Ashley Nickole Andrews

Years and years ago, before the Washoe County Cooperative Extension office moved from Mill Street to Energy Way, it featured a demonstration garden. The space was called the Cliff Fout’s Memorial Demonstration Garden, and it was planted and maintained each year by Master Gardener Volunteers. The garden was open to the public and served as a source of inspiration. From the garden, many pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables were harvested and donated to area food banks and other nonprofit organizations to help feed Reno’s hungry.

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Horticulture benefits everyone’s wealth and health where we live, work, shop and play, according to the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture.

Home landscape trees reduce heating and cooling costs. Office plants reduce employee sick time and increase productivity. Stores with landscapes have expanded sales and price premiums. And, horticulture-related tourist destinations and parks provide play opportunities while generating revenue for communities.

There are therapeutic benefits to gardening, and just being around green spaces and plants positively impacts people.

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I observe many northern Nevada gardening traditions. I plant peas on Saint Patrick’s Day, wait to plant tomatoes until the snow melts off of Peavine and attend Field Day faithfully each year. Another tradition for me has been the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Plant Faire Extravaganza. The sale yields quality plants at incredible prices. But, the sale has faded away as a tradition in the past few years.

This is because the Master Gardener Volunteer program does not have its own greenhouse. So, the program can only have its fundraising plant sale in years when they receive greenhouse space from University of Nevada, Reno. And, the University allots greenhouse space first for use by University faculty conducting research before for use by Master Gardener Volunteers. Since there was not room again this year for Master Gardeners to use University greenhouses, I am turning to other sources for plants. Luckily, there are many and they too support great local organizations.

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Spring is here, and it is calling homeowners to work in their gardens and landscapes. It is too early for some yardwork tasks like planting warm season crops. But for other outdoor chores, such as the renovation of an existing outdoor space, now is the perfect time to take action.

This is because successful landscape renovations begin with a carefully crafted plan, and there is time enough to plan landscape renovations before our unpredictable northern Nevada weather settles down enough to let us undertake them.

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In mid-May, the danger of frost will (mostly) pass here in the Truckee Meadows. It will be time to plant warm season crops, like tomato plants. And so, with this thought in mind, I want to tell you about my first tomato plant and the lessons it taught me.

My coworker Leslie gifted it to me. I think she had too many tomato plants. That tends to happen to gardeners. Our ability to purchase and germinate seeds far exceeds our available garden space to which we can transplant them. Or maybe, she suspected my diet lacked fresh fruits and vegetables, and she wanted to change that. Either way, I took the tomato plant home, and, lacking a garden, I put the tomato plant in what I thought was the best place I had for it– the living room.

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Gardening with children sounds a lot like herding cats. But, gardening with the family does have its benefits. Gardens are where the miracles of fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables, experiencing nature, enjoying exercise, meaningful human connection, multi-generational life-long learning and beautifying and protecting the environment take place. To take full advantage of the garden as an outdoor classroom family members of all ages, here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. It doesn’t have to be perfect– Becoming a parent changes your whole world, and it changes your garden too. With little ones at home, it is a challenge to find time to work in the landscape. And, the landscape itself is different. Play houses and sandboxes encroach upon garden beds, and monster truck rallies and tea parties that occur with reckless abandon may damage garden plants. Your plants and your sanity may be trod upon by the pitter-patter of little feet. There is time enough to have a Better Homes and Garden yard after the children are grown and gone. Now, while they’re little, is the time to make memories, foster learning and build healthy habits in the garden. The next time you are tempted to yell “get out of the flower bed,” try to think “it doesn’t have to be perfect” instead.
2. Instead of gardening around children, garden with them– The kids are going to be in the garden and landscape anyway. You might as well put them to work while they’re there. Or, at least turn them into garden allies that will be less likely to cause garden destruction since they too are invested in its success. To involve children in garden planning, offer kids aged five and younger two choices to grow from, and increase options as they age. Offer plants with larger seeds when they are younger and graduate to plants with smaller seeds as motor skills develop. Have them plant in their own growing space to instill a sense of ownership, responsibility and respect for the garden. A traditional 3 foot by 3 foot garden bed would also provide more than enough space for your child’s garden. It does not have to be fancy either. Great fun can be had in staking a hula hoop to the ground and planting in it like a pizza with “slices” for each type of plant. Plant options for touching and munching include sturdy plants like bush or pole beans, sunflowers and marigolds; sensory plants like begonias (rubbery) and peppers (smooth); and delicious plants like cherry tomatoes or snow peas.
3. Creepy and crawly is more than OK, it’s awesome– Most young children are interested in creepy crawlies instead of repelled by them. Their ideas about insects have not yet been fully formed, and this is a good thing. An interest in insects can get children involved in the world of nature around them and the world of science. Each sighting is an opportunity, so grab a magnifying glass and make the best of an icky situation. Did you find an insect? Pretend to be an entomologist, or an insect scientist, and count to find out. See if you have three distinct body regions (head, thorax and abdomen), six legs, one pair of antennae and up to two pairs of wings. If the numbers do not add up, you could have another type of arthropod like a spider, scorpion, millipede or centipede and not an insect. Often youth will be fearless as they examine their creepy, crawly find. As adults, we may need a little reassurance. Know that there are over one million types of insects, and greater than 95% of them are beneficial or neutral. Less than 5% are harmful. Beneficial insects perform many essential tasks. They prey on pest insects, pollinate our fruits and vegetables and break down our waste and trash.

As you garden with children, remember they explore the world around them, including the garden, with all of their senses. Protect curious little gardeners; make sure prickly and poisonous plants are not incorporated into your landscape, and read and follow all label directions on fertilizing and pest-controlling products. Practice food safety principles at all times for safe and healthy harvests. If you have a compost pile, be sure to hot compost to discourage disease-harboring molds. And, leave meat, dairy, oils or other fats and pet or human waste out of the pile.

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Today is the one year anniversary of my last chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I had a lot of help getting through my cancer treatment. One resource was Fianna’s Healing Garden at Renown Health. Its peaceful atmosphere is designed to promote healing and comfort in all who visit. The site is beautiful, with sculptures and art throughout. It is also useful. Some of the plants there are medicinal.

Renown Health has a second healing garden. It is for children. The John & Sue Dermody  Children’s Healing Garden integrates plants and play. The site includes play structures and art as well as places to sit and to picnic. It is connected to an indoor space for computing and reading. This garden is a sanctuary for children receiving treatment at Renown Health. The space is beloved by their parents too.

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Gardening is good for your health, according to the Centers for Disease Control, Cooperative Extension and Gardening Matters. One of the reasons why is that it counts as exercise. It increases breathing and heart rates as well as strengthens muscles. Loading and unloading wheelbarrows of mulch, compost, pavers and more results in huffing and puffing. Weeding garden areas also gets the blood pumping. Plus, lifting containerized plants sure works the muscles.

Moderate to heavy physical activities like gardening count towards the Center for Disease Control‘s recommendation to be active for 2.5 hours each week. And, people who garden for exercise are active longer than people who choose other physical activities for exercise. This is important because meeting the CDC’s activity goal can reduce health risks such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and more.

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