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August 30, 2009
A Residual Victorian
Master Gardener Column 8/l29/09
My father, a residual Victorian, often talked to my two older brothers during dinner about "social courtesies" with women. He said, "If a woman's beautiful, tell her that she's intelligent because she won't hear that often and would like to hear it. Also, if she's intelligent, tell her she's beautiful because she'll want to hear that, too."
My mother, a bit more modern, graduating from liberal Oberlin College in 1908, said, "And, Tom, tell the boys what to say when a woman is both."
He paused, long enough to dig himself out of a hole, and said, "Well, Hazel, as with you, I'm speechless." She smiled in quiet triumph. It was then I learned that of the species women are the superior.
The danger in either/or thinking is that it doesn't encompass everything, like both/ands, neithers, and tertium quids. Nicolas de Cusa, a medieval philosopher, churchman, and theologian, penned the famous phrase "coincidentia oppositorum," (union of opposites) in response to the straitjacketed thinking of either/or and nothing else in between. Upward isn't possible unless there is a downward although truth is possible without falsehood while deceit implies honesty. Sometimes a virtue is a vice as when the poor steal bread to feed a starving child.
Which brings us to a garden's design. Vegetables and flowers don't have to be planted in different beds. A way to differentiate types of beds is by the types of fertilizer used. Front yards don't have to be either Kentucky blue grass or gravel. Gardeners can mix opposites. A front yard can be vegetable gardens and flower beds and a bits of both with gravel paths and patches of grass. Patches of gravel are great by way of contrast to the living.
Gravel heats the front yard. A summer's afternoon in a field of boulders teaches anyone that rocks generate heat. Try Black Canyon City in July. A vegetable or flower bed is far more cooling than ground up rock. Gravel is global warming.
Also, flowers can be placed amongst the vegetables. The yellows of blanket flowers (Gaillarida pinnatifida) and firewheels (Gaillardia pulchella) make an eye-catching accompaniment to the red leaves of beets. A few dill plants, slim and graceful, towering above such a bed set it off as though it were a still life painting.
The purpose of Kentucky blue grass is turf, providing a field on which people can walk, run, jump, hop, sleep, and play. Not many front yards are used as turf. Gravel front yards, in addition to heating the property's atmosphere, make the inhabitants look unwelcoming and forbidding, something like a military disciplinary barracks for criminals, miscreants, the AWOL, and deserters.
If householders are too slothful to plant flowers and vegetables in their front yards but want something green to avoid heating up their property, several native grasses are gifts. In the first place, they use little water which is why they are called "native grasses." They remain green, and require only an annual mowing with a weed whacker in the late spring after their seed stems have dropped their seeds.
For shady parts of the garden, creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra) works well. A green sod, rather than a clump grass, it tolerates a wide variety of soils and requires only 18" inches of water a year. If uncut, the grass lies down in swirls.
Sheep fescue (Festuca ovina) is a perennial bunch grass, rather
than a sod. A green native, it is found in forest clearings and rocky slopes. Tolerating various soils, it can be grown in part or full sun, requiring only 12" of water a year. When densely planted it forms peaks and swirls. A variation of sheep fescue is blue fescue which can be used as a lawn or as an ornamental. It's really quite beautiful.
Arizona fescue (Festuca arizonica) is another bunch grass that cohabits well with ponderosa pines. Blue/green, bunches can be planted close enough together to give the effect of a lawn. It cannot be used as a turf but covers the earth quite well.
Going native in the grass is a beautiful and intelligent virtue.
Dana Prom Smith, a Master Gardener volunteer, is coordinating editor for the Master Gardener Column. He can be contacted at stpauls@npgcable.com. For gardening questions, please call the Master Gardener Hotline at 774-1868 ext.19 or visit the Master Gardener Web Site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 6:50 AM
Coconino County Fair
It's the Coconino County Fair's 60th Birthday -- Party Till the Cows Come Home!
Labor Day Weekend September 4-7, 2009
Coconino County Fairgrounds, Fort Tuthill County Park
Flagstaff, Arizona (Exit 337 off I-17)
Labor Day Weekend brings the largest event in Northern Arizona and one of the largest county fair statewide (as cited by the Arizona Fairs Association), with over 45,000 attendees. The 60th Coconino County Fair happening on Sept. 4-7, 2009 offers an array of recreational and educational opportunities for the whole family with 3 special activity and exhibits areas: arts and culture, conservation and sustainable environment and variety stage. It also features livestock auctions, traditional fair exhibits and demonstrations, livestock shows carnival rides, live entertainment and commercial vendors.
Be sure and stop by the Agriculture and Floriculture buildings to see the entries from many Master Gardeners.
Loni Shapiro
Posted by maxmaddy at 6:29 AM
August 28, 2009
Olivia White Garden Project Workday 9/3/09
It is only August but the fall asters that were donated many years ago by Andrea Joseph are beginning to bloom. Fall seems to be in the air. Although the days are still very warm several nights have been near freezing. It has been an unusual garden year with a late start and an early finish seems likely. We will have some Floriculture entries for the Fair next week, but not sure how many as most flowers in the garden are past their prime.
Last Thursday many of our regular garden crew were in attendance. Karen Kent did her usual deadheading including many of our roses. She also helped a friend dig up some lamb's ear for her garden. Laura Davis returned and worked on the tea garden - gathering some plants to make teas for the house. David Hockman dug some holes for new perennials and did some repair work on a pathway. Marcia Lamkin, Charlotte and I watered the beds not on drip. Carol Lease filled bird baths and feeders and tackled cleaning our water feature. Crys Wells and I worked on weeding and deadheading some of our front beds. Linda Guarino continued her good work on the drip. With a garden as large as Olivia White it is a weekly chore just keeping up with repairs and new plants.
New blooms:
Fall asters throughout the garden
New plants:
Asters, primrose, agastache, zauchinaria
September 3, 2009 - workday
Watering as needed
Weeding - North Switzer Canyon beds
Thin germander and lambs ear as needed
Dead heading as needed
Gather rocks for finishing French drain by native pathway
Preparing Floriculture entries for the County Fair
Come join us for our regular Thursday workday. Things are never dull and you can learn a great deal about high elevation gardening from the variety of master gardeners and the many trees, shrubs and plants we have. You can come for any or all of the scheduled time. Bring a hat, sun screen, gloves and any tools you like to work with (we also have tools and gloves but our supply is limited). Water and snacks are provided. Parking is not allowed at the home. Park at the 1st Congregation Church on Turquoise just past Switzer Canyon Drive.
Thanks, Loni Shapiro
928-522-8635
maxmaddy@infomagic.net
"In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil.
And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November."
- Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden, 1905
Posted by maxmaddy at 8:58 PM
August 24, 2009
Calling all Weed Warriors & Thistle Thugs!
Northern Arizona Audubon is having another work day on the east Rio de Flag. We will be picking up trash and digging up non-native, invasive thistle and other noxious weeds.
Date:
Saturday, September 5th
Time: 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. (or whenever you get tired and decide to leave)
Directions:
From Flagstaff, go north on Hwy 89 toward Page, past the Mall
Turn right onto Townsend/Winona road
Go approx 4.5 miles and turn left onto dirt road. (If you get to Slayton Ranch Rd, you've just passed us).
Go left at the fork in the road and follow it down to the Rio (you'll see all the other cars there).
We will have a banner and a couple of folks out by the road at 9:00, so we shouldn't be hard to find.
Please bring:
Gloves, hat, sunscreen, water and a folding chair or bucket to sit on for lunch. Shovels, spades and other implements of weed destruction. I also recommend wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
We provide lunch for our volunteers, so PLEASE let me know if you are planning to come out and help, no later than Tuesday, September 1st, so we can plan for enough food.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Kathie Satterfield
N. AZ Audubon
Volunteer Coordinator
928-522-0375
k.satterfield@yahoo.com
Posted by lunaticchick at 6:28 PM
August 23, 2009
Arizona Highlands Garden Conference
The 10th annual Arizona Highlands Garden Conference returns to Coconino County on September 19, 2009 at the du Bois Conference Center on the Northern Arizona University campus. Hosted by Coconino County Master Gardeners, this conference will feature two nationally known keynote speakers, Jeff Lowenfels Jeff Lowenfels and Brad Lancaster Brad Lancaster, as well as 9 regional gardening experts including Jim Mast, Tom DeGomez, Steve Yoder, Kim and Joe Costion, Terra Crampton, Judy Springer, Jan Busco, and Patrick Pynes. Registration and a complete schedule of speakers can be found on the conference website 2009 Arizona Highlands Garden Conference. For more information contact Hattie Braun or call 774-1868 ext. 17.
Posted by hbraun at 3:03 PM
Olivia White Hospice Garden Project 8/27/09
On Thursday many of our regular crew were in attendance. David Hockman worked on cleaning debris left from our tree project from last week. Carol Lease continued to work on labels for shrubs. Crys Wells, Marcia Lamkin and Charlotte all watered on what turned out to be a very warm day - in the 90's. Marcia also worked in the Faerie Garden with Nancy Palmer, after Nancy filled the bird feeders and baths. Leslie Penick began speading some of the new mulch left from our tree triming. I spent my time working on lamb's ear thining and harvested some more tomatoes and peppers for the home.
On Saturday, Warner's Nursery hosted another 10% day to help support our garden and Northland Hospice.
New blooms:
Many of our fall asters
Leaves beginning to change on some plants and trees already
Thank You:
Warner's Nursery for hosing a 10% day for Northland Hospice
August 27, 2009 - workday
Watering as needed
Weeding - Switzer St. beds
Thin germander and lambs ear as needed
Dead heading as needed
Gather rocks for finishing French drain by native pathway
Planning for County Fair
Come join us for our regular Thursday workday. Things are never dull and you can learn a great deal about high elevation gardening from the variety of master gardeners and the many trees, shrubs and plants we have. You can come for any or all of the scheduled time. Bring a hat, sun screen, gloves and any tools you like to work with (we also have tools and gloves but our supply is limited). Water and snacks are provided. Parking is not allowed at the home. Park at the 1st Congregation Church on Turquoise just past Switzer Canyon Drive.
"August rushes by like desert rainfall,
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.
Like a matchflame
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.
Like a dream
Of moon and dark barely recalled,
A moment,
Shadows caught in a blink.
Like a quick kiss;
One wishes for more
But it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away."
- Elizabeth Maua Taylor
Thanks, Loni Shapiro
928-522-8635
maxmaddy@infomagic.net
Posted by maxmaddy at 12:50 PM
From the Ground Up
Master Gardener Column 8/22/09
Successful gardening in the High Country is the purpose of the Master Gardener program. Judging by the number of phone calls received by the county extension office, many people want to learn how to enjoy successful gardening, especially after having been discouraged and bewildered by gardening in the High Country. Veteran gardeners know firsthand what makes things so tough: wind, cold, late spring frosts, intense sun, drought, short season, hail, grasshoppers, elk, and poor soils.
The challenge of soils can be very frustrating but, unlike elk and hail, it's one of the challenges that gardeners have the power to change. The most important task for gardeners is to improve the quality of soils. Essential to the establishment of plants and the development of plant roots, a healthy soil contains an abundance of microorganisms important in plant growth.
With this in mind, Master Gardeners have planned the 2009 Arizona Highlands Garden Conference to be held here in Flagstaff at the du Bois Conference Center of the Northern Arizona University campus, Saturday, September 19. This conference is not just for Master Gardeners but for anyone that wants to garden successfully in the High Country.
Our conference "FROM THE GROUND UP" will start with soil. Our first speaker is Jeff Lowenfels, a long-time garden columnist, radio host, and the author of Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web. After introducing gardeners to the soil food web or the living community of soil organisms, he'll teach us how to create a healthy soil by encouraging those microorganisms. This is the basis of organic gardening. Master Gardener Loni Shapiro recently heard Jeff's talk and commented that in addition to clearly explaining the science behind organic gardening, he was very entertaining!
After learning more about building healthy soils, we will offer breakout sessions on above ground topics. Judy Spring will give a talk on Moon Gardens, emphasizing white night-blooming flowers that attract evening pollinators. Area Agent Tom DeGomez will introduce the topic of integrated pest management. And local favorite Jim Mast will focus specifically on tomatoes.
In addition to enriching the soil, the management of water resources
looms large for gardeners, given that water is finite and limited. To that end we've invited permaculture expert Brad Lancaster to give his excellent, informative, and engaging talk on rainwater harvesting. He's the author of the award-winning book Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond.
After Brad speaks, there will be more break-out sessions. The first will feature the knowledgeable Master Gardener Terra Crampton on how to create a wildlife habitat in your backyard. Grand Canyon National Park horticulturist and co-author of the valuable Native Plants for High-Elevation Western Gardens, Jan Busco will speak on native shrubs. Joe Costion from Coconino Community College will speak on 'Solar Greenhouse Growing Year-Round'.
The day will conclude with Patrick Pynes, the Earth Gardener, speaking on 'Power Trio: Flower, Honey Bee, and Gardener', Kim Howell-Costion speaking about seed saving, and the Arboretum at Flagstaff Executive Director Steve Yoder speaking on 'From Prickly Pears to Pines, a virtual plant hike from the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the top of the San Francisco Peaks.' With such promising speakers, the challenge will be deciding which talk to go to.
An added bonus this year is the pre-conference garden tours featuring six outstanding Flagstaff gardens.
Hosted by Coconino Cooperative Extension, the conference is a collaborative effort of Master Gardener volunteers from Coconino, Yavapai, Gila, and Navajo counties and the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. This is the 10th year for the conference.
The cost of the conference is $65 per person if you register by September 1 ($80 thereafter.) This includes continental breakfast, snacks and lunch. Vendors and non-profit organizations will also have displays and items for sale. Registration for the garden tours is an additional $15.
The agenda, sponsors, vendors, and registration materials are available on the Coconino Cooperative Extension's web site: cals.arizona.edu/coconino/. Click on the Arizona Highlands Garden Conference logo. Or call 928-774-1868 ext. 17 and ask to have a brochure and registration form mailed to you for Successful Gardening in the High Country.
Hattie Braun is the Master Gardener Coordinator for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. Dana Prom Smith, a Master Gardener volunteer, is coordinating editor for the Master Gardener Column. He can be contacted at stpauls@npgcable.com. For gardening questions, call the Master Gardener Hotline, 774-1868, x19, or visit MG Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 12:39 PM
August 22, 2009
Flagstaff Garden Club
All visits are Saturday at 10 a.m.
______________________
September: 4-7 Coconino County Fair
.
The 10th Annual Arizona Highlands Garden Conference is September 19 at the duBois Conference Center at NAU. Details at http://blog.ltc.arizona.edu/highelevationgardening/
Garden Visit, Saturday, September 12 10 a.m.
Norm and Shari Wiessman have invited us to enjoy a program on arranging fresh flowers. Norm and Shari operated a flowership in Illinois for 35 years. Their Flagstaff garden, Norm says, is a work in progress.
The Flagstaff Garden Club meets when we have an invitation to visit a garden or to hear a presentation on a gardening topic. There are no membeership dues. To receive email announcements of events send your name, email address and your phone number Garden@npgcable.com
The 10th Annual Arizona Highlands Garden Conference is September 19 at the duBois Conference Center at NAU. Details at http://blog.ltc.arizona.edu/highelevationgardening/
Posted by maxmaddy at 7:36 PM
La Plaza Vieja Gateway Beautification Project
Dear Master Gardeners:
We are looking for help with planting (and guiding other volunteers on how to plant) with the La Plaza Vieja Gateway Beautification Project (aka the dirt lot in front of Furniture Barn.) This site will be a Xeriscape garden with areas for catching and retaining rainwater.
Contact Kimberly Clark for directions and info on the site (see bellow). The site has been divided into several zones and we need folks to act as planting team leaders for each zone. Other volunteers are being recruited but they may not have much planting experience so we Master Gardeners are needed! I have a copy of the plan in my office if you would like to get a closer look at it. We will have copies of the plan on planting day to facilitate our efforts.
Below is a note about the project from Kimberly Sharp, Neighborhood Planner for the city.
Please let Kimberly or me know if you can help. Feel free to call me for more information. Please see the attachment for info. on where to park.
August 29, Saturday from 8 a - NOON
The City of Flagstaff is organizing a community planting day in conjunction with Master Gardeners Association, La Plaza Vieja Neighborhood Association and Northern Arizona University for a Xeriscape at the corner of Milton Avenue and Clay Avenue. This site has sat barren for some time, and as a natural gateway into the historic part of the City to the north, into Plaza Vieja neighborhood to the west, and Northern Arizona University to the east - the Beautification and Public Art Commission has allocated some BBB beautification funding to this site. This is an opportunity for the whole community to come share in a transformation that thousands of people see every day! Please find attached more information, including a site map, directions for parking, and the planting plan. The plants have been provided by Verde Growers and Warners, who will also be participating in the planting day. Please let me know if you are planning on attending, and if you will be bringing your own tools or not, so we may plan accordingly.
Kimberly Sharp, AICP
Neighborhood Planner, City of Flagstaff
211 West Aspen Avenue
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
(928) 779-7631 x 7217
ksharp@flagstaffaz.gov
Posted by maxmaddy at 7:07 PM
August 16, 2009
A Scratch on the Face of Eternity
Master Gardener Column 8/15/09
"A scratch on the face of eternity" was the phrase William Faulkner of Yoknapatawpha County used to describe the arts and artifacts of human civilization, such as the petroglyphs left by the "Ancient Ones" on the Colorado Plateau.
As a phrase, it well-describes gardening, gardening being a human artifact beyond merely hunting and gathering, something human beings do to change the creation, to leave a scratch on the face of the earth.
Ralph Baierlein is leaving a "scratch on the face of eternity" by leaving some scratches on the face of the earth. A retired professor of physics from Wesleyan University in Connecticut with a doctorate from my alma mater, he lives in a fenceless Continental neighborhood where he grows magnificent tomatoes which may be the crowning achievement of his life. For the clueless, growing tomatoes that mature in the middle of July in Flagstaff is a crowning achievement and seemingly defies the laws of nature.
One would expect a professor of physics to be thorough, physics being the kind of enterprise that doesn't allow for messing around. From a distance, something that looks like a space station which has lost its way in the galaxy and mistakenly landed in Ralph's backyard is, in fact, his tomato patch.
First of all, the raised bed is protected. It's surrounded by a stout wire fence to keep away deer, elk, and other tomato eating varmints like raccoons. Ground squirrels have been a nuisance some years, but this year, a pair of gray foxes, raising a family under a neighbor's front porch, eliminated the problem.
The frame--8 feet by 12 feet--is constructed from pressure-treated 4 x 4 inch lumber, joined at the corners by a reinforcing bar. On the inner sides of the frame, a layer of roofing paper and then sheet aluminum keep the chemicals away from the tomato plants.
After the roots of a nearby cottonwood invaded the garden in search of water, Ralph disassembled the frame and added a layer of galvanized sheet metal between the first and second 4 x 4's.
The tomato bed, about a foot and a half high, is filled with custom soil with annual doses of compost and horse manure. A drip system, controlled by turning on the water at the other end of a garden hose, waters individual plants. Lest the various metal sheets produce a swimming pool, five perforated PVC drainage pipes cross the garden deep underground but on top of the sheet metal to provide drainage.
Ralph's enterprise starts around May 18th with gallon-container-sized tomato plants surrounded with Walls o' Water. The soil is covered with black weedcloth with holes about a foot in diameter for the tomato plants. Planks provide a footing for working around the plants without compressing the soil. An exercise in the conservation of energy, it pays off.
Growing tomatoes in Flagstaff is chancy, and successful tomato gardening reduces the chances of failure. As such, it is a mirror of life. Ralph prepared the soil, protected the tomatoes, fed and watered them regularly. The result is bounty in some years and disaster in others. Tomatoes "by the bucket daily" in 2004. Curly-top virus killed almost every plant in 2005.
Scientists keep records, not relying on memories which tend either to exaggerate or fade. Ralph has a well-thumbed record book, dating back to 2001, recording the earliest appearance of rich red tomatoes and, then, the quantities, like baskets, of fruit he's reaped. Sometimes the tomatoes hit near the middle of July, and more often just after the 20th. This year he began harvesting on July 12th, but productivity has been slow.
Meeting a physicist can be daunting, especially for someone who's messed around in sloppy disciples like literature, theology, philosophy, and psychology, but Ralph's basic pleasantness seeps into the conversation with tidbits of dry, wry humor. He's a New Englander, no frills, fundamental decency, deeply-set integrity, thorough capability, and a bit flinty. A clue is the floor of his and Jean's house, an old-fashioned beautifully kept solid oak floor. Ralph's "scratch on the face of eternity" is his backyard tomato patch.
Dana Prom Smith, a Master Gardener volunteer, is coordinating editor for the Master Gardener Column. He can be contacted at stpauls@npgcable.com. For gardening questions, please call the Master Gardener Hotline at 774-1868 ext.19 or visit the Master Gardener Web Site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 8:43 PM
Olivia White Hospice Project Workday 8/20/09
On Thursday our regular crew worked in the garden while Larry Phillips from Supertree had his crew cleaning up pine trees and removing some that were too crowed. David Hockman did his usual hole digging for a new carpet rose at the entrance to the Rose Garden. I planted a variety of rocks and Sun Rose surrounding the carpet rose. It makes a more attractive entry to this garden.
Linda Guarino, Crys Wells, Laura Davis and Leslie Penick all worked on deadheading and thining the lamb's ear. This was a wonderful gift when we first started the garden but now we have much more than we need. If you need any feel free to stop by any Thursday. Carol Lease worked on shrub labeling and Bethany Page filled bird baths and feeders We had rain off and on but nothing significant.
New Plants:
A variety of Sun Rose (pink/yellow and white)
Carpet Rose
Alpine Current
New Blooms:
For the last 2 weeks the asters have already begun to bloom. It is beginning to feel like fall.
We continue to harvest cherry tomatos and pickling cukes.
Thanks:
Larry Phillips and his crew for donated time to clean up our ponerosa pines and a few other trees. They were on the property all day.
Upcoming Workdays:
August- Every Thursday from 8am-12pm.
August 22 - 10% Day at Warner's Nursery
Stop by and enhance your garden while contributing to the beauty at Olivia White Hospice Home.
August 20, 2009 - workday
Watering as needed
Weeding - Switzer St. beds
Thin germander and lambs ear as needed
Dead heading as needed - primarily lamb's ear
Re-label the roses and some shrubs
Clean up tree debris from last week
Come join us for our regular Thursday workday. Things are never dull and you can learn a great deal about high elevation gardening from the variety of master gardeners and the many trees, shrubs and plants we have. You can come for any or all of the scheduled time. Bring a hat, sun screen, gloves and any tools you like to work with (we also have tools and gloves but our supply is limited). Water and snacks are provided. Parking is not allowed at the home. Park at the 1st Congregation Church on Turquoise just past Switzer Canyon Drive.
"August rushes by like desert rainfall,
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.
Like a matchflame
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.
Like a dream
Of moon and dark barely recalled,
A moment,
Shadows caught in a blink.
Like a quick kiss;
One wishes for more
But it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away."
- Elizabeth Maua Taylor
Thanks, Loni Shapiro
928-522-8635
maxmaddy@infomagic.net
Posted by maxmaddy at 8:15 AM
August 15, 2009
Coconino County Master Gardener Association Meeting 7/16/09
Master Gardener Association Meeting 8/20/09
Master Gardener Meeting Agenda 8/20/09
6:30pm-6:40pm Welcome - Dana Prom Smith
Agenda & Introductions
Chaired by Loni Shapiro
6:40pm-7:20pm Continuing Education
Topic: Hoop Houses
John Gordon
With The Grain Woodworks
7:20pm-7:35pm Social/refreshments
7:35pm-8:00pm Business Meeting /Committee Meetings
CE & Social Support - work on speakers for Oct. Nov. - picnic planning
Community Programs - update on work at markets/presence at conference
Coordination MG Projects - look at Yavapai County info to see if we should use it or come up with our own
Volunteers - update on structure of committee
8:00pm-8:15pm Announcements
8:15pm-8:30pm Garden problem questions.
Meeting Minutes 6/18/09
Coconino County Master Gardener Association
The meeting chaired by Linda Guarino, opened with welcome and overview of agenda. The group was divided into 4 groups to work on selecting leaders and setting goals for the year for each committee.
Group 1 - Continuing Education and Social (Loni Shapiro)
Ed Skiba volunteered to chair the group
Goals
1. Schedule speakers for all meetings for the year
a. Speakers from County Fair for next month (Ed to contact AG/Loni Floriculture)
b. August - Loni to try to get John Gordon regarding 'hoop houses'
c. September - may pass this month because of the conference
d. October/November/December to be decided later
2. Plan and host a fall BBQ for MG recognition (Miquelle Scheier and Diane offered to organize)
Possibly October due to conference
3. Record info on monthly questions and disperse.
a. Blog
b. Daily Sun article
c. Meeting minutes
Group 2 -Coordinating Master Gardener Projects (Linda Guarino)
Elected Miquelle Scheier to be chair (haven't heard if she will agree)
Goals
1. Decide on criteria for an MG project
2. Develop a request form for people who want MG help
3. Develop an organization structure for MG projects
4. Implement all of above into at least one new project this year
Group 3 - Providing Support for Community Programs (Molly Larsen)
No volunteer or election of chair
Goals
1. Presence at Farmer's Market - aim for one Sunday and one Wednesday per month.
2. Presence at annual home show in March with possible power point program.
3. Assemble speakers' list for community requests.
5. Investigate/educate/participate in long-term citywide landscape plan.
Group 4 - Provide Volunteer Support (Hattie Braun)
1. Find volunteer to assist with volunteer hours reporting - Crys Wells has volunteered.
2. Determine time frame for completion of initial volunteer hours.
3. Decide on criteria for keeping Certified Master Gardener status.
4. Find chair for volunteer support.
Announcements:
Saturday workday 6/20 at Hospice Home 9-12pm
Garden problems:
Red leaf on corn - this could be due to a phosphorus deficiency, P deficiency symptoms such as purple leaves and stunted growth can occur when soils are cool (as in late spring) and the root system of the plant is unable to take up enough P to support leave growth. (hb)
Virginia Creeper - kill lilacs? - A palmate leaved vine with five leaflets is likely Virginia creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia. Virginia creeper has colorful foliage and berries during the fall. This plant can slowly kill the host plant that it is growing on such as lilac. (hb)
Leaf curl on fruit trees - This is likely due to thrips. Thrips have caused lots of damaged to new flower and foliage growth this spring, you can determine if you have thrips by holding a white sheet of paper under the damaged leaves and shaking the branch. If small, elongated brown specs are moving on the paper, you likely have thrips. Thrips are difficult to control with insecticides but there are several natural products that you can use to temporarily reduce the thrips population such as horticultural oils, neem oil, and soap solutions. These should be applied as soon as damage first appears. Go to: www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7429.html for additional information on thrips control. (hb)
Tomatoes - early blight - Black, target-like spots appeared on older leaves of Early Girl tomatoes. This is characteristic of early blight, caused by the fungus Alternaria solani and one of the most common foliar disease of tomatoes. If this continues to be a problem, selecting disease resistant cultivars is the best form of control. Sanitation is also needed. Remove all diseased plant tissue on the ground, as the fungus overwinters on leaf debris. Do not plant tomatoes in the same place next year. For more information, go to: http://ag.arizona.edu/plp/plpext/diseases/vegetables/tomato/tomatoalt.html. (hb)
Looking for someone to help with water feature
Bramel Oak not doing well - I am assuming that this is a Gambel oak, Quercus gambelii. Gambel oak is deciduous small tree or thicket forming shrub native to the southwest. It does best when grown in full sun to part sun and no competition from other plants and will likely not thrive when grown under shady conditions. (hb)
Continuing Education/Permacultlure
Speaker Lindsey Langsdale
Attended weekend course in Phoenix last year. It was also offered in Flagstaff and may be offered next year again. Course is specific to area so better to take in Flagstaff rather than Phoenix.
Definition - Design systems to create human environments
Regeneration (creating new from old) rather than sustainable (just existing with what you have)
Permaculture originated in Australia. Local example: terraced mesas at Hopi.
Principles:
1. Observe
Weather (sun/shade), topography, wind, what surrounds the space, soil, pathways,
animals
2. Stacking functions
Example: chickens/eat weeds, provide eggs, leave manure for fertilizer
3. Produce no waste
Composting, worm bins, living roofs, bees, trade networks
4. Design by mimicking nature and natural patterns
5. Creative use and response to change
6. Use and value renewable resources and services
7. Make the least change for the greatest possible effect
Lindsey illustrated these principles by showing slides of the community garden she has created.
Next meeting 7/16/09
Speakers on preparing materials for the County Fair (Agriculture/Floriculture)
Loni Shapiro 7/8/09
Posted by maxmaddy at 7:25 PM
August 10, 2009
Composting Workshop
The Southside Community Garden is having a Composting Workshop and Work Day on August 23rd from 1:00-5:00. We will be building above ground rotating composters for the garden (go to: Rotating Compost Bin to see the design) and extras for sale to raise money for the garden. A composting workshop with the city composting guru Tammy Bishop will kick off events at 1:30 followed by building, painting, and a potluck. Bring a paintbrush and a dish to share or just bring a helping hand. The garden is located at the corner of S. San Francisco and W. Dupont. For more information, call Christina @ 928-257-1572.
Posted by hbraun at 9:55 AM
August 9, 2009
Ronald Reagan and Tomatoes
Master Gardener Columm 8/8/09
An unintended of consequence of President Ronald Reagan's foreign policy was a boon for tomato fanciers in the High Country. When he demanded on June 12, 1987, at the Brandenburg Gate that President Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union "tear down this wall," he was referring to the Berlin Wall, but the consequence was "glasnost," an opening up of the Soviet Union which, heretofore, had been a closed society. Actually, under Gorbachev's leadership there had been a gradual glasnost earlier in the 1980's.
"Glasnost" meant, amongst other things, an opening up of Soviet agriculture which meant in turn an opening up of gardens and gardeners in Siberia. Russians have long been known as excellent gardeners, but Siberian gardeners were a special breed of Russian gardeners.
While President Reagan had hydrogen bombs and an end to the Cold War on his mind, a result was the discovery of Siberian heirloom tomatoes. For decades the Soviet Union had been a closed society, especially after the end of World War II, but long before that. Winston Churchill in 1946 said, "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent." Actually, an iron curtain had descended soon after the Russian Revolution of October 1917. This meant that the Soviet Union had been a closed society for about 70 years.
During those years of isolation, Siberian farmers had slowly, year after year, developed superior heirloom tomatoes, taking the seed from the best tomato plants and planting them the following year, developing hardy tomato plants with a short growing season. There had been no artificial hybridization from Western capitalist commercial agribusiness, but just natural selection, producing strong, reliable, heirloom tomatoes.
Soviet paranoia about Western imperialism kept the agricultural capitalists out of Russia, leaving the Siberians to themselves to develop robust heirlooms. The Siberian tomatoes are amongst the ironies of horticulture, the blessings of a communist blowback.
Of course, tomatoes that would do well in Siberia would certainly do well on the Colorado Plateau. One of the problems for gardeners in Flagstaff is that many of the old favorites have a long growing season. The famous heirloom Brandywine takes from 80 to 100 days to mature, leaving the Flagstaff gardener feeling the nip of frost before the first tomato.
Sad it is, but most commercial nurseries don't stock these Siberians, preferring to merchandise the old reliables of Better Boy and Early Girl, which are great early-producing tomatoes. However, the variety has been limited, except for Stupice, another early producer (52 days) from Czechoslovakia.
Perhaps, the most delightful of the Siberians is the Galina with a vine that resembles an adolescent in the throes of growth, all arms and legs. An ungainly vine that is easily espaliered, the fruit comes in clusters of golden cherries, so sweet of taste that they seldom reach the kitchen. Unlike loppy adolescents, the Galina is productive, being both early (59 days) and abundant.
Another pleasure is Sasha's Altai which hails from the Altai Shan mountains near China. So remote, that it was considered terra incognita by Renaissance cartographers and was even designated by Medieval cartographers as hic sunt dracones (here are dragons.) Sasha, a barefooted Siberian gardener, walked, unshod, eight hours one way to give Bill McDorman, the tomato seed hunter, seeds from his own heirloom tomato plant.
The plant isn't loppy as is the Galina, but compact and bushy, reminding one of a short, sturdy, hardy Siberian gardener. An early producer (59 days), it is prolific with a prize-winning taste. Unlike the Galina which falls out of a cage, Sasha's Altai can easily be contained in a medium sized cage. They are the Mutt and Jeff of the Siberians.
Two other Siberian good-producing cultivars are Perestroika and Glasnost, but if one is looking for a replica with taste of those round, full-figured tomatoes in the supermarket, another Siberian, "Market Miracle," is a good bet.
President Reagan can be forgiven trying to palm off ketchup as a vegetable in school lunches because in his Cold War triumph he opened up Siberian tomatoes for High Country gardeners.
Dana Prom Smith, a Master Gardener volunteer, is coordinating editor for the Master Gardener Column. He can be contacted at stpauls@npgcable.com. For gardening questions, please call the Master Gardener Hotline at 774-1868 ext.19 or visit the Master Gardener Web Site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 9:43 AM
August 7, 2009
Olivia White Hospice Garden Project 8/6/09
On Thursday we had a very small crew with many of our regulars on vacation. David Hockman finished digging a large hole for current that I am planting for my Mom. He found many treasures in trying to get deep enough for roots - cement/large rocks. We continue to find evidence of this property being a former contractor dump site.
David also worked on a rock drain next to our new path which is just below an eave where water comes over. Linda Guarino worked on putting some drip emitters in for new plants and cleaned up a large area of lamb's ear. If anyone wants lamb's ear we have more to thin. Carol Lease spent her time making new labels for some of our roses. Leslie Penick worked on the compost area. She weeded some of the ambrosia growing in front and brought some fresh grass clippings. I watered and weeded and we took a break early for some eggs with kale from the garden.
A new sign appeared for Ginny Kadel's special butterfly/hummingbird garden.
New in the garden:
A sandstone walkway between the Tea Garden bench with a rock drain
An alpine current for Elsie Ellis
A cobweb hen and chick in the rock garden
New blooms:
Agastache
Asian lilies about to pop
Many flowers on the Peace Rose
A pickling cuke
Upcoming Workdays:
August- Every Thursday from 8am-12pm.
August 22 - Saturday workday
August 13, 2009 - workday
Watering as needed
Weeding where needed
Thin germander and lambs ear as needed
Dead heading as needed - primarily lamb's ear
Re-label the roses and some shrubs
Come join us for our regular Thursday workday. Things are never dull and you can learn a great deal about high elevation gardening from the variety of master gardeners and the many trees, shrubs and plants we have. You can come for any or all of the scheduled time. Bring a hat, sun screen, gloves and any tools you like to work with (we also have tools and gloves but our supply is limited). Water and snacks are provided. Parking is not allowed at the home. Park at the 1st Congregation Church on Turquoise just past Switzer Canyon Drive.
"August rushes by like desert rainfall,
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.
Like a matchflame
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.
Like a dream
Of moon and dark barely recalled,
A moment,
Shadows caught in a blink.
Like a quick kiss;
One wishes for more
But it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away."
- Elizabeth Maua Taylor
Thanks, Loni Shapiro
928-522-8635
maxmaddy@infomagic.net
Posted by maxmaddy at 6:17 AM
August 2, 2009
Native Plants for Tough Places
Master Gardener Column 8/1/09
Last week I had a flat, the third in a month. Annoyed, I got out of the car rather than sitting inside baking, and, happily, my mind was diverted to a hillside dotted with color. Ideas for landscaping come when least expected.
The color was pronounced given the abundance of weeds, abandoned bedrolls, beer bottles, tin cans, broken glass, and plastic trash. I wondered what plants could possibly grow in such a rocky, hot, barren site? Since many folks have to contend with such horrible conditions, I set off to investigate.
The plant that first caught my eye was the native shrub cliffrose (Purshia mexicana). In full bloom, the sweetly scented flowers were profuse, likely due to our recent rains. Soon, the flowers will be followed by little fruits, each with a fluffy plume. This plant attracts many pollinators and is an important winter browse for deer. The greatest drawback to this plant in home landscaping is its slow growth.
Another shrub that seemed to thrive in this seemly uninviting habitat was Apache plume or Fallugia paradox. With feathery pinkish seed heads, you can easily pick out this native when driving along route 40. I read that the name is derived from the resemblance of the fruit clusters to an Apache headdress, but I think these seed heads look more like skirts for little fairies.
I also found three-leaf sumac (Rhus trilobata) flourishing there. This native shrub is often referred to as skunkbush due to the strong scent emitted when the stems are crushed. Loaded with small berries it provides food for birds and small mammals or a lemonade-like drink for humans.
Picking my way carefully across the landscape, I came across many striking native perennials in full bloom whose beauty is sometimes hidden by the weeds. Being out of the car and seeing these natives up close allowed me to really appreciate their beauty, toughness, and tenacity.
Wandbloom penstemon (Penstemon virgatus), with its pale violet flowers on almost knee-high stalks, was easy to spot. This penstemon is cold hardy and easy to grow. I read that it makes a good rock garden plant, and if this rocky slope is any indication of it habitat preference, I would say that's a fact. It also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
One perennial that looks great when driving past but even better close-up is Hartweg's sundrops or Calylophus hartwegii. This plant is a member of the evening primrose family but unlike many of its evening flowering relatives, its yellow flowers are open during the day and fade to orange-pink in the evening. Not only do these plants attract butterflies and moths, they also are reportedly resistant to grasshoppers.
A native new to me was scarlet gaura (Gaura coccinea) also a member of the primrose family. An interesting characteristic of this plant is the light-colored flowers that open at night to attract pollinating moths but then turn pink the next morning with the color deepening as the day wears on. The flowers are small, but since this plant can form a good-sized colony, there is plenty of color when in bloom.
Next I noticed spreading mounds of purple geranium (Geranium caespitosum). These plants have magenta-colored flowers and though sparse in number were still bright and attention-grabbing. I thought this plant favored moister, shadier sites, but here it thrived in full sun. Another common name for this plant is pineywoods geranium which describe where you can also find it, growing under pine trees. This is a very versatile plant and can grow in almost any soil type, in sun or shade, and with low or moderate moisture.
If your property is similar to the site I've described and you've been wondering what to plant, I suggest native plants that are adapted to these conditions. You will have much more success than trying to grow plants that require more water, shade, or a richer soil. For more ideas, pull over the next time you see some color. It helps to have along a good plant guide, or better yet, a botanist, and it's a lot better than kicking tires.
Hattie Braun is the Master Gardener Coordinator for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. Dana Prom Smith, a Master Gardener volunteer, is coordinating editor for the Master Gardener Column. He can be contacted at stpauls@npgcable.com. For gardening questions, call the Master Gardener Hotline, 774-1868, x19, or visit MG Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 5:41 AM