Growing Food In the High Desert Country [Paperback]

Julie Behrend Weinberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1985

Growing Food in the High Desert Country is a comprehensive gardening book with emphasis on growing vegetables. The author seeks to help the high desert dweller cope with the problems of raising plants in a dry land. From practical experience, she learned that her familiar East coast gardening techniques were not suitable to the high country so she developed the special methods given in this book. In addition to vegetables, Ms. Weinberg discusses various aspects of fruit tree culture in the high desert and drought-tolerant perennials, shrubs and trees. A special chapter on common garden pests tells how to control them without the use of commercial pesticides.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...an excellent intro to the vagaries of high desert gardening. Sensible, concise, thorough." -- THE NEW MEXICAN, May 23, 1993

"Nice supplement to more general gardening books." -- BOOKS OF THE SOUTHWEST, March 1986

About the Author

JULIE BEHREND WEINBERG studied organic horticulture and agriculture at Goddard College. She has written weekly garden columns for both the SANTA FE REPORTER and THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN.

Product Details

• Paperback: 95 pages
• Publisher: Sunstone Press; 1st edition (December 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865340668
• ISBN-13: 978-0865340664
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, practical, informative, February 10, 2009

By 

J. V. Lewis (secure undisclosed location) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Growing Food In the High Desert Country (Paperback)

My farm is at nearly 7000 feet elevation in southern Utah, and if I met the author right now I'd take a red-sand-stained $100 bill out of my daughter's saving account and give it to her. I love this practical, informative, to-the-point, no-nonsense book. It addresses my high-desert farming needs perfectly. We have had great success modeling our soil-building program on this book's advice, and, when everything seems hopeless after a June freeze or a drying windstorm, we often turn to it for feet-on-the-ground wisdom, always encouraging and bracingly realistic. It doesn't look like much, and the editing is pretty bad, but the contents are GOLDEN. I highly recommend for vegetable gardens and small farms in the high, dry intermountain West. Thanks!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Growing Food in the High Desert Country, August 2, 2009

By 

Alphina Chung (Reno, NV, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Growing Food In the High Desert Country (Paperback)

I found that this book fits my quest for growing vegetables in the high deserts of north Reno, Nevada. Our home is at the 5700-foot level. While the book addresses high desert growing in the southwest - Arizona and New Mexico, the author discusses all the growing issues that apply to Nevada as well. We also have poor clay-like or sandy soil, high winds and about 4-5 months of growing season with limited water supply.

The author clearly addresses all the issues of growing in the high desert. The soft bound book is thorough, concise, and easy to read. It is a good source for high altitude gardening.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short, sweet and to the point, June 9, 2008

By 

Stormdancer "iduna_stormdancer" (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Growing Food In the High Desert Country (Paperback)

This is not a coffee table book. What it is: a helpful guide written by someone who obviously has faced the challenges of growing food in the high desert. I'm currently a Midwestern gardener planning to move to the (you guessed it) high desert. This book gives me the facts I need to know what I'm getting into and how to work with the soil and climate of the area. I know this book will be front and center on my bookshelf - and out in the garden.