The bulk, if not all, the materials for creating most water-harvesting earthorks are all ready on-site and free. The soil is the main one. Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands, Volume 2 covers the rest. And for some of the strategies that may require you to import or buy material – potential sources are listed below:

Vegetation

Plants native to your site and extending to a 25-mile wide radius and 500 foot elevation range above or below your site’s elevation are typically the best adapted to thrive on local rainfall alone. Check with local native plant societies for reputable nurseries and seed suppliers. For native or exotic plant, locally-owned plant nurseries and seed suppliers are typically the best since they know the area, the local plants, and more of the money you invest in them is more likely to recycle through the local economy.

In Tucson, Arizona:

Native plants

• Desert Survivors 1020 W. Starr Pass 791-9309

• Tohono Chul Park Nursery 7366 Paseo Del Norte 742-6455

• Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society www.tucsoncactus.org

Exotic and some native plants

• Catalina Heights Nursery 6074 E. Pima 298-2822

• Mesquite Valley Growers 8005 E. Speedway Blvd 721-8600

• Civano Nursery 5301 S. Houghton Road 546-9200

Native plant seed, wildflower seed

• Wildlands Restoration 882-0969

Garden vegetable seed

• Native Seeds/SEARCH 526 N. 4th Ave. 622-5561

In Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico:

Native plants and seed, climate-appropriate exotic plants

Plants of the Southwest nurseries
www.plantsofthesouthwest.com