SAND'n'SEEDS
June 2021
Serving Our Community Since 1980
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Message from the President
by Marilee Crumley
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We’ve enjoyed the multiple blooms on the Saguaros this year. Usually we only see the flowers at the tips of the arms and trunk but this year there are rows of flowers down the sides. Unfortunately we’re learning that this may be a signal of stress due to dryness and the excessive heat from last summer and previous drier summers.
Our cool mornings are the best time to be outside doing regular garden chores. It’s also a great time to enjoy a walk through the gardens of Green Valley Gardeners – Desert Meadows Park, Arid Garden, Historic Canoa Ranch, and Ogden. This is a great way to start your day being in the serene tranquil beauty of the garden. We saw a new to us bird yesterday, a blue grosbeak. He was deep bluish purple with wings of multi shades of tan and bronze. Hope you have time to enjoy new visitors to your garden this month.
We are looking forward to getting busier again in the fall with seminars and other events being scheduled. Volunteers are also still needed at the four garden projects of the summer, so help if you’re here and can do so.
Happy gardening!
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We Accept
Charitable Donations
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You will be asked for an amount, your contact information and credit card information.
Donations 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
Donations to a 501(c)(3) are tax deductible. Please check with your tax accountant for more information on this deduction.
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Would you like to help, have fun and meet new people?
Arid Garden:
Fridays at 7:30 a.m.
Contact: Mary Kidnocker
520-648-7959 or jdkidn@aol.com
Canoa Ranch:
Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m.
Contact: Raydine Taber
rs_taber@msn.com
Desert Meadows Park:
Wednesdays at 7:30 a.m.
Contact: Chuck Parsons
520-904-9020 or chuckp.dana@gmail.com
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Ogden Garden Plot Available |
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Ogden Community Garden has an opening of one of their plots, which is 10' by 40' in size, and in ground, not raised bed. Garden Club membership and full time residency is required, and those currently on the waiting list at Desert Meadows Park who contact me and want the plot will take priority. Current fees for a 10x40 are $30 a quarter. It's a great spot, and great people.
Please contact: Harry
269-330-5365
Leave a message with your email and phone contact information. I'll get back to you quickly.
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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
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The seminar committee has once again been planning for in-person seminars. Currently GVR is determining what groups will look like at the recreation centers. They are confident that the situation will continue to improve and that groups will once again be able to gather.
To name just a few, we have the following fun and interesting topics planned so far:
- "Basic gardening in the desert”
- "Cool weather vegetable gardening"
- "Protect your plant investments from winter frost”
Please mark the following dates on your calendar and plan to come out for a seminar!
- September 30th
- October 14th and 28th
- November 4th and 11th
- December 2nd and 9th
The times will be 9:00-10:30 at Desert Hills Recreation Center.
We will continue to plan for more seminars in 2022. If you have interest in researching information, sharing ideas and would like to be part of our committee, send me an email. We would welcome another member to help out. Seminars are an important benefit to our club members and the Green Valley community.
Watch for more detailed information about seminar dates, speakers and guidelines for attendance as we get closer to fall.
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In Your Plot ... By Lorna Mitchell
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Sunshine is Arizona’s greatest commodity and it is most abundant this month – days are longest and rays most directly overhead. Visits to our plots will be very early in the morning after which we retreat into air conditioning. Our plants will not get a reprieve from the noon sun, but there’s usually no need to cover plants that have been growing outside. It is the sun that fuels the harvest, just be sure to keep the soil moist all the time.
Heat calls for lots of water as 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 and heat is hard on batteries. 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, or call them.
Are we harvesting vegetables or fruit from our summer garden? A vegetable can be defined as part of a plant eaten with a meal and a fruit as the fleshy part of the plant that contains the seed. Generally it takes more time and heat for a plant to produce a flower, fruit, and seed than it does to produce leaves, roots, and stems – and heat is abundant this month! Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, beans, melons, pumpkins, corn, okra, and cucumbers all love the heat and will produce their fruit easily for your dining pleasure.
GARLIC should be dug out and kept dry, but it shrivels 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 Continue pinching out the suckers that form at the base of the leaves but don’t accidently pinch off the growing tip! Hornworms, the nemesis of tomatoes, will probably arrive this month. Handpick but also apply periodic applications of Bt after you see their presence because we can never pick them all.
SUMMER SQUASH fruit (zucchini, yellow crookneck, patty pan, etc.) grows quickly once it is pollinated. Male and female flowers form separately on each plant but often only male flowers appear first. Don’t be discouraged if fruit doesn’t set right away, female flowers will follow (the ones with the tiny squash behind it). They are open early in the morning and insects are needed to transfer pollen, or you can do it yourself to ensure squash production.
The squash vine borer moth lays 2-3 eggs at a time on the outside of the squash stem; they are the size of a pin head and difficult to see. Spray the stems with Bt twice a week even before you see damage so when the eggs hatch, the caterpillar will ingest it and stop eating your plant.
SEEDS TO PLANT We can still sow seeds of corn, melon, summer and winter squash (hard skinned squash such as 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 (which are edible). Remember to replenish the soil with organic matter and nutrients before planting a new crop.
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Allen J. Ogden Community Garden
... By Erin Walker
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Happy June! Sorry for my absence but this month I most certainly have things to say about Ogden garden. We wrapped up the annual sale of the Texas Super Sweet onions and was for the second year in a row, a sell out! I could not be more proud or appreciative of all those who dedicated time and energy to this project. The list is quite long, but I do want to make a special thanks to July York and Linda Trauth for giving so much care and attention to weeding and deadheading. This is an enormous job and they just rocked it. Thursday morning, we had a huge turnout of volunteers to pick, trim, sort, weigh, and bag the onions and we were done in an hour and a half. The estimated volume was 774 lbs and a net income of just under $1300. We were under from last year because they weren’t quite as large, but I blame lack of monsoons. So, if you’re so inclined, some rain dances would be appreciated for next year. I too will participate.
There are many other projects being tackled at the garden as well, headed by Kendra Rogers-Lee and Harry Jempka. One is Kendra’s plot signs; each hand painted uniquely and with the plot number. That with adding flowers around the grounds is really creating great pops of color everywhere. Its really starting to feel like a welcoming place to relax again.
I would also like to thank Mary Smiley for my onion sale shirt. She painted it herself and I just love it!
Stay cool friends and we’ll chat again soon.
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Arid Garden … By Mary Kidnocker
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Have you noticed all of the browning pods on area Cassia bushes? For several weeks, garden volunteers have been working at pulling the pods off Cassia stems. This is quite a job and can make sore hand muscles for a couple of days. If not severed from the bushes and then placed in a plastic trash bag, these pods will soon drop to the ground where they quickly take root around the mother plant and are very difficult to remove. Pulling off can be a monotonous job but will save hours of removing the resulting small Cassia babies from the soil. |
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Growing in this garden are seven Saguaro averaging 8 to 10 feet tall. Only a couple of these cactus have bloomed in past years. However, this year these plants are loaded with both buds and the resulting white flowers. Currently bees and birds, mostly Desert Wrens, visit the beautiful blossoms daily. At night, pollination takes place by neighborhood bats.
Our garden might be described as a “bunny incubator” this year. When the front gate opens, a flurry of three or more youngsters rush to hide beneath a full Rocky Mountain Clematis vine. In the meantime, volunteers are getting expert at bending poultry wire into protective cages to preserve the new Angelita Daisies and Passion Vine.
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The gently sloped path through our Shade Garden now has a new covering of fresh, gray gravel. Our thanks to those volunteers who spent a recent hot and windy Friday morning loading and pushing full wheelbarrows, or leveling and raking the material into place. Looks great!
Stop by soon and enjoy this special little garden with all of its seasonal beauty.
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Desert Meadows Park … By Chuck Parsons
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Temperatures are rising and winter-residents are fleeing. Wednesday mornings at the park are still active with volunteers, but the numbers are down as each week creeps further into summer.
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Progress was made on the new shed in May. The shed will house our hand tools and the open lean to portion will provide cover for the new yard tractor trailer. The shed now being used for the hand tools will be used to house the yard tractor. Next comes paint to match the color of existing sheds and landscaping between the shed and the Anza Trail. Several members have been involved. Dave Kean installed the roof and Doug Lisott added the ocotillo on our last work day. |
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Carol and Victor Hudenko have been busy all month converting a pile of dirt and rock into a landscaped berm at the north entrance at the Anza Trail. This area is directly across the trail from the new shed project. Once these projects are complete we will have enhanced the north entrance substantially to greet park visitors entering in that area. There are seven main entrances to the park. The North Anza Trail has been the least inviting ~ that’s about to change.
The nursery experienced a javelina raid. They managed to work their way through the shed construction. Volunteers have now secured that area with hog wire fencing. (Notice the addition of hog fencing on the left in the shed photo.) It has been remarkable that the area has not had javelina problems in the past while it was wide open to the Anza Trail. We blame the onions! Is it the root cause, or just coincidence that the raid occurred the night after onions were sold from the nursery on May 13th?
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Greg Hugie has been producing very interesting hummingbird feeders around the park. He is a GVR woodworker and finds very interesting scraps of wood to craft his feeders. Greg is also the guy providing solitary bee nesting in the park. Earlier photos of the bee resort were published in the newsletter. He is now creating a library at the northwest corner of the community garden. Each “book” is crafted from a scrap of wood. Holes for bee nests are drilled into the back of each book. Greg visits the park nearly every day to tend to the hummingbird feeders and while there takes a count on how many holes are being used by the bees. He logs the hole size being used, what material is used to plug the hole, etc. He has been present to actually see bees at work. When you see Greg working in the park, take the time to have him share some of his findings so far. |
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Always willing to learn, a small group of the plot holders in the community garden took a field trip to SouthWinds Farm in Benson. SouthWinds is an organic farm operated by Joe Marlow. https://southwindsfarm.org/ Joe is the son of one of the volunteers at Sahuarita Food Bank that our volunteers work closely with each week as produce is donated from the garden plots. Next, the garden volunteers have invited Joe to visit the community garden at the park to further the conversation.
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Plot holders visiting SouthWind Farm
Front L to R: Kim Tompkins, Henne Queisser, Elissa Dearing, Sue Kenney
Back L to R: Bob Lane, Joe Marlow, Nancy Lucas, Jerry Cuffe
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Historic Hacienda de la Canoa ...
By Raydine Taber
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To update you, on the Tradesman’s House (now the Welcome Center), we have selected the boulders and rocks to be scattered around the various planting areas. Next, we will be adding mulch to many of the plants. The Crossvines (Bignonia capreolata) have been wrapped with wire mesh to deter the rabbits and the ground squirrels. Although, the rabbits have been fertilizing this garden. Some of the agaves and most of the leafy plants have been sprayed with soapy water combined with garlic and hot pepper. This should deter most of the critters feasting on the new plants. Two gold lantanas were successfully repotted at the building’s entryway. Cat mint (Nepeta) will be added to one of the various Mexican pots. |
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Junior House plantings are doing exceptionally well. The courtyard presently has Plumbago, red Salvia, Globe Mallow, Bear Grass (Nolana Microcarpa) and Damianita daisies blooming. Inside we have Madagascar Jasmine (Stephanotis), pink Mandavillia and Passion Flower (Passiflora) blooming. The large aloe in the window-box bloomed again this year. The Angel Wing Begonia in the entryway has completed its blooming and will be cut back using the cuttings to propagate new plants. |
The Orchard is going well, except for one older peach tree. It is struggling. Still alive but not flourishing, this tree is getting special attention. The iris have outdone themselves blooming for the last three months. Apparently, a couple of people visiting the ranch decided they liked the iris blooms. As the story went, the gentleman cut several of the blooms and presented the lady with a bouquet of beautiful yellow iris. While we appreciate the compliment, we would prefer the flowers to remain in the gardens so everyone can enjoy them.
This year, the Senior House herb garden is doing very well. This is the garden where the ground squirrels decided they would enjoy feasting on several of the herbs. We switched to all aromatic herbs and none have been eaten. Those pesty squirrels may keep digging their two holes in that garden but are not destroying the plants. Guess we are learning to live with them.
We have been informed that the Senior House renovation is getting close to beginning. When that happens, we will need to have all the plants in the Cactus and Succulent Garden removed. It does not appear to be a large garden but it extends along most of the east side. At last count, there were 48 mature cacti and agaves.
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As soon as we determine exactly where each plant will be located in the old retention pond area of the Tradesman’s House, we will begin moving three or four plants per week. Hopefully we will finish before they start work.
Finally, the last of the gardens. Grijalva House vegetables are beginning to form. Mexican zucchini appears to have about 10 zucchinis per plant. The Roma and Grape Tomatoes, along with the bell peppers are also formed and are growing. Jalapeno, Chiltepen and Habanero peppers have bloomed. Some of the herbs" are being,frequently, harvested and everthing looks healthy. This summer we will be replacing the irrigation in the raised beds.
The really fun thing about volunteering, at Historic Canoa Ranch gardens, is our variety of plant life. We are not just native and drought tolerant plants but we also have herb, vegetables, fruit trees and indoor plants.
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We meet on Tuesday’s at 7:30a.m. Please join us! If you want more information call me at 520-625-0961 or email rs_taber@msn.com
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Membership ... By Mark Thompson
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Our membership roster continues to grow as we added four new members last month and are now showing 513 members. Please welcome our new members:
Melania and Steve English
Cindy Walton-Sparks
Peggy Goldey-Coleman
In going over the names of the volunteers with our various projects, I was struck by the number of new members who were jumping right in and starting to learn about gardening in the desert while making new friends. Some of the new members who have joined this year and are helping out are Sally Hennessey, Greg Hugie, Karen Klien, and Char Ouellette who are at Desert Meadows Park and Laurie and Mark Westrich who are helping out with the 40th Year Median Project. My thanks go out to these folks and all who volunteer to make the Green Valley Gardeners the best group around.
Don’t forget to order your Green Valley Gardener’s branded clothing; get you fresh herbs plants at Desert Meadows Park, and notify me at if you have a change to your contact information.
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Mailing Address:
PO Box 86,
Green Valley, AZ 85622-0086
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