What this guide covers
The Southwest spans USDA hardiness zones 4a through 10a (the widest zone range of any regional guide in this series) with frost-free growing seasons ranging from 107 days in zone 4a to 297 days in the low-desert valleys of southern Arizona. The unifying constraint is aridity: annual rainfall across the region averages 3–15 inches, and summer afternoon temperatures routinely exceed 110°F in the low desert. Vegetable production operates within two distinct windows separated by the extreme summer heat.
The book contains 22,000 words across these sections:
Month-by-month planting calendars
Three sub-regional schedules (Low Desert, High Desert, Intermountain) addressing the fundamental split between fall-winter-spring production in the low desert and the compressed summer window at higher elevations. The Low Desert calendar specifies a monsoon-season planting window (July–August) that other regions lack entirely.
25+ vegetable profiles
Variety recommendations selected for heat tolerance (sustained temperatures above 105°F), drought adaptation, and alkaline soil performance (pH 7.5–8.5 is typical across the region). Each profile includes water requirements in gallons per week for desert conditions.
Regional growing strategies
- Dual growing season architecture: cool fall-winter-spring window (primary production) and monsoon summer window (heat-tolerant crops only), with quantified transition timing by sub-region
- Water-wise irrigation engineering: drip system design, olla placement patterns, mulch-depth specifications, and deficit-irrigation thresholds for established crops
- Alkaline soil and caliche management: gypsum amendment rates, sulfur acidification schedules, and container alternatives for impenetrable caliche layers
- Shade cloth specifications by crop type: 30% shade for fruiting crops, 50% for greens, with installation timing by sub-region
- Monsoon season strategies: harvesting summer rains, managing flash-flood drainage, and timing fall plantings to monsoon soil moisture
Who this guide is for
Gardeners in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, or West Texas (USDA zones 4a–10a) who need planting schedules and irrigation strategies built for arid, alkaline, high-heat conditions.
The guide includes variety recommendations for arid Southwest conditions. Available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon. Not sure which zone you garden in? Enter your ZIP code on the Gardening by Zone home page to look it up.