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

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Planting Garlic

Planting, Growing GARLIC

This works!!!
Plant in the fall and check for harvesting, starting in August. I dug up my last beautiful, big garlic bulbs in November!  High altitude and cooler weather is the reason for my waiting. I live at 7,900'!

PLANTING: In the Fall, Break Bulbs into individual cloves.  Push each clove into the soil, one at a time, pointy side up, about 2" deep and 4" apart into well prepared and amended soil. Water them once or twice in the fall and they begin to grow roots and may send a bit of a green shoot up after a few weeks, then they sit....hibernating. 

Mulch with straw to protect from the heavy weather. You'll notice them comig up and greening, early in the spring, because of the underground root development  happening over winter.  The garlic grows taller and taller as the days warm and lengthen.

Cut the water and harvest as soon as a few sets of leaves begin to dry.  Harvest the crop and allow it to cure for a few weeks in a warm and dry location. It is ready to use for the next 8 or so months.

I store mine in olive oil in the refrigerator too!
I was thrilled when I dug up my 1st bulb of garlic...it was MAGIC! 

I AM SORRY, I DO NOT KNOW the source of my resource for the planting of garlic.  I captured it from an email that I received last year from one of the farmers markets concessionaires.  I think it was from the farm in Chino Valley.


Susan Golightly <sgolight@earthlink.net> 928 607 2856