University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

Carson City / Storey County 4-H Readying for Annual Fabric Sale

Carson City Area 4-H members are on the lookout for donations of fabric/sewing notions; clean, useable household items; sewing notions; crafting items; sewing machines, etc. Donations can be dropped off now through Jan. 31 at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, 2621 Northgate Lane, Suite 15, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you have large items to donate, please call 887-2252 in advance.

While Gov. Brian Sandoval will reveal his plans for Nevada for the biennium Thursday during his State of the State speech, the deans for the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and Colleg...

The annual Carson City / Storey County 4-H Fabulous Fabric and Rummage Sale will be held Saturday and Sunday February 14 and 15, 2015 at Fuji Park Exhibition Hall in Carson City.

The sale is a project of the Carson City/Storey County Leaders Council. All sale proceeds benefit the council’s scholarship fund.

A couple of years ago a friend introduced my husband and me to persimmons. The ‘Fuyu’ she gave us to eat was the flatter type of persimmon that can be eaten while still firm like an apple. It is a non-astringent type of persimmon, rather than the astringent type that needs to be “mushy and pudding-like” (Sunset Western Garden Book) to be ripe, or it will make your mouth pucker. My husband asked me if we could grow the firm persimmons here.

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.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Or, when speaking to gardeners that probably should be Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! What presents are you giving the gardeners in your life this holiday season? I started looking online for unusual gift ideas for gardeners and found some curious ones.

The things people do to trees sometimes horrify me. Topped trees or those with hacked instead of pruned limbs; trees planted under power lines; and trees left without water in long ago removed lawns are a few of my pet peeves. Improper staking is another.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my body demanding that I change my overly athletic approach to gardening. The following are some great ideas that readers sent me on gardening smarter.

Patty suggests Flexilla lightweight garden hoses because they are easier to drag around and coil up more easily than most hoses. Another helpful suggestion was to use a lightweight plastic snow shovel with a long handle as a dustpan for raking and sweeping to reduce bending.

Free radon test kits are available from Dec. 1 through Feb. 28 at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension offices and partner offices statewide. Nevadans are encouraged to take advantage of this free offer to test their homes for this radioactive, colorless gas that comes from the ground, accumulates in homes and can cause lung cancer.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates 21,000 Americans die each year from radon-caused lung cancer, killing more people than secondhand smoke, drunk driving, falls in the home, drowning or house fires.

Delicious, odiferous garlic is a staple in many a cook’s kitchen. This cousin of the onion, shallot and leek has been in use for over 7,000 years for both culinary and medicinal purposes. If you are a fan of garlic, you may want to plant a crop now through the end of November for early summer harvest. Fall-planted garlic produces bigger, better bulbs than garlic planted in late winter or spring.

The Nevada Landscape Association Annual Conference and Trade Show, co-sponsored by the Nevada Department of Agriculture, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and City of Reno Urban Forestry Commission, will be held on Wednesday February 4, 2015 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

I’m an amateur entomologist. I am thrilled when someone brings in an interesting insect or arachnid (spiders, mites, scorpions, etc.). Today a client brought me a critter I had never seen, a red velvet mite (RVM). Regular readers of my articles know I have written about spider mites, which are the size of dust particles.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Living With Fire Program introduced The Nevada Network of Fire Adapted Communities, or The Network, through The Network’s inaugural conference Friday, Oct. 24.

There were 80 Nevadans from 10 counties in attendance representing many stakeholders in Nevada’s wildland-urban interface fire issue, including members of wildfire-prone communities; local fire service representatives; local, state and federal agencies; and landscape partners.

The annual Carson City / Storey County 4-H Fabulous Fabric and Rummage Sale will be held Saturday and Sunday Feb. 14-15, 2015 at Fuji Park Exhibit Hall in Carson City. The sale is a project of the Carson City/Storey County Leaders Council. All sale proceeds benefit the council’s scholarship fund.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is offering workshops Nov. 17 – 20 in Gardnerville, Yerington, Fallon and Lovelock for Nevada agricultural producers to help them plan for the possibilities of a fourth year of drought. “Agriculture in Times of Drought,” will give farmers and ranchers information on how to be resilient to variable weather in Nevada.

RSVP will hold quarterly training for volunteers on October 24, 2014 from 9:00 am –12:00 pm. The training will be hosted at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension office 2621 Northgate Lane Ste. 12 in Carson City. RSVP volunteers, persons caring for a loved one 24/7, and other interested parties are encouraged to join us for this free training.

Autumn has come gently this year with hot weather continuing into October. The leaves are finally turning color. At University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Master Gardeners are often asked why leaves change color. Is the cold responsible?

A faculty member at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension has received national recognition for her program addressing nutrition and early literacy in Nevada.

Early Care and Education Specialist YaeBin Kim received the First Place National Award in the human development/family relationships program category for her “Little Books and Little Cooks” nutrition and early literacy program from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences a few weeks ago at the Association’s annual meeting in Lexington, Ken.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, in partnership with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, is offering a free workshop Nov. 13 to train people throughout the state how to properly handle and use pesticides. The workshop is meant for certified applicators and people who regularly handle pesticides as part of their jobs, such as farmers, ranchers, park employees and groundskeepers.

The inaugural Nevada Governor’s Conference on Agriculture will be Nov. 13 at the Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa in Reno, the Nevada Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.

“I am pleased to announce the very first Nevada Governor’s Conference on Agriculture,” said Gov. Brian Sandoval. “Agriculture is one of Nevada’s leading industries, contributing more than $3 billion to the state’s economy. This includes our rich and diverse agricultural industries, from ranching and farming to all the associated businesses that keep these industries vibrant.”

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.”

Managing water in northern Nevada’s Truckee-Carson River System requires local communities to balance urban, agricultural and ecosystem needs. Changes in historical climate trends are increasingly expected to make this balancing act more challenging. A competitive grant totaling $3.8 million has been awarded to the University of Nevada, Reno and the Desert Research Institute in partnership with the U.S.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension invites Nevada students to showcase their artistic talents and promote radon awareness by entering the 2015 Nevada Radon Poster Contest.

The contest is open to all children ages 9 to 14 years old enrolled in public, private, territorial, tribal, Department of Defense and home schools. Children can also enter through a sponsoring club, such as an art, computer, library, reading, science, scouting, youth or 4-H club.

Hunters wanting a crash course on how to safely handle game after its been caught can attend a number of workshops this summer offered through the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the University of Nevada, Reno College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources.

In a collaboration with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, the workshops aim to provide a hands-on experience for Nevada hunters on field dressing techniques, safe handling and transportation of meat, and conservation.

The Nevada Division of Forestry is hosting “Junk The Junipers,” 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 10, at its Eastlake Office. Residents of local communities are encouraged to bring their junipers, pines, rabbitbrush, sagebrush and other woody vegetation to be chipped for free. Participants will receive a coupon from Moana Nursery for 30 percent off a “good plant choice,” Moana-grown replacement shrub.

Residents across Nevada are being encouraged to attend “Living With Fire” Regional Conferences being held this month to interact with their neighbors, firefighting representatives, natural resource specialists and others to learn how to prepare for wildfire at their homes and in their communities.

This week's It's Your City is with Carson City Fire Chief Stacey Giomi who explains Nevada Wildfire Awaremess Month and the measures the public can take to prepare homes from wildfire by creating fire adapted communities.

Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month will kickoff with an event this Saturday, May 3, from 10 to 2 p.m. at Mills Park. The event will promote this year’s wildfire awareness message, encouraging residents to better prepare their homes and properties to survive future wildfires.

The Carson City Fire Department is presenting the Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month Kickoff, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday, May 3 at Mills Park. The event will promote this year’s wildfire awareness message, “Prepare Your Home For Wildfire,” encouraging residents to better prepare their homes and properties now to survive future wildfires.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s 4-H presents Capital City Farm Days 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., April 17 and 18. There will be 30 presenters teaching elementary-age youth about Nevada agriculture, where food and fiber come from, and environmental issues related to agriculture.

Attendees will include public, private and home-schooled students and their families from Carson City, Storey County, Douglas County and Dayton Valley.