Beeman: Gardening creativity can top tough soil
By Betty Beeman Many new residents are moving into Maricopa and are used to growing in home states where you just plant something and it grows. They often find Arizona, with its hard-packed and...
View ArticleMaster Gardener: Tips for planting, maintaining citrus trees
By Betty Beeman Betty Beeman Oranges have been a key element in the developing history of Arizona. Father Eusebio Kino, a missionary from Mexico, reportedly introduced oranges to Arizona in 1707. As...
View ArticleMaster Gardener: Have grape expectations? Prepare your ground now
By Betty Beeman Betty Beeman The oldest surviving grapevine in America is almost 500 years old. The Scuppermong vine found on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, was discovered by Florentine explorer...
View ArticleHow to grow roses in Maricopa
By Betty Beeman Betty Beeman Roses have been symbols of love, beauty, war and politics. And according to fossil evidence, they are 35 million years old. There are at least 150 species spread throughout...
View ArticleTop eucalyptus options for Maricopa
By Betty Beeman Betty Beeman Eucalyptus was brought to America in the mid 1800s from Australia. Approximately 900 species of eucalyptus trees exist. These quick-growing trees have been cultivated...
View ArticleCare, nurture of Arizona citrus
By Betty BeemanTIPS FOR APRIL Plant basil, black-eyed peas, sweet corn, popcorn, cucumbers, eggplant, jicama, melons, okra, peppers, pumpkins, squash, sunflowers and tomato transplants. Due to the...
View ArticleMaster Gardener: Harvesting your garden bounty
By Rita Bricker Rita Bricker Now is the time of the year when many of the fruits and vegetables growing in our yards are starting to ripen. There is nothing tastier than a fresh tomato picked right off...
View ArticleMaster Gardener: Battle heat during summer desert vegetable gardening
By Ron Bernier Ron Bernier The good news in the low desert of Arizona is that there are two growing seasons. That means you can grow a wide variety of vegetables during the course of the year. The bad...
View ArticleMaster Gardener: Grafted tomato plants put to the test
By Carol Howerton Carol Howerton. Submitted photo Grafted tomato plants are all the rage these days. They promise increased disease resistance and hardier, more vigorous plants with bigger and better...
View ArticleMaster Gardener: Kids learn best planting practices for fall season
By Melanie Warthman Melanie Warthman. Photo by Mason Callejas Last fall, students from Janis Bellavance’s class at Maricopa Wells Middle School decided to explore the world of vegetable gardening....
View ArticleMaster Gardener: Are snakes in the garden friend or foe?
By Barb Christensen Master Gardener Barb Christensen Are snakes friend or foe in the garden? You decide for yourself. These legless creatures live almost everywhere in Arizona. Snakes primarily live...
View ArticleMaster Gardener: So, you think you can’t grow beans in Maricopa?
By Al Brandenburg Al Brandenburg I’m originally from upstate New York and have been vegetable gardening most of my life. One of the best crops in my garden were pole beans, which were prolific and...
View ArticleMaster gardener: Make your winter garden thrive
By Tina Frank Tina Frank Growing up in a cold state, our family always thought citrus was the only produce that comes from Arizona gardening. Being a resident to Arizona now for 30-plus years has...
View ArticleThat’s no lady; that’s a beneficial bug
By Rita BrickerMAC MASTER GARDENERS PLANT SALE March 3, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Maricopa Agricultural Center, 37860 W. Smith-Enke Road 520-374-6263 Before you smash, spray, or otherwise annihilate that insect...
View ArticleThe real story on growing peppers in Maricopa
By Al Brandenburg Did you know that peppers have genders? As an example, three-lobed bells are considered males and are best used for frying. Four-lobed bells are considered female and are best for...
View ArticleMaster Gardener: Dealing with scorpions in the garden
By Scott Oliver Scott Oliver “Grandpa, there’s a baby lobster in your garden!” I have lived in Maricopa for nearly six years now, and I had never encountered a scorpion in my home until last Sunday. I...
View ArticleMaster Gardener: Tips for fall gardening in the desert
By Julie Olson Master Gardener Julie Olson Midsummer is a great time to start planning the fall vegetable garden. Draw the garden to scale in air-conditioned comfort. A crowed garden won’t yield or...
View ArticleHot pot gardening: Look for thrillers, fillers and spillers
Wende Gehrt By Wende Gehrt Gardening in containers, or hot pots, can be a great deal of fun and affords the gardener accessibility, opportunities for creativity, and relative ease in terms of daily...
View ArticleWillow or not, this tree works in Maricopa
By Trudy Fuller There is nothing more humbling than gardening on the low desert of Arizona. It has been five years since we moved to Maricopa from the Southeast. Greeting us in the Maricopa backyard...
View ArticleMaster gardener: Rules for ‘de-frosting’ your plants
By Rita Bricker Rita Bricker Warmer weather is coming, so what can we do about those ugly, shriveled and dried plants that suffered from the cold over the winter? We can repair them, that’s what. What...
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