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October 2019
Established in 1980
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In this issue you will find:
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Among the volunteer plants encouraged to grow in the Arid Garden are these tiny yellow Dyssodia, purple Moss Verbena and sweet Chocolate Flowers. (ARID GARDEN)
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- Message from the President
- Upcoming Events
- Seminars
- Nominating Committee
- Member Tours & Events
- Master Gardener Class
- Work Calendar
- Feature Articles
- "In Your Plot"
- Proposed Changes to By-Laws
- Make a Donation to GVG via AmazonSmile
- 2019 AZ19 Most Influential People
- Project Updates
- Allen J. Ogden Community Garden
- Arid Garden
- Desert Meadows Park
- GVG Gardens at Historic Canoa Ranch
- Elementary Schools
- Committee Updates
- Membership
- Fall Plant Sale
- 2020 Garden Tour
- Member Photos
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
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Bill is temporarily on medical leave but we hope will return soon.
Bill Berdine, President
Green Valley Gardeners
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SEMINAR COMMITTEE REPORT
With October being Plant Sale Month our first 2 seminars of the month will be presented by suppliers of some of the plants at the sale. On October 3rd Brendan Woltman owner of Eco Gro will talk about Aquaponics, Air plants and his "weird plants". October 10th Alex Shipley returns to highlight some of the plants Civano Nursery will be providing to the sale. Alex offers tips and tricks on planting and maintaining your plants. On October 31st Debbie Mounce from Harlow Gardens will demonstrate how to create beautiful pots for your Fall/Winter gardens. This is a must see for everyone interested in creating eye catching pots.
The seminars will be held at Green Valley Recreation Desert Hills auditorium,2980 South Camino del Sol. All seminars start at 9:30 and end at 10:30. Come as early as 9:00 to be assured of a seat and for coffee, goodies and socializing.
All Green Valley Gardener seminars are free and open to the public. Master Gardeners will be available before and after the seminar to answer your gardening questions.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Profiles of the Candidates for the Board of Directors are below. The slate of candidates was e blasted on Sept.17th. There will be e blasts concerning the election all thru October. Important dates October 21 BALLOTS EMAILED. November 8th ELECTION CLOSED.
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DAVID DUFFY
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In 2016, I joined the Green Valley Gardeners and began volunteering at Desert Meadows Park. I also earned my Master Gardener certification in 2016. I was in charge of rebuilding the irrigation system at the Master Gardeners' Office on White House Canyon Road and am currently in charge of establishing the Veterans' Garden there. I have been involved in a number of projects for the Green Valley Gardeners including: serving on the Seminar Committee for the past two years, volunteering at the club's plant sales, being a host on the garden tours, working at Historic Canoa Ranch including on the replant at the lake, and moving the Swinford plant collection to various club locations.
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LINDA GREGORY
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I have been a resident of Green Valley since 1995. It was the Arid Garden that drew me into the Green Valley Gardeners about thirteen years ago. I actually volunteered in the Arid Garden for three years before joining the club. Since then I have been a greeter during the garden tours, worked the plant sales, and you may have seen me taking photographs at various other club events. I'm the "unofficial official" club photographer. I am a very active volunteer with the club and hope to bring my club experience as a member of the board.
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RHONDA RINN
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I joined GVG in October 2018 primarily because of Desert Meadows Park. I thought if a group of people could create and maintain such a beautiful place, I wanted to hang out with THOSE people! Since joining GVG I have volunteered at Historic Canoa Ranch Tuesday mornings where I get to learn about desert plants and get my hands in the dirt. I was a co-host at one of the show gardens on the annual garden tour and helped at the annual plant sale. I have belonged to a garden club in Washington State for many years and have been the secretary and on the board of that club for the last 4 years.
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PATRICIA SIMPSON |
My husband, Rodney, and I moved to Green Valley about 8 years ago. I got involved with my HOA by designing and administering their website. I am certified as a Master Gardener and volunteer with them on a regular basis. I am also the editor of the newsletters for the Master Gardeners and the Green Valley Gardeners. I was appointed to the Green Valley Gardeners' Board to fill a mid-term vacancy, and that opportunity has taught me how important the board is and all the work they do. I am willing to serve on the board because I know volunteers keep the whole club going. I want to do my fair share and not leave the burden on just a few. Besides, you don't know
how
man friends and opportunities you will mis if you don't try.
MEMBER TOURS AND EVENTS
by Marita Ramsay
On Thursday, October 17th we will tour the 70 acre Civano Wholesale Nursery Farm and Propagation Facility.
We will carpool from the parking lot south of El Rodeo restaurant at 8 AM. The tour will begin at 9 AM.
The tour is limited to 30 at the request of Civano's. Register for the tour by emailing Marita Ramsay @
maritasandpoint@yahoo.com
More information will be available in upcoming eblasts.
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OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME A MASTER GARDENER
Information on becoming a Pima County Master Gardener click below:
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Volunteer and Work Calendar
October 2019
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"IN YOUR PLOT"
by Lorna Mitchell
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Winter Vegetables |
Oh, the blessing of rain, glorious rain - and cool temperatures! The monotonous heat has released its claws and our plants sigh with relief even more than we do.
October is the beginning of our winter vegetable season. Now is the time to plant while soils are still warm enough to germinate seeds and grow roots. We are fortunate to garden year round by rotating types of crops. Remember to replenish soil nutrients with amendments of steer manure and balanced fertilizer whenever you dig. Now is the time for transplants of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, spinach, cilantro and kale. Put in seeds of carrots, beets, Swiss chard, kale, lettuce, spinach, cilantro, peas, radishes, kohlrabi, rutabaga, parsnips, and turnips.
Insect pests like tomato hornworms and grasshoppers have been minimal this summer due to cold temperatures last winter and light monsoons of recent months - but don't let your guard down yet! A pest that warrants mentioning is the cabbage looper. Watch those little brassicas for the tiny green caterpillars that gobble up leaves; treat with BT and be sure to wet the underside of the leaves also. Even a few grasshoppers can devour young plants in short order; so shielding your young plants and seedlings with covers that allow light and water through is the best bet to their survival.
Garlic goes in now and stays in till May or June. I've had good success with garlic from the 99 cent store, just pull it apart and bury individual cloves in the soil, point up about 2 inches apart, make sure it will receive irrigation. Interesting varieties may be available from seed catalogues.
Don't plant "winter squash"; that's a term for hard skinned squash that stores well but it is very frost sensitive and grows in the summer. Also, don't plant potatoes yet; Irish potatoes will plant in February, sweet potatoes in May.
If your tomato plants are still healthy and blooming they may begin to set fruit again in the cooler weather. It hasn't been a good year for tomatoes.
Onion plants for bulb onions go in next month or later but seeds for short day onions can go in now if you want to try that. Sets can be planted now for green onions but they won't produce large bulbs. More on onions next month.
See you in the garden during the great autumn weather this month.
Those are my plot thoughts for now, Happy Gardening, Lorna Mitchell
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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/
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Did you Know About Our Own Mary Kidnocker?
Mary Kidnocker was chosen as one of the "2019 AZ19 Most Influential People". This is an annual event that honors the community "All-Stars" from Sahaurita to Nogales, sponsored by the Green Valley News, Sahuarita Sun and Nogales International Community Newspapers. There was a banquet at Desert Diamond Casino on September 10, 2019 to celebrate the winners.
Congratulations Mary!!
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PROPOSED CHANGES TO BY-LAWS
The Board of Directors has approved several changes to the By-Laws, and members will be asked to vote on the changes on the upcoming ballot. Please take a few minutes to read them and direct any questions or comments to Judy Christensen at Judy@greenvalleygardeners.com.
Below are the current sections of the By-Laws to be amended followed by the proposed By-Laws. The new language is highlighted in red. After each proposed amendment you will find the Board's explanation for the change. The explanations are shown in blue.
Current Article VII: Elections
A. Nominating Committee. The President shall appoint a Nomination committee at a May meeting. The committee shall report its slate of new directors to the Board at the September meeting, and after approval, to the membership in October.
B. Elections. The election shall be conducted by mail and/or electronically or at a special meeting called for by the Board. Nominations may be made from the floor at an October meeting or as write-ins on a mail ballot.
C. Installation. Board members and Officers shall be installed in November and shall assume offices as of that time.
Proposed Article VII: Elections
A. Nominating Committee. The President shall appoint a Nomination committee
in January
. The committee shall report its slate of new directors to the Board at the September meeting, and after approval, to the membership in October.
[Explanation: Waiting until May is not optimal timing for encouraging interest in serving on the Board.]
B. Elections. The election shall be conducted by mail and/or electronically or at a special meeting called for by the Board. Nominations may be made
by any member to the Chair of the Nomination Committee.
[Explanation: The only membership meeting we currently have in the Annual Meeting in January at the Potluck. There is no opportunity to have nominations from the floor in October. Electronic ballots do not afford the option for write-in candidates.]
C. Installation.
Board members shall be installed and shall assume office at the end of the November Board meeting. Officers of the Board shall be elected at the December Board Meeting.
[Explanation: The Board recommends that both old and new Board members meet together in November. The new Board members would benefit from learning the process before they are installed and then would be better prepared to elect officers in December.]
Current Article VIII: Finance
C. Budget. A proposed budget of the estimated income and expenses for the next fiscal year shall be prepared by the Club Treasurer and received, reviewed, and modified as deemed appropriate at the January meeting of the Board. A final budget shall be approved at the February Board meeting.
Proposed Article VIII: Finance
C. Budget. A proposed budget of the estimated income and expenses for the next fiscal year shall be prepared by the Club Treasurer and received, reviewed, and modified as deemed appropriate
and approved by the Board prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.
[Explanation: Our fiscal year begins on January 1. February is too late to finalize the budget.]
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Allen J. Ogden Community Garden
b
y George Stone
- On September 20 Karen Walenga, reporter with the Green Valley News, conducted an interview and photo shoot with garden manager, George Stone, his wife Kathy, plot holders Virginia Danieu, Mary Smiley, Jerry Ildefonso and volunteer David Snider. Karen's plans are to publish a 3- page article dealing primarily with the historic aspect of the Ogden. It was hard work bringing our hot summer plots up to the presentation stage but---we did it. The garden has never looked so good.
- With the cooler weather finally creeping slowly in, we see the gardeners busy planting their winter crops.
- Believe it's time for our 2-little dwarf Hotot rabbits to have their very first date. We want the weather to cool some before Snow, our little doe, delivers her litter of babies 28 days after their "date ".
- It's time to start utilizing our demonstration/cook Island which was completed in August.
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| Demonstration/Cook Island |
- Saturday November 2 at 1 pm George Stone will give a fun Dutch oven cooking demonstration. The demonstration will start with 15 minutes of the ins and outs of Dutch oven cooking. We will then cook a roasted chicken & dumpling for a 3 pm dinner or late lunch. Demonstration and dinner will be free and limited to 12 people. Make reservations with George by either emailing to 123gstone@gmail.com or calling 343-9690 no later than October 20th. Event to be held at the Ogden garden.
- Thursday November14 at 1 pm Kathy Stone will give a 1-hour presentation on "potting cactus". Kathy is well known in the community for her potted cactus exhibits and demonstrations. Event will be limited to 25 people. Reservation required by November 1 by emailing George Stone at 123gstone@gmail.com or by calling 343-9690. You will not want to miss this event. Presentation to be held at the Ogden gardens on there newly built demonstration/cook Island.
Until next month I will see you in a garden
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Arid Garden
by Mary Kidnocker
While temperatures were so often around or above 100-degrees, plants in several areas of the garden were wilting during mid- afternoons. Observing this condition, it was decided to add another watering cycle. It was amazing what a difference the extra water made. Not only was there no more wilting, but foliage became more dense, certain plants began to bloom again, and over all the garden became more lush. With autumn's reduced temperatures, the management of watering has been returned to its original schedule.
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| There is a special lushness in the late summer Arid Garden |
The garden's resident packrat must have been infuriated when he couldn't easily enter his home through the new wooden work-area gate! After the right-sized hole was chewed through, he entered and quickly replaced his belongings in our storage area. Thanks to volunteer James Tyrer & trap... peanut butter and crackers... then a first-time car ride... the little critter is someplace else "starting over."
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| Perhaps "looking for love" in the Arid Garden is this handsome Tarantula. |
Members of the Ceramic Club at Desert Hills Social Center spent much of their summer working on an original art piece for The Arid Garden. Installation by our volunteers will soon take place, so stay tuned for more news and pictures next month.
Footnote:
You must be a gardener if you have forsaken shopping centers for garden centers
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Desert Meadows Park
by Chuck Parsons
Weather is getting better!
- Volunteers are more energetic on Wednesday morning.
- Dog walkers spend more time socializing while walking their dog.
- More visitors can be seen in the park ~ especially in the cool mornings, but again during the afternoon and into evening ~ and staying longer while there.
- Plot holders are busy pulling summer crops, amending and preparing beds for winter crops.
- Number of reservations for the picnic areas is on an increase.
- We can all rejoice that we survived another Sonoran summer!
During the crop change in the community garden, volunteers are converting more in-ground plot area into raised-bed plots. We will be adding 3 more raised beds to the garden. The waiting list continues to be long so having more plots will help.
We have experienced some dog poop bag thief at the park. The dispenser was designed to release one bag at a time, but the hole in the dispenser was large enough that if you'd want you could reach inside and pull down a hand full of bags. Unfortunately, this also caused damage/breakage to the bag holder inside the dispenser. Henry Garcia was able to repair the internal parts and then came up with a method to reduce the size of the opening. Since installing the modification, we have not experienced any further damage to the dispensers. Who would have thought??
If you are a winter-resident returning, make sure to visit the park. Volunteers have been working through the summer on a few enhancements for your pleasure. For sure, check out the PoeTrail feature.
The herb bed in the community garden is brimming with fresh herbs. As a club member, you are invited to come over and snip some fresh herbs for your culinary delight.
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| Mike Jensen repairing an irrigation leak ~ or was he trying to find that snake that had been reported in the area? |
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GVG Gardens at Historic Canoa Ranch (HCR)
by Raydine Taber, Bill Carley, and Jack Davis (emeritus)
We have removed all the plants from the raised beds and north wall, of Grijalva House Courtyard, in order to amend the soil. Both areas are now ready for the cool weather plants.
All the fruit trees have been fertilized. We are not sure what happened, in the orchard, but one of the small pear trees was seriously damaged. Most likely it will need to be replaced.
Even though it was a bit warm at the September 21st Collector Car Show, there was a nice crowd who got to see some really fantastic classic cars and saw Junior House Sun Room with additional plants. GVG received several compliments on the additional plants in the Junior House. The Car Show will be scheduled annually.
More indoor plants for, the Guest House, Grijalva House and the Foreman's House are starting to mature enough to be moved into those buildings. Manning, Junior House, is the only Canoa Ranch building that is totally ideal for houseplants. All the others have no air conditioning nor heat. Plants in those building will have to be watched closely for any temperature stress. These additions will mean that we have indoor plants in each of the building visited by the public.
Good news concerning the Manning Junior House planters. The two planters on the fireplace have been reworked and wall damage will be repaired this week. Once that is completed, we can put the plants back. The window box still needs some work but that too should soon be completed. Most of the plants have done well in their temporary home but the living and dining room need them back in their normal places. It is not very inviting to see empty planters.
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| Bill Carley and David Duffy repairing irrigation |
During the September Pima County Volunteer's meeting with Environmental Education Managers, Canoa Ranch Staff, all HCR docents, greeters and other HCR
volunteers, it was announced that Green Valley Gardeners will be participating in the landscaping of the new Welcome Center (Tradesman's House). This will be the largest gardening endeavor, at the ranch, that we will be taking on. More information to come.
Pima County, Flood Control has made some changes at the ranch in the area into the parking lot. It has been sculpted to change the flow of run-off water. They poured concrete in a portion of the road, by the present entry to the ranch, to keep that area from getting too muddy for vehicles.
Special events, at Canoa, for October:
The 7th Annual Anza Day is Saturday, October 19th, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Early in the day, the Anza Trail Color Guard will do their historic presentation of Anza arriving in at the ranch. There will be informational and vendor booths, a horseback ride is available (need to register prior to the ride), docents available at the open buildings and food vendors will be available. Keep in mind that the pomegranates should be ready for harvesting. Help yourself to one. In the past, they have been exceptionally sweet.
The Country Market will be opening this season on October 24th 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The fees the vendor's pay for their space will go towards the future visitor center, gift shop and exhibit gallery. There will artisans, vendors, food trucks, musicians and local food produce.
Green Valley Concert Band under the direction of Dr. John Snavely will perform on Sunday, October 27th 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Please bring a folding chair. $10 per person.
Are you interested in, want to learn about or are you an expert with vegetables, ornamental plants, indoor plants, herbs, cacti, succulents, plants for the pollinators, irrigation and/or fruit trees, then, for you, Historic Canoa Ranch is the right venue? We have a variety of plants to meet everyone's gardening preference. You can choose to volunteer working on all the gardens or just the ones you prefer. Want to be a part of our garden restoration projects,
join us, on Tuesday's, to play in the dirt, learn something new and have some gardening adventures. We meet at 7 a.m., at the Sr. House Herb Garden. You are welcome, at any time, to join us.
Co-managers: Raydine Taber, Bill Carley and Jack Davis (Emeritus)
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
by Steve Curtis
ON SUMMER BREAK!
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Membership
by Mark Thompson
It has been another busy month in the Membership department. We had 13 new members added to our roster - we now stand at 542. We must be doing something right. Here are our new members for you to welcome:
David and Joanne Lichty
Gigi Weixler
Linda Papworth
Barbara and Thom Mantell
Patricia and David Shawaker
Linda and Joe Jackson
Fred and Shelby Bivins
Kathryn Stevens
Another great member's benefit is coming up this month - your chance to get the pick of the crop before the general public at our plant sale on October 23d starting at 1 in the afternoon. Credit cards only at this member's sale. I look forward to seeing you there. And, don't forget to order your choice clothing online. They are great. Just look for the information on our website
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Fall Plant Sale
by Christa Ryan
PLAN AHEAD FOR OUR 2019 FALL PLANT SALE
It's Plant Sale time again scheduled for October 24-26. Set up will begin Wednesday October 23. Volunteers are needed all three days for sales support. There are two-hour shifts starting at 8 am on Thursday and Friday. Saturday shifts are 8-11 am and 11-1 pm. Sign-up sheets will be at each seminar prior to the dale or contact Christa Ryan via email at
chrstn4@cox.net
. Members only pre-sale on Wednesday from 1-3:30 pm. Please wear name tags. Cash, credit cards and checks will be accepted.
Alex Shipley, from Civano will give a plant preview at the Oct 10 seminar.
At this sale a new vendor will be represented, ECO GRO. Brendan Woltman will be presenting at the Oct 3 seminar.
As in years past, orphans are available for sale. Master Gardeners will be available to answer questions, as well as selling compost, shade and frost cloth.
Vegetable starts and dwarf citrus trees are available.
Kathy Stone will be there to pot your cactus or succulent in new pots available for sale.
Hope to see you there.
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Seeking Gardens for the April 2020 Tour
The April 2020 Garden Tour will be the club's 40th, and we want to celebrate the success and popularity of the tour over the years.
The Garden Tour Committee has been busy searching for wonderful gardens, but we need your help in finding those hidden gems. We have not selected the area of concentration, but would like to find gardens in Quail Creek and north of Continental.
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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.
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| A cluster of Texas Olive flowers are pretty enough to become a bridal bouquet.(ARID GARDEN) |
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