Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com December 21, 2022 Gardening with Dennis INDOOR TREES! By Alex Taft During the summer monsoon season, I lost a rather large stor- age building and, in the process, a stray cat and an iguana were ren- dered homeless. The cat is now on my couch and the iguana, after sev- eral frenzied attempts to get in the house, has found a new home by a large prickly pear cactus in the back yard. The iguana reminded me of when I had citrus trees growing and a pair of iguanas absolutely denuded the trees. Needless to say, the trees died. I have not discussed growing citrus in these articles because they are water hogs. Dennis grew them successfully by building a fortress around them and above them and watering them. So how to grow an iguana -proof citrus that does not need huge quantities of water to thrive. The answer is to buy a dwarf tree and put it in a pot which can be grown indoors or outdoors. After doing some research I discovered that there are a few fruit trees, that have been cultivated to be a dwarf tree that will grow in pots indoors or outdoors. Here is a list: 1. Lemon Tree -The Meyer lemon is probably the most well-known in- door fruit tree 2. Lime Tree - Key lime and kaffir lime are popular dwarf citrus trees 3. Orange Tree - Calamondin or- ange trees are an especially easy fruit tree to grow indoors. 4. Fig Tree 5. Olive Tree 6. Passion Fruit Tree 7. Peaches and Nectarines 8. Apricot This list is not comprehensive. There are more choices. It is just intended as a list to demonstrate how flexible growing fruit trees can be. I heard stories from Dennis over what he went through to keep birds, lizards, iguanas and other critters off his fruit trees and bushes. He would net his trees among other things. I lack both his energy and determination. For those who knew Dennis, you will know that he succeeded in growing fruit trees with an edible yield in his yard. I prefer to find a way around the problem and if I can pick a lemon from a little tree grow- ing in my kitchen or front porch, as opposed to running to the store, without huge water bills or fending off iguanas, I am all for it. A tree will not produce fruit until it is about one or two years old. While 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 you can start these trees from seed, that gives you a longer wait time until you see any fruit. Initially, the dwarf tree will be in a small pot. Leaving it in a small pot will prompt it to bloom and create fruit sooner. Giving the roots more room to grow right away by transplanting it will signal the tree to invest its energy to do just that instead of producing fruit. As the roots consume the soil in the small pot, replace the soil by adding a couple of inches of soil to the top of the pot. This will help de- lay the transplant process. A tree in a pot will require a lot less water, whether it is growing inside or outside. To assure that you get a good edible yield, make sure the indoor tree gets plenty of light by keeping it near a window, or using an LED grow light; or if you want, putting it outside to catch the light. Container gardening is a good solu- tion to grow what you want in the desert without huge water bills. 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. Quartzsite OHV Staging Area, is now open in Quartzsite at 555 E. Quail Trail. The staging area is located across from Town Hall. 22- paved, 12' x 55' pull-thru spaces. No Fee. Night lighting, Camp Host, Accessible Re- strooms, Picnic Shelter. No over- night camping. Vehicle and trailer park up to three weeks. Built with grants from State Parks & Trails and local matching funds. Revenue is generated from your off-road sticker purchases. OHV Staging area open in town 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) Quartzsite Area Chamber of Com- merce & Tourism is grateful for all the merchants and participants in the 2022 Quartzsite Shop Small Saturday Bingo game. The two winners of gift baskets are Johnnell Jackson and Anna Valen- zuela. They received raffle tickets for completing 5 activities and an extra raffle ticket for turning in a re- ceipt from a local merchant. Prizes were donated by Kathy Piva, who provides us with many beau- tiful painted rocks, Madagascar Import Seam, Roadrunner Rocks, Robins Roost, RV Relief, Spiritstone Gems, Sylvia's, Times Three Family Restaurant, and the Quartzsite Area Chamber of Commerce Volunteers. - Becky Johnstone Volunteer Coordinator Shop Small Saturday Bingo winners What's new at the Quartzsite Art Guild? New Location for meetings is Mountain Quail RV Park Clubhouse located at 490 N. Moon Mountain Ave., Quartzsite. New Time: 12:30pm - 2:30 pm on the Second Thursday of each month through March. • January 12th, 2023: Acrylic Pours, everything is provided. • February 9th To Be Announced • February 24-25 Guild Art Show • March 9th Last Class of the season – To Be Announced We strive to bring artistic people to- gether to: Meet new friends, improve and grow artistically, learn new techniques, provide Fine Art shows for the community as fundraisers for local charities. Each month we will post on Facebook what the class will be. Annual membership fee is $10. Members are invited to partici- pate in the Art Guild Show. ~ Oney Budge, President Linda Klein, Secretary/Treasurer Quartzsite Art Guild Update

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