Gardening in Los Alamos County can present significant challenges to even the most experienced horticulturists. Plant survival is dependent on temperature, irrigation, and soil quality, all of which can be limited and unpredictable in our climate and elevation. Combinations of low humidity, irregular precipitation, drying winds and physical properties of the soil along with natural microclimates across the regions of the county influence how well plants perform here.

Water is one of the most urgent issues facing New Mexico. As a natural resource and basic element of our environment, consideration for supply and demand as well as water quality drive this concern. The Los Alamos Cooperative Extension Service, in cooperation with the Los Alamos County Public Utilities Department, has set a goal to reduce water use by increasing its efficiency in residential and municipal spaces. The following links are provided to inform Los Alamos County residents about practical and sustainable water practices in the landscape.

Climate

• A Brief Description of the Los Alamos Climate

• New Mexico Climate Center

• New Mexico Climate Summaries

Soil

• Guide A-114: Test Your Garden Soil

• Guide H-119: Determining Amounts of Fertilizer for Small Areas

• Control of Iron Chlorosis

Water Conservation

• Guide H-707: Landscape Water Conservation: Principle of Xeriscape

• Xeriscaping: Retrofit Your Yard

• Enchanted Xeriscape

Irrigation

• Guide H-637: A Practical Way of Measuring Soil Moisture

• Rainwater Harvesting

• Using Gray Water in the Landscape

• Los Alamos County Rule W-8 on Water Conservation

Turf

• Guide H-511: Turfgrasses for Northern New Mexico

• Guide H-508: Turfgrasses for New Mexico

• Guide H-509: Turfgrass Establishment

• CR-660: Turfgrass Irrigation

• Guide H-507: Lawn Care for Disease Control

Composting

• Guide H-110: Backyard Composting

• Guide H-164: Vermicomposting

Pruning

• Guide H-156: Tree Pruning Techniques

• Find an Arborist

• Guide H-303: Pruning Grapes to the Four-Arm Kniffin System

• Guide H-327: Pruning the Home Orchard

Home Orchard

• Guide H-310: Fruits and Nuts for New Mexico Orchards

• Guide H-307: Rootstocks for Size Control in Apple Trees

• Guide H-308: Why Fruit Trees Fail to Bear

• Los Alamos Fruit & Fruit Tree Variety Recommendations

• CR-483: Growing Grapes in New Mexico

• Guide H-309: Grape Varieties for North-Central New Mexico

• Guide H-322: Propagation of Grape Vine Cuttings: A Practical Guide

• Guide H-320: Raspberries for the Home Garden

• Guide H-325: Blackberry Production in New Mexico

• Guide H-324: Home Garden Strawberry Production in New Mexico

Vegetable Gardening

• CR-457: Home Vegetable Gardening in New Mexico

• CR-457B: Growing Zones, Recommended Crop Varieties, Planting and Harvesting Info

• Knott's Handbook for Vegetable Growers 2012

• Guide H-223: Home and Market Garden Sweet Corn Production

• Guide H-240: Growing Chile Peppers in New Mexico Gardens

• Guide H-227: Asparagus Production in NM

• Guide H-216: When to Harvest Vegetables

• Guide H-221: Spices and Herbs for the Home Garden

• Guide H-252: Hoop House Vegetable Production

Plant Selection

• Rock Garden Plants

• Xeriscape Council of New Mexico

• Office of State Engineer Plant List

Growing Roses

• Guide H-165: Growing Roses

• Rose Diseases

• American Rose Society

Fire Defensible Space

• Fire Defensible Space poster

Sustainable Landscape Design Series with Los Alamos County DPU

• Session #1: Transitioning Your Outdoor Space
  * recording coming soon
  Slides 1

• Session #2: Site Inventory and Assessment
  Recording 2
  Slides 2

• Session #3: Landscape Design Basics
  Recording 3
  Slides 3

• Session #4: Soil Preparation
  Recording 4
  Slides 4

• Session #5: Plant Selection
  Recording 5
  Slides 5

• Session #6: Irrigation
  Recording 6
  Slides 6

• Session #7: Maintenance
  Recording 7
  Slides 7

Additional Resources

Miscellaneous Publications

• Guide H-261: Mulches for Vegetable Production in New Mexico

• ACES Publications