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1 Volume 17 Winter 2015 Issue 1 New People Ready to Plant Feet and Get to Work Community Gardens of Tucson is proud and excited to announce some new faces Jessica Paul, Veronica Simon and Michael Hart that will be helping us grow and thrive today and in the future. Jessica Paul is our new Garden Technician. She is a third generation native whose love of gardening was inspired by her grandmother. Part of Jessica s childhood was spent near Sonoita, where she lived with her parents, sister, horses, chickens, and dogs. It was there that she learned about harvesting natural desert plants for food, the importance of water conservation, and caring for nature. She also learned about gardening in the desert, as native beans and desert-hardy plants were carefully selected for growing in the family garden. Jessica enjoys helping gardeners and shares in their excitement. She also likes spreading the word about gardening! The best compliment, Jessica says, is when someone tells her that her passion for gardening has inspired them to start gardening on their own. Veronica Simon has lived her whole life in Tucson, Arizona. She was first introduced to gardening in a community setting while volunteering at the Tucson Village Farm to fulfill the requirements of one of her courses at the University of Arizona. Soon after she became an AmeriCorps volunteer at Tucson Village Farm. During this process Veronica fell in love with gardening and the gardening Jessica Paul Veronica Simon Michael Hart community in Tucson. Veronica is attentive, a great problem solver, has a quick wit and infectious enthusiasm. She cares deeply about the mission of community gardening. We are very excited to have her as our new Communications and Outreach Coordinator! Michael Hart is our new Volunteer Coordinator. He is a student at the University of Arizona studying Sustainable Built Environments with a focus on Sustainable Communities. Michael grew up in Orange County, California where he gained his interest in water harvesting and sustainable landscaping practices from working on a golf course. He was also a trumpet player in the University s marching and pep band for four years. We are very pleased to have him working with us. If you would like to get in contact with Michael or have any questions about volunteering at the Community Gardens, please him at mhart92@ . arizona.edu. From the Board Winter 2015: A Change of Seasons Happy New Year to all of you! With the new year comes the annual CGT Board retreat, which will have happened by the time this edition is printed. At this retreat the board spends a day together reflecting and regrouping. This typically involves challenging our assumptions, re-thinking our systems and revisiting our strategic goals. From this reflective viewpoint we are better able to focus on where we would like to be as an organization during the next year (to go forward, we retreat). It is a time for big picture thinking where we set aside routine business. Appropriately scheduled, the board retreat marks a time of transitioning. We are sowing the seeds for a new, hopefully productive, season of growth. Some of our senior members will have rotated off, experienced members take on new leadership roles, and new members start to become oriented to the board process. It is a time for communicating, collaborating and team building. We wish all of you the very best in 2015 and we are hopeful that Community Gardens of Tucson will continue to contribute to the goodness in your lives! January to March 2015 Page 1

2 By Chloe Jackson Janet Gagnon is finishing a lesson when I arrive for our interview- I sit down and catch the end of an explanation of soil supplements and preparation. Her students listen attentively, while her two dogs, Casey and Elsie come up to sniff at us. The topic wanders a bit, and we discuss what to do about the grass problem here at Homer Davis Community Garden. Janet climbs down from the raised bed where she has set up her seat and her portable umbrella and yanks up the carpeting that holds the grass at bay, showing us the three layers of newspaper she has tucked underneath. She explains how we should cut the grass back as much as possible, add the newspaper, and seal its fate with a layer of carpeting. The other gardeners eventually wander to their own plots or begin addressing the grass problem. But once Janet and I begin talking, they move their work closer so they can listen. Janet grew up in Massachusetts on her grandfather s farm. She remembers the peach and apple orchards, the vegetable gardens, and the lumber production, but most clearly she remembers the zinnia flower growing straight out of the middle of her very first plot. We are treated to an image of a ten-year-old Janet in a poorly weeded garden, beholding her first bounty. She has been gardening ever since. In 2001 Janet moved to Tucson to be closer to her grandchildren, whom she would take to the garden with her when they were young. In the beginning, Janet quickly learned that gardening was a whole new game in the Sonoran desert, and took the Master Gardener Course to help her adapt. She has had the green vest for eleven years, during which she has continued to learn and to love the learning. Janet describes the changes she has observed in Tucson over time; changes in soil, temperature, and bug populations, and how she has managed to move her dirt from one residency to Page 2 January to March Meet Master Gardener Janet Gagnon another to preserve her backyard garden. When I ask Janet my pre-planned question of what she most loves about gardening, I realize she has already given me the answer through her stories. She loves the fresh food taste, especially that of cucumbers and beans, and the ties that gardening has to her life in Massachusetts. Janet loves to learn, and she loves to teach. She is involved in many outreach programs through Master Gardeners such as the Garden Kitchen and the Tumacacori orchards at Tubac State Historical Park, and enjoys participating in the Community Gardens of Tucson garden meetings. Janet is a great resource, bursting with knowledge and experience, but also humility and light-heartedness. I find myself disappointed that our conversation is over, but Janet s dogs leap up gratefully, ready to stretch their legs. Are You Looking For That Perfect Wedding Gift? By Denise Plaza Terry and Denise Plaza (Keeling Garden) have found it. Their good friend s daughter was a frustrated gardener trying to grow plants on her own in her backyard. Her wedding was planned for November the 8th. The Plazas seized the opportunity and purchased a sixth month community garden membership, starting on October 1st. Terry and Denise then began the process of preparing the new plot and planting. Each week the Plazas took photos of the garden s progress. They created a laminated book that included the location of the garden, the couple s new plot, a plot plan and all the progress photos. At the wedding party, the book was presented with garden guidelines, a basket for gathering the harvest, garden gloves and fresh lettuce and radishes that had been harvested from the new garden. The couple had plenty to harvest when they returned from their honeymoon!

3 Community Gardens of Tucson Community Gardens of Tucson Planting Guide Legend S = Sow, T = Transplant, ST = Sow & Transplant S Herbs 4 Vegetables 1. If planting STseeds indoors, plant 8 T weeks before planting times above. The Rev. D average dates for first and last frosts are Nov. 15 and March Potatoes and Jerusalem Artichokes are planted from seed potatoes. 3. There may be restrictions when planting pumpkins and mint. See your site coordinator. Germ. Soil January February March April Temp. F Artichoke/Cardoon T T T T T T Arugula ST ST ST ST Asian Greens ST ST ST ST Beans (Bush) S S S Beans (Fava) S S Beets S S S S S S Black-eyed Peas S Broccoli ST ST ST ST Broccoli Raab ST ST ST ST Brussels Sprouts T T Cabbage ST ST ST ST Cauliflower ST ST ST ST Carrots S S S S S S S S Chinese Pole Beans S Collards ST ST ST ST Corn S S S Cucumber (Armenian) T Cucumber S ST Eggplant T Endive ST ST ST ST Garlic/Shallots T T Irish Potato T T T T Jerusalem Artichoke T T T T T T T Kale ST ST ST ST Kohlrabi ST ST ST ST Leaf Lettuce ST ST ST ST Melons T Mustard Greens ST ST ST ST Okra Onion/Leeks 50-95/70-75 T T Parsnip Peas S S Peppers T Pumpkin ST ST ST Radish S S S S S S S S Rutabaga S S S S S S S Spinach (Winter) T T ST ST Spinach (NZ & Malabar) ST Squash (Summer) ST ST ST Squash (Winter) ST ST ST Sweet Potato T Swiss Chard ST ST ST ST ST ST Tomato T T T T T Turnip S S S S S S S Basil ST Chives T T Cilantro ST ST ST ST Dill ST ST ST ST Mint T T T T T T T T Oregano T T T T T T T T Parsley T T T T Rosemary T T T T T T T T Sage T T T T T T T T Tarragon (French) T T T T Thyme T T T T T T T T 4. Quality herb production is best achieved with filtered sun/open shade during hot months. 5. Speak to the site coordinator about Amaranth, Asparagus, Chervil, Cress, Transplant Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Lemon Grass, Lima Beans, Mache, Marjoram, Purslane, Rhubarb, Shiso, Stevia. Thank you to our 2014 Fall Donors! Notes: 1. If planting seeds indoors, plant 8 weeks before planting tim 2. Potatoes and Jerusalem Artichokes are planted from seed p Unwise to plant 3. There may be restrictions when planting pumpkins and min Sow Seeds 4. Quality herb production is best achieved with filtered sun/op Sow Seeds & Transplant 5. Speak to the site coordinator about Amaranth, Asparagus, C Transplant Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Lemon Grass, Lima Beans, Rebecca Andrle Charles and Jodi Charvoz Charlie Charvoz Sheryn Hodes Carol Keefer Jay W. and Sandra S. Smith Tracey Till City of Tucson E Cap yright 2009, Community Gardens of Tucson. All Rights Reserved. No duplication without expre January to March 2015 Page 3

4 Community Garden Meeting Dates and Times Name Location* Site Coordinator** Meeting Dates (meeting times are 9 a.m. unless otherwise noted) Benedictine Speedway & Country Club Carol Shumaker, cashu2@hotmail.com 4th Sat.: Jan 24, Feb 28, March 28, April 25 Blue Moon Near Oracle & Drachman Dorothy Weichbrod, dorothyweichbrod@ yahoo.com Chaverim Near Speedway & Craycroft Susan and Richard Dick, SusanDick4094@ gmail.com 3rd Thursday: Jan 15, Feb 19, March 19, April 16 3rd Sunday: Jan 18, Feb 15, March 15, April 19 Davidson Fort Lowell & Alvernon Lisa Falk, lfsunflowers@gmail.com TBD Doolen Grant & Country Club Grace Lena, grace.lena@tusd1.org 4th Sunday: Jan 25, Feb 22, March 22, April 26 Duffy/ Merry Meridith Near 5th St. & Swan Christine Behling, coldwaterscuba@gmail.com 1st Sunday: Jan 4 (HV), Feb 1 (Duffy), March 1 (HV), April 5th (Duffy) GD2 Swan & Grant LaRae Barnes, laraebarnes@yahoo.com 1st Saturday: Jan 3, Feb 7, March 7, April 4 Highland Vista 5th St. & Craycroft Natalie Shepp, natalie.shepp@hotmail.com 1st Sunday: Jan 4 (HV), Feb 1 (Duffy), March 1 (HV), April 5 (Duffy) Homer Davis Near Romero & Whetmore Terrie Kennison, eminkar44@gmail.com 2nd Sunday: Jan 11, Feb 8, March 8, April 12 Keeling Fort Lowell & First Ave Denise Plaza, denise.plaza@xerox.com 2nd Sat.: Jan 10, Feb 14, March 14, April 11 Mansfield Grant St. & 6th Ave Jan Johnson, janj28@yahoo.com 1st Sunday: Jan 4, Feb 1, March 1, April 5 Mountain Vista Ina & Thornydale Tracie D. Bunker-Metz, davina107@gmail.com 3rd Saturday: Jan 17, Feb 21, March 21, April 18 New Spirit Camino Seco & Karen McWhirter, karen@mcwhirter.net 1st Saturday: Jan 3, Feb 7, March 7, April 4t Old Spanish Trail Nottinghill Alvernon & Glenn Site Coordinator Wanted! Call rd Saturday: Jan 17, Feb 21, March 21, April 18 Presidio Fort Lowell & Country Club Shirley McReynolds, shirleymcro@gmail.com 4th Sat.: Jan 24, Feb 28, March 28, April 25 Rincon Mtn Bear Canyon & Tanque Shelley Kruis, skruis@gmail.com 1st Saturday: Jan 3, Feb 7, March 7, April 4 Verde Sabino Vista Sabino Canyon & Cloud Rd Patty Dean, patricia3dean@msn.com 2nd Sat.: Jan 10, Feb 14, March 14, April 11 St. Demetrios Mountain & Fort Lowell Jennifer Hall & David Mount, jdhall@u.arizona. TBD edu St. Gregory Craycroft & River Bruce Plenk, bplenk@igc.org; Patti Hartmann, TBD hartmann@cox.net Sunrise Sunrise Drive & Craycroft Site Coordinator Wanted! Call nd Sat.: Jan 10, Feb 14, March 14, April 11 Ventana Vista Sunrise Drive & Kolb Joseph & Susan Kraus, jkraus@lbto.org 3rd Sunday: Jan 18, Feb 15, March 15, April 19 Verdugo 22nd St. & I-10 Samantha Banchy TBD *Location is general vicinity in order to protect the privacy of private property owners. Contact the site coordinator for more specific location. **n/a indicates a garden without a site coordinator. Contact us by at admin@communitygardensoftucson or by phone at if you re interested in gardening at one of these gardens. Page 4 January to March 2015

5 By Susan Dick Chaverim Garden is located behind the Chaverim Congregation at Sahuara and Second Chaverim Garden St. (south of Speedway between Wilmot and Craycroft). The garden has been active for more than 10 years. It is one of the larger CGT gardens. We currently have 31 occupied plots and 12 vacancies. The garden is still home to two of its original garden members. Some of our gardeners use strictly organic methods while others entertain a combination of approaches and choices. Our most successful plantings include: asparagus, corn, zucchini, eggplant, kale, Swiss chard, black-eyed peas, okra (several different varieties), yard long beans, lettuce and tomatoes (especially grape and cherry). One cherry tomato plant survived through last winter and is still producing! Currently, one of our gardeners is attempting to grow the largest pumpkin in the world and praying that we don t have frost soon. As of November 17th, it is just softball size. Our old plastic compost bins have been removed and three separate concrete blocked areas were created to replace them. Although composting in the desert - in the context of a community garden - has proven to be challenging in many of the CGT s gardens, at Chaverim it has been successful. The key to its success is having a compost coordinator who takes the duties on with commitment. Chaverim s compost captain (Richard) chops the green waste, waters the compost area regularly, adds brown ingredients, a few bags of manure, and turns the soil. The product is dark, moist, inexpensive, and most importantly, completes the sustainability cycle by George Says: Clear out old unproductive plants, improve your soil The first thing to do is to clear out all the unproductive plants from the previous season. The old plants are not likely to be productive if we have cold weather, or even a frost. Then add three inches of steer manure and cover it with three pounds of ammonium phosphate. This is something you should do at the beginning of each new season. It is seldom that you can overdo soil improvement. Then use a hard rake to level your garden both lengthwise and sideways to make sure irrigation water will reach all parts of the garden, whether you hand water or rely on the timed irrigation tubing. You might check on the condition of the tubing if it has lain out in the sunshine for a couple of years. It may need replacing. In any case straighten it out because a kinked tubing doesn t work effectively. Give the garden a good soaking to germinate any weed seeds. You want to have the sun warm up the soil for this to be effective. Don t use a mulch for a winter garden--a mulch prevents the soil from warming up. Read the supplement to the Newsletter regarding what to sow. Of course, sow what you want to eat! Scattering the Photo by Richard Dick reusing the green waste from within the garden to produce the next generation of produce. Richard s compost is available to Chaverim gardeners on a first come, first served basis and is used in several garden plots, which are growing great veggies. Somewhat less successful have been our attempts to germinate spinach and beets (this year). Each has been sown several times with just a few plants popping up. And then there are the perpetual challenges: javelinas, birds, ants and one rabbit. Diatomaceous earth and a circle of coffee grounds have deterred some of the ants. Covering tomatoes helped to keep the birds from pecking holes into the ripe ones. The rabbit disappeared after one gardener applied mountain lion urine around his plot and next to the gates. Last year, a group of small, young javelinas had a feast in our garden, so we installed chain link fencing around the perimeter. seeds in a solid patch is better than sowing straight narrow rows. If the seeds germinate too thickly, do some thinning from time to time and, of course, eat them. You shouldn t need to water as much as you did in the hotter weather but don t cut back so much that your young plants wilt. Remember their roots are not very deep at the start of their lives. Be careful not to apply granular fertilizer to your seedlings for the same reason. A good way to gently feed young plants is to put a teaspoon of dry fertilizer in a gallon watering can, and finish with a cleansing fresh watering to wash any residual chemical off the leaves. Look forward to summer s tomato planting by sowing seed in containers that you keep in a sunny window. You need four or five plants, no more, and you d be better off with two or three kinds, one of them being a Cherry, which takes the summer heat better than the big-fruited kinds. If you like peas and climbing beans get started as soon as you can--they usually start off their lives slowly. They will need covering with floating row-cover when we get frosts but remove the protection when sunshine comes out again. January to March 2015 Page 5

6 Oct.-Dec Volume 16, Issue 4 Community Gardens of Tucson Our Mission To establish and maintain community gardens and provide education for growing food successfully and sustainably while cultivating strong community connections. In operations since 1990, this nonprofit organization has been encouraging and promoting gardening and community development through the activity of gardening for more than 20 years. Newsletter Subscriptions Subscriptions: $15 per year for a mailed hard copy which includes a copy of our annual planting guide. To subscribe, contact us via . Winter Volume 17, Issue 1 Contact Us admin@communitygardensoftucson.org Phone: Mail: PO Box 65900, Tucson, AZ Social: Board of Directors (through 12/2014) Kelzi Bartholomei Eric Behling, Secretary Jennifer Cassius Charlie Charvoz, Treasurer Gina Chorover Ginnie Griffis, Membership Manager Susanne Kaplan, Newsletter Editor Bruce Plenk Peter Warren George Brookbank, Director Emeritus Appreciations Thank you, as always, to our volunteer newsletter guru, Michael Caccamise, for his good nature and graphic expertise. We extend our warm appreciation to the folks at AlphaGraphics for their generous assistance, which makes this publication possible. WE WISH GEORGE BROOKBANK A FANTASTICALLY HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY! Page 6 January to March 2015