March 4th Webinar: Tomato Growing Essentials in El Paso or Anywhere!
As we near tomato planting season gardeners may start to wonder which tomato varieties do well in El Paso. Or, what’s the best way to care for our tomato plants? Since tomatoes are a favorite crop for vegetable gardeners our upcoming webinar presentation by El Paso Master Gardener Bev Clark will be very popular and a “must see”. To help you with your plans, also check our Vegetable Planting Calendar for El Paso County.
Go to our event page to learn how to register for this webinar.
March 6th Webinar: Read and Grow with Master Gardeners
For our new Read & Grow with Master Gardeners series, Cindy Williams and Cindy Limbird will be joining our local Books are GEMS’ Story Time Saturdays. They will be reading aloud childrens’ books online on Zoom and Facebook Live. Cindy Williams will entertain with Oh Say Can You Seed? by Bonnie Worth (The Cat in the Hat Learning Library) and illustrated by Aristides Ruiz. Cindy Limbird will entertain us with The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle (author and illustrator). After the book readings, Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Limbird will demonstrate a fun gardening activity with marigolds!
Go to our event page to learn more about the presentation, its presenters, and how to access this webinar.
April 9th Webinar: Accessible Gardening for Life
Photo credit: Wheelchair Accessible Raised Garden Beds by Ignacio Munoz, El Paso Master Gardener
Most gardeners agree that gardening is good for the mind, body, and spirit. However, for many people with physical, cognitive, or emotional challenges, completing gardening tasks in a traditional way is difficult. Fortunately, there are countless ways to modify a gardening environment. Your webinar presenters, El Paso Master Gardeners Penny Leslie and Bev Clark, will provide techniques, garden adaptations and tool suggestions to create accessible gardening opportunities that will enable people to continue to enjoy indoor and outdoor gardening throughout their lives.
Accessible gardening may add years to your life and life to your years!
Go to our event page to learn more about the presentation and how to register for this webinar.
The Best Date to Start Pruning Roses in El Paso?
by Doc Stalker, El Paso Master Gardener
When El Paso’s winter days start to get a bit warmer, Master Gardeners begin hearing a lot of, “When should I prune my rose bush” questions. The answer is, “It all depends.”
Some authors declare Valentine’s Day as the traditional date for starting to prune roses in most of Texas. Others contend that all rose pruning must be over by February 14th. And yet another group of writers recommend rose pruning should always start three or four weeks before the average date of the last killing frost – which in El Paso means waiting to begin pruning your rose until the last week of February.
Related Reading
Growing Roses
Roses for the Desert
Rose Pruning Handout
Best Roses for Arizona: Roses That Love Our Heat
A Guide to Rose Diseases and Their Management
Pruning Climbing Roses—Prune yearly for healthier, more manageable growth and bigger, better flowers
Why to Be on Alert for Rose Rosette Disease
Rose Care Videos on Our Videos & More Page
Two State Award Wins for El Paso Master County Gardeners
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- Bev Clark
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- Cathy Parker
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- Dixie Wicker
El Paso County Master Gardener Association (EPCMGA) is proud to report that our two entries in the Search for Excellence 2019 Awards were winners at the 2020 Texas Master Gardener Association (TMGA) virtual conference. Our entry for Outstanding Individual was Beverly Clark and she received the 1st Place award in the category for Medium Large Associations. Our entry for Written Education was our El Paso Master Gardening Handbook and it received the 2nd Place award.
Newcomer’s Gardening Snapshot for El Paso County
Many new residents arrive in El Paso each year from climates and growing conditions much different than the Chihuahuan desert. This Newcomer’s Gardening Snapshot highlights some main features of El Paso’s climate including our growing season, USDA Plant Hardiness Zones, U.S. Sunset Climate Zone, first average frost date, average rainfall and more. It also provides links to informative websites which are helpful for newcomers, identifies some local public gardens, and provides a contact for obtaining a Soil Sample Kit.
How to Improve Your Soil
bу Marge Gianelli, El Paso Master Gardener
Photo credit: Good Soil by Vegansoldier (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Unless you live in a few choice areas in El Paso, you probably have light-colored, coarse, grainy soil. Water has a tendency to drain right through, leaving plants dry without access to water in the hot afternoon summer hours. In addition, your soil probably contains few nutrients to promote root growth and development. Another complicating factor is the alkalinity of the soil. Typically, in El Paso the soil pH is around 8. With some exceptions, a pH of 6.0 to 7.0 is ideal for plant growth. What is a gardener to do?
New!
Related videos from our Videos & More page:
Why Test the Soil? by Ignacio Munoz, El Paso Master Gardener
Soil Testing by Skip Richter, Horticulturist—Agrilife.org
Announcing the 2021 El Paso County Master Gardener Executive Committee
Winter Is Not Gray
by Maria C. Del Rio, El Paso Master Gardener
Photo credit: : Burford Holly by Carol Foil, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Although many of our trees drop their leaves in autumn, winter in El Paso does not have to be gray. Many trees, bushes and plants can provide color and structure to our winter gardens.
Evergreens, both trees and bushes can delight us with their varied shapes and shades of green. Some of the native evergreen trees you may consider for your garden are Texas Mountain Laurel, Texas Madrone, Rocky Mountain Juniper, Afghan/Mondel Pine and Italian Stone Pine.
How to Determine if Trees Need Water in the Winter
Trees and shrubs found in Far West Texas and Las Cruces areas are mentioned in this video.
by John White, Horticulturist–Southwest Lawn & Garden, Part II
Tips for Getting Your Plants Ready for Winter
Photo credit: Frosty Morning by Susanne Nilsson (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Are you seeing the forecasts for very cold weather? Learn some plant winter protection tips from this article, Cold Weather and Your Plants: How to Prepare for Winter, by Laura Muntean published at AgriLife TODAY. The article covers prep tips, keeping your plants warm, and things to consider if you bring your plants inside.
How to Have an Attractive Grassless Yard
Photo credit: A Lovely Grassless El Paso Front Yard by Helen Abresch, El Paso Master Gardener
by Helen Abresch, El Paso Master Gardener
Many of us are transplants to this desert southwest; we long for the green lushness of our native lands. For most of us, this translates into GRASS–surely the definer of the color green! But is it practical, or even ethical, to plant our turf yards in the Chihuahuan desert?
With drought and low annual rainfall, a reality in this region, perhaps thinking outside the box can bring the color green into our spaces. Choosing native plants and drought tolerant adapted plants to bring the green can enhance our recreation and outdoor spaces without taxing our resources.
Related articles from the Learn » Gardening Topics-Links
Ornamental Plants for Far West Texas (Annuals, Perennials, Flowers, Shrubs, Trees, Succulents, Groundcovers, Grasses, Turf, Vines, including Natives, with Water Use)
Recommended Southwestern Native Plants for the El Paso/Las Cruces Area (Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, Grasses and Succulents)
Xeriscape™ – Landscape Water Conservation (pg. 8 starts “Outstanding Plants for Texas”; consider Regions 6 & 7)
Xeriscape™– Desert Landscapes
Our Raised Bed Hoop House and How to Build It
by Beverly Clark, El Paso Master Gardener
Photo credit: Raised Bed Hoop House, by Beverly Clark, El Paso Master Gardener
We extended our growing season – and you can, too! We have built our own raised bed hoop houses to grow cool weather crops at the El Paso Master Gardeners’ Texas A&M AgriLife Vegetable Demonstration Gardens. Our raised bed hoop houses, like row covers and cold frames, function like a small greenhouse as they give some winter weather climate control, protect against hungry insects, allow a longer growing and harvest season, and provide a safe place to start new seeds and to set out transplants.
In the fall of 2019, and on through the winter and spring of 2020, we brought our El Paso Master Gardeners Facebook viewers along with our Raised Bed Hoop House Journal providing them with updates on a new gardening adventure for us: growing cool weather crops in raised bed hoop houses. Through the updates, they got a close look at the hoop houses, what we were growing, issues we encountered, fixes, and the many amazing vegetables we harvested. Because we used 6 mil greenhouse plastic for the covering, the raised bed hoop houses in this installation were for fall, winter, and early spring use. We had a blast growing all those great salad greens and kale in the raised bed hoop houses. We learned a lot and consider them a great success! We hope that we will be able to put these multi-functional gardening structures into use every fall.
Related:
For more articles on hoop houses and other small greenhouse-type structures, see the category Gardening with Hoop Houses, Row Covers, and Cold Frames under the Fruits and Vegetables subheading on our Learn » Garden Topics-Links page.
Have You Tried Growing These Popular Perennials?
by Johanna Barr, El Paso Master Gardener
Photo credit: ‘New Gold’™ Lantana in Landscape by Johanna Barr, El Paso Master Gardener
Springtime brings a flurry of activity at local nurseries as gardeners seek color for their homes in the form of annual and perennial flowering plants. Summer annuals such as marigolds, sunflowers, and cosmos bloom, set seed, and then die in one season. Pansies, petunias, and sweet peas thrive during cooler weather in El Paso but wither as summer approaches. The lives of these annuals are short but very colorful!
On the other hand, perennial plants live for two years or more but do not form woody tissue like trees and shrubs. In certain climates, perennials may grow all year long. Evergreen perennials keep their foliage, growing continuously, especially where winters are mild. Other perennials die back during cold weather, but the roots are protected and send up shoots to bloom again the next year. There are many showy perennials which do well in the El Paso area.
Related articles from the Learn » Gardening Topics-Links
How to Add Color to Your Garden with Perennials
Ornamental Plants for Far West Texas (Annuals, Perennials, Flowers, Shrubs, Trees, Succulents, Groundcovers, Grasses, Turf, Vines, including Natives, with Water Use)
Texas Superstar ® Plants – Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs, and Trees
Pollinator Plant Recommendations for New Mexico (annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees; includes bloom season)
Gardening with Perennials (common types, planting, transplanting, dividing, plant care; sections in Spanish)
Texans Ask About Gardening–Vegetables, Herbs and More
Photo credit: Vegetables Grown at Ascarate Demonstration & Teaching Garden (El Paso Master Gardeners Facebook)
From Asparagus to Swiss Chard plus “Non-Crop” plants and Herbs, you’ll find many of your questions answered in Everything Texans Ask About Gardening, an informative 67-page publication by Joseph Masabni and Patrick Lillard. Organized largely by vegetable name, the questions and answers cover general issues, diseases, and insects. Since this is a digital document produced by Texas A&M AgriLife, you can easily search for a topic or keyword by using the “Find” command if on a PC. Otherwise, here are some page numbers by section:
Vegetable Q&A – pages 1-54
Minor Crops – pages 54-61
Herbs – pages 61-63
Non-Crop Q&A – pages 64-67
Gardening Questions? Contact Our Help Desk
* Note: Until we resume our office schedules, the Help Desk volunteers who answer the telephones will not be available. Please send your questions to our virtual Help Desk volunteers through our Ask the Help Desk form. During this time, email replies will be preferred. *
Do you have gardening or landscape questions and don’t know who to ask? The El Paso Master Gardener Help Desk will be happy to assist you. You’ll be helped by a volunteer who will provide research-based horticultural information. When you complete the Ask the Help Desk form, you’ll be able to send photos and choose the option to receive an answer by phone or email. Descriptions of the plant in question or problem are more helpful if they include some background details, information about its growth or decline, and plant care practices you’ve been using or have tried. All photos are appreciated and are especially useful if they show the plant in flower, if possible, as that aids in identification.
By the Season – Gardening in El Paso
February Monthly Tips
Fall & Winter Care for Perennials
Lawn Water Management
Efficient Use of Water in the Garden and Landscape
Watering Trees and Shrubs: Simple Techniques for Efficient Landscape Watering
Watering Tips for Lawns, Vegetable Gardens and Trees – Gardening in El Paso
Pruning Shrubs in the Low and Mid-Elevation Deserts in Arizona
Low Desert Pruning Guide for Commonly Used Shrubs (includes Tips and Schedule)
Texas Tree Planning Guide: Planting, Pruning, and Care (text and video; Spanish version at page bottom of select pages)
Help Your Tree Survive in El Paso (PDF)
New! Training and Pruning Newly Planted Deciduous Fruit Trees
Trees for High Desert Communities
Regional Recommended Tree List (TPG List)
Tool Tips — Care, Maintenance and More
Videos
How to Prune Small Trees by Southwest Yard & Garden (nmsuaces)
Soil Testing by Skip Richter, Horticulturist—Agrilife.org
Why Test the Soil? by Ignacio Munoz, El Paso Master Gardener
EPC Master Gardener Overview with Dixie Wicker & Ignacio Munoz, El Paso Master Gardeners
Find other helpful articles at Gardening in El Paso – Articles and Gardening Topics – Links. Find more videos at Videos and More.
Good to Grow Radio Shows
(Current and Archived)
Winter Planning
Winter Gardening Tips
Cold Weather Tips
Cold Weather Gardening Tips
Winter Freeze Plant Protection
Tree Selection and Planting
Winter Tree Care
Tree Troubles
Watering Your Landscape
Proper Pruning Tips
Herbs in the Fall in the Desert Southwest
Listen live on Saturdays at 11:15 a.m. on 88.5 FM or stream from the archives at KTEP Good to Grow.
Read more about our Good to Grow Radio Show, here.
Improve Your Skills with Our
Informative El Paso Gardening Handbook
Shopping Online? You Can Support Us at AmazonSmile
When you start your shopping at AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com/ch/20-1878485) you can support the El Paso County Master Gardener Association. With your support we can do more at our teaching gardens and for the community. At AmazonSmile, you’ll find the same convenient shopping experience as at Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of your cart’s value to El Paso County Master Gardeners. You can verify you’re shopping through the AmazonSmile portal by finding the AmazonSmile logo in the upper left of the website page. Your support is appreciated.
You shop. Amazon gives.
Note: Only purchases at AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com/ch/20-1878485) or with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon Shopping app will support us (not www.amazon.com). Please see this page, Donate, for more information.
Newcomer’s Gardening Snapshot for El Paso County
Who We Are
The El Paso County Master Gardeners Association, as a member of the Texas Master Gardeners Association, is a non-profit educational and charitable organization supporting the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in providing quality, relevant outreach and continuing education programs and services to the people of El Paso County. Our local volunteers receive extensive training and experience in a wide range of subjects before certification as Texas Master Gardeners.
In collaboration with the County A&M AgriLife Horticultural Agent, Denise Rodriguez, we educate the community through various events, workshops, and demonstration gardens. Our Master Gardeners volunteer through our Outreach programs and community Projects to provide information and recommendations on horticultural topics to all residents of El Paso County.
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