Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com November 16, 2022 Read Desert Messenger online! Sign up for free email alerts when the Desert Messenger becomes available online! Join thousands reading the paper online at: www.DesertMessengerOnline.com Gardening with Dennis WINTER GARDENING AND THE CHRISTMAS CACTUS By Alex Taft Winter gardening in the desert is a different experience if you come from a place that has more dis- tinct seasons. During the months of November and December prun- ing is not recommended. Neither is fertilizing for shrubs and trees and fruits. Perennials should not be fer- tilized or trimmed until all hint of frost is gone because even if part of the plant had been hit by frost, there may still be sap in the stems. Quartzsite does get frost and the coldest month is December. Cactus should not be trimmed or fertilized during November and December ei- ther. In summary, for shrubs trees, fruits ad cactus, do nothing. What can be planted are flowering annual seeds or starter plants. It is a good time to fertilize them also. Because of the cooler temperatures, watering should be monitored so that over-watering does not occur. Since most annuals that are grown here are in containers, not too much watering should be necessary. They may need to be covered if frost is predicted. Vegetables and herbs seeds and starter plants can be planted also. The cooler weather vegetables such as lettuce, kale, spinach, turnips, carrots and radishes, broccoli and cauliflower, beets, leeks and mus- tard greens can be started from seed now. As for herbs, fennel, pars- ley, mints, cilantro, and basil are all herbs that can be planted from seed at this time. In December, planting tomato and pepper seeds can help you get an early start on these veg- etables. They both do really well if grown in containers. This is not a comprehensive list of what vege- tables and herbs can be planted in November and December. For more information, refer to "Month-By- Month Gardening in the Deserts of Arizona" by Mary Irish. The author also recommends the use of time release fertilizer once the seeds sprout. This book is available at the Quartzsite Public Library. Dennis's notes seem to agree with author Irish's book. Winter is often a time when we think about indoor plants. 'Tis the season for Christmas cactus and winter succulents. They are avail- able at this time of year in a lot of grocery stores. The Christmas cac- tus is technically a tropical plant that is identified as a cactus and a succulent that is native to Brazil. It grows on trees and loves the filtered light of the forest. Most people keep them as houseplants in this area. Because of where the plant comes NOTICE to Advertisers: Please check your ad(s). Errors/corrections must be submitted before deadline, to be published in the next available edition of the Desert Messenger. DEADLINES are printed - in multiple locations - in EVERY issue of the Desert Messenger! For rates and deadlines visit www.DesertMessenger.com Desert Messenger News offers FREE Classified Ads! Here's the small print: Items for sale under $500. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Garage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com from, setting them in a windowsill is not recommended because they will likely burn up. Placing them near a window that faces north will come closer to a replication of the filtered light they like. That place- ment encourages them to bloom. They respond well to fertilizer dur- ing these months. Water them as they are drying out. If they start to drop their buds, that means they are getting too much water. Christ- mas cactus are beautiful plants that will bloom year after year, if they are happy with their placement. To quote Dennis, "There is no such thing as a house plant". A house plant is an outdoor plant that we have convinced, or tried to convince will be just as happy inside as in its native habitat. Sometimes that is a hard sell and the plant will not co- operate. Sometimes we get it right and they flourish. Note: for those who did not know Dennis, he was a part-time employ- ee of the town parks department, a Master Gardener since 1985 and instructor for the Master Gardener Class. He passed away in 2018. Note: for those who did not know Dennis, he was a part-time employ- ee of the town parks department, a Master Gardener since 1985 and instructor for the Master Gardener Class. He passed away in 2018. ADOBE HANDYMAN & PAINTING • Painting • Pressure Washing • Wall Texturing • Popcorn Ceiling Removal • Landscaping • Minor Plumbing • Minor Electrical • Minor Drywall Repair • Roof Coating • RV Repair RELIABLE, REASONABLE RATES References Available CALL/TEXT 928-412-9642 (not a licensed contractor) Rock club opens! Quartzsite Roadrunners Gem & Mineral Club held their first Gen- eral meeting on Thursday, October 27. The shop and classes began on Monday November 7. Some Class- es/shops may not be available on that Monday due to a lack of fore- men or instructors. Renewals will be accepted in the of- fice from 9-12 Monday thru Thurs- day & Fridays New memberships are Thursdays at 7:30am with General Orientation. Check the Web page for details. Visit the website at http://www.qrgmc. org/ for more information on how you can become a member and join us on all the fun! QIA now open! Quartzsite Improvement Asso- ciation (QIA) is now open for the season! The office is open Monday through Friday from 9am - noon. Bingo started up on Nov. 11th. Doors open at 5pm. The popular monthly Craft Show the first Saturday of the month from 9am-1pm. Dances, Music Jams, Pancake Sup- pers, Classes and lots of entertain- ment happens at the QIA! Check the website, www.QIAarizona.org. Located at 235 E. Ironwood. Phone 928-927-6325

• Cover