Tour The Prudent Homemaker's Garden!

Want a beautiful, edible landscape here in the desert?  Learn how! 

 Garden Tour and Class! 

 Come tour The Prudent Homemaker’s Garden!

 www.theprudenthomemaker.com 

 Saturday, March 10th 

 10 am to 12 noon 

 Cost: $10 

 To reserve a spot, send an email to brandy (at) theprudenthomemaker (dot) com 

Class is limited to 35 adults. As we tour the garden, you will learn about dirt, drip irrigation, watering times, growing food year-round, pruning fruit trees, getting rid of bugs, mixing food and flowers to create an edible landscape, fruit tree selections for the desert, how to make use of the walls for growing space, and more.

FREE Gardening Classes!

Acacia Demonstration Gardens

Here are some great FREE gardening classes starting in March at the Acacia Demonstration Gardens (50 Casa Del Fuego Street, Henderson, NV).

• Landscape Design with Native Plants in Mind
• Growing Vegetables in the Las Vegas Valley
• Companion Planting
• Gardening in Small Places
• Food Preservation
• Why Don't Things Grow Here?
• Indoor Plant Care

You can register (starting today!!)  for all classes at www.cityofhenderson.com/parks.

FREE Gardening Workshops!

Acacia Demonstration Gardens

Here are some great FREE gardening classes starting in September at the Acacia Demonstration Gardens (50 Casa Del Fuego Street, Henderson, NV).

• Tree Care 101
• Tree Pruning Basics
• Tricks and Treats Plant Projects
• Composting
• Container Gardening
• Fall Veggies for a Winter Garden
• Herb Gifts for the Holidays
• Oh My Aching Back
• Landscape Design with Fall Colors in Mind

You can register for all classes starting August 15th at www.cityofhenderson.com/parks.

Online Weekly Ads for Star Nursery

Star Nursery is a local gardening store in Las Vegas with great weekly sales.  They now have their ads online!  Click here every Friday to check out the new deals

Gardening in the Desert - Repost

This is a repost of our Self-Reliant Meeting from February 2009

Gardening with Kids

Kids Gardening has a wonderful website with an email newsletter than you can sign up for.

Gardening with Kids has great tips on getting kids started with gardening.

• Give your child some space; literally! Kids loving having spaces that are all their own, whether it`s their own desk area in the house, or the tent they've created with chairs and blankets in the family room. The same is true for gardening. Dedicate a small plot of the garden just for them. Put a fancy border around it, perhaps purchase one of the stepping stone making kits found at crafts stores in which they can mold their name and make their hand print.
• Let them join you at the nursery. Let your kids know you value their opinion. Ask them which kinds of plants, flowers, and vegetables they like. Explain what will work well in your garden and what won't.
• Give them (limited) choices. While you're at the nursery, ask them if they'd like pansies or petunias, marigolds or zinnias. This will give them the feeling of power without letting it get out of control.
• Remind them money doesn't grow on trees. With older children discuss the budget. Let them help select seeds and blossoming plants at the nursery - and turn it into a math lesson. Let your child do the money calculations; they can tell you when the money runs out.
• Let your child do what he will (especially if you have a preschooler). Let him dig, explore, play with bugs. You may be tempted to steer your child in another direction (like actually watering or weeding his garden), but this is a great way for your child to explore this exciting new universe.
• Plan, plan, plan. If you have older children, say 8 or 9 or older, let them plot out their own garden on paper. Provide him or her with graph paper, pencils and seed catalogs. Give them a group of flowers and vegetables from which to choose, and then let them draw out their garden.
• Get them their own gardening tools. Nothing will motivate your little gardener more than having her own little shovel, her own gardening gloves, and her own watering pail. And don't forget those bright colored rubber boots.

Vegetable Gardening
A few gardening/planting tips (for Las Vegas):

• Remember: just because our nurseries sell it, doesn't mean it grows well here.
• Typically vegetables like location, timing, sandy loam soils, good drainage, deep watering and fertilizer.
• There are Warm Season vegetables and Cool Season vegetables - just follow the planting times here from Linn Mills (Review Journal Columnist). Star Nursery also has a Warm Season list and a Cool Season list.
• If you have $1.00, spend .90 on soil and .10 on seeds.

A couple of great books to have:

• Western Garden Book by Sunset
• The Edible Garden by Sunset

Helpful websites:

• Kids Gardening - Wonderful website with an email newsletter than you can sign up for.
• Gardening with Kids - Great tips on getting kids started with gardening.
• Master Gardeners - Lots of great information for gardening in the desert and more!
• Linn Mills - Gardening column in the Las Vegas Review Journal. GREAT resource!
• Desert Gardening Forum with Linn Mills - Great Forum with Linn Mills as the Moderator.
• Springs Preserve - Local gardening classes.
• Gilcrease Orchard - Pick your own fruits & vegetables in Las Vegas!
• Star Nursery "Starnotes" - Printable information on everything for your garden!
• The Prudent Homemaker - Our guest speaker Brandy has the most wonderful garden here in Las Vegas. She is a wealth of knowledge and her website is AMAZING! She has information on gardening, food storage, homeschooling, recipes & more.
  

Growing Sprouts

Several of us grew sprouts in a mason jar for our Self-Reliant Sisters meeting.  Everyone had success and a lot of fun.  Here are some links to grow your own sprouts and other important information.

• Sprout Nutrition from Good Sprout News
• Nutritional Advantages of Sprouts from The Sprout People
• Sprouting Seeds by Weblife
• Step by Step Directions by The Farm (This is the handout we passed out Tuesday night)
• Self-Reliant Sprouting Class from May 2009

Ensign Article - Seeds of Self-Reliance

Found in the March 2011 Ensign magazine, Seeds of Self-Reliance gives personal stories about gardening from different areas of the world, gardening on a budget, sharing a garden, finding space, using containers, learning by doing, never giving up, and reaping the blessings.

University of Nevada - Horticulture Programs

The University of Nevada has a Cooperative Extension's horticulture program.  This program teaches homeowners and park and golf course managers to irrigate wisely, save water, and adopt environmentally friendly landscape techniques.  There are 238 publications listed on their main page, and these are my favorites

• Becoming a Desert Gardener
• Growing Tomatoes in Southern Nevada
• Home Vegetable Production in Southern Nevada
• Container Gardening - Perfect for Apartment Living!!

Star Nursery Gardening Helps

Star Nursery is a local gardening store in Las Vegas.  They have a wonderful section on their website called "Star Notes".  Here are some of my favorite gardening tips from their website

• The Gardener's Calendar
• Growing Herbs in the Desert
• Fruit Trees for Desert Climates
• Vegetable Gardening Cool Weather & Warm Weather

The Prudent Homemaker - Upcoming Garden Tour!!

We were so blessed to have Brandy from The Prudent Homemaker guest speak for us last night!  Due to the high interest she has schedule another garden tour!  Brady writes,

"I have scheduled a new garden tour for Saturday, April 16th, from 10 am to 12 noon. If you would like to attend that day, please email me (brandy@theprudenthomemaker.com) with the number of people who will be attending."

Here is some more information about her tour

"Garden tours are limited to 35 people and are adults only. The tour is a class that is around 2+ hours in length. As we tour the garden, you will learn about dirt, drip irrigation, watering times, growing food year-round, pruning fruit trees, getting rid of bugs, mixing food and flowers to create an edible landscape, fruit tree selections for the desert, espaliered fruit trees, how to make use of the walls for growing space, and more."

I highly recommend going, I went in May 2009.  Her tour is inspiring as well as educating.

FREE Gardening Workshops!

Acacia Demonstration Gardens

Here are some great FREE gardening classes starting in September at the Acacia Demonstration Gardens (50 Casa Del Fuego Street, Henderson, NV).

• Yes, You Can Grown Fruit Trees in the Desert
• Sprinkler Clock Demonstration
• Let's Talk Tomatoes
• Companion Plants
• Landscape Design with the End in Mind
• Safe & Sound Insect Control
• Growing Vine Crops
• Gardening with Physical Limitations

You can register for all classes starting January 5th at www.cityofhenderson.com/parks.

Sachets with Lavender & Rosemary

Easy Sachets!

Hannah (my 4 year old) and I took a gardening class last year at Acacia Demonstration Gardens. It was free to attend and was put on by the Master Gardeners of Southern Nevada. With the warmer weather coming upon us, I thought this might be fun to try this year.

Supplies needed:

• dried rosemary
• dried lavender
• small organza bags (bought at Joanns, Michaels or online)

Step 1. Dry your rosemary and lavender. Tie them in bundles using a paperclip as a hanger and hang in a dark dry place (like a closet) for about 4 weeks (1 week in Las Vegas).
Step 2: Gather your supplies and pour lavender and rosemary in little organza bags.

Step 3: Place a pretty sprig of lavender on the top and tie closed. Done!

Container Gardening with Plastic Drinking Bottles

Recycled Drinking Bottles

Hannah (my 4 year old) and I took a gardening class last year at Acacia Demonstration Gardens. It was free to attend and was put on by the Master Gardeners of Southern Nevada. With the warmer weather coming upon us, I thought this might be fun to try this year.

Hannah planted a sunflower seed in a plastic water bottle container.

Supplies needed:

• empty water bottle container
• cotton yarn or cotton rope (1/8")
• soil
• water
• seeds

Step 1: Cut a plastic water bottle container in half. Place the top of the bottle upside down in the bottom of the water bottle (see photo). Place your wick through the top and bottom of the water bottle. If you are using cotton thread, make sure to double it.

Here are the types of rope and yarn used.

Step 2: Pack your soil down around the wick, making sure the wick is slightly visable above the soil.

Step 3: Plant your seed. Here's Hannah planting her seed with a little help.

Step 4: Water your soil and then fill the bottom of the bottle with water (use tap water, not osomosis or water softener water).

The container is self-watering, just fill the bottom with water as need. Here is our sunflower after a few days. A sunflower will need to be replanted as it gets larger, but you can plant something smaller.

Container Gardening with Milk Jugs

Milk Jug Gardening

Hannah (my 4 year old) and I took a gardening class last year at Acacia Demonstration Gardens. It was free to attend and was put on by the Master Gardeners of Southern Nevada. With the warmer weather coming upon us, I thought this might be fun to try this year.

Supplies needed:

• Milk jugs
• Nails, or a Screwdriver
• Soil
• Seeds

Step 1: Cut the top off of the gallon milk container, leaving the handle completly intact. For windy days, this makes it easy for transporting them into the house. How far you cut down the front depens on the type of seeds being planted. As you can see in the picture above, there is only about 5 inches of soil. For the carrot pictured below, there is about double that.

Step 2: Before filling with dirt and seeds, make sure to poke holes (using nails or a screwdriver) in the bottom of milk container for drainage.

Step 3: Fill with dirt and seeds of your choice. For tiny seeds (such as radish), you can glue the seeds to a paper towel, then cover with dirt

Here's the radish that was grown in a small plastic container.

Upcoming Gardening Classes

Acacia Demonstration Gardens

Here are some great FREE gardening classes starting in March at the Acacia Demonstration Gardens (50 Casa Del Fuego Street, Henderson, NV).

• Indoor Plant Care - Saturday March 6, 9:00 am to 10:00 am
• Backyard Wildlife Habitat - Saturday March 20th or April 17th, 9:00 am to 10:00 am
• Growing Vegetables 101 - Saturday April 3rd, 9:00 am to 10:30 am
• Putting Worms to Work, A Family Project - Saturday April 17, 9:00 am - 10:00 am
• Ask a Master Gardener - Saturday May 1, 9:00 am to 10:30 am
• Acacia Tree Tour - May 1, 9:00 am to 10:00 am
• Sprinkler Clock Demonstration - Various Saturdays from March - April, 9:00 am to 11:00 am

You can register for all classes now at www.cityofhenderson.com/parks.

Southern Nevada Water Authortiy - Landscaping Helps

Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) offers tips and resources to help you keep your landscape lush and water efficient. Here are some helpful links.

• Landscapes Home Page


• Water Smart Landscape Rebate Program


• Sample Landscape Designs


• Find Your Watering Group

A few years ago my husband and I took advantage of the Rebat Program and removed all our grass. Here is a picture of the project halfway done...

Here's the completed project.

No pictures of grass, since it was brown and dead when we started the project. The money that we received paid for almost all of our landscaping. We did all the work ourselves, so that helped with our budget. Remember BEFORE you start removing your grass, SNWA must come out to take measurements of your grass area.

Master Gardeners of Southern Nevada

I have been to several classes presented by the Master Gardeners of Southern Nevada. They are amazing people and have such a wealth of knowledge. There are 3 ways to contact them for ANY gardening questions you might have.

Call 257-5555 for free information and publications about your home gardening needs.

Email somatergardeners@unce.unr.edu

Website www.unce.unr.edu

For information about the Master Gardener Training Program call 257-5501

The Prudent Homemaker - Garden Tour

Desert Gold Peaches

I attended The Prudent Homemaker's garden tour on Saturday and it was wonderful. She took us on a tour of her beautiful garden and explained in detail about the fruits, vegetables and herbs she has growing. Here are some pictures that I took of her garden.

Green Onions that have gone to seed

Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce, Early Girl Tomato plant (with cage around it), and a harvested Radish

This is a new feature in her garden. Here she built an above ground planter. Currently there are green beans, tomatoes, watermelon, red and yellow bell peppers, spinach, pumpkin, and red onions.
Artichokes

Dorsett Golden Apples

Green Gage Plums

Brandy is full of knowledge and I would highly recommend attending the next garden tour. I know I'll be going again!

Gardening in the Desert (SRS Meeting - February 5, 2009)

There is so much information about "Gardening in the Desert" that I never knew existed. I cannot post everything (of course) about desert gardening and landscaping, but I will post a lot of wonderful online resources. Thank you to Natalie, Kimberly & our guest speaker Brandy for LOTS of great information!!

Gardening with Kids

Kids Gardening has a wonderful website with an email newsletter than you can sign up for.

Gardening with Kids has great tips on getting kids started with gardening.

• Give your child some space; literally! Kids loving having spaces that are all their own, whether it`s their own desk area in the house, or the tent they've created with chairs and blankets in the family room. The same is true for gardening. Dedicate a small plot of the garden just for them. Put a fancy border around it, perhaps purchase one of the stepping stone making kits found at crafts stores in which they can mold their name and make their hand print.
• Let them join you at the nursery. Let your kids know you value their opinion. Ask them which kinds of plants, flowers, and vegetables they like. Explain what will work well in your garden and what won't.
• Give them (limited) choices. While you're at the nursery, ask them if they'd like pansies or petunias, marigolds or zinnias. This will give them the feeling of power without letting it get out of control.
• Remind them money doesn't grow on trees. With older children discuss the budget. Let them help select seeds and blossoming plants at the nursery - and turn it into a math lesson. Let your child do the money calculations; they can tell you when the money runs out.
• Let your child do what he will (especially if you have a preschooler). Let him dig, explore, play with bugs. You may be tempted to steer your child in another direction (like actually watering or weeding his garden), but this is a great way for your child to explore this exciting new universe.
• Plan, plan, plan. If you have older children, say 8 or 9 or older, let them plot out their own garden on paper. Provide him or her with graph paper, pencils and seed catalogs. Give them a group of flowers and vegetables from which to choose, and then let them draw out their garden.
• Get them their own gardening tools. Nothing will motivate your little gardener more than having her own little shovel, her own gardening gloves, and her own watering pail. And don't forget those bright colored rubber boots.

Vegetable Gardening
A few gardening/planting tips (for Las Vegas):

• Remember: just because our nurseries sell it, doesn't mean it grows well here.
• Typically vegetables like location, timing, sandy loam soils, good drainage, deep watering and fertilizer.
• There are Warm Season vegetables and Cool Season vegetables - just follow the planting times here from Linn Mills (Review Journal Columnist). Star Nursery also has a Warm Season list and a Cool Season list.
• If you have $1.00, spend .90 on soil and .10 on seeds.

A couple of great books to have:

• Western Garden Book by Sunset
• The Edible Garden by Sunset

Helpful websites:

• Kids Gardening - Wonderful website with an email newsletter than you can sign up for.
• Gardening with Kids - Great tips on getting kids started with gardening.
• Master Gardeners - Lots of great information for gardening in the desert and more!
• Linn Mills - Gardening column in the Las Vegas Review Journal. GREAT resource!
• Desert Gardening Forum with Linn Mills - Great Forum with Linn Mills as the Moderator.
• Springs Preserve - Local gardening classes.
• Gilcrease Orchard - Pick your own fruits & vegetables in Las Vegas!
• Star Nursery "Starnotes" - Printable information on everything for your garden!
• The Prudent Homemaker - Our guest speaker Brandy has the most wonderful garden here in Las Vegas. She is a wealth of knowledge and her website is AMAZING! She has information on gardening, food storage, homeschooling, recipes & more.