Today is a momentous day! Today we launch our long awaited garden and landscape blog. As part of the University of Arizona land grant system, the Pinal County Master Gardener volunteers and I are pleased to provide a place where you can find local, research-based information. Our objective? Help people grow top notch gardens and landscapes."Long awaited," you say? "What do you mean, long awaited?" Well, the truth is that I have been asked on many occasions by different people to write a garden blog. "Rick," they say, "you need to write all this down." I have long wanted to oblige. Today is the day we, my Master Gardeners and I, fulfill that pledge.
It is our intent to share in this space what we have learned about growing plants in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Some people think the desert climate is harsh. It can be. Some people tell us that the growing conditions here in Pinal County are nothing like what they ever experienced anywhere else. We would agree. Some people feel that because we live in a desert, our yards and community living spaces should be barren and dry. On that, we would disagree. Our position and the purpose of this blog, is to demonstrate that we can live in the desert, squeeze value from every drop of water and grow lovely, productive gardens and landscapes.
Who are Master Gardeners? They are volunteers from within the local community who have chosen to help the local Cooperative Extension office deliver high quality educational programs. Cooperative Extension is the outreach arm of the land grant university whose mission is to bring helpful information from the university to the local community. Cooperative Extension is available to every county in the country. In Arizona, Cooperative Extension is administered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Arizona.
"So, what do you know about growing gardens and landscapes in the desert, Rick? Can I really trust that you know what you are talking about?" Fair questions. Let me answer them separately.
First question. As a home owner in the county, I love to garden in my own yard and have done so for the years that I have been a resident. As a county-based Extension Agent, I have been working with gardeners here in Pinal County since April of 1981. Over the years, I have successfully answered many questions and looked at many problems posed by home gardeners, professional landscapers and local decision makers. Sick plants are my main interest. Helping them get better is my goal. I like to think that I do have good information to share.
The second question is a little more challenging because trust is such a fragile thing. I hope that I can win your trust. I will strive to keep it once I have gained it. All I can say is that over the years many have asked me for advice, and still keep coming back. They seem to feel comfortable with what I have told them. On repeat calls or visits, they often share a success story. I like that. My Master Gardener volunteers are also well versed in desert gardening. They are trained and certified by the university to serve as volunteers. Together we make a pretty good team.
We hope that what you find on this blog will be of benefit as you work to grow food and create pleasant outdoor living spaces in your desert gardens. If you have a question that you would like answered, let us know.
Sincerely,
Rick Gibson
Extension Agent, Pinal County
