Hello from the Arizona mountains

Hello, brand new to permies and looking for some help. I am a home gardener, and I have spent a fair amount of time reading and listening to permaculture information for years but still having some difficulty with success.

My goals are to establish a small, productive food forest at home and also to build a career around regenerative food production.

I am in the mountains of Arizona, at 6400 feet. It is semi-arid with somewhat unusual and unpredictable weather patterns (for example, most of the precipitation is during the monsoon season, around July). It is typically about 20 degrees F cooler than the desert floor, so not at all what people think of as an Arizona climate. It is already a forest, with ponderosa pine, gambel oak and a few types of junipers, mostly utah and alligator.

I am trying to find out which species of productive edibles will work best in this environment, and also what types of cover crops or other means that will take my soil through succession to build appropriate soil for perennials. At the moment most of my backyard is very successfully growing lamb's quarters and pigweed. I seem to have moved beyond the wild lettuce stage for the most part.

Welcome to Permies, Matt!

I added your thread to the Southwest USA regional forum, where hopefully it will catch the eye of folks in your area with similar circumstances.

Leigh Tate wrote:Welcome to Permies, Matt!

I added your thread to the Southwest USA regional forum, where hopefully it will catch the eye of folks in your area with similar circumstances.

Thank you!

Hi Matt!
I live in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. I believe our climate is very similar. During the week I live in town that is a bit lower, but his family's home is in a village at about 5500 feet. There we're growing guavas, nisperos (Loquats), pomegranates, small apples, pears, and a variety of cactus fruits as well (tunas, pitayas, pitahayas, quiotillas).

Several years ago I heard one of Diego Footer's podcasts on growing apples in warm dry climates. It was great. You should check it out. https://permaculturevoices.libsyn.com/growing-apples-in-warm-climates-pvp097

Melissa Ferrin wrote:Hi Matt!
I live in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. I believe our climate is very similar. During the week I live in town that is a bit lower, but his family's home is in a village at about 5500 feet. There we're growing guavas, nisperos (Loquats), pomegranates, small apples, pears, and a variety of cactus fruits as well (tunas, pitayas, pitahayas, quiotillas).

Several years ago I heard one of Diego Footer's podcasts on growing apples in warm dry climates. It was great. You should check it out. https://permaculturevoices.libsyn.com/growing-apples-in-warm-climates-pvp097

Hi Melissa,

Thanks for your response. I think it might get colder here than Oaxaca in the winter, so I may be restricted on some of what will grow for you. It often gets sub zero (F) over night with an absolute minimum of -20F (-28C) - in 14 years I have only had one or two nights that low.  I do have beavertail cactus and some type of yucca that are cold hardy. Apples and pears are definitely a consideration.

Hi Matt , I’m in Apache county at about 5900’. Pigweed and lambsquarter are every where on my place too!