Angela O'Callaghan

Story Archive

Some devilish plants can make a ghoulish garden: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009; Festivities at the end of October include more than just Nevada Day; it is also the time to send out young people in great costumes to get candy. Halloween is a relatively tame holiday now, in comparison with its earlier roots. All Hallows Eve was once the night when specters, ghosts, witches and other unpleasant characters were on the prowl looking to torment unsuspecting people.
Composting can be less difficult than many think: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009; Several years ago, I sent out a quick survey to gardeners around the valley, asking them a number of questions concerning compost. I wanted to know if they composted, if so, how they did it; and if not, why not?
Container garden had surprising success: Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009; Last week I described my group of little gardens in pots. Although creating a vegetable garden in pots is often considered a fool's effort in our challenging climate, I decided it was worth experimenting with this system. The salad vegetables were the earliest, having been started toward the end of winter, and were very successful.
A good time to take stock of what worked: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009; The end of summer is the right time to do a roundup of this past season's garden. My garden is always a set of little experiments. These are nothing particularly scientific, more to satisfy my own curiosity.
Gardens are classrooms for students of all ages: Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009; Once September arrives, many of us forget that gardens will continue to thrive until well into the fall. The end of summer and beginning of autumn are often taken up with getting kids ready for school, and all the busy-ness involved with that enterprise. New classes, new grades, new subject materials – all of these can seem to be a world distinct from the garden or the natural world that surrounds us.
Summer's end a great time to grow leafy veggies: Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009; Even though summer is, by the calendar, coming to a close, the intrepid Mojave gardener does not need to stop all gardening efforts until next year. That might be the fate of growers in other parts of the world, where winter is a long series of grim, cold, wet months. In fact, desert autumn is one of the best times to get out and grow delicious vegetables.
Mulch, in many forms, is crucial: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009; Plants that are well adapted to our kind of landscape are a hardy lot – able to withstand lack of water, salty soil and intense sunlight. Once they become part of the landscape design, even these need a certain amount of care, of course.
TLC helps tomatoes survive late summer: Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009; Late summer in Southern Nevada is generally not anyone's idea of a good gardening time. In fact, it can be somewhat melancholy – looking out at the summer crops showing the ravages of extreme sunlight and searing temperatures. While gardeners in other places are only now beginning to see their crops come in, ours are nearly past.
Variety of classes help to make better gardeners: Wednesday, July 22, 2009; The U.S. Department of Agriculture has finally recognized the great work that Master Gardener volunteers perform for their communities nationwide. This is in the form of a news release entitled “USDA Master Gardeners Available to Help Americans Grow Safe, Healthy Food Throughout the Country.”
Trial and error can help garden provide information: Wednesday, July 8, 2009; When horticultural scientists want to determine which plants among many will meet a particular need — cultural survival, flower color, fruit taste, or vegetable nutritional content, among other qualities — they often perform what are called “variety trials.”
It's better to stop weeds sooner rather than later: Sunday, July 5, 2009; Caring for a landscape during the height of summer means trying to do the most work in the most efficient way possible.
Take time to check irrigation systems: Wednesday, June 17, 2009; When the temperature here in our beautiful Mojave gets so high that it is difficult even to think about going outside for extended periods, the thought of working outdoors can seem impossible. This is, however, the time when gardens are most in need of a little extra observation. There is rarely a lot of work that needs to be done, but staying on top of a few tasks in the summer will help ensure a garden that is healthy throughout the year.
Shade cloth can help prolong growing season: Wednesday, June 3, 2009; There is nothing like a lovely warm day in late spring, early summer, when everything green is just very green. This is not necessarily the situation every gardener wants.
Simple shade structure can help save plants: Thursday, May 28, 2009; No one can miss the start of summer here in the Mojave. Starting with cool clear mornings, by the end of an afternoon, days can easily have become 30 or 40 degrees warmer. The cool evenings and mornings are a salvation to many landscape and garden plants, including vegetables, all of which suffer when it temperatures are more than about 85 degrees. From the end of May through the end of August, gardeners confront serious challenges trying to keep their plants thriving despite the cruel heat.
Wasting water can have far-reaching effects: Wednesday, May 20, 2009; Every once in a while, people ask me why we need to worry about conserving water here in Southern Nevada, in the Mojave Desert. This is not as wild a question as it may at first seem. It comes as a response to our efficient water recycling system.
Moist soil is key when growing herbs in pots: Thursday, April 30, 2009; Sometimes, having a small space in which to garden may be as intimidating as having a large one. When the amount of room for growing plants is very limited, the intrepid gardener is trying to avoid wasting a single inch. Does it make sense to have a bed dedicated to corn, for instance, when a single plant will only yield three ears of corn while taking up the amount of space that could produce half a bushel of tomatoes? Perhaps, if one has a really profound interest in growing special corn, but this is hardly going to be a reasonable use for the general gardening public.
Desert makes a great backdrop for conference: Wednesday, April 8, 2009; The last week of March this year was full of excitement and horticultural adventures for Cooperative Extension. From the 22nd through the 26th, we were the host of the International Master Gardener Conference.
The deeper the water, the better for the roots: Wednesday, April 1, 2009; Although horticulture specialists may feel like broken records when they say this, it remains an important rule for irrigating plants: When you water anything, water it so that the whole root zone receives irrigation.
Spring not the kindest time for vegetables: Wednesday, March 18, 2009; Here in Southern Nevada, spring means that nighttime temperatures are reaching the point where the seedlings of garden plants can be placed outdoors. Spring is, sadly, perhaps our shortest season.
Fertilizer is nice, but your soil should have nutrients: Friday, March 13, 2009; Sometimes plants, like people, need a little boost to their diets. In addition to good, healthy food, people will often take a compound with vitamins and minerals. No one would think that a pill could be a substitute for a proper meal, but when we feel that it will be a benefit, we'll take a capsule.
Conference focus on green gardens: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009; This spring, Southern Nevada is going to host what should be the best local gardening event in years — the International Master Gardener Conference.
Microorganisms, disease is still a factor, even in the desert: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009; Although we are generally blessed with low incidence of plant disease in the Mojave Desert, it is possible for gardeners to lose plants because of microorganisms.
Drip irrigation is economical and effective: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009; Checking an irrigation system can seem like a daunting task. It can be especially so for those who came to the Mojave Desert from other regions where irrigation is generally provided by precipitation.
Consider how light affects plants: Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009; One spot for a garden will not necessarily be as good as any other. Light requirements vary wildly, and the sunlight in Southern Nevada landscapes can scorch some plants while benefiting others.
Winter planting can net blossoming garden: Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009; Once the new year has started, the intrepid Mojave Desert horticulturist needs to begin planning the next garden, no matter that it will be a long time before it is technically spring.
Leaves on ground serve purpose for trees: Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009; It takes a certain fortitude to appreciate the winter, even in our part of the world. Southern Nevada winters are, of course, quite mild in comparison to some other places, where there is ice to scrape off windshields and snow to sled down.
Herb garden is an easy indoor project: Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008; An indoor herb garden might be the easiest and most practical project any homebound horticulturist can create. While it might be too chilly to play outdoors in the dirt, there is no reason not to encourage these enormously practical plants to grow inside.
Scorpions don't have to become a problem: Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008; When our desert air begins to feel cool, even refreshing to us humans, it can be a problem for some cold-blooded animals that rely on warm weather to keep their metabolism going.Scorp
Many plants can be used during the holidays: Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008; Cutting down a tree to put it in the living room, decorating it and finally discarding it is one of those curious practices that have become ingrained in our culture.
Wait for warmer soils to plant palms: Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008; Winter in Southern Nevada is not the dreary season that it is in other parts of the world. Here, gardeners are able to make plans and get interesting plants into the landscape most of the year.