Message from the President
I want to thank everyone again who turned out for the March 12 work day and club meeting. Additional thanks to all gardeners for their efforts in cleaning up the property for the ACGA visit. Fantastic job!! In case you have not taken a look at the ACGA web, here is their link communitygarden.org and visit their "articles"page for more information.
I was pleased to be invited to accompany Carol for her presentation at the conference on April 1. Her presentation titled "History of the Scottsdale Community Garden Club", led Carol to compile historical profile of our club dating from 1976. It is a nice tribute to the founding members and recognition of the commitment in building our club. Thanks to Paul Schupert for his assistance supplying Carol with many of the older minutes and club announcements. It is amazing the archive Paul has accumulated. We will have Carol's presentation posted on our web page. Speaking of which, Vincent Martinez has volunteered to build a new look for our web page and make it able to receive regular updates. And, I believe, Teresa Summers, author of the Newsletter, is finally convinced we need her assistance managing the web page updates.
I also want to acknowledge Curt and Traci Cluff for their extra time and efforts during the cleanup. And especially thank Harry Estep for time he spent in the tractor seat getting the old mulch pile spread. Also for Harry's delivery of mulch to the roads and pathways around the garden. Take a look in the area just east of the Pappas plot, section 2; the old RAT habitat is gone!
Have a great gardening month. Appears our weather has finally turned in favor of tomatoes and squash. Please pay close attention to watering needs; be water wise and productive.
Message from the Vice-President
I would like to thank everyone who helped with the work day and the following weeks before our "Tour".
I also hope that everyone is enjoying our new gardener at the entrance - she is a quiet sort, but seems very nice !! 3 photos of the work day are attached.
Thanks,
Carol
Garden Tip of the Month
Bush beans, also called snap beans because they "snap" when ripe, are by far the most popular homegrown beans. They're easy to plant, they don't need any time consuming staking, trellising, or poling because they grow on compact, sturdy plants, they grow well even in poor soil, and have ready-to-eat pods in only seven or eight weeks. They used to be called "string" beans because of the fibrous string that ran the length of the pods, but now with improved varieties, they are really "string less " beans!
Prepare Bean Seeds For PlantingSoak Them
For extra fast germination, soak the seeds in water for 30 minutes before planting, or put the seeds between two damp paper towels the night before planting. By the next day, the seeds will be swollen and ready to germinate. Do this only if you are positive that you can plant the next day! If you get them primed, then they need to be planted.
Inoculate Them
Take a few minutes before you plant your seeds and inoculate them by coating them with a powdered form of "inoculant." Inoculant is available from online bean seed suppliers as well as local garden and home improvement centers. Beans are like peas and other "nitrogen-fixing" legumes in that beans can pull nitrogen right out of the air because soil-dwelling bacteria forms nodules on their roots. Even if your soil already has plenty of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria needed by your beans, adding some inoculant is never going to hurt anything. Just make sure you buy inoculant recommended for snap beans.
Water Properly
Bush beans like a regular supply of water, especially during sprouting, flowering, and pod producing. That said however, beans don't like wet, or poorly drained soil. In order to make sure the soil drains well, and your beans don't rot, add plenty of organic matter such as compost before planting. Give beans regular water, and allow the plants to dry out a bit in between watering’s. The only time you want the soil to be constantly damp is right after you have sown the seeds.
Watering the Seeds
When sowing in the spring, sow the seeds 1 inch deep; in the hot weather of summer, sow the seeds 2 inches deep. Then soak the seed bed thoroughly with water, and try not to water again until the beans sprout so that the soil doesn't become soggy or waterlogged. If your soil tends dry out quickly, or to form a crust, cover the seed bed with a very thin layer of mulch or compost after you plant to keep the soil surface moist and soft. This helps the bean's growing tip from breaking off as it pushes though the soil. If your soil dries out even with the mulch, do water again. Always keep sown seed beds damp. If they dry out, the seeds will die.
Plant Bush Beans Very Close Together
Bush beans don't mind being crowded and will still produce a good crop. The best reason for planting them fairly close together is you want the leaves of the plants to grow into a shade canopy that will cool the soil and stop weeds from growing. Plant bean seeds in "blocks" that are 2 feet by 2 feet. Plant your seeds 2 to 3 inches apart and don't thin when they come up
Make Sure To Rotate
Try not to grow beans in the same garden bed two years in a row because they are susceptible to several soil-borne diseases, and rotating your crops will help prevent a buildup of these diseases at each location. If your beans are dying in the seedling stage, very often, diseases are killing the roots. Simply avoid this problem by moving your bean beds around to a different location each year.
Keep Bush Beans Weeded
Snap beans have very shallow roots that cannot compete with weeds for water and nutrients, so try and keep your beans well weeded. Once the plants have grown large enough to shade out weeds, the problems isn’t as dire, but when the seedlings are just getting started, carefully get rid of any weeds you see starting to grow.
Beans Like Mulch
Mulch your beans to help keep the moisture in the soil.
Keep Bush Beans Picked
Regular harvesting is the number one way to guarantee a prolonged bean harvest. You should pick your beans at least every other day, and you should pick you beans before their pods swell and fill up with seeds. When the seeds finish forming inside the pods, it sends a signal to the plant to stop growing, which is something you don't want, so keep those beans picked. Also, when beans pods get too big, they are not as tender and tasty as when they are young bean pods
Bush Beans Don't Like Super High Heat
String beans will stop producing about a week after any hot spell that is over 90° F . When bean flowers get too hot to pollinate themselves, the pollen just gives out. Cover your bush beans with shade cloth structures to help them weather through the hot days
Stagger Your Planting
Don't plant all your snap beans at the same time. Plant blocks of beans every 10 to 14 days. Because bush beans tend to produce their beans all at once, harvest will only last about 2 weeks. By staggering your planting, it will help keep a steady supply of beans throughout the summer.
Please send any tips you would like to share to sccgardenclub@cox.net.
Recipe of the Month
BAKED EGGPLANT Update
2 large eggs
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese,
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, for topping
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
coarse salt
pepper
2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (2 1/2 pounds total)
6 cups chunky tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 375°F Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside.
In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.
Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets.
Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven; raise oven heat to
400°F.
Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce,
and mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Please send any recipe you would like to share to sccgardenclub@cox.net.
Ask Mr. Green Thumb
April is our transition month in the desert, when the temperatures start to get up toward 100°F. If we have had winter/spring showers we'll see beautiful wildflowers all over the Valley. As the weather warms up, you'll have to begin increasing the amount of water. Plants will indicate when they need water by having drooping, wilted leaves. Note the time interval; this will tell you just how many days between watering.
Bug talk: With warm weather, expect to see more aphids on vegetables, shrubs, fruit and shade trees. Spritz them with water with a few drops of dish soap added from a spray bottle which can be very effective especially it they are on your vegetable crops.
Vegetables
Plant seeds: beans (lima & snap), black eyed peas, carrots, cucumber, jicama, melons, okra, summer squash, green onions, peanuts, radishes, scallions, green beans.
Plant transplants: artichokes
Place shade cloth over tomatoes to keep bugs away.
If you haven't pruned your herb garden, now is the time to do it. For frost damaged herbs, look for new growth emerging on the lower half of the plant. Use sharp shears to cut the plant back by 1/3 to 1/2 or more, down to healthy new side shoots. Add new compost and water well.
Fertilize producing vegetable gardens.Your Desert Garden - Monthly Don't List for April
When pruning never remove more than 1/4 of the total plant. Always use sharp, sterile, quality pruning tools and disinfect them between cuts to prevent the spread of disease.
Don't cheat on soil preparation for flowers and vegetables.
Don't use insecticides on herbs. Most bugs, including aphids, can be handled by spraying with your garden hose. If a plant become heavily infested with aphids, just get rid of it.
Too much fertilizer can cause salt burn and too little can cause nutrient deficiency problems. Water both the day before and immediately after applying granular fertilizers.
Don't delay on weed control. Handle weeds while they are young, tender, and their roots are manageable, or before they sprout.
Don't use a pre-emergent in an area where you are going to plant veggies and flowers from seed. It will prevent seeds from germination. It will not affect transplants
Check the SCC weather site also. www.scottsdalecc.edu/about-scottsdale/scc-weather
Do you have a gardening question? Send your question to sccgardenclub@cox.net.
