November 2017
Established in 1980 
In this issue you will find:
A beautiful display of plants at our annual Fall Plant Sale!
  • Message from the President
  • Upcoming Events
    • Member Tours & Events
    • Seminars
  • Feature Articles
    • "In Your Plot"
    • Make a Donation to GVG via AmazonSmile
  • Project Updates
    • Allen J. Ogden Community Garden
    • Arid Garden
    • Desert Meadows Park
    • GVG Gardens at Historic Canoa Ranch
  • Committee Updates
    • Seminars
    • Member Activities
    • Membership ~ New Members
  • Member Photographs
Would you like to submit an article or a photo for the November newsletter? Please submit it to [email protected] by November 27.
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
This year's Fall Plant Sale was a resounding success, and thanks are due for the many volunteer members who provided support over the three-day event. While all the expenses are not accounted for at this time, the net profit to date is $6,723.36. The Fall and Spring Plant Sale events are critical for the Club's operation and maintaining the relatively low membership fee. On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you volunteers!
 
Upcoming Member Events
 
If you have not looked at our website recently, please take some to time to explore its various sections and use it to update your calendars with regard to what we have to look forward to. On November 11, we have an opportunity to socialize at Desert Meadows Park at our first Ice Cream and Music in the Park event. And on November 17, members are invited to participate in a Mission Garden Tour in Tucson.
 
Election Results
 
Results of the Board of Directors election will be announced by way of an email blast after the November 6, 2017 Board meeting. Three Board members will be elected or re-elected to a three-year term. Additionally, results on the voting with regard to an amendment to the Club's By Laws, to allow electronic voting will announced. To all of those that returned their ballots, a hearty thank you!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Seminars
Learn all about cultural gardening traditions of the Sonoran Desert from the expert, Jesus Garcia, at the November 9 seminar.
  • November 2 Desert Hills Seminar ~ "Pack Rats and Other Desert Varmints" ~ Kris Brown of Mr. Pack Rat
  • November 9 Desert Hills Seminar ~ "Gardening Traditions of the Sonoran Desert" ~ Jesus Garcia of the Sonoran Desert Museum
  • November 30 Desert Hills Seminar ~ "Gardening to Attract Butterflies" ~ John Bergstrom, GVG Club Member
Member Activities
  • November 11 ~ Ice Cream and Music in the Park, Desert Meadows Park
  • November 17 ~ Mission Garden Tour, Tucson
  • December 2 ~ Annual Barbecue, Desert Meadows Park
Be on the lookout for separate email blasts, providing details for each of these seminars and member activities.

Visit our website for a complete calendar of events
FEATURE ARTICLES
"In Your Plot"   by Lorna Mitchell

Gardening takes time; time to plan the layout of your plot, time to prepare soil, time to shop for supplies, time to plant, time to put in irrigation, time to pull weeds, time to harvest, and time to sit and enjoy the wonder of plants growing. Gardening does take effort, and a little time at your plot on a regular basis pays dividends.

And the gardener is always looking ahead! November means frost by the end of the month. Frost has some welcome benefits; it will reduce the grasshopper population and the cabbage loopers, it gets rid of the mosquitoes, it kills some of the weeds, and it makes our carrots sweet and tender.

Frost means dead summer plants to clean out to prevent rot which makes for insect pests and disease. It also means covering your faucet and clocks to prevent freezing and breakage. Insulate the faucet upright with pipe foam then an old blanket or large towel wrapped around the whole thing and tied or taped in place. Cover the entire unit with a bucket or bin to keep out moisture, because if it gets wet it is no longer effective. The tubes leading to the plants will not retain water so they will not break with a freeze.

Seeds of radishes, turnips, lettuce, peas, carrots, beets, kohlrabi, and parsley can still be put in, sooner is better.

Plants of broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cilantro, Swiss chard, spinach, parsley, and kale can be put in, sooner is better. Garlic cloves can still be put in for harvest next May or June.

Onion plants go in this month through January. I prefer to plant them in the middle of November to allow plenty of time for foliage growth before they "bulb" in the spring. Onion plants of short-day varieties are the only ones that will yield large bulbs. Allow about six inches between them for bulbs to expand. Plant one plant in each hole, no deeper than one inch, and keep green tops above soil line. Harvest will come next May, though they may be pulled and eaten at any stage. The ideal onion has 13 leaves, but it only grows one at a time; the more leaves the bigger the onion. Prepare the soil with organic amendments and 10-20-10 granular fertilizer and make sure each plant will receive adequate water supply. Visit www.dixondalefarms.com for complete information on onion growth and cultivation as well as choosing onion plants.

Those are my plot thoughts for now, Happy Gardening!
Shop AmazonSmile and Benefit the Garden Club  

Green Valley Gardeners is now listed on AmazonSmile. When you shop Amazon, log into AmazonSmile, use your existing personal account login information, select Green Valley Gardeners as your non-profit of choice. The club will receive a small donation for each qualifying purchase you make. Thank you!

To shop AmazonSmile go to http://smile.amazon.com/.
PROJECT UPDATES
Allen J. Ogen Community Garden  b y George Stone and Ann-Marie DeBoer
 
Mariachi Corazon de Tucson entertained guests.
Sunday, October 8th - Big Pig Gig:  WOW!!!!! What an afternoon we had.  84 hungry guests were on hand to listen to an hour of Mariachi Corazon de Tucson music at the Ogden. However when the call went out that the PIG WAS DONE, it was a scramble to get pictures and then LET'S eat. Our 77 lb. pig, two 12 lb. beef briskets, six chickens, 40 lbs. of potato salad, 40 lbs. of cole slaw, 5 loaves of bread and several pans of homemade sweets were devoured in two hours.

Doug Lisotto helping with the pig
This was the very first membership e vent to be held at the Ogden and, with only small hiccups, we think it was a success. Ogden gardeners George Stone, Tim Drumhead Hernandez, Jerry Ildefonso, Katie Ge, Franki Mata along with membership event coordinators Marita Ramsey and Cathy Merrit had the pleasure of coordinating the event. Club president, Bill Berdine, served as our Zorro of the pig. David and Marilee Crumley assisted with serving.
 
October 10th: Jerry Ildefonso and Ann-Marie DeBoer, both avid gardeners in their own right, were interviewed by Karen Walenga of the Green Valley News. Look for the article in the coming issues of the Green Valley News and the Sahuarita Sun. We are always pleased to have club members featured in a news article. Good for them. 
Frame for cook shed.

October 14th: Using donations, we are able to complete a portion of the shed designed as storage for our "cook ware" assets; i.e., pizza oven, offset smoker, and digital smoker, as well as garden equipment. Look for this project to be completed in the near future.
 
October 20th: For the second year, the Ogden is involved with Mitzvah day. On November 3rd, two volunteers will remove, clean and store 16 Hummingbird feeders. We look forward to our annual involvement with Green Valley's Mitzvah day.

Onion fundraiser: The garden is making preparations for our 2018 onion sales. Onions will be ordered the first week of November with the planting to follow. If you want to get involved with this project, please call George Stone at 343-9690 or email him at [email protected] .

Plots available: The Ogden has two in-ground and two raised beds for immediate assignments. If you would like to experience gardening at Ogden, contact George Stone at 343-9690 or email him at [email protected].

Until next month---see you in the garden!
Picturesque bird house handmade by garden volunteer, Sally Sherbina.
Arid Garden  by Mary Kidnocker 

Warm thanks to Nancy Lamphere of La Posada for the gift of three colorful
boulders... a petrified wood piece, one with irregular mossy green highlights, and another of soothing pink quartz. Jim Campbell and Byron Hinton helped with transporting and setting each stone into its new home in the garden.
 
Also appreciated is a clever birdhouse replica, hand-made and donated by garden volunteer, Sally Sherbina. It is now unobtrusively nestled in the evergreen foliage of the Mastic tree.
 
Both gifts adhere to our goal of keeping this garden simple, natural, and sophisticated... a tranquil retreat.

New petrified wood specimen in the LaScala Cactus Bed.
Natural boulder with green highlights recently donated to The Arid  Garden.

Desert Meadows Park by Chuck Parsons

New checkerboard table made for us by Happy Quail.
Enhancements continue at the park using funds from the 2017 Freeport-McMoRan Foundation grant. Since last month we have replaced the checker board table in the Barrio Garden with one designed by Leslie Campbell and made for us by Happy Quail. Gary Campbell created the original from salvaged materials - much to our delight, it was frequently used by park visitors.

We created a fourth picnic area. Originally, we had a park bench and some potted plants in the area. The shade of the surrounding, mature desert willow made it an ideal area to expand when a member donated a metal patio table. We used funds for a flagstone patio and pathways.

A new picnic area for DMPark. A great spot to sit with a morning coffee or a late afternoon glass of wine!
We call this area the "Library Garden". Eventually we will have an information board and a library cabinet made and installed. The garden will be registered and listed on the website www.littlefreelibrary.org - our goal is to have the park registered and listed on several websites to attract visitors. 

Each of the picnic areas at Desert Meadows Park now has a chalkboard with information on how to reserve the area for family, special occasion or group events. There is a total of five areas that can be reserved:
Chalkboards at each of the picnic areas of Desert Meadows Park.
  • There are two in the Hummingbird/Butterfly Garden, the Hummingbird Ramada and the Butterfly Ramada. To accommodate a large group, both can be reserved.
  • The popular Barrio Garden, which has multiple tables to also accommodate large groups. The club will use this area for the November 11th Ice Cream Social and again in December for the annual barbecue.
  • The Sunset Pavilion which has the best views of the Santa Rita Mountains. This area is close enough to the Barrio Garden to handle overflow for very large group gatherings.
  • And finally, the newly-created Library Garden, which is the smallest space for a more intimate setting.
When a reservation is made, we will post that information on the chalkboard. To make a reservation, email [email protected] - we do request a donation for reservations, and can provide extra tables and a generator for a fee.
GVG Gardens at Historic Canoa Ranch (HCR)  by Jack Davis and Raydine Taber

NEW  AT  HCR!!!  Beginning November 7th, we'll have a weekly workday. Instead of each of us working a scheduled week, we'll all be working the same day, every week. We'll meet at 8:15 AM and spend a couple of enjoyable hours together. Last February, many of you indicated that you would like more learning experiences. Hopefully, this new work day will provide those learning opportunities. Each week we can feature one of the plants we grow and take a look at the culture of the plant, history and uses. Or, as a group, we can determine future plants for the gardens based on the plant's history in southern Arizona and healthy growth requirements. For those gardeners who, due to allergies or heat, need to limit their time outside, we'll try to have inside tasks. Another possible task for those who prefer gardening inside is to identify plants and write up plant ID stakes for the gardens and maintain the plant location layouts. Hopefully, we'll be able to "play in the dirt", learn more gardening skills, get acquainted with some new plants, absorb a little early southern Arizona, history and meet some new gardening friends.
 
Here is a list of the various gardens that we plant and maintain.
  • Junior House Courtyard (new this year) is an irrigated garden with a variety of outside plants and a couple of trees. One tree was donated by a lady who spent time at the ranch when she was younger. This fig tree is very special to her. We also maintain a courtyard hummingbird feeder.
  • Junior House Fireplace and window planters contain inside plants. We also have a couple of donated plants in pots. We try to include, on a small scale, some seasonal features in Junior House, such as holiday plants and decorations.
  • Senior House Herb garden, where we grow herbs and some vegetables. It also has two hanging flower baskets and one hummingbird feeder.
  • Senior House east cactus garden, planted with various cacti and succulents.
  • Senior House, south fruit trees (new this year). The fruit trees were planted by Pima County several years ago, but changes in Pima County department structure and onsite manpower has left them in need of more care. We are going to try and give them some loving attention to start producing fruit and look spectacular for visitors.
  • Grijalva House raised beds (2). We grow herbs and seasonal vegetables.
  • Grijalva House also has an outside planted area of lantana, desert spoon and milkweed, normally in need of manual watering and periodic pruning of the lantana.
  • Grijalva House north wall planting (new this year). Rotating seasonal crops and a flowering quince, a descendant of Father Kino's quince plant from Spain.
  • Grijalva House, wash tub by the front porch. Special cat grass for the resident feral cats.
  • Grijalva House, "little red wagon" on the front porch. We try to keep a small seasonal display on the wagon.
  • Next year's endeavors could include a butterfly garden (location not yet determined), planting around the lake or a rose garden in front of Senior House.
As you can see, we sort of dabble in many gardening facets. I'm sure we have a venue that you might be interested in cultivating. Circle Tuesday, on your calendar as your Historic Canoa Ranch gardening day. Everyone is welcome to join us and bring along a friend.
 
HCR lake update:  Thanks to Flood Control, the lake featured in in the musical movie, Oklahoma, is being dug and shaped. It will be about half the size of the original but will hold many of the original features. Please take some time to check out the lake plans presently displayed the Junior House.
COMMITTEE UPDATE S
SEMINARS by Judy Christensen and Pat Pearson

Green Valley Gardeners public Thursday educational programs continue with three exceptional programs.  
  • November 2rd will feature Kris Brown, founder of "Mr. Pack Rat" in Tucson. Learn about workable solutions to deal with the pests versus the abundant myths often touted.
  • On November 9th we are honored to feature Jesus Garcia, Educational Specialist from the Sonora Arizona Desert Museum, and Director of the Kino Heritage Fruit Tree Project.  We will learn about the cultural gardening traditions of the Sonoran Desert.
  •  The Thursday after Thanksgiving, November 30th, we are pleased to have one of our GVG members, John Bergstrom, teach us about Southern Arizona butterflies, and gardening tips to attract them to our backyards. 
As always, seminars are free and open to the public. They are held at GVR Desert Hills auditorium, 2980 South Camino del Sol from 9:30 to 10:30. Doors open at 9 for coffee, cookies and conversation. Master Gardeners will be present to answer your gardening questions.
 
Check out the remaining fall season seminars on our website.
MEMBER ACTIVITIES by Marita Ramsay and Cathy Merritt

Ice Cream and Music in the Park ~ Saturday, November 11

Please join us on Saturday, November 11, for music and ice cream in Desert Meadows Park.

Music will be provided by Jerry Lewis, a very talented and versatile musician, who plays an eclectic mix of folk, country western, and ballads.  Delicious ice cream will be available from Cold Stone Creamery. (Attendees are responsible for paying for their ice cream).

Jerry Lewis entertaining guests in the Barrio Garden during a previous club event. Photo by Gary Campbell.

This activity will start at 1 p.m. at the south end of Desert Meadows Park, located at 999 S La Huerta Boulevard in Green Valley.

We will be renting chairs, so please reserve your spot by November 6 to ensure that we have  adequate  seating for everyone. Sign up at either the Thursday, November 2 seminar, or by emailing Marita Ramsay at  [email protected] .

Mission Garden Tour - Thursday, November 16

Mission Garden is a living agricultural museum of Sonoran Desert-adapted heritage fruit trees, traditional local heirloom crops, and edible native plants, representing Tucson's 4,000  years of agricultural history. The Garden is the recreation of the Spanish Colonial walled garden that was part of Tucson's San Agustin Mission. To learn more of the fascinating story of the Garden, go to  www.tucsonsbirthplace.org.
 
We will carpool from the parking lot in the Green Valley Village, adjacent to the El Rodeo restaurant, leaving at 8:15 am.
 
Registration for this event will begin at the November 2 seminar, or by email to  Marita Ramsay at [email protected] .

Annual Barbecue ~ Saturday, December 2

Our annual Barbecue will be held at Desert Meadows Park on Saturday, December 2, starting at 1 pm . Ken's Hardwood BBQ of Tucson will cater the event.
 
Menu
  • Beef Brisket with Hawaiian rolls
  • Potato salad
  • Barbecue beans
  • Peach cobbler
  • Iced tea, beer and wine 
The cost is $15.00 per person, and registration is required. The registration deadline is Saturday, November 25th. Reservations can be made at our Thursday seminars, or by mail.  To reserve by mail, please send a check, made payable to GV Gardeners, to:   Jackie Jensen, 1157 Placita Refinada, Green Valley AZ 85614.
 
If you have questions, please call Marita Ramsay at 208-290-7770, or email her at  [email protected].
Membership - New Members
 by Mark Thompson

During the month of October, we added eight more members to our roster:
 
        Harry and Barbara Jepkema
        Gary Karger
        Randolph and Sophia Schild
        Carol Lambert
        Barbara Kitz   
        Katie Larvinson
Charlene Westgate
 
They all will be wearing their new badges shortly, so please make them feel welcomed. 
 
As we approach the end of this year and begin to assess our personal tax liability, please consider a taxable deduction to GVG.  Your donations are always appreciated.
MEMBER PHOTOGRAPHS
Chuck Parsons took these photos of the beautiful displays at our annual Fall Plant Sale. Good thing he took them immediately after setup, because they flew off the shelves as soon as we opened!






Editor: Linda Gricius | Green Valley Gardeners | [email protected]  | www.greenvalleygardeners.com
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