Zen of Gardening in the High & Arid West Tips, Tools, and Techniques

by Wann, David

• ISBN13: 9781555914578
• ISBN10: 1555914578
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-04-01
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing

Summary

"The Zen of Gardening in the High and Arid West is a friendly and invaluable guide to such topics as strategic gardening (how to coax fruits and vegetables from a sun-parched garden), pest-proof planting (how to protect those disappearing bulbs), choosing the right varieties of edibles for the region (apples, snow peas, tomatoes, etc.), how to become a seed-starting maniac, and a "Farmer's Almanac approach to gardening (plant peas when the first cottonwood leaves appear!).

Author Biography

David Wann is a master gardener and holds a Master's degree in environmental science. He is the author of Deep Design and a co-author of the acclaimed Affluenza. He has written for Colorado Country Life magazine as well as several newspapers. He lives in a co-housing community in Golden, Colorado, where he continues to help establish a community garden and orchard.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction: The Zen of Gardening	xi
SECTION I
HOW TO GROW A GARDENER IN ONE SHORT LIFETIME OR LESS
Symptoms of Garden Fever
Thumbs with a Tinge of Green	2	(7)
Lessons from America's Master Farmers
When Gandhi Says "Go"	9	(8)
The Politics of Gardening
Productive Gardens, Productive Lives	17	(4)
What Good Is a Garden?
Decomposing Life's Struggles	21	(3)
Recipes for a Community Garden
Neighborhoods, Skills, and Health	24	(7)
Botanical Archeology
Gardening in the Present	31	(3)
SECTION II
THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE RECONNECTING BODY AND SOIL
Building Soil in the Dead of Winter
No Rest for a Weary Gardener	34	(3)
WHAT EXACTLY IS SOIL?	37	(2)
Cover It!
Mulches and Cover Crops	39	(4)
A Menu of Organic Fertilizers
Gourmet Treats to Build Your Soil	43	(2)
What Natives Know
The Right Plants for the Right Places	45	(1)
Reading the Signs
Gardening on Both Sides of the Brain	46	(1)
Sixteen Rules of Thumb for Zen Gardeners of the West
Mindfulness in the Garden	47	(5)
THE SECRET LIVES OF PLANTS: SEX AND DEATH IN THE GARDEN	52	(4)
SECTION III
STRATEGIC GARDENING HOW TO GROW PESTO, SALSA, AND CHERRY PIE
Sandlots and Garden Plots
The Best-Laid Plans	56	(1)
How to Become a Seed-Starting Maniac
All It Takes Is Time and Care	57	(6)
In It for the Pie
Fruit Trees and Fly-Fishing	63	(3)
Panning for Garlic
A Western Gem	66	(3)
Don't Let Onions Make You Cry!
Avoiding Harvest Heartbreak	69	(3)
Making Your Yard Look Good Enough to Eat
Edible Landscaping for High and Dry Yards	72	(3)
The Festival of Spears
Asparagus More than just a Pretty Fern	75	(2)
How to Grow Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Planning a Meal Six Months Ahead	77	(3)
Plants that Like Each Other
Companions in the Ground and on the Plate	80	(3)
Garden Pests I Have Known
Brontosauruses in the Garden	83	(3)
How (and Why) to Grow Gourmet Salad
Colorful Weeds and Other Delights	86	(3)
Planting the Winter Garden
Are We Crafty or Crazy?	89	(3)
Making Your Garden "International Soil"
Nutrients from All over the World	92	(3)
The Snack Food Garden
Guilt free Indulgence	95	(3)
The Pea, an Early American Tradition
If Peas Could Talk	98	(4)
Learning the Language of Potatoes
Sshhh-The Potatoes Are Sleeping	102	(4)
Fort Collins, Colorado: Artichoke Capital of the Rockies?
And They Said It Couldn't Be Done	106	(3)
Winter Gardening with Cold Frames and Solar Pods
Like Sailboats, They're Powered by Nature	109	(3)
Invite Herbs Indoors for the Winter
But Don't Invite the Whiteflies	112	(6)
SECTION IV
ORNAMENTALS FOR THE WEST FLOWERS, TREES, AND SHRUBS THAT TAKE A LICKING AND KEEP ON TICKING
Creating a Living Landscape at Harmony Village Community
Plant List for High and Dry Places	118	(3)
Persistent Petals
Perennial Flowers that Bloom More than a Month	121	(3)
Wintergreen
Deciduous Green Shrubs for the Cold Months	124	(3)
Firecrackers in Your Flowerbed
Petunias, a Celebration of Summer	127	(4)
Invasion of the Land Snatchers
Public Enemies to Weed Out of Your Garden	131	(3)
Landscaping for Dollars and Sense
Conserving Energy with Your Green Thumb	134	(4)
Notes from a Colorado Rain Forest
Long-Lived House Plants for Your Living Room	138	(3)
Solving the Case of the Disappearing Dwarf Bulbs
The Evidence May Point Back to Your Hose	141	(3)
Poinsettia Perfection
A Second Year's Bloom, If You're Lucky	144	(3)
The Ancient Art of Flower Drying and Pressing
Advice from Two Masters	147	(3)
And the Winners Are...
Blue-Ribbon Choices from the Plant Select Program	150	(2)
Trees and Shrubs We Can Count On
Champions of the High and Arid West	152	(6)
A Winter Tour of the Denver Botanic Gardens
The Exotic (Inside) and the Hardy (Outside)	158	(6)
SECTION V
ZEN MASTERS OF THE WEST HARVESTING 500 YEARS OF WESTERN GARDENING EXPERIENCE
Solar Greenhouses that Grow People
Shane Smith's Cheyenne Botanic Garden	164	(4)
Images of an Heirloom Garden
Bill Simpson's Golden Backyard	168	(3)
A Masterful Focus
Mary Ellen Keskimaki's Precision Tips and Techniques	171	(5)
Farms the Size of Tennis Courts?
John Jeavons' Vision of Biointensive Growing	176	(4)
100 Short Years of Agricultural History
Boulder's Basil King and Agricultural Geographer	180	(2)
Paradise by the Railroad Tracks
Gardening as a Way of Life for Butcher Ray Oletski	182	(3)
Choose and Cut
Keeping a Christmas Tradition Alive	185	(3)
Bringing the Farm to the Community, and the Community to the Farm
Life at the Cresset Farm	188	(2)
A Dry Sense of Humor
Jim Knopf's Waterwise Garden Tips	190	(5)
No Expectations, No Blame
Pat Baker's High-Altitude Rock Garden	195	(5)
Wizards of Seed
Ken Vetting, Third-Generation Seed Merchant	200	(3)
Gardens for People, Gardens for Peace
Converting Knives to Garden Trowels	203	(5)
Recommended Reading	208	(2)
Resources for Seeds and Supplies	210	(2)
Index	212	(8)
About the Author	220