Drought-Resistant Crops and Varieties

Some crops and varieties require less water than others once they are established. The vegetables, grains and herbs on
the following list were selected from seed catalogs and seed catalog websites that specifically mention the terms
“drought-resistant” or “drought-tolerant” in the variety description. The list is not exhaustive, but represents an
opportunity for the home food gardener to consider new (or new to you) and/or unusual crops or varieties that allow
you to be water-wise. For additional possibilities, consult seed companies or nurseries that specialize in plants suitable
for desert or dry climate areas.

BEANS BROCCOLI WHEAT

Waltham 29 - when fall Hard Red Spring
BUSH BEANS
planted Kamut
White Half Runner Snap
Vaughan Turkey
BUTTER BEANS CHARD - Almost all varieties White Sonoran
Jackson Wonder Bush listed in desert or dry climate
catalogs HERBS
GARBANZO BEANS
Basil - Mrs. Burns’ Lemon
Ceci CORN Borage
LIMA BEANS Anasazi Sweet Catnip
Alabama Black-Eyed Butter Daymon Morgan’s Kentucky Chamomile, German
Carolina Sieva Butcher Chives
Christmas Hopi Blue Flour Hyssop
Fordhook 242 Bush Hopi Pink Lavender
Henderson Bush Painted Mountain Flour Lemon Balm
Jackson Wonder Pinky Popcorn Mullein
Pima Orange Silver Queen Hybrid Sweet Oregano
Willow Le Tennessee Red Cob Rosemary
POLE BEANS Sage - once it’s established
COWPEAS - need warm
Blue Coco nights Sweet Marjoram
Garden of Eden Romano Pink-Eye Purple-Hull Thyme
Louisiana Purple Pod MELON
McCaslan Snap CUCUMBER
Iroquois
Rattlesnake Armenian
Navajo Yellow
Selma Zesta Lemon
Selma Zebra MUSTARD - uses less water
EGGPLANT
than many other
TEPARY BEANS - need warm Listada de Gandia
cultivated vegetables
nights
GRAINS Southern Giant Curled
Big Fields White
AMARANTH
Black OKRA - needs warm nights
Blue Speckled Mayo Gold Coast
Brown Speckled Red Stripe Leaf Hill Country Heirloom Red
Cocopah Brown Tampala Jing Orange
Colonia Morelos Speckled BARLEY
PEPPER
Mitla Black Ethiopian Hulless
Jupiter Red Bell
Pinacate Jet
Ordoño
Sacaton Brown Milan
Tohono O’odham White QUINOA - all varieties

By E. de Peyster, Food Gardening Specialist 013-002 Aug 2016 Page 1 of 2

Master Gardeners of Sonoma County
SQUASH TOMATO ***********************
Cocozelle Zucchini Caro Rich Also, see “Food Gardening
Costata Romanesco Pearson with Less Water,”
Cushaw Green-Striped Pineapple http://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/f
Dark Star Zucchini Stone iles/183770.pdf
Iran Yellow Pear Cherry
For more information about
Jumbo Pink Banana
WATERMELON FGS education and consulting
Lebanese Light Green
Black Diamond services see
SUNFLOWER http://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/
Skyscraper - edible seed Food_Gardening_Specialists/
***********************

SEED SAVING ORGANIZATIONS AND SEED COMPANIES

The following list is comprised of local, regional (West Coast) and national seed companies. To food garden with less
water, look for seed that is “drought-tolerant,” “drought-resistant,” or “dry-farmed,” and consult catalogs that
specialize in seeds for desert or dry climate areas. Local seed companies may have seed that is well adapted to Sonoma
County’s Mediterranean climate.

Seed Savers Exchange Decorah, Iowa www.seedsavers.org

Adaptive Seeds Sweet Home, Oregon www.adaptiveseeds.com
Artisan Seeds Sunol, CA http://store.growartisan.com/
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Missouri and Petaluma, CA www.rareseeds.com/
Bountiful Gardens Willits, CA www.bountifulgardens.org/
Deep Harvest Farm Whidbey Island, WA https://deepharvestfarm.com/
Diaspora Seeds Booneville, CA www.diasporaseeds.com
Fedco Seeds Waterville, Maine www.fedcoseeds.com
Fertile Valley Seeds/Carol Deppe Corvallis, Oregon www.caroldeppe.com
High Mowing Seeds Wolcott, Vermont www.highmowingseeds.com
Hudson Valley Seed Library Accord, New York www.seedlibrary.org/
Johnny’s Selected Seeds Winslow, Maine www.johnnyseeds.com
Kitazawa Seed Company Oakland, CA www.kitazawaseed.com/
Living Seed Company Point Reyes Station, CA www.livingseedcompany.com
Native Seeds/SEARCH Tucson, Arizona www.nativeseeds.org/
Natural Gardening Company Petaluma, CA www.naturalgardening.com
Nichols Garden Nursery Albany, Oregon www.nicholsgardennursery.com
Peace Seeds/Alan Kapuler Corvallis, Oregon http://peaceseedslive.blogspot.com/
Redwood City Seed Company Redwood City, CA www.ecoseeds.com/
Redwood Seeds Manton, CA www.redwoodseeds.net/
Salt Spring Seed Salt Spring Island, British Columbia www.saltspringseeds.com/
Sand Hill Preservation Center Calamus, Iowa www.sandhillpreservation.com/
Sierra Seeds North San Juan, CA http://sierraseeds.org/
Siskiyou Seeds Williams, Oregon www.siskiyouseeds.com/
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Mineral, Virginia www.southernexposure.com
Stellar Seeds Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada http://stellarseeds.com/
Sustainable Seed Company Chico, CA http://sustainableseedco.com/
Territorial Seeds Cottage Grove, Oregon www.territorialseed.com
Turtle Tree Copake, New York www.turtletreeseed.org/
Uprising Seeds Bellingham, Washington http://uprisingorganics.com
Victory Seeds Molalla, Oregon www.victoryseeds.com/
Wild Boar Farms Napa Valley, CA www.wildboarfarms.com/
Wild Garden Seed Philomath, Oregon www.wildgardenseed.com/
The University of California prohibits discrimination or harassment of any person in any of its programs or activities. (Complete nondiscrimination policy statement can be found
at http://ucanr.org/sites/anrstaff/files/107734.doc). Inquiries regarding the University’s equal employment opportunity policies may be directed to John Sims, Affirmative Action
Contact, University of California, Davis, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2801 2nd Street, Davis, CA 95618, (530) 750-1397.

By E. de Peyster, Food Gardening Specialist 013-002 Aug 2016 Page 2 of 2

Master Gardeners of Sonoma County