June 2020
Established in 1980
|
|
In this issue you will find:
 |
|
|
Even the cactus are wearing masks
|
- Message from the President
- Upcoming Events
- Seminars
- Member Tours & Events
- Work Calendar
- Feature Articles
- "In Your Plot"
- Make a Donation to GVG via AmazonSmile
- Project Updates
- Allen J. Ogden Community Garden
- Arid Garden
- Archives
- Desert Meadows Park
- GVG Gardens at Historic Canoa Ranch
- Elementary Schools
- 40th Anniversary Project
- Committee Updates
- Member Photos
|
|
|
|
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
|
Another month of Covid shut down. We have managed as well as can be expected. David Duffy suggested we sell face masks like the one I wore in the photo in last month's newsletter. We had Christa Ryan, Marilee Crumley, Patricia Simpson, Phyllis Barboza and Rena Duffy making masks. We took a regular face mask pattern and converted it to our needs of using our 40th anniversary tote bags. David Duffy and Rod Simpson helped with the disassembling of the bags and cutting out the masks. Then we had Chuck Parsons managing the ordering phase. He coordinated with the Onion Sales and made it work. Cynthia Surprise composed our eblasts and got the word out to everyone.
This was a fund raiser and fun project with exceptional volunteers helping out. I am proud to say we sold $790 worth of face masks. We have 2 large and 2 medium masks remaining if you want one, let me know. Thank you to all who helped and to those who purchased the masks.
We had yet another board meeting in May, by email. The big question was "Can we open Desert Meadows Park back up" and if so to what capacity? The board voted to wait until the end of May and have another discussion. We have been trying to follow Governor Ducey's guidelines along with the CDC's. So, this week we voted again and decided to start opening the park back up June 2 with social distancing. We also voted to continue our seminars in the fall, as usual. If things get worse with the virus situation we will discuss again. One of the deciding factors with the seminars is will the GVR facility be open? We just have to wait and see.
Onion sales. WOW! A total sell out. I will let Erin Walker the co manager with Kendra Rogers-Lee tell you more about that. These two ladies did a wonderful job making this sale happen and those of us who helped with the sale got to know them better. They are two great additions to our club and George Stone would be so proud. Once again Chuck Parsons helped with the online sales and logistics of organizing the first drive through sale. We think we will continue to do the sales online with drive through pickup in the years to come. Thank you to all our volunteers!
|
|
| Erin Walker, Kay Farland, Janet Senning social distancing while waiting for onion sales |
Some reference books have disappeared from our library at Desert Meadows Park. The books on the top shelf are free for taking or exchange, but the bottom shelf is reference material and not to leave the park. If you borrowed those reference books (they have a sign on them to indicate their use) please return them. Also, people have been taking plants from our propagation area that are not for sale. James Tyrer propagates plants for us to sell and some of these were in stages of propagation for later sales. Please do not take plants that don't have a price on them and if you do buy a plant, put the money in the donation box.
George Stone passed away May 27, 2020 with his loving wife, Kathy, by his side. He put up a good fight and wanted to live until after the onion sale. He almost made it. George was a big supporter of mine as I took on the role of president. He sent me encouraging emails and always had some good advice and ideas which I valued immensely. One of the things he wanted to implement was a way to thank our volunteers and honor people who have passed. I am happy to say we now have a committee that is undertaking the job of doing that very thing. I understand that George did a lot behind the scenes to help people out. Kathy says she will have some type of memorial later on. I hope we, as a club, can have a big celebration maybe in the fall to honor him and we can all share stories of what a great guy George was, because he
was a great guy. Remember Kathy and family as they go through this time of adjusting to life without George.
|
|
| George Stone at Ogden Garden |
One more thing, if you garden plot gardeners need 30% shade cloth, I have some. It is $20.00 for a 6 x 10 piece. This is not people shade cloth, which is too thick. It is for gardens which allows air to flow through it while blocking some of the sun. I am not a distributor of this but just have extra that I am making available to gardeners.
Email to: pats@greenvalleygardeners.com
Patricia Simpson, President
******************************************************************************************************************
METHODS FOR MAKING A MONETARY DONATION TO THE CLUB
Square offers a direct link to make a credit card donation to the garden club. Simply click
here ~
you will be asked for an amount, your contact information and credit card information.
Donations made to this link go toward operating expenses. If you want your donation to go to a specific project or in honor of an individual, please indicate your intention in the comment area.
You also can mail in a donation to:
Green Valley Gardeners
PO Box 86
Green Valley, AZ 85622-0086
Link for square donation:
Link for club store:
|
|
|
Seminars are cancelled until fall.
|
|
|
MEMBER ACTIVITIES
by Marita Ramsay
Member activities are cancelled.
|
|
|
"IN YOUR PLOT"
By Lorna Mitchell
George Stone was the mover and shaker of Ogden Garden longer than most of us have been there; and Ogden Garden was the lifeblood of George Stone once he connected with it. We are saddened by his passing but he will long be remembered for his efforts that transformed the Ogden into a delightful retreat for garden enthusiasts. We will miss his friendly greetings, funny stories, and the twinkle in his eye but his spirit of community and enjoyment of people will live on at Ogden Garden.
Botanically speaking, we harvest a lot of fruit from our summer vegetable garden. A fruit is defined as a fleshy product of a plant that contains the seed. We like to eat our seeds in tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, all kinds of squash, all kinds of beans, melons, pumpkins, corn, okra, and cucumbers. It generally takes more heat to produce a flower, fruit, and seed than leaves, roots, and stems - and heat is what we have in abundance this month!
Heat calls for lots of water and that's the key to gardening harvests in our desert. Run every clock on your irrigation system every time you are in your plot to ensure adequate delivery; sediment can clog small ports. It is helpful to have standard parts with you to repair leaks on the spot. Watch for irrigation problems in the other plots and help solve their issues, too.
ONIONS If you still have onions in the ground, turn off the water to them and let them dry for 4-7 days. Then dig them out, cut off the soil with most of the roots and cut off all but 2-3 inches of the top. If placed in a single layer on screened shelves in the garage most of them will store for several months, or they can be chopped and frozen. Onions that started to produce a stalk or are soft in the center need to be used first. Check your Garden Club cookbook, Plot to Plate, for yummy recipes!
GARLIC should be dug out and if dried thoroughly will keep for several weeks on the shelf but our dry air shrivels garlic quickly. My favorite way to store it is to clean and peel each clove and stack them in a glass jar that has a tight fitting lid. Cover completely with white vinegar, tighten the lid, and store it in the refrigerator (DO NOT cover with oil - this can lead to botulism!). It is always ready to use and doesn't carry the vinegar taste. Another option is to chop and freeze it.
TOMATOES are a little slower this year than last but many green ones are appearing. The stresses of dry heat may cause splitting and/or "blossom end rot"; this is not a disease but a condition characterized by a dark shriveled patch at the blossom end of the fruit. The best prevention is consistent watering. After choosing several main leaders for fruit production, pinch out the suckers that form at the base of the leaves to channel the plant's energy into fruit; but don't accidentally pinch off the growing tip!
Hornworms, the nemesis of tomatoes, will probably arrive this month. Handpick but also apply periodic applications of Bt because we never find them all. Bt - short for Bacillus thuringiensis - a naturally occurring soil bacteria that kills caterpillars after they ingest it. It is organic and is found under names such as Thuricide, Monterey Bt, Garden Safe Bt, Dipel Dust.
SUMMER SQUASH fruit grows quickly once it is pollinated. Male and female flowers form on each plant but often male flowers appear first, so don't be discouraged if fruit doesn't set right away, female flowers will follow. They are open early in the morning and insects are needed to transfer pollen, or you can do it yourself to ensure squash production.
Watch for the squash vine borer, these are the guys that can cause the plant to wilt down and die. The moth lays eggs 2-3 at a time on the outside of the stem. These are the size of a pin head and can be easily smeared off. Or, spray the stems with Bt twice a week so when the eggs hatch, the caterpillar will ingest it and stop eating.
SEEDS TO PLANT We can still do some planting; sow seeds of corn, melon, summer and winter squash (acorn, butternut, pumpkin), okra, black-eyed peas, amaranth, green beans and yard-long beans. These all like the heat, just keep soil moist with a couple of short waterings during the day while they are young. It's also time to put in those sweet potato plants for fall harvest, give them lots of room or plan on cutting back the vines. Remember to replenish the soil with organic matter and nutrients before planting a new crop.
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/
.
Through Amazon Smile, the GVG has earned $97.12 this year. Thank you all for the support!
|
|
|
|
Allen J. Ogden Community Garden
b
y Erin Walker
Happy June everyone! I hope this finds you well and that you're able to stay cool.
Earlier this week we got the news that the former manager of Ogden and my mentor, George Stone, passed away after a long battle with cancer. I always enjoyed the days that we would sit for hours and just chat. George had a huge heart and generous soul and he will be missed. Rest well my friend.
On May 28th, the annual onion sale held this year was an absolute success and I am so incredibly grateful for every single person who made an order and who helped make it happen. We actually sold out this year and there just couldn't be a better year to break new records. The online sales were wildly popular and streamlined the whole process and so this is how we will be conducting George Stone's Annual Onion Sale in the years to come. I know George would have been incredibly happy about this year's results.
I would like to introduce two new plot families at Ogden: Doug Yoes and
Aron & Teresa Lockwood. We always enjoy having new members to Ogden.
And one more piece of bad news, I am sad to have to announce that we did lose our male dwarf Hotot bunny, Turbo. There was no evidence to foul play so it was just one of those things. Because of this, I brought Snow home, so she will not be lonely and thus far after a week, she seems to really appreciate being an indoor bunny. I will make sure she lives a long, happy, and spoiled life, but as of now, the only critters that we will have at Ogden through the summer are the 3 hens and the sulcata tortoise, George Jr. And as always, all Green Valley Gardeners are welcome to visit our critters at any time. I am looking forward to the day when it is again safe to take George Jr. out for educational adventures with the communities.
If you would like information on the Ogden Garden, please contact Erin at
erinflanery82@gmail.com
Be Well
|
|
|
|
Arid Garden
by Mary Kidnocker
It has been decided to expand the walkway leading to the potting bench and Shade Garden area. Present pavers are too narrow for some of our visitors with mobility issues, so the new configuration will be wider and firmer to better accommodate all visitors. This project is under the supervision of our "Trailmaster" Barry Gillaspie and helpers.
The original tree-climbing cactus plant in the garden grew so fast last year that it was necessary to cut off sections. The pieces were then planted in new locations. You will now find what resemble "green snakes" wandering through a number of trees in the garden. Should make an interesting picture if they all bloom at the same time.
Devoted volunteers have continued to keep our little garden in tip-top condition throughout these past Covid-19 months. Keeping proper social distances, we have been able to continue with deadheading, supplemental watering, gathering litter and trimming...while enjoying the songbirds, hummingbird antics, sweet spring scents and the multitudes of colorful seasonal flowers. Come visit this special place!
|
|
| Cholla cactus in full bloom at Arid Garden |
|
|
|
|
Archives - For the year 1983, Club Plant Sale profits totaled $146.00
|
|
|
|
Desert Meadows Park
by Chuck Parsons
It didn't take many days of 100-degree weather to convince winter-residents that virus or not it was time to go north. Visitor count at the park dropped significantly in late May, especially during hot mid-afternoon hours. Benches and tables are still being stored to prevent gathering. We were unable to store the gabion benches ~ they continued to provide a spot to sit although exposed to full sun. We did replace the four swings early in May. That made some of our regular visitors very happy.
|
|
Dog walker relaxing on gabion bench
photo by Merry Archer |
Volunteers have continued to tend the park. Fortunately, the park is large enough that people can work independently if that is their preference and yet accomplish necessary maintenance tasks. The community garden was productive in May. Green Valley food bank discontinued accepting our donations but over 500 pounds were donated to the Sahuarita food bank. Modifications were made to the nursery last month, and will continue this summer. A new bench built by Bill Voorhees provides James Tyrer with an expanded propagation capability. James can be found working in the nursery nearly every day. Thanks to James the nursery has become a financial success.
|
|
James in the nursery
photo by Chuck Parsons |
Unlike April, May visitors maintained social distancing in general. I guess folks were still fighting the concept in April ~ change is hard, especially for us seniors! The virus fortunately doesn't impact the wildlife in the park. Quail still propagate ~ we see lots of little ones scurrying around with the adult pairs, other birds have been nesting in our trees, and we see baby bunnies running around. Unlike GVR with closed pools, the park provides communal bathing for our birds ~ social distancing not required of our fine feathered friends.
|
|
Birds bathing in fountain at the Rainwater Garden
photo by Merry Archer |
|
|
|
GVG Gardens at Historic Canoa Ranch (HCR)
by Raydine Taber, HCR Project Manager
Excellent news from Pima County, NRPR management. We can resume our Tuesday workdays on June 2nd.
While we were away, they finished up the stucco on the Tradesman's House, trimmed most of the Mesquite trees and the hedges around the Junior House front yard. They are presently digging the new septic leach field for the Junior House's improved plumbing. The ramadas around the lake have been opened. The new, 7-acre pollinator garden has been staked out for planting. We've learned that there will be no tours until September. It was amazing how many people came out to the ranch daily to bird or just walk around the lake and the Cienega. HCR is becoming a very popular place to walk.
Now that the stucco is completed on the Grijalva House, we can begin to set up another raised bed where the butterfly garden had been. We are thinking this one will contain herbs, small vegetables and flowers. We are trying to bring a little color to this house.
Historic Canoa Ranch offers an enormous assortment of gardening venues. If you are interested in, want to learn about or are you an expert with vegetables, ornamental plants, indoor plants, herbs, cacti, native plants, succulents, plants for the pollinators and/or fruit trees, then, for you, Historic Canoa Ranch is the right venue. We have a variety of plants and gardens to meet everyone's preference. You can choose to work on all the gardens or just the one you prefer.
|
|
|
|
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
by Steve Curtis
Schools are closed so nothing happening here.
|
|
|
|
40th ANNIVERSARY PROJECTS
MEDIAN GREEN PROJECT
Well, all is quiet on the median front. A lot of our volunteers and committee members have headed North.
We are working on the Pima County permits and have been in touch with Jessie Byrd of the Pima County Nursery and she is waiting to find out what plants we will need for the remaining medians.
I drove by the 4 medians which are completed and are on the 2 year watering schedule and am happy to report that most of the plants are so far surviving quite well. The medians look fantastic. A big thank you to:
NE16 Abrego Russell & Cheri Smith
NE17 Abrego
John Divjak
NE25 Abrego
Linda Papworth
NE26 Abrego
Kay & Richard Farland
You all are doing a fantastic job!
THE WHITE ELEPHANT PARADE PROJECT
Our entry will consist of a pickup truck decorated to represent the club as a whole and four golf carts decorated to represent Ogden Garden, Arid Garden, Desert Meadows Park and the gardens at Historic Canoa Ranch. Walkers will carry signs to let people know about all of the club's projects.
If you are interested in joining the Parade Committee, please contact the co-chairs: Cynthia Surprise (cjsurprise@verizon.net) or Marita Ramsay (maritasandpoint@yahoo.com). Please let us know which project you would like to work on.
To comply with social distancing, we are not having meetings, but please send us your ideas.
Currently, the White Elephant is closed and we do not know when they will announce the theme for the parade.
by Cynthia Surprise and Marita Ramsay
|
|
|
|
Membership
by Mark Thompson
Last year at this time, we had 507 member. Today we have 566. What has happened? How did we get to become one of the biggest clubs in Green Valley? The answer I get from most people when I ask them why they joined it almost always revolves around two things: knowledge and friendship. They want to learn about gardening in the desert - they want to meet new friends - they what to get their hands dirty - they want to do something for the community. Despite the fact that this pandemic has slowed down almost all of our activities, we still provide an opportunity for all to get out and enjoy all that gardening here in Green Valley has to offer.
This month, we get to welcome the following 14 new members:
Teresa and Aron Lockwood
Diane Fredrickson
Ted Buethe
Frederick and Paula Thorne
Deborah Sommer
Joe McCloskey
Barbara and Donald Smith
Kathy Giragosian
Shirley Fasching
Gail and David Daniels
So, if you see any of these new members around town, welcome them and help them get involved. You will be glad that you did and we will become a better organization.
If you have any changes in your contact information, please email me at
memberships@greenvalleygardeners.com
. And don't forget to order some GVG branded clothing or get you fresh herbs at Desert Meadows Park. Happy Gardening.
|
|
|
|
Nominations
by Bill Carley
"As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands - one for helping yourself, the other for helping others." - Audrey Hepburn
The Nominating Committee is looking for members interested in serving on the Green Valley Gardeners Board of Directors.
Board members have the very important responsibility of establishing and administering club policies and giving direction to the president. The board also provides input as to the programs and projects the club undertakes.
The term of office for board members is three years. Board members are elected in October and take office in November.
If you would be willing to serve or would like to nominate a member, please contact Bill Carley at
custom.bill@att.net
920-344-6563.
|
|
|
If you have some favorite photos you've taken at one of the club's projects, please submit them prior to the 28th of the month to be included in the newsletter for all to enjoy.
|
|
| Beautiful Yucca at Desert Meadows Park-Photo by Gene Van Dyken |
|
|
|
Close up photo of the yucca flower
by Merry Archer |
|
|
Yucca at DMP
by Merry Archer |
|
|
|
|
|
