garden

Well, here we are, alive and mostly well, after almost a third of a year without sports. I didn't think it was possible. Thank goodness I've had Mark Twain to keep me in a state of moderate good cheer.

The Nevada Artists Association is excited to present the 2020 “Spirit of America” Show. This judged show represents a collection of 91 plus photographs, paintings, drawings, mixed media and 3D pieces by Nevada Artist Association Members and Non-Members from Northern Nevada.

The Dayton Farmers Market opened for the 2020 season on June 11. The market will take place every Thursday this summer from 3 to 6 p.m. at 60 Second Avenue and Highway 50, across from Pizza Factory. Market-goers will find seasonal, fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, honey, and more from our region’s farmers.

Observing Safe Distancing The Auxiliary of the Fleet Reserve Association, Sierra Tahoe Unit No. 137 installed their new officers earlier this month at the Carson City home of the West Coast Regional President, Brenda Horton.

Carson City Parks, Recreation & Open Space welcomes you to our Volunteer Series: Weedy Wednesdays! This volunteer series is running every third Wednesday June through August of this year. Join us after your workday from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. at various trails and open spaces around our city to learn about vegetation and work to remove noxious weeds.

My neighbor Mark, now known as “Chip” after Chip Gaines from “Fixer Upper” on HGTV, acquired his new moniker after building an amazing fence to enclose his wife’s garden (with her help of course!). Since we have major animal challenges in our neighborhood — ground squirrels, rabbits, deer and bears — a strong defense system is essential for successful vegetable production. The impressive garden fence that "Chip" built should keep all the critters out.

After the statewide shutdown in March due to COVID-19, Carson City area casinos are preparing to return to business this week, joining dozens of casinos in northern Nevada as they are set to resume operations on Thursday, June 4, the first day gaming establishments are allowed to reopen.

On Tuesday, the Carson City Greenhouse Project broke ground on a new outdoor classroom at the Carson High School site, which will allow the Greenhouse Project's dream of continuing agriculture education to students year round in the Carson City community.

Gov. Steve Sisolak said President Donald Trump is “stoking racial tensions and creating division” by asking governors to have national guards “dominate the streets” and suggesting he might unilaterally deploy the military into states to quell protests.

The Coronavirus has made many people want to grow their own food. At the Foothill Garden, a partnership with The Greenhouse Project and Carson Tahoe Health, Will Pierz, the garden manager and farmer, is growing some unusual, but hardy edible plants.

Carson City’s The Greenhouse Project will be hosting a virtual groundbreaking for their new outdoor classroom in order to provide year-round learning to both Carson High School students and community members alike.

Susie Bongers-Gunkel passed away peacefully the morning of Sunday, May 10, 2020 on Mother’s Day with the love of her family surrounding her after a courageous battle with Glioblastoma (Brain Cancer).

My friend Millie is a plant explorer. She experiments getting groceries to grow. When she told me she was growing celery from the butt-end of what you buy from the grocery store, I was fascinated. How? In water? In soil? She went on to say she also grows sweet potatoes. I had tried that in high school, so that didn’t surprise me. But when she showed me a picture of her sweet potato plant I was impressed.

The Carson Educational Support Association would like to thank the following businesses for sponsoring and donating to our educational support staff banquet. Although the banquet was canceled due to the Covid 19 pandemic, prizes have been given to the CESA members who won Classified of the Year.

Listen, if you live in Nevada, you live in rattlesnake territory. Does that mean you can't leave your house for fear of being bitten? Of course not! Especially because there might be a rattlesnake in your house right now, watching you, so whether you're inside or not makes no difference. However, you can avoid getting bitten with these 10 tips on rattlesnake awareness.

An expansion is underway at Carson City’s own The Greenhouse Project, which will provide more learning opportunities to those who are inclined toward agricultural science.

The Carson City School District wishes to thank the William N. Pennington Foundation for their $25,000 grant to be used on a much-needed outdoor classroom and office expansion at The Greenhouse Project’s (TGP) main location at Carson High School.


Seriously, “lasagna gardening?” Readers may remember my article on hügelkultur last year, a centuries old Eastern European method of no-dig raised beds made out of logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, petroleum-free newspaper, manure, compost and/or other organic matter. Topped with soil and it’s ready to plant.

I don’t know about you, but the one thing I hate about Spring and Summer are the return of the dastardly mosquito. I’ll be having a perfectly lovely time out in my garden or with my family around the grill, and later when I’m getting ready for bed I’ll find a thousand itchy bites all over my legs and arms.

My friend Roni is redoing her vegetable garden and asked me if corrugated metal materials were safe for building raised beds for vegetables. Since I had no idea, I started doing some research.

If there’s one thing that could be considered a positive during the mandated quarantine, it’s that nature is becoming a lot happier. From the return of dolphins in Venice, to the return of wildlife in Yosemite, and a lack of air pollution all around, Earth Day this year is certain to be a memorable one.

Each spring, the Carson City Chamber Leadership Institute Class is fully immersed in their class project. This time last year, the Class of 2019 was as busy as bees preparing the land behind the Carson Tahoe Cancer Center to build the city’s first bee hotel hoping to attract bees to pollinate The Greenhouse Project plants.

My friend Julie from Incline laughingly asked me recently if she could come garden at my house since her property was buried in snow. While that’s not feasible, it got me thinking. Others may wish they too could garden during these “Stay at Home” times but not have space for an in-ground garden and need to garden indoors, on a patio or on a porch.

Hundreds of sheep will arrive in the hills west of Carson City this week and next week, with heightened alert and expectations as fire season arrives when the rain and snow stops and the heat settles in.

Even with the stay-at-home order in place, businesses, families and youth can engage in a number of educational activities online to enhance their daily lives and help themselves, and others, through these challenging days. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, University of Nevada, Reno Extension faculty, staff and volunteers have been hard at work to bring educational workshops, programs and resources useful during this time, into Nevadans’ homes.

To our Community: The Greenhouse Project board in conjunction with John Procaccini and Chili Bop Productions, has concluded that in light of the current COVID-19 situation, this year’s Concert Under the Stars is cancelled. This event has taken place the last 11 years in order to grow a thriving agricultural education program on the campus of Carson High School.


I’ve been watching the apple buds, waiting to see swelling begin, waiting for color to start showing. Last week I was excited to finally see a bit of color. Then, snow and overnight lows in the low twenties hit, which is just like last year, when we had no apples. I hope the cold doesn’t kill the blossoms and my apple crop again this year.

It snowed six inches last night. This followed the four inches it snowed a day or so before. I’m grateful for the extra moisture for the trees, the lawn, all my plants and all the native trees. As I wrote a few weeks ago, I had been doing the water on and off, drag hoses, drain lines boogie for a number of weeks. This water-laden snow is a welcome, although temporary, reprieve.

Gardening is a great activity that can be done at home, and University of Nevada, Reno Extension is offering online courses to teach gardening basics. This April, Extension's Grow Your Own, Nevada! Program will live stream eight classes statewide to help those who want to get on a path to more sustainable, local, healthy living by growing more of their own food.

Carson Now is compiling a list of local businesses that are allowed to be open during the COVID-19 closure, similar to the list we created for restaurants doing takeout or delivery.

To include your business on this list, please email kc@carsonnow.org with the name of the business, street address, phone number, website link (if you are taking online orders) and any changes and/or precautions the business is taking due to the virus.

List updated 4/1/20, 4:15 p.m.

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