Gardening Resources

Rainwater Harvesting from Drylands, by Brad Lancaster, Rainwater Press, Tucson, 2006. This describes how to best preserve and use the little rainwater that we have by molding the earth around your plants, terracing, creating runoff waterways, etc. to capture and hold the water—also called permaculture, dry farming, or non-irrigated gardening. http://www.harvestingrainwater.com/

The Sunset Western Garden Book--The "Gardener's Bible". I found this book used and in good condition at Amazon.com for $.85, plus $3.50 postage! They sell a much bigger and improved current version at Lowe’s for about $31.

Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, by the Staff of Organic Gardening Magazine, published by Rodale Press. This is classic, definitive organic gardening. You can probably get it used at Amazon.com.

Moon Sign Book: A Gardening Almanac and Guide to Conscious Living - Sam Llewellyn £4.79 Planting according to the phases of the moon and lots more!

Acres USA, The Voice of Eco-Agriculture. A great catalog that offers very conscious books in wonderful categories such as Homesteading, Biomagnetism, Gardening, Greenhouses & Hydroponics, Herbs & Herbology, Human Health. Well, you get the picture! It looks amazingly complete! You can call them at 800-355-5313, or go to their website at www.acresusa.com . Suggested by Ravi Singh (Dya Kaur).

Perelandra Flower and Vegetable Remedies, and information for doing the same in your garden! You can reach them at www.perelandra-ltd.com .

Rudolph Steiner Agricultural Remedies—like Back Flower Remedies that you mix with water in a sprayer, then spray over your garden. They give amazing vitality to the area! Fascinating to do a Google search on this “Bio Dynamic Agriculture!” For remedies and recipes for remedies from England, go to http://www.biodynamic.org.uk , then near the very bottom of the page, click on the link “INFO ON HOW TO OBTAIN THEM READY MADE.” A biodynamic (energy?) broadcaster available at http://unionag.net/field.broadcaster.htm If anyone gets this, please let us know all about it!

For more info on working with Devas, you can contact Hari Prem Singh 901-9228, or about the energy of the land and plants, contact Satya Kaur khalsashakti@yahoo.com .

Tony Valdez, our County Extension Agent brought us hand outs. You can find most of them online through the New Mexico State University’s site at http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h, plus anything about gardening in this area that you could possibly want to know! What an amazing variety of information is available just at the click of a computer key!

Santa Fe Botanical Garden celebrates, cultivates, and conserves the rich botanical heritage and biodiversity of our region through programs of education and service to the community. SFBG manages two properties as natural educational preserves: the Ortiz Mountains Educational Preserve and the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve. www.santafebotanicalgarden.org

Alcalde Sustainable Agricultural Center: If you have any questions about growing anything, please feel free to call them at 505-852-4241, or at the extension service at 505-852-2668. Our Rio Arriba County Extension Agent is Tony Valdez. Or just go there to visit! They are about 7 miles north of WalMart, just off the Taos Hwy. Turn left at their NMSU sign on the left side of the road. At that intersection is also a convenience store and a pizza parlor. What an incredible resource!

Ecoversity on Agua Fria may come to give us presentations, and can tell us about creating permaculture with cisterns, swells, terraces, etc.

DRIP IRRIGATION FOR ROW CROPS—This looks like it is for farmers rather than homeowners.

GRANITE SEEDS--a great on-line commercial source for all kinds of good, fresh grass seeds, erosion control and so on.

www.Gardeners.com All kinds of useful stuff for the garden such as solar pumps for your water feature, compost containers, and so much more. Although their full name is “Gardeners Supply,” this is the site that Tarn Taran so whole heartedly uses!

Garcia Landscape Materials in Velarde, 505-852-2569. They deliver topsoil, which is rich in mushroom compost (full truckload of 6 cubic yards, $230), plus many other ground materials such as gravel, stone, manure, etc. You can split a truckload, which would split the cost of delivery—about $40, or get a partial truckload and pay full delivery.

Garcia Landscaping in Velarde—tell Bobby Garcia that Kartar Singh sent you! 852-2569. Among many things for your garden (topsoil, sand, rocks, gravel, etc.) they will deliver dairy manure, which may be about 3% rocks and dirt. If composted correctly, the heat will break down the antibiotics and other medicines that they are fed. They charge about $40 for delivery, plus whatever you order. You can share a truckload with a friend, and thereby split the delivery fee with them.

High Country Gardens (with catalog) which is part of Santa Fe Greenhouses for xeriscape plants, garden material and knowledge. 505-473-2700

Plants of the Southwest on Agua Fria is probably the best source of native plants, and may send us speakers. 505-538-8888

Country Farm Supply--in Espanola on Riverside sort of across from Valley National Bank. They have lots of kinds of grass seeds, tools, garden supplies, a proposed line of organic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, seedless straw, and advice!

Seeds of Change—local grower of organic seeds. Ravi Kaur, teacher may be able to arrange a visit there for us in the future!

New Mexico Vigas 753-6189, Dennis Duran, near the DreamCatcher Cinema—free wood shaving mulch, and perhaps sawdust for composting. You can go over there during work hours to see them. A truckload of mulch is free, but you pay about $40 for delivery. You can also get wood posts and poles there, cut to your specifications.

Payne’s Nursery—in Santa Fe at 715 St. Michael’s Dr. 505-988-9626, and 304 Camino Alire 505-988-8011 where Rand Lee works!

El Rey Morgan Horses on McCurdy road lets you take their horse manure. 753-3696. Call first to find out when they are cleaning their stables.

Newman’s Nursery—in Santa Fe, 7501 Cerillos Rd. Some like their prices, and in addition to plants, they have pond supplies

And here’s another place to get good plant stock—Santa Maria el Mirador Greenhouse! I understand that youngsters with challenges of different kinds raise these plants! Their number is 852-4753. Directions: Go north on the Taos Highway, past the San Juan Ohkay Casino for about 6 miles. About ¾ mile before to reach there, you will see a Chevron gas station on your left. Then on the left, you will see a large blue sign with the word "Greenhouse" in orange. Turn in there.

Transit Mix--SAND! At Española Transit Mix you can get a truckload of "fill dirt" for $7. You would have to have a truck. If you want it delivered, I think it's based on the number of miles from the transit mix to your house. It's like $7 for a ton, so one of their big dump trucks probably holds around 20-30 tons (just a guess). 30 x $7 = $210 and that doesn't include delivery. So if it is really a "huge" hole it may need a whole dump truck worth of dirt.--from Prabhu Singh.

In the same building at 505 E. Fairview Dr. in Espanola, next to Mr. Carpet are two tiny but very useful businesses. In front is Brian's Small Engine Repair 927-2551. He repairs lawnmowers, chainsaws, weed eaters and so on. And on the side of the building is the entrance to Louie's Chainsaw Shop 753-5880. He sharpens all your garden tools--clippers, pruners, chainsaws, etc. And he also sells lawnmowers, power pruners, weed eaters and more! From my experience, Lowe's people don't know too much about their equipment, and they don't have any real system in place to repair it, even if you buy a service contract--you just get the giant "run-around". So, I would recommend going with these guys.

Gro-Power 800-473-1307 for specialized soil amendments, including “hemantis” that supplies a lot of minerals.

Growers Supply, http://www.growersupply.com Suppliers of a huge range of garden equipment, supplies, all kinds of greenhouses, and other goodies, such as bird feeders! For commercial growers and home gardeners.

Johnny’s Seeds of Maine, http://www.johnnyseeds.com/home.aspx?ct=HG 800-854-2580. These are great cold hearty, but not drought resistant seeds! The catalog gives “how to” notes for each kind of plant.

Wind and Weather, www.windandweather.com All kinds of delightful garden ornaments and so on from weathervanes, to wind chimes, to garden glow lights and much more.

Sat Kartar Singh likes to get his 5 gal. per hour, non-pressure regulating emitters for trees at Home Depot in Santa Fe, and the rest of his equipment from the wonderfully specialized store called The Firebird that is staffed by those who can give expert advice! It is at 1808 Espinacitas in Santa Fe, off St. Michael’s Drive. They are at 505-983-5264 and www.thefirebird.com/irrigation.html. Kartar Singh also suggested Dr. Siri Atma Singh’s favorite supplier www.dripworks.com who have a catalog as well. And he felt that controllers made by Hardy are quite good. They can be programmed for up to 12 stations or zones. Lowe’s, Hacienda and Cooks in Espanola also carry supplies for drip irrigation.

Ewing Irrigation, 505-474-3383, 20 Brisbee Ct., Santa Fe. Supplier to professional irrigation installers.

Miguel Caro, 747-0116, based right here in Espanola! Great and professional irrigation installer. Knows all the plumbing needed, valves, controller boxes, lines, emitters, and more. Reasonable prices! Leaves your place clean!

Peaceful Valley in CA sells everything you need for organic gardening—seeds, nursery stock, weed and pest control, fertilizers, tools, supplies and materials, and more! They are at http://www.groworganic.com/ default.html

Safer Soap—organic spray for bugs that works immediately. Good for aphids, weevils, squash bugs, etc. Available at Walmart, Lowe’s, etc.

Thuricide—concentrate for spray. For bugs when Safer Soap doesn’t work. Good for cabbage worms (green inch worm)—spray on the leaf and the worm eats the leaf. Spray when you see the bugs, not before. This doesn’t kill the eggs. Available at Payne’s Nursery.

Safer Garden Fungicide—for powdery mildew, blackspot, rust and fungus. Spray when you see the diseases on roses, tomatoes, etc. Available at Santa Fe Greenhouses.

Neem--an organic method of getting rid of aphids. You can get it at any gardening supply.

Peacocks—The Ranch wants to give away some peacocks. Call Guru Kirn Kaur who works at the Ranch to find out how. The females are nesting now, so chicks may be available soon. If you handle them as babies, they are friendly as they grow. They eat bugs, but sit on the plants. Other kinds of large birds such as guinea hens and turkeys work as well, but all big birds give off slimy poop. Available from Country Farm Supply in Espanola.

Nolo Bait—Spread on your garden. It gets on grasshoppers and spreads to other grasshoppers, but it has a short life, so have to keep re-spreading it. It is especially good to get the tiny baby grasshoppers early! Has been available from Gurbani K. and Kartar S. in 2006, 753-4516. Also at Country Farm Supply in Espanola.

Tarn Taran Kaur, 747-7411, ttkkhalsa@kiit.com Wonderful, all round garden knowledge!

Steve Gulden at Alcalde, NM State University Sustainable Agriculture Science Center and Cooperative Extension Service, 852-4241, 852-2668 to get on their mailing list. They have a big open house and demonstration day in August.

Carlos Valdez, Los Alamos 662-2656. They have lots of workshops and a demo garden.

Sat Kartar Singh has offered to put drip irrigation systems in for us, or to help us plan them, or to deliver fabulous compost—all as part of his great business! He is at 505-753-4516 and kartar@la-tierra.com.

Marshall McClees who does gardening for a number of us can advise homeowners on how to set up their own systems. Or he can put in the whole thing. C. 505-795-1081, H. 455-2494 to set up a visit time.

Rand Lee invites us to call him at 505-988-8011 “to support our dreams” with garden questions at Payne’s Nursery where he works everyday but Tuesday and Wednesday. And they are closed on Sundays until spring. He also does professional garden consulting. Rand’s beautiful and informative book, "Pleasures of the Cottage Garden" is available at Amazon.com.

Bob Berry is a native tree expert. He works at Paynes’s North on Camino Alire. You can make an appointment with him at 505-988-8011.

Hari Prem Singh is an very experienced commercial grower and now works at the Ranch, April 2007. 505-901-9228.

Mata Mandir Singh's immediate skills lend themselves more towards hardscapes. Flagstone or gravel paths, drainage, retaining walls from stone, decorative walls, rock gardens etc. He also will be doing maintenance contracts and new plantings. 753-1318.

Scott Pittman at www.permaculture.org . Scott gave us a terrific introduction to this incredible subject! Click here to read it.

San Isidro Permaculture in Santa Fe. Jeremiah at 505-983-3841. Consulting, design and making of swales, permaculture design, for flowers and veggies, water catchment, erosion control and much more!

TOOLEY'S TREES, Truchas, NM. 505-689-2400. They focus on tree vaieties that are drought tolerant and adapted to high pH! They have shrubs, a great variety of fruit trees that thrive here, as well as ornamentals such as pine, spruce and fir. Guru Nam Kaur just reported that their stock is exuberantly healthy and they spend wonderful time showing you around and explaining the properties of their varieties! Worth a trip! And you can call them to get a catalog sent to you, to get directions, or to be sure they are open in the spring. They are open from March--weather permitting until November on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8-5.

Here is a webpage that show a picture of treeshelters, and is a study from CA. I don’t think that their conditions are as harsh as ours, though, making treeshelters really important, rather than a choice here. http://groups.ucanr.org/slosson/documents/1995-19982105.pdf

A 24 page very informative document describing all the pest your fruit trees may have, and how to get rid of them!

A 94 page document from Washington State University Extension Service that tells you how to protect your commercial fruit trees.

http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/BOC_explained.html Summer pruning keeps backyard fruit trees small and compact, giving just the right amount of fruit, and allows a number of different fruit trees to be compactly planted in a small space.

Santa Fe Greenhouses is known for their understanding of xeriscape and their providing xeriscape materials, as is Plants of the Southwest--both under the Nursery section.

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James McMath who owns a little store called Emerald Earth, but it is the only one in the country that carries all the EM (effective microorganisms) products for personal, garden, cleaning use and environmental rebalancing.
work (505) 983-4014
work jameslmcmath@msn.com
home info@emearth.com
home page http://emearth.com/
work 1807 Second St. #30 Santa Fe NM 87505
His website is very informative and helpful