Here are some books and online resources that can help you successfully plan a garden or landscape in Idaho.
- Soils and Geology
- Climate and Weather
- Gardening Calendars
- Water
- Resources and Training
- Landscaping and Wildfire Mitigation
- Native Plants
- Fruit and Vegetable Gardening
- Related Pages
Soils and Geology
- Digital Geology of Idaho
- Soil Surveys, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Barker, Raymond J.; Robert E. McDole, Glen H. Logan; photography by Raymond J. Barker. Idaho Soils Atlas. Moscow, Idaho: University Press of Idaho, 1983.
Climate and Weather
- USDA Agricultural Research Service Plant Hardiness Zones
- Western Region Climate Center
- National Weather Service Forecast Office, Boise
- Old Farmer’s Almanac planting dates for Spring
- Planting Instructions and Zones, University of Idaho Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research – Planning a windbreak.
Gardening Calendars
- Cretti, John L. Month-by-month gardening in Idaho: what to do each month to have a beautiful garden all year. Franklin, Tennessee: Cool Springs Press, 2007.
- Cretti, John L. Rocky Mountain month-by-month gardening: what to do each month to have a beautiful garden all year. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Cool Springs Press, 2015.
- Lauterbach, Margaret. Gardening in the Treasure Valley. Boise, Idaho: Idaho Statesman Publications, 2013.
Water
Resources and Training
- University of Idaho Extension
- Idaho Department of Lands Land Board Assistance for Forest Landowners
- Landscapes and Gardens, University of Idaho Extension
- Index to USDA Agriculture Information Bulletins (PDF). Compiled in June 1992 by Ellen Kay Miller, D.C. Reference Center, National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Updated in June 2005.
Landscaping and Wildfire Mitigation
- Idaho Firewise, Inc. – Firewise is a project of the National Fire Protection Association in partnership with agencies and organizations. They provide a variety of tools to help people protect their homes from fire. Includes an online publication library.
- Kratsch, Heidi A., editor. Water-efficient landscaping in the Intermountain West: a professional and do-it-yourself guide. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2011.
- Wildland Fire, University of Idaho Extension Forestry – Includes publications on the following subjects: Fire and the Wildland/Urban Interface, Wildfire Evacuation, Fire Ecology, and Post-fire Management.
Native Plants
- Idaho Native Plant Society
- Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery, Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research, University of Idaho
- Mee, Wendy, and others. Water wise: native plants for intermountain landscapes. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2003.
- Parkinson, Hilary, compiler; edited by Ann DeBolt, Roger Rosentreter, Valerie Geertson; additional assistance from Michelle Richman and Leslie Blackburn.Landscaping with native plants of the Intermountain Region. Boise, Idaho: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Office, 2003.
- Filby, Evan E. (Evan Everett). Before the spud: Indians, buckaroos, and sheephearders in pioneer Idaho. Idaho Falls, Idaho: Sourdough Publishing; Charleston, S.C.: CreateSpace, 2012.
- Robson, Sara, and James Kingery; [for the Idaho Transportation Department and University of Idaho Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management]. Idaho native plants for roadside restoration and revegetation programs. Idaho: Idaho Transportation Department, 2006.
Wildlife
- Wildlife in the Garden, University of Idaho Extension
- Golden Eagle Audubon Society and USDA Soil Conservation Service; photos by Soil Conservation Service and Golden Eagle Audobon Society. Landscaping for birds in southwestern Idaho. Boise, Idaho: Boise State University, [between 1975 and 1978].
Fruit and Vegetable Gardening
- Bell, Susan M. Planning and Idaho Vegetable Garden. Moscow, Idaho: University of Idaho, College of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension System, 1996.
- Maranhao, Diana. Rocky Mountain fruit & vegetable gardening: plant, grow, and harvest the best edibles. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Cool Springs Press, 2014.
- Ross, Jeanette, and Susan Bell, editors. Treasure Valley vegetable growing guide. Boise, Idaho: University of Idaho, Cooperative Extension System in Ada County, 1995.
- Jenkins, Elaine; information by Dale and Sheila Anderson and Paulette Blaseg; translation by Keri Acuña. Growing to feed many: how Trinity Community Gardens, Inc. gets more food from less space. Cultivando para alimentar a muchos: cómo Trinity Community Gardens, Inc consigue más alimentos en menos espacio. United States: Trinity Community Gardens, Inc., 2014. First Edition.
- Finnigan, Brian F.; W. Michael Colt; Esmaeil Fallahi. Growing apples for local markets in cold climates. Moscow, Idaho: University of Idaho, Cooperative Extension System, 2000. http://www.extension.uidaho.edu/publishing/pdf/BUL/BUL0820.pdf. Accessed March 12, 2019.
Related Pages
Updated by Ronnie Joiner on October 30, 2022.