Growing Food in the Southwest Mountains - Table of Contents
Preface, by Dr. Gary Paul Nabhan
Introduction
This book is written primarily for gardeners who live in the Ponderosa pine transition zone around 7,000 feet in altitude. However, most of the information is also applicable to lower elevation Pinyon-Juniper woodlands and higher elevation Spruce-Fir forests. Ecological farming and gardening techniques suited to the Colorado Plateau and other high-altitude locations in the Southwest include ways to conserve water and heat, and shelter crops from sun, wind and local pest animals.
Chapter 1: The Future of Food in the Southwest Mountains
The end of industrial agriculture is in sight
Food miles & beyond
Peak everything
What all this means to us
The Transition Town Movement
Recreating local food systems in the Southwest
Community land access & cooperative gardening
Urban/suburban foraging
Chapter 2: Our Changing Southwestern Climate
Regional climatic basics
Our cold semi-arid climate characteristics
The year in Southwestern weather
Understanding microclimates
Natural climatic variability in the Southwest
Historical variability
Climate change trends in the Southwest
Climate change & gardening in the Southwest
Chapter 3: Permaculture Design for High Altitude Gardens
Learning from nature
High-altitude Southwestern eco-communities
Energy in permaculture gardens
Observation & sector analysis
Creating permaculture zones
Permaculture design & implementation priorities
Biointensive mini-farming
Chapter 4: Food Crops for the High Altitude Southwest
Self-seeding & invasive species
Plant charts with detailed planting information
Cool season perennials
Cool season annuals, biennials, & perennials grown as annuals
Warm season perennials
Warm season annuals & perennials grown as annuals
Cool food for a cool climate
Lost crops of the Incas
Sustainable regional trade items
Chapter 5: Creating Garden Eco-communities
Permaculturalists are naturalists
What is a guild?
How to create a guild
Wild animals in permaculture gardens
Pollinators of the Arizona-New Mexico highlands
Sample guilds for the high-altitude Southwest
Domesticated livestock in the permaculture garden
Make your garden hospitable to insect-eating wild birds
Chapter 6: Creating Healthy Soil
Soil, society & the Southwest
Our local soils & the ideal garden loam
Soil pH in the high altitude Southwest
Macronutrients & micronutrients
Soil salinity
The soil microbiome
Creating good garden soil
Making good compost
Improving soil with fungi & growing edible mushrooms
Protecting soil
The importance of garden mulch in the Southwest
Organic fertilizers & crop rotation
Chapter 7: Water is Life
The overpopulation of the West
Water catchment & storage
Greywater reuse
Low-water-use & drought-tolerant crops
Efficient distribution of water in the garden
Prevent evapotranspiration
Chapter 8: Sheltering Your Garden from the Weather
Cold climate gardening in the Southwest
Sunlight, shade & summer heat
Protecting plants from wind
Fireproofing your permaculture garden
Hail & heavy rain
Chapter 9: “Pests” in the Permaculture Garden
Insects & other small invertebrates
Bacterial, fungal & viral diseases
Mammal & bird pests
“Weeds” in permaculture gardens
Chapter 10: The High Altitude Gardener’s Year
Winter
Growing annual vegetables & herbs in the winter
The seed & plant biodiversity crisis
Choosing hardy seeds for high altitude gardening
Spring
Indoor seed germination
Raising seedlings indoors
Outdoor planting timetables
Transplanting seedlings outdoors
Summer
Fall
Seed saving
A Southwest mountains harvest seasons calendar
Chapter 11: A Brief History of Southwestern Food Traditions
Native tribes of the Rocky Mountains
The Ancestral Puebloans & the Great Drought
The Hopi Tribe
European-American farming in the Flagstaff area
The Mormon experience in the Little Colorado River watershed
Hispanic farming in northern New Mexico & southern Colorado
Other culinary traditions from cold & semi-arid regions
Natural foods cuisine
Appendix A: Glossary of Food Crops
Appendix B: Glossary of Ingredient Substitutions
Appendix C: Resources
End notes
Acknowledgements & About the author
Index
