Are you looking for some helpful gardening books to reference? Here is a list of books chocked full of useful information that makes gardening easier in the desert.
Informative Desert Gardening Books
Everything from an exhaustive list of plants to grow in dry climates, vegetable gardening in hostile environments, companionship planting, selecting drought tolerant plants, these are gardening books we’ve found to be the most helpful especially for desert gardening.
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9 Gardening Books You’ll Want to Reference Again and Again
- Extreme Gardening: How to Grow Organic in the Hostile Deserts
One of the first books we purchased on desert gardening and still one of our favorites is Extreme Gardening: How to Grow Organic in the Hostile Deserts, by David Owens.
2. Desert Gardening
Desert Gardening by George Brookbank is another gardening book I purchased early on.
3. Month-By-Month Gardening in the Deserts of Arizona: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year
Another great reference book for desert gardening is Month-By-Month Gardening in the Deserts of Arizona: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year by Mary Irish.
4. All New Square Foot Gardening, 3rd Edition, Fully Updated: MORE Projects – NEW Solutions – GROW Vegetables Anywhere
Not specific to desert gardening, but if you want to grow a lot of vegetables in a small space All New Square Foot Gardening, 3rd Edition, Fully Updated: MORE Projects – NEW Solutions – GROW Vegetables Anywhere by Mel Bartholomew may interest you.
I love using the principles of square foot gardening and this is a great reference book.
5. Hot Color, Dry Garden: Inspiring Designs and Vibrant Plants for the Waterwise Gardener
If you’re looking for some garden design inspiration the book Hot Color, Dry Garden: Inspiring Designs and Vibrant Plants for the Waterwise Gardener by Nan Sterman has some great drought tolerant plant designs.
6. Landscape Plants For Dry Regions: More Than 600 Species From Around The World
More like an encyclopedia of plants for dry regions, Landscape Plants For Dry Regions: More Than 600 Species From Around The World by Warren Jones and Charles Sacamano has a wealth of information.
This was one of the first gardening books I purchased and one of the few I still own.
7. Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening
My mom’s garden was never in neat tidy rows instead she interplanted flowers, herbs and vegetables together. It wasn’t until I was an adult I realized she was just using the principles of companion planting.
Not specifically for the desert, but this all around great gardening book Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening, is full of useful information to reference when planting your vegetable garden.
8. Growing Vegetables in Drought, Desert & Dry Times: The Complete Guide to Organic Gardening without Wasting Water
A guidebook on organic gardening in dry, desert areas. Growing Vegetables in Drought, Desert & Dry Times: The Complete Guide to Organic Gardening without Wasting Water, by Maureen Gilmer.
9.The Old Farmer’s Almanac Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook
The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been around since the late 1700’s. Today, The Old Farmer’s Almanac Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook is still one of the most widely used gardening encyclopedias.