Whether you’re creating an edible oasis
Love growing your own food? There’s nothing more satisfying than making an entire meal from the industry of your own garden, and you can get started with as little as a few pots on a porch.
Cottage-garden charm, mountain-grown know-how.
Topical, super local gardening advice to help you turn your outdoor space into a fulfilling source of joy.
Hi, I’m Kenny.
I garden in Spanish Fork, Utah, in zone 6b. My love of landscape design stretches back more than thirty years, where I gardened as a young lad under the tutelage of my loving, green-thumbed mother. I want to help people get the most out of their outdoor space so they can live fuller, more grounded, and deeply fulfilling lives.
If you live in the US Mountain West and love gardening, or want to love gardening, you’re in the right place.
Or a gorgeous year-round stunner
Want your yard to envelop you in inspiration and serenity? With careful planning, your garden never has to “go to bed.” It can delight you with new seasonal interest every month.
What makes Mountain West gardening unique?
Semi-arid climate
Little rain and dry air mean plants have a harder time holding on to moisture.
Intense sun and UV
Even varieties that like “full sun” can get scorched at our elevations.
Temperature swings
Temperatures can swing 30 to 40 degrees in a single day, and a late frost can drop in uninvited.
Tough soils
Clay-heavy and alkaline, or gravelly and low in nutrients. Either way, hard to dig.
Pests and wildlife
Living this close to deer, rabbits and insects, our gardens can look like a buffet.
Altitude and wind
Thin air lets in more UV, and strong canyon winds dry plants out or even snap them.
Garden Resources
Practical tools for Mountain West yards.
Launch sale
Beat the Frost Cheat Sheet
Find the last frost date for your own garden, then count from it. One quick page for your back door.
Free
Get the cheat sheet
Mountain West Planting Calendar
Choose the edition for your area, and the dates for 30 vegetables are already worked out for you.
Regular price $12 Launch sale price $9
Yard Rescue Walkthrough
A five-step plan for turning an overwhelming Mountain West yard into one you love, one weekend at a time.
Regular price $19 Launch sale price $15
- inches of precipitation annually on average in Utah
- 12
- inches of snow totals in some areas (try growing through that!)
- 450
- degree difference between daytime heat and nighttime cool in a single day
- 40
- different hardiness zones in the Mountain West (Zones 3 – 8)
- 6
Plant by your own frost date, not the calendar’s.
Get the free cheat sheet