Notes from Recycle Class 2

If you are interested in Food Waste there is a great site with suggestions - http://savethefood.com/

Some tips from my class included: 

                buy the right amount

                stick to your grocery list

                shop in season

                store properly - lettuce wrapped in a moist paper towel then a plastic bag, do not refrigerate tomatoes

                store in clear containers

                eat what you have - be creative

If you are looking for solutions for global warming there is a book titled Drawdown:

Last of all we visited the recycle processing center on Butler. Every first Friday they do a class and tour of the facility which is presented by Willow Bend Environmental.  It was very informative and fun - great for kids. I learned I am recycling a few items incorrectly.

                No wrapping paper or paper with anything but paper (some candy wrappers have plastic)

                No orange medicine bottles  - they are a 5 - only 1 and 2's

                Not all 1 and 2's are OK - they should have a screw top or lid

                No clamshells or fruit containers - the extension uses them for planting demos if large   

                            enough

                You can add foil to the recycle - clean and scrunched into a ball is better

Watch for next week. It is about compost and we will visit the NAU facility.

Water Conservation Advisory Panel

Below is a request for citizen to join an advisory panel for water conservation. It would be great to have a Master Gardener or two on the panel. Please contact Ward Davis or Tamara Lawless if you would like to join the panel.

Hattie

The City of Flagstaff is in the process of doing a Water Conservation Strategic Plan using a consultant experienced in the many ways that this can be done. Water Conservation helps push off the need for a new water supply system.  As part of the process a citizens advisory panel has been created to provide input on what conservation measures fit in with our community. We are trying to expand that panel to get a broader viewpoint, and ultimately the group will likely help with the outreach to spread the word to City residents. So far the effort has amounted to a monthly meeting of one or two hours. Background on water issues will be provided.

If you are interested in joining the advisory group contact Ward Davis at  wbdendeavors@yahoo.com (928-607-6542) or Tamara Lawless at tlawless@flagstaffaz.gov.

CMGA Monthly Meeting Agenda

Coconino Master Gardener Meeting Agenda

Thursday, March 14, 2018 at 6:30pm

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church—Benson Hall

1601 N. San Francisco, Flagstaff, AZ 86001

6:30-6:35pm       Welcome-Kari Usher, 2019 Vice President          

6:35-6:40pm       Introduction of Speaker—Gilli Thomas

6:40-7:45pm       Education:  Steve McKelvey/Forest Health                         

(15 minute break with refreshments)

7:45-8:00pm      Raffle Prize Drawing – $1 each or 6 for $5 - Must be present to win

8:00-8:25pm      Business Meeting

Art-ful Summer Garden Tours—Collen Tucker and Jennifer Quarterman will continue with this fund raiser for CMGA.  Questions?  Ask Colleen at (928) 853-0315 or Jennifer at (720) 560-7575.

Gilli Thomas—Water Conservation for the City of Flagstaff.  Gilli will continue to attend as the CMGA presence with other groups that have a stake in this issue.

MG Coordinator Happenings—Hattie Braun

·         Plant Sale in June 2019 will continue.

·         Possible on-line Master Gardener Classes coming in the Fall

·         Beginning Gardener’s class meets every other Thursday and end with a field trip to Forestdale Farms.

·         Other happenings?

Pine Needle Composting

Check out an article on pine needle composting by Frank Branham in Saturdays (2/1) AZ Daily Sun. Below is the recipe for the compost from Frank:

Recipe for Pine Needle Composting

This is an addendum to the newspaper article on pine needle composting that was printed on February 2, 2019 in the Gardening Etc. column of the Arizona Daily Sun.

Pine needles can be composted but need to be ground up first to break down the cuticle that protects each needle. I discussed this in the article. My basic recipe is as follows:

• Five 5 gallon buckets of ground pine needles
• One 5 gallon bucket of spent brewery grains (or manure**)
• One 5 gallon bucket of used coffee grounds
• One 5 gallon bucket of vegetable scraps

**I personally do not use manure in my compost but it can be very helpful in heating up compost piles.

First, I soak the ground pine needles in water for 24 hours. I drain the water off and save it to moisten the pile later on. I pre-mix the ingredients in a wheelbarrow. Build the compost pile as you normally would, in a bin or pile. Pour some of the left over pine needle water over the pile. Make sure it is well ventilated and turn it every 1-2 weeks.

After two weeks I add the same basic recipe again to keep the pile at the optimal size. After this second addition I change up the recipe a bit. I stop adding pine needles as they are slower to break down than the other ingredients. I start adding greens only. I use coffee grounds and vegetable scraps while avoiding grains and manure which are too high in nitrogen and could cause the pile to go anerobic. There should still be enough carbon in the needles to keep the pile healthy. I try to keep the compost hot and breaking down for about two months.

After two months (or breakdown of the pile) I spread it out and let it cool. This prevents it from heating up in the garden. Also, if worms have access during this period they will break it down even further.

It will be better quality compost if you strain it to remove sticks and other debris.

Grant Deadline Extended!

The Executive Board has extended the deadline for grant submissions to March 1st. This date will be a hard date for every year from here on out. If you've already submitted your application then thank you! You're welcome to revise and resubmit if you like or leave it as is. (I'm sure it's already great.) 

Please send all applications to: cocogardenprojects@gmail.com. 

Contact Jackee Alston at 928-814-2280 or at the same above email with any questions. The application form can be found here.

Happy garden planning!

Recycle Class Week 2

Reduce Your Waste Tips

1. Reduce the amount of food waste

2.Use fewer single use plastics, by bringing your own reusable coffee cup, water bottle and bag.

3.Fix things that are broken instead of buying new. Flagstaff has fixit clinics 3-4 times a year

4.Use the Hazardous Products Center and Bulky Trash Pick-up for items such as paint/chemicals and large items.

5.Shop locally and support local business.

6.Eat more low carbon foods, such as minimally processed foods, fruit, grains and vegetables.

Citly Page for Recycling Info for Flagstaff - https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/3256/Trash-and-Recycling

Great site - tells you where to take a variety of items for recycle. It even provides a map.

Recycling Plastic such asgrocery/or store bags

I learned there are many more things you can add to this recycle:

  Newspaper bags

  Ziplock bags - you don't need to remove the ziplock. Remember these are washable and reusable.

  Saran Wrap

  Packing plastic and air puff fillers with air out

Many stores take them:

   All the groceries

   Target

   Walmart

 Recycling them uses less energy than most items and it is easy.

Recycling Florescent Bulbs and Tubes

Hazardous waste or either of the Home Depot Stores

Coconino Master Gardener Meeting February

Coconino Master Gardener Meeting Agenda

Thursday, February 14, 2018 at 6:30pm

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church—Benson Hall

1601 N. San Francisco, Flagstaff, AZ 86001

6:30-6:35pm       Welcome-Sue Madden, 2019 President               

6:35-6:40pm       Introduction of Speakers—Gillie Thomas

6:40-7:45pm       Education:  Milkweed for Monarchs/Rich Hofstetter                      

(15 minute break with refreshments)

7:45-8:00pm      Raffle Prize Drawing – $1 each or 6 for $5 - Must be present to win

8:00-8:25pm       Business Meeting

Art-full Summer Garden Tours—Collen Tucker and Jennifer Quarterman will continue with this fund raiser for CMGA.  Questions?  Ask Colleen at (928) 853-0315 or Jennifer at (720) 560-7575.

Gilli Thomas—Water Conservation for the City of Flagstaff.  The City would like to have community input from CMGA.

MG Coordinator Happenings—Hattie Braun

·         Plant Sale in June 2019 will continue

·         MG class has completed 3 classes-30 people have signed up.

·         Possible on-line Master Gardener Classes coming in the Fall

·         Americorp people will be doing Seed Library on the road now that seed germination studies and inventory have been completed.

·         Beginning Gardener’s class meets every other Thursday and end with a field trip to Forestdale Farms. 

                        Financial Report—Jeff Best, Treasurer will report  

Deadline for Grant Applications Is Next Week!

Call for Garden Grant Applications

The Coconino County Master Gardener Association is currently accepting applications for the 2019 gardening season. Submit your application by

            Friday, February 15th, 2019

Application forms can be found at coconinomgassociation.blogspot.com

Or contact Jackee Alston @ cocogardenprojects@gmail.com or (928) 814-2280 to have an electronic copy sent to you.

Qualifying projects are required to:

1.            Fill a need or give value to a community in Coconino County.

2.           Have an educational component and have it specifically named in the application.

Notification of funding will be announced early March and checks mailed shortly after.