5 Best Arizona Gardening Books
Information about growing in Arizona’s low desert can be challenging. My choices for the best Arizona gardening books share the wisdom of experienced gardeners in the West’s unique climate, including the low desert of Arizona.
Although Arizona’s climate can be extreme, it is an outstanding climate for gardening. Gardening year-round is possible in the low desert of Arizona, but learning how to deal with Arizona’s unique challenges helps you succeed.
Best Arizona Gardening Books
“Month-by-Month Gardening in the Deserts of Arizona” by Mary Irish
“What to do each month to have a beautiful garden all year.” Mary Irish shares her knowledge in this “when-to” and “how-to” book for Arizona gardeners. My copy of Month-by-Month Gardening in the Deserts of Arizona is dog-eared and referenced all the time. It’s a great resource for vegetable gardening, perennials, roses, trees, cactus, and more. If you garden in Arizona, this book will demystify the process and help you be successful.
“Southwest Fruit & Vegetable Gardening” by Jacqueline Soule
This book includes growing information for over 50 edibles. In addition, it includes region-specific planting advice and plant care tips tailored to the Southwest.
Another valuable part of Southwest Fruit & Vegetable Gardening is that it is divided into warm and cool-season plantings, which helps you know when the listed plant will grow best.
“Western Garden Book of Edibles” by Sunset Publishing
‘Sunset’ Western Garden Book of Edibles, The Complete A to Z Guide to Growing Your Own Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits. This book begins with an overview of the West’s climate zones, and covers the unique challenges of each one. With the extensive plant listings, it’s simple to tell which plants could grow well in each climate zone. It also includes garden plans for containers and raised beds.
“Arizona Gardener’s Guide” by Mary Irish
Another book by Arizona gardener Mary Irish makes the best Arizona gardening books. Each of the 185 entries in Arizona Gardener’s Guide is for a plant that grows well in Arizona. It discusses which areas of Arizona the plant grows well in, and how to plant, grow, and care for each listed plant.
“Western Garden Book” by Sunset Publishing
This revised and updated edition of the ‘Sunset’ Western Garden Book includes more than eight thousand plant entries. There is detailed information about each of Sunset’s Western climate zones, including updated climate zone information. There are also hundreds of tips and techniques from Sunset’s garden experts.
Bonus selection, “How to Grow Your Own Food”
How to Grow Your Own Food: A Beginner’s Guide to Container Gardening, by Angela Judd (that’s me!). This book teaches you exactly what you need to know and do to get started gardening.
Not Arizona specific, but a general guide to teach you how to start a garden. The book has easy-to-read chapters detailing how to garden in containers.
There are specific growing guides for 50 different vegetables, herbs, fruit, and edible flowers. In addition, there are detailed care instructions and beautiful illustrations of each plant.
Looking for more gardening books? Here are my 5 favorite gardening books.
Want more information about gardening in Arizona? This blog post shares 7 tips for how to grow a vegetable garden in Arizona.
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