CMGA General Info

Roadrunner: Although typically desert dwellers, roadrunners may also thrive in cold climates by fluffing feathers for insulation and by exposing their black back feathers to the sun.
Photo by Cindy Murray.

Welcome to the Coconino County Master Gardeners Association blog. The mission of the Master Gardener Program is to create a corps of well-informed volunteers, and to deliver quality horticultural education programs adapted to our regional high elevation environment. The purpose of the association is to provide support for those volunteers and Master Gardener graduates, continuing education, and opportunities to participate in community programs that increase the visibility and participation in the Master Gardener Program.
The Coconino Master Gardener Association (2009) began in 2009. This blog contains information on:
-How to become a member
-Volunteer and Education hours reporting
-Calendar of Events
-General gardening information articles
-Master Gardener Association Documents and forms
-References and Resources
-Interesting Websites and Blogs
-Old Gardening Etcetera columns
-Recipes
-Book Reviews
-How to contact Board or Committee Members
Meetings are held monthly on the 2nd Thursday from 600pm - 8;30pm. We meet at the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church at 1601 N. San Francisco. This includes continuing education and a business meeting.

Reporting Master Gardener Hours

All master gardener trainees and certified master gardeners need to report their hours.
Beginning in 2010 certified master gardeners need to have 6 Education hours and 12 Volunteer hours in order to maintain certification.The on line reporting system allows you to report Education or Volunteer hours. You can sign in to record hours in the right hand column under Recording Volunteer and Education Hours. Just click on the U. of A.
If you have any questions or concerns about the new reporting system, please contact Brenda Smith (A - M) or Sue Madden (N - Z). Their contacts are listed at the bottom of the blog under
Contacts.



Ideas for hours------
--Attend monthly meetings
--Work on an association committee
--Work at an informational booth for the Master Gardeners
--Be a speaker about gardening topics at a variety of venues

--Host a garden tour
--Work at a fundraising event (Plant Sale - Garden Tour).
--Work at a MG site (Olivia White Hospice, the Arboretum, Riordan Mansion, or school gardens (many others)). Check out the Assoc. Doc. & Forms under Volunteer Sites.
--Work in the Extension office
--Write an article for the newspaper column -Gardening Etcetera
-Volunteer with the Seed Library
Be creative! There are many ways to fulfill your hours. Just remember for volunteering it needs to be a non-profit endeavor or an approved for profit site.

Change in Contact Information

Have you moved or changed your e-mail address, but would still like to be contacted about high elevation gardening information from the Extension? The Coconino County Extension Master Gardener Program has a site that will let you change your information on-line.

Click here to change your contact information!

Event Calendar

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Flagstaff Tour of Artful Gardens



Thanks to Colleen Tucker and Jennifer Quarterman for another successful Flagstaff Tour of Artful Gardens. Money raised from this project will help support CMGA Garden Grants for 2018.

I was able to tour 6 of the 7 gardens and with only a few drops of rain. They were all very beautiful and yet different in size and focus. We had a wonderful selection of plants and styles, from the more formal Japanese "strolling garden" at the Babbit house on Leroux to the Farm Your Front Yard at Julie McDonald's home. Below are some photos of the gardens, in addition to the one opening this blog.

Ben Bethel and Uri Morales residents at the Babbit House.
Back of house with pathway to a seating area.
Detail of pathway includes many patches of thyme.

Tina Ayres and Randy Scott
Greenhouse and water collection in front of the home

Raised vegetable beds in back.

Rock garden for shade and sun.
 I will add some more photos next week.



Volunteer Opportunity

Friends of Willow Bend Gardens
Help restore the gardens at Willow Bend! Tasks include weeding, pulling and snipping willow suckers, removing shrubs, and clearing away rocks and debris.
Gloves and tools are provided, or bring your favorite tools if you’d like. Our first volunteer day will be July 25, 7:30-10:30 am. Contact Kathleen Satterfield: k.satterfield@yahoo.com
If you’re interested but unavailable on this date, email Kathleen and she’ll keep you posted on future opportunities.

2017 Master Gardener Class

Location

Flagstaff Family Resource Center
4000 E. Cumming St.
Flagstaff AZ
Applications are now being accepted for the fall 2017 Coconino County Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Training Course. This course is part of a nation-wide certification program that provides horticulture training to volunteers for the purpose of enabling them to help their communities through horticulture education. This course is designed for those who are interested in learning more about high elevation gardening and who are willing to share this knowledge with others. Participants will learn the keys to successful gardening in high elevation environments. The course covers basic botany, soils, plant propagation, plant problem diagnosis, insect management, pruning, fruit tree care, vegetable gardening, Xeriscape, irrigation, ornamental plants, composting, and urban forestry. Class runs for 15 weeks.
Date: 
08/29/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
09/05/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
09/12/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
09/19/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
09/26/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
10/03/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
10/10/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
10/17/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
10/24/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
10/31/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
11/07/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
11/14/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
11/21/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
11/28/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
12/05/2017 - 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Cost: $215
Registration Required: Yes
Instructor / Presenter: Hattie Braun
Offers CEUs: No

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Heirloom Seed Expo



Heriloom-Expo-The National Heirloom Expo features three full days of nationally and internationally acclaimed speakers that include Vandana Shiva, Ronnie Cummins, Jeffrey Smith, Robert Kennedy, Jr., along with many more.  More than 4000 varieties of local produce will by displayed.  Purchase gardening supplies, seeds, sustainable living goods, and so much more from 300 vendors.  The exhibit hall will be home to more than 150 heirloom related exhibits.
  

Follow this posting for further details - http://theheirloomexpo.com/

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Volunteer Opportunity

Request for Master Gardener Volunteers from Laura Davis

The Michael Moore Medicinal Plant Garden needs two or three volunteers to help move the plants from the Olivia White Hospice Home (OWHH) garden to its new home at the Willow Bend Environmental Center (WB).

-          the project will be ongoing throughout the summer
-          we will need to amend the soil at Willow Bend
-          do some design work
-          help with native medicinal plant guide for garden
-          move plants from OWHH to WB
-          plant new plants grown out at the NAU greenhouse
-          tidy up the gardens space at OWHH
-          may involve some native plant propagation, seed collection

Please email laura_s_davis@q.com if you are interested.

Friday, July 14, 2017

LEAF (Linking Edible Arizona Forests)



A new site has been added to Pages  on this blog under References & Resources. It provides the site for the organization LEAF (Linking Edible Arizona Forests). https://leafnetworkaz.org/. The site offers educational information about what trees are seen in AZ, where (what altitude), and how much water is required in addition to detailed planting info. Check it out!


HOW TO USE THE EDIBLE TREE GUIDE AT THE WEBSITE​
The LEAF Network’s Growing Edible Arizona Forests, An Illustrated Guide, helps you LEARN, CHOOSE, PLANT, CARE for, and HARVEST edible trees. We use the term edible trees to describe trees that produce fruits, nuts, seeds and pods that suit human tastes. Trees in people’s yards, communities, orchards and open spaces create Arizona’s Edible Forests. ​
You can download the entire Edible Tree Guide or go to sections of the Guide at this website to see more explanations, photos, illustrations, and resources to help you get started enjoying edible trees. At the top of each Guide section is a link that allows you to print that section. ​