Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture

Xeriscape Garden

With guidance and assistance from the agriculture agent, the Chaves County Master Gardeners planted a demonstration xeriscape garden at the Spring River Park and Zoo in Roswell in September 2009. The purpose of the garden is the show the public the attractiveness of certain native and low-water use plants and to encourage the use of those plants in home and business gardens. The agent worked with NMSU’s horticulture specialist to secure plants from the NRCS Plant Materials Center in Los Lunas and to design the garden. The xeriscape garden had water problems throughout the summer due to equipment. Because of the extreme heat and lack of water, some of the plants died. The agent has worked with zoo officials and the water valves were replaced with a manual valve. The agent also worked with a Master Gardener that is a zoo employee and replaced all of the emitters on the drip system of the garden to allow the plants to receive more water. A trip was made to the NRCS Plant Materials Center to get plants to replace the ones that died. Dead plants were replaced in the garden with live plants. When the temperatures cooled off in the fall, most of those “dead” plants started to grow from the roots. Hopefully the garden will look much better next summer since the water problems have been corrected. This is a definite testimony to the hardiness of the xeriscape plants, which is the purpose of the garden.

Pecos School Garden

The agent again worked with teachers and the administration at Pecos Elementary School in Roswell to conduct a gardening program at the school. Raised beds were built at the school by Chaves County Master Gardeners three years ago to enable the students to learn about gardening and where their food originates. The agent planted seeds with the second and third grade students in April. Crops planted included snap green beans, zucchini squash, yellow squash, okra, sunflowers, and chile. The plants were transplanted into the garden beds on the school playgrounds in May. This year, there was no summer school, so the students did not have the benefits of the garden throughout the summer months unless they visit the school individually. A total of 131 students participated in this program to learn about planting seeds and garden care.

Chaves County Master Gardener’s Program

In New Mexico, most urban residents are increasingly interested in home gardening and landscape gardening, but have few opportunities to gain research-based information in these areas. To assist in meeting this need, the Chaves County Master Gardener Program was coordinated by the agent. The thirteen- week-long program met three hours each week to address pertinent topics for the Chaves County area. Various specialists, agents, and local individuals taught the programs. Nineteen new enrollees, including personnel from the Roswell Parks and Recreation Department, attended the programs to gain knowledge of southwestern gardening, for a total of 245 contacts during classes. Nine of the 19 individuals agreed to donate volunteer hours to assist the Extension Office after the gardening classes were finished.

Master Gardeners assisted the agent in disseminating NMSU Cooperative Extension Service publications on horticulture and related topics and answering questions at Roswell Parks and Recreation Department’s Arbor Day Celebration, reaching approximately 80 people. Master Gardeners also assisted the agent with an informational booth displayed at the Enchanted Living Home and Garden Show which was held at the Roswell Convention Center. The three-day event was open to the public. The booth consisted of printed literature from NMSU and other reliable sources, plus the agent and master gardeners answered questions from the public. A Master Gardener donated 300 tomato seedlings that were given away at the booth.

Master Gardeners also assisted the agent in organizing gardening books that were donated to the Extension Office so that others may check the books out for their use. The project was finally completed and the library listings are ready to be publicized for Master Gardener use.

The agent prepared an educational booth on “Tree Planting and Care” for the Eastern New Mexico State Fair. Master Gardener volunteers were organized to “man” the booth over a six day period to answer questions and distribute written literature to the public.

Participants of the Master Gardener Program are more knowledgeable about gardening in the Pecos Valley and are more successful, saving time and dollars. The community has gained gardening information from the Master Gardener volunteers, as well.

Urban Horticulture

The majority of Chaves County's residents are urban. There is a high demand for information on planting trees and other ornamental gardening, safe and efficient home vegetable gardening, reducing water use, insect identification and management, and environmental safety. County residents are in need of scientific-based research in all of these areas. The agent assisted over 190 people on an individual basis with urban horticulture problems, insect control, wildlife damage control, and soil analysis. Persons were assisted by telephone contact, office visits, site visits, and e-mail and gained information that allowed them to be more successful in growing and maintaining home gardens and landscapes around their businesses and homes.

Short Term Objective

The 2010 Otero Master Gardeners Association has 34 class participants who will finish the course in December 2010 and at that time have the option of joining the 56 member Otero Master Gardeners Association who have faithfully assisted the Agricultural Agent in extending the knowledge acquired from the NMUS Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardeners Classes and their own growing experiences to county residents through information tables at Arbor Day, Earth Day, Otero County Fair, two events at Holloman Air Force Base, speaking to local Service Organizations, designing and maintaining a Butterfly Garden at the local zoo and being present to answer questions on Earth Day when butterflies were released.
Data collected from the 2010 Otero Master Gardeners Class yielded the following:
1) All class participants expected to use the information presented in the classes in their gardening, landscaping, or orchards.
Class members reported that they increased their knowledge of the topics taught by 71% (averaged) when responding to the question, “By what percentage did this class increase your knowledge?”
Of the classes tallied so far 91 % of class members rated the classes “excellent” and 9% rated the classes “good”.
Kids, Kows, and More also provided an opportunity for Otero Master Gardeners and the Agricultural Agent to teach one of the stations on “Gardening”, and help with the general activities.
Through the efforts of a Master Gardener, a meeting was set up with five city officials and the Agricultural Agent to inform and establish a line of friendly communication with the city on such topics as: Xeric Species for the Tularosa Basin, Common Disease and Pest Problems, and Proper Watering Techniques with Our High pH Water.
The Agricultural Agent was accompanied by the new Otero Master Gardeners Association president on home visits for two days for the purpose of training the new OMGA president and eventually other Master Gardeners for important things to look for when making home visits in response to CES office inquiries when the Ag. agent is out of town.
The Agricultural Agent responded to 1370 inquiries via E-mail, phone, or walk-ins to the Cooperative Extension Service office. Approximately 25 inquiries were not responded to due to client not home when call was returned and/or made home visit was made, or nonworking phone number.

Medium-Term Objective

The Agricultural Agent provided the following programs and presentations for Otero County residents:
1) “Growing in a Hoop Greenhouse” presented to 72 Mountain View Middle School Students prior to the opening of their school’s Hoop House.

2) “2010 Otero Pistachio Growers Workshop” at the Otero CES office was attended by 39 backyard and production growers. The Agricultural Agent did not give a presentation. Both backyard growers and large production pistachio growers attended. Of those in attendance and responding to the workshop evaluation 97% said the workshop increased or enhanced their knowledge and 97% said they expected to use the information presented in their pistachio orchards.

3) “2010 Otero Pecan Growers Workshop” at the Otero CES office was attended by 40 Otero county growers - both backyard and production pecan growers. The Agricultural Agent spoke on “Markets for Pecans”.
“High Altitude Gardening - Container Gardening” was delivered to 45 members of the Sacramento Mountains Senior Center in Cloudcroft.

4) “High Altitude Vegetable Gardening - Container Gardening” was presented by the Agricultural Agent to 45 members of the Sacramento Mountains Senior Center in Cloudcroft.

5) “Services Provided by the Otero County Cooperative Extension Service Office” was presented to 30 participants of the “Leadership Otero” class by the Otero County 4-H Home Economist and the Agricultural Agent.

6) ) “2010 Otero County Master Gardeners Class” was provided to 34 class members and 5 to 10 additional OMGA members. Class were scheduled once a week for 13 weeks (with one week off for Thanksgiving) on the following topics: Basic Botany, Xeric Plants, Soils, Weeds, Plant Pathology, Entomology, Plant Diseases, Vegetable Gardening, Fruit & Nut Trees, Pesticide Misuse, Community Forestry, Wildlife Management, Vegetable Gardening in Hoop Houses, Composting, Fig Trees, Irrigation Basics, Water Harvesting, and Xeric Landscaping. The Agricultural Agent presented “Plant Propagation” and all other classes were presented by NMSU Specialists, NM State Forestry Division Urban Forester, and local growers/Master Gardeners/Farmers Market Vendors.

Long Term Objective—

Correct watering techniques and mulching of plants, shrubs, and trees is discussed with, or printed information disseminated to, at least 60% of the agricultural inquiries made to the Otero CES office. Salt damage due to shallow frequent watering is the most frequent problem seen by the Agricultural Agent and less frequent deep watering along with the use of a mulch material is encourage as clients are explained the benefits to the plants and the savings they will see in their water bills.