| |
|
Sonoran Seasons
Pima Master Gardener Newsletter
Foresummer Drought Season 2015
Helping you become a more successful gardener.
|
Late April
in Saguaro East
|
| Greetings to all of our gardening friends in Tucson, Green Valley, and throughout Pima County. You may not have heard the term "Foresummer Drought" before, but it perfectly describes the hotter, drier weather we'll be experiencing very soon. Traditionally, this was the season when our native peoples harvested saquaro fruits, and planted corn, beans and squash for the new year to take advantage of the coming monsoon rains. For most gardeners today, this hot, dry time of year provides an opportunity to adjust their irrigation, gather those last few spring crops (e.g. tomatoes), and plant some heat loving flowers and vegetables for the summer. Check our gardening reminders below for suggestions in your garden. In this issue, we're shining a light on our outreach program at the Tubac Presidio Historic State Park where several of our members designed and implemented a beautiful landscape at this important historical site. Our featured demonstration garden is our All-America Display Garden, which is the only AAS Display Garden in Arizona. And the featured edible in this issue is everyone's favorite--Tomatoes, the Fruit of Love. Thanks to all of you who visited our Spring Plant and Garden Art Sale a few weeks ago, and made it a success. One more event you may be interested in takes place this week on Saturday, May 2nd. It's our workshop on Creating a Native Bee Habitat. Check our article below on Educational and Fun Workshops. If you're interested in becoming a Master Gardener, the deadline for applications for the fall class is June 5. See About Master Gardeners below. We are a non-profit, volunteer organization relying on your generous donations and participation in our events for our funding. We appreciate your support in helping us provide all the outreach programs we have in Pima County. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to us through the UA Foundation site. The money will be put to good use helping our gardening community. Happy gardening, Paul Ellis, Master Gardener Coordinator 
|
|
|
Master Gardener Activities Update
May
- Arboretum Tour: Saturday, 5/2, Sonoran Native Plants, 8:00-9:30*
- Spring Workshop: Saturday, 5/2, Native Bee Habitat, 9:00-11:00
- Arboretum Tour: Friday, 5/8, Tropical Trip, 8:00-9:30*
- Arboretum Tour: Saturday, 5/23, Trees Around the World, 8:00-9:30*
June
*University Campus Arboretum Tours begin near fountain on west side of Old Main.
|
|
History--Alive and Green?
Tubac Presidio Historic State Park Ursula Young, Master Gardener
In March 2014, Pima County Master Gardeners-in-training initiated a  cooperative outreach effort with the director of the Tubac Presidio Historic State Park (TPSHP) to plan and execute a "greening" of the park. The Pima County Cooperative Extension office approved the Tubac Presidio Outreach Committee. The botanical enhancement of the park was based on a multi-phased horticultural concept honoring the park's mission of educating the public and creating a living history backdrop. The vision very
Read more
|
|
Gardening Reminders
Here are a few key tasks that will help you succeed during these trying months. For more detailed information on each topic, click on the May and June links.
- Plant heat-loving flowers and summer vegetables
- Plant and transplant cacti, agaves, palms
- Fertilize palms and citrus
- Adjust your irrigation
- Hose-off over-heated plants
- Spray Italian Cypress, Juniper and other Evergreens
June
- Plant seeds of "yard-long" beans, peppers, tomatoes, and summer herbs
- Water container plants twice daily and apply 1/2 strength fertilizer every 2 weeks
- Maintain even, consistent watering in the vegetable garden
- Protect yourself from summer heat and sun
- Apply pre-emergent weed control
- Shade summer vegetables
- Hand pollinate squash
- Solarize garden beds
- Remove wilted tomato and pepper plants
- Dead-head garden flowers
|
Design Your Own Library Talks
Toni Moore, Master Gardener
As many of our readers already know, Master Gardeners give free weekly lectures at library locations throughout town. We are setting up the 2015/2016 schedule, and we could use your input.
What topics do you think should be included next year? For example, our two most popular talks are Tomatoes and Citrus. Should we cover those old favorites every year? Are there other subjects you'd like to hear about? What are you interested in? We're looking for ideas from regular attendees and newcomers alike.
Please send your suggestions to Francine Correll fcorrell@cals.arizona.edu. To help keep the replies organized, please use LIBRARY TALKS TOPICS as the subject line in your email. We look forward to hearing from you - and thanks for helping!
|
|
Visit Our All-America Selections (AAS) Garden
Lin Conant, Master Gardener
There are many good reasons to visit our demonstration gardens, but one is that we have the ONLY All-America Selections? Display Garden in all of Arizona. Why is this important? Because AAS is the leading evaluator of new plant varieties. It is a "non-profit organization that conducts confidential and impartial trials of new, never-before-sold flower and vegetable seed varieties throughout North America. Only the best trial performers, that are superior to their comparisons, are declared AAS Winners."* In our AAS Display Garden you'll see a number of recent flower and vegetable winners including the lovely petunia shown below, Tidal Wave Silver, which we've selected as our All Star Plant in this issue**.
|
Free Demonstration Garden Tours
If you haven't been to our Demonstration Gardens, you're in for a treat. We have twelve gardens focused on different aspects of gardening, as well as our propagation area. They're located at our headquarters, 4210 N Campbell, and we offer free tours at 9:00 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday. We also have demonstration gardens at our Green Valley facility. More information is available at this
link.
|
All Star Plant--Tidal Wave? Silver Petunia
A beautiful and very versatile petunia, Tidal Wave Silver has a spreading quality that makes it ideal as a ground cover, cascading out of baskets and pots, or trailing up a trellis. Blooms are 2? to 4 inches across, with a unique silver tone and deep purple centers. It's Botrytis-resistant and very long-blooming. A must see at the AAS Garden. For more information, visit the Park Seed Company website at www.parkseed.com
|
Educational and Fun Gardening Workshops
Diana Iglesias, Master Gardener
Coming Saturday, May 2nd...the Creating a Native Bee Habitat workshop. Class fees are $30 plus $10 for supplies. Grab a friend and register for it today. Call 520-626-5161 to register.
This spring the Master Gardeners have offered a series of gardening related workshops designed to be both educational and fun. They are a great way to expand your gardening enjoyment.
Read more
|
Tomatoes--The Fruit of Love
Deb North, Master Gardener
We can thank the Aztecs for the tomato--both for the name which is derived from tomatl and for the fruit itself. This luscious fruit was introduced to Europeans in the early 16th century but many feared it was a poisonous branch from the Nightshade family. Slow to adapt to changing ideas, the tomato didn't really become a culinary favorite in Europe and North America until the mid-19th century. It took some time to get past the poisonous reputation and we now embrace it as the pommes d'amour--the fruit of love
Read more
|
|
Garden Recipe
Joyce Knill, Master Gardener
Fresh Tomato Summer Salad Looking for a quick and easy recipe to use those cherry tomatoes from your garden? Or, did the Farmers Market frenzy sweep over you, and suddenly you have a half dozen tomatoes sitting on your kitchen counter? Here is a tomato salad recipe, which is easy to adapt to veggies you and your family enjoy. It is cool, refreshing, and pretty.
Read more
|
Ask a Master Gardener
Paul Ellis, Master Gardener
What is the main problem with home gardening that we see in the Plant Clinic? That's easy! It is improper watering and not knowing what the watering needs of plants are. You would be surprised by the number of folks who don't water their plants, and then wonder why they die.
Knowing how much water and how often to provide it is the single most important skill any gardener can acquire in the desert southwest. It is important to learn how to manage and control watering of your garden to get the greatest benefit from the least amount of water possible. The hardest part of watering is finding just the right combination of frequency so that plants get what they need but aren't over watered.
Read more
|
Have a gardening problem/question?
Call our hotline at 520-626-5161-- Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm. Or stop by our Plant Clinic at 4210 N Campbell Avenue in Tucson. Master Gardeners are available to answer your gardening questions over the phone, on a walk-in basis or online at https://ask.extension.org/ask. There is no charge for this service. There is also a wall of resources and handouts in the Plant Clinic that are available to the public. Call, stop by or email us today!
|
New!
Home Garden Consulting Service-
-
We now offer an on-site consulting service
to local residents. Master Gardener Consultants who are experienced and knowledgeable in urban horticulture will come to your residence and identify plants, diagnose insect problems and plant diseases, evaluate watering issues, and provide general care guidelines. They'll spend up to one hour in your garden answering questions and helping to problem-solve. No physical labor will be performed. This service is available to residents within a 10-mile radius of the Pima County Cooperative Extension Office at the intersection of Campbell Avenue and River Road for a fee of $40. Call for a quote beyond 10 miles. To request a consultation, call the Plant Clinic at 626-5161 or email:
fcorrell@cals.arizona.edu
A consultant will contact you to arrange this service
.
|
|
Donate to Our Program
 Pima County Master Gardeners is a non-profit, volunteer organization that supports the community with many free educational outreach programs and activities to help gardeners at all levels. We rely on our fundraising events such as Plant Sales, and donations from individuals to support our program. Make a tax-deductible donation today and help us continue our important work. Use this secure UA Foundation site.
|
About Master Gardeners
180 active Master Gardener Volunteers in Pima County work with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension to support the public with research-based information on environmentally responsible gardening and landscaping. Our services include:
Persons qualify to become Master Gardener Volunteers by completing a 50 hour training course and an internship. To maintain Master Gardener Volunteer status, a volunteer must participate in a minimum of 50 hours of service activities, and 10 hours of continuing training annually.
Applications for the 2015 Fall Class are now open. Classes will be held Tuesday mornings from 9:00-noon, August through December. The deadline for applications is June 5, 2015. Those selected for an interview will be scheduled for appointment June 22-26, 2015. Click here for an application form. For more information contact the Pima County Cooperative Extension office in Tucson at 520-626-5161, or the Pima County Cooperative Extension Satellite Office in Green Valley at 520-648-0808.
|
Community Gardening Links
-
Green Valley Gardeners www.greenvalleygardeners.com/
-
Tucson Bonsai Society www.tucsonbonsaisociety.org
-
Sierra Vista Area Gardeners Club www.svgardenclub.org
-
Native Seeds/SEARCH www.nativeseeds.org/
-
Rose Society of Tucson www.rosesocietyoftucson.org
-
Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society http://www.tucsoncactus.org
-
Tucson African Violet Society www.tucsonavs.org
-
Tucson Area Iris Society www.tucsoniris.org
-
Tucson Orchid Society www.orchidsocietytucson.org/
-
Tohono Chul Park www.tohonochulpark.org
-
Community Gardens of Tucson www.communitygardensoftucson.org
Master Gardener Links
|
Share Your Thoughts
We want this newsletter to be informative, fun to read, and something that will help you become a better, happier gardener. Please let us know how we're doing. And let us know of any gardening areas that you would like us to address. Send your comments/suggestions to: pmgcommunications@cox.net
|
|
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jeffrey C. Silvertooth, Associate Dean & Director, Economic Development & Extension, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Arizona. The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
