Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture

The Valencia County Extension Master Gardeners (VCEMG) program has provided a relevant service and contributed significant impacts to the general public who have attended a VCEMG function, interacted with a trained volunteer or extension agriculture agent, or inquired about the many aspects of urban (non-commercial) horticulture. The most notable impact realized by the general public is the ability to attain free research-based information on area-specific horticultural topics necessary for successful gardening in the varied and challenging central New Mexico environment. This includes the capacity to gain knowledge in proven gardening practices for the area, the development of alternative water supplies, efficient irrigation techniques, and other urban water conservation practices. Additional educational services include water-wise plant selection and proper landscaping, fruit and vegetable production, pest and weed control, plant disease identification, and many other related topics. Approximately 60% of the agriculture agent phone calls, emails, and office visits are related to urban horticulture.

Twenty-one (21) VCEMG were certified logging a total of 1,297 volunteer hours in Cooperative Extension Service educational and outreach activities. During VCEMG training a 14% and 2% improvement was documented in pre

Otero County CES Advisory Committee

The Otero County Agricultural Agent, along with the County 4-H, and 4-H Home Economist/County Director met with our 17 member (8 agricultural members) Advisory Committee. After introductions and sharing of general information that would be of value to all members, we broke into groups according to our County appointments. After a brief update of the Agricultural Agents work of the past year, members discussed with one another and gave their suggestions to the Agricultural Agent on issues they perceived were not being addressed or could be improved upon.

An advisory Committee member, and local cattle grower felt there was a great need for the education of people moving into the area from urban locations who are having extreme difficulty with basic livestock issues like fencing, predators, feeding, worming and vaccination programs, etc.; basic gardening; fruit and nut trees, and growing of pasture and forage. He thought it necessary and prudent that the County Agricultural Agent set up some educational programs for these people.
In response, the county agricultural agent: 1) in conjunction with the Lincoln County Agricultural Agent, NMSU specialists, and Otero Master Gardeners presented a six hour “High Altitude Gardening” program at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds in Capitan. 2) presented a “Gardening in Otero County” program to the Sertoma Club. 3) Informed and encouraged local cattle growers and all interested persons to attend the “Bovine Trichomoniasis” program presented by Woods Houghton, John Wenzel, and others in Hope, NM. 4) advertised and presented the Pecan Growers Field Day, 5) advertized and presented the Pistachio Growers Workshop 6) Gave out packets of NMSU publications on gardening, watering, fertilizing, starting home poultry flocks, edible Native Plant ornamentals, etc. to visitors to the extension office saying they were new to the state and wanted information on growing, or livestock, or poultry, etc.

Another advisory member, local cattle grower, fair board member, and businessman felt the Agricultural Agent needed to better advertise the services available from the County Extension Service office through radio, newspaper advertisement, information website, and newsletter.
In response, the agricultural agent provided a live interview in late June informing the public of the services available at the Otero Cooperative Extension office from the Home Economics program, the ICAN program, the 4-H program, and the Agricultural program going into detail about the upcoming Farmer’s Market, Master Gardener’s classes, Pecan Growers Field Day, Pistachio Growers Workshop, and the vast amount of free information available at the Cooperative Extension Office. In addition Otero Master Gardener Bev Eckman-Onyshow is a free lance journalist and wrote several articles publicizing the Otero CES services in general, the Master Gardener’s program, the Farmer’s Market, and various 4-H and Home Economics programs.

Farmers’ Market growers had just been told (before our last advisory committee meeting) by the Environmental Department that they could not sell prepared foods without those foods being prepared in a certified inspected kitchen and their possession of a license that accompanied that certification. Advisory Committee member growers therefore were interested in the possibilities of acquiring a grant to build a community kitchen for the use of those people selling prepared foods at Farmers’ Market.
In response, the Agricultural Agent spoke with NMSU Foods Specialist Nancy Flores, the Environmental Department, the New Mexico Farmers Market, and the Otero County Director on the feasibility, benefits, and drawbacks associated with a community kitchen. The agent reported back to the members that such an endeavor would require a group or individuals willing to take on the administration of the kitchen. As of yet such a group has not been identified. However, the recent rule change by the Environment Department was happily received by our growers and should hopefully take care of this issue.

Urban Horticultural Inquiries to the Cooperative Extension Office.

The agricultural agent recorded 1,208 agricultural inquires for the past year and feels strongly that one of the Cooperative Extension Service’s greatest impacts is the one-on-one service we provide to urban horticulturists who walk in, call in, or E-mail the office with questions on varieties that grow best here, insects, plant diseases, weeds, urban wildlife management, plants’ water needs, our alkali soils, and damage done to plants by ignoring the factors that make up our particular growing environment. Certainly more people are reached in public presentations but, these programs cannot come close to the value of the personal attention and abundant information provided by NMSU and the Land Grant University system that is now available at the touch of a computer keyboard to the agricultural agent serving those clients that contact the Cooperative Extension Service office. Even to those clients who are not new to the county, if a weed, or insect, or plant disease is not know by name it is almost impossible for the client to find any information on the Internet or elsewhere, but because of the training provided for the agricultural agent and resources made available, especially the ready access to the NMSU Extension Specialists, problems can be identified and quickly researched to provide timely University-research-based information for the urban grower as well as the larger production grower. At no other place can a person walk in without an appointment with a insect, plant disease, or weed, have it identified and receive a virtual library of information for its management in their garden/landscape environment within minutes. With the growing interest in cultivating home gardens to stem the tide of a tenuous economy, the ready availability of the agricultural agent at the Cooperative Extension Office is invaluable.

Otero County Pruning Workshop

The Cooperative Extension Service office and Otero Master Gardeners receive a considerable amount of calls in the winter about when is the best time and how to prune fruit and ornamental trees. In response a hands-on pruning workshop was presented where participants received instruction and then actually had the opportunity to practice their newly learned skills on several trees in an old tree nursery site. Participants received such instruction as: when planting trees choose a tree of appropriate height and size for the growing site, correct pruning of trees according to variety and purpose for optimum health and production of the tree, and avoiding common misnomers such as topping and pollarding trees.
A pretest and posttest were delivered to the 14 participants. Participants averaged 15% on the pretest and 86% on the posttest resulting in an overall average gain of 71% in their pruning knowledge.

Native Plant Presentation to the Flowering Desert Garden Club
The Flowering Desert Garden Club (a club for primarily rose growers) requested a program on “Native Plants of Otero County and Their Uses”. The Agricultural Agent presented a program on the uses of Native Plants in the past and present with emphasis on the benefits of landscaping with low water consumptive native plants and their ability to provide an aesthetically pleasing landscape.. The 15 attending members were encouraged to use their status as esteemed horticulturists in the community to pass this information on to the community through their programs and contacts, enabling others to select plants for their landscapes that use less water.

Vegetable Gardening in Otero County Presentation to the Sertoma Club

The Sertoma Club requested a program on Vegetable Gardening in Otero County. Due to the short time constraints (45 minutes) a program was delivered to the 18 members in attendance on gardening basics with slides highlighting the techniques and outcomes of successful gardeners (Otero Farmers’ Market Growers) in Otero County. The program concluded with the dates and times for the upcoming opening of Tularosa and Alamogordo Farmers’ Markets.


“Walk-n-Talk” through Tularosa’s Green Zone with Dr. Curtis Smith”

As per the request of the Otero Master Gardener’s a “Walk-n-Talk Master Gardeners Advanced Class on the plants of the Tularosa Green Zone with Dr. Curtis Smith” was presented. Master Gardeners who attended got to see firsthand such horticultural problems as: spittle bug, fire blight, nutrient deficiency in young peach trees and a huge amount of species that do well in arid Otero County along with species that do well with extra water in Otero county. Participants were so enthused over the walk they requested another for the near future.

“Xeric Ornamental Trees and Shrubs, Fruit Trees , and Container Vegetable Gardening For The Tularosa Basin” Information Tables

On six separate occasions (Otero County Fair, Holloman AFB Exchange Spring Celebration, Alamogordo Arbor Day Celebration, Holloman Air Force Base New Subdivision, Alamogordo Earth Day Celebration, and the Tularosa Water Fair) information was given out by the agricultural agent and Master Gardeners to the public on the benefits of landscaping with low water consumptive native plants and that it is possible to have an aesthetically pleasing landscape using native plants. They were also given explanations and NMSU publications on fruit tree varieties that do best in Otero County and information on container gardening.. This information will enable urban residents with limited yard and garden space and restricted water use the ability to maximize their gardening space and minimize their water usage.

4-H Horticultural Team
When youth who have an interest in horticulture (or any other area) are given a chance to explore their interest through 4-H Horticultural projects and compete on a 4-H judging team it increases the young person’s knowledge and their chances of being more successful in that area as an adult. The agricultural agent coached the 4-H Horticulture Team for county, district, and State 4-H Contests and put-on the county horticulture contest. The training for Horticulture contest teaches 4-Hers how to identify different fruit, nut, vegetable, and ornamental varieties, discern healthy desirable specimens from less healthy and less desirable samples, and hones their decision making skills in placing the specimens within the classes. As a result of the training they received in their practices, the Senior 4-Hers placed third at State 4-H Contest and the Novice and Junior 4-Hers participating at District Contest placed 10th.