horticulture

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension welcomes Lindsay Chichester to its statewide team of Extension educators. She will begin her new position as Carson City Extension educator Jan. 1.

“I’m thrilled,” Carson City Board of Supervisors Member Karen Abowd said about hiring Chichester. “She’s a local with a vast source of knowledge on agriculture and growing. I also appreciate that she has experience in engaging others within the community, and we look forward to that engagement.”

Each year in spring and fall, the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension horticulture program offers a series of classes called “Grow Your Own, Nevada.” Different topics are offered this week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m.

Last week I wrote about root weevils eating leaves. This week’s pests are the elm leaf beetles. While elms are hardy drought tolerant trees for arid Nevada, they are plagued by elm leaf beetles every year. By this time of year, the trees look half-dead with white to brown ragged leaves.

I visited a friend this past week who is an outstanding plant person. Peg’s landscape is filled with plant species or varieties that I have not used before. They are perennials with interesting foliage, flowers, form and often scent. They are also water-efficient and hardy for our area. I wandered around her little horticulture heaven being inspired to broaden my plant choices.

Those pesky ground squirrels are out in force these days. I think they are on their second or third series of babies. I can tolerate them out in our field. However, when they dig under the house, it’s time to get serious about control, before they undermine the foundation.

The “Gardening Smarter as We Age” classes finished this past week. I learned a lot about how to use my body more efficiently to reduce the pain I feel after doing my landscape chores. Think of all the things we gardeners do with our bodies: bend, dig, haul, kneel, mix, plant, prune, pull, rake, lift, twist and rake, just to name a few. And, we think gardening is a leisure activity!

The horticulture world is fascinating with many topics to explore. Did you know that “the average carrot travels over 1,800 miles to get to our dinner plate?” Or that “93 percent of our food dollar pays processors, packagers, distributors, wholesalers, truckers and the rest of the infrastructure that a global food system demands?”

Finally, with the fact that “preschool children served home-grown produce are more than twice as likely to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day as kids who rarely eat home-grown produce,” more people are interested in growing their own.

The average carrot travels over 1,800 miles to get to our dinner plates. Processing and shipment of food accounts for 93 percent of our food cost. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is offering eight new “Grow Your Own, Nevada!” classes at 12 locations statewide to help Nevadans who want to get on a path to more sustainable, local, healthy living by growing more of their own food.

I recently wrote I couldn’t imagine my life without being able to work in our yard. I also mentioned University of Nevada Cooperative Extension would be holding classes for the maturing gardener. Our workshop series “Gardening Smarter as We Mature” will begin March 11 and continue on April 8 and May 14 from 10 a.m. to noon at local Cooperative Extension offices.

Gardening in Nevada can be challenging. Before digging in this spring, you can get some free advice from the experts – University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and their Certified Master Gardeners.

Cooperative Extension has teamed up with Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space to offer “Gardening in Nevada: The Bartley Ranch Series.” Classes are free and run 6 – 8 p.m. every Tuesday in March at Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road in Reno.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is offering a series of three free classes at 11 locations statewide for maturing gardeners. The “Gardening Smarter as We Mature” series teaches how to garden more easily as the body changes and ages.

One of my dreams in my professional life was to introduce young people to the viability of a great career in horticulture. I have been fortunate to realize that goal through my involvement with The Greenhouse Project. However, awakening the passion for growing and working with plants in youth is only one wonderful aspect of this project. I also get to work with caring dedicated people, help beautify downtown Carson City and, best of all, help feed those in need.

The Carson City Greenhouse Project at Carson High School is one of 14 projects in Nevada to receive specialty crop block grant money designed for organizations that promote and enhance speciality crops through education, research, marketing and production, the Nevada Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday.

The $21,577 in grant money earmarked for the Greenhouse Project will help fund the Growing America’s Future Farmer program, said JoAnne Skelly, extension educator with the University of Nevada and grant writer for the Greenhouse Project.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension will present six “Grow Your Own, Nevada!” classes at seven locations across northern Nevada to provide information to homeowners, gardeners, landscapers and farmers who want their lawns to survive and thrive in a desert climate.

“Recurring droughts are a fact of life for Nevadans,” Cooperative Extension Horticulture Specialist Heidi Kratsch said. “This program will teach homeowners how to create and care for landscapes that are resilient to drought events, yet outstandingly beautiful. Yes, it is possible.”

Beginning Thursday, Cooperative Extension horticulture specialist Dr. Heidi Kratsch will teach a class called “Bring Beneficial Insects to your Garden with Native Plants.”

With the 2014 drought looming, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension has partnered with other agencies to help Nevadans prepare for and cope with the drought. Today, Cooperative Extension launched its Living With Drought website, a one-stop shop where homeowners, gardeners, farmers, ranchers, natural resource managers and others can find information to help them respond to their various drought-related challenges.

Karen Abowd on Tuesday announced her second run as Carson City Supervisor Ward I, citing her desire to see through many projects currently in process, as well as her commitment to the future of Nevada’s Capital City.

“Carson City has gone through some tough economic times and continues to,” Abowd said. “We have needed to be careful in our planning and how we spend available dollars in order to create sustainable, relevant opportunities that have immediate positive impacts, and build a future we can be proud to leave our children and grandchildren.”

The Carson City Harvest Hub, along with food production programs in Douglas and Lyon counties, have been awarded funding through the Nevada Department of Agriculture, officials announced Monday.

Grant awards amounting to $250,730 will go to 13 programs throughout Northern Nevada for crop research, education marketing and production.

Nevadans can learn to grow safe, fresh, organic produce at home and in school and community gardens without spending a lot of money.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension will help show residents how during eight “Grow Your Own, Nevada!” gardening classes featuring “back-to-basics” best practices for producing bountiful harvests. Classes will be presented Mondays, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m., July 8 – Aug. 26, live in Reno and video-conferenced to Extension offices throughout the state, including those in Carson City, Gardnerville, Fallon and Yerington.

The average carrot travels over 1,800 miles to get to our dinner plate. Processing and shipment of food accounts for 93 percent of our food cost.

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension will offer eight new “Grow Your Own!” classes in Carson City and 11 other Nevada cities to help residents who want to get on a path to more sustainable, local, healthy living by growing more of their own food.

By the Nevada Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources
The Nevada Division of Forestry State Tree Nursery in Washoe Valley is opening for the season Thursday, May 12. The nursery is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 3 pm Thursday through Saturday until Oct. 15, 2011.
The nursery is designed to assist landowners by providing plant material suitable for conservation uses such as, but not limited to, windbreaks, soil erosion control, water conservation, and wildlife habitats.