


Finally, try to be decent and honest in your personal dealings come what may. Don't lie to yourself, don't lie to others.

Well, depends on the scope of what you're looking for. Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society put out a pretty comprehensive field guide but it's limited to cacti and succulents native to Arizona. Cactiguide has images and taxonomic notes, but it doesn't really have descriptions on how to care for the plants. This book is pretty comprehensive when it comes to Agaves. There are other books specific for different genera, which is why you'll find us plant enthusiasts have multiple books.

Time to rake out the white rocks and dispose of them. If you are satisfied with their appearance you can torch the weeds but the remains will still have to be removed by hand. Better to get rid of them and go with Mother Nature's idea: trees, shrubs and perennials surrounded by mulch.

You can read about the pros and cons of wood chip mulch here:

https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/wood-chips.pdf

It's a good time to invest in a book like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Southwest-Garden-Ornamental-Gardening/dp/1604695218/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502278815&sr=8-2&keywords=southwest+landscape+design+arizona


Or check out your local library. They might have useful reference books like these:

http://faq.gardenweb.com/discussions/2765848/what-are-the-top-10-gardening-books-for-arizona

I know this may be the wrong sub to suggest this, but I had no lawn and xeriscaped when I lived in Phoenix. You live in the desert with low water resources. Embrace it, it can be more beautiful and is much more responsible there than a lawn.

Check out the Desert Botanical Garden for ideas. I had no cactus or lantana in my yard, choosing many varieties of drought resistant and endemic flowers and agave. This book and others like it will also get you started.