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10 www.DesertMessenger.com June 21, 2023 Gardening with Dennis 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 Classifi ed 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 Stay up to date with Town Hall Town of Quartzsite now offers text notifi cations on your phone through TextMyGov. iWorQ is excited to an- nounce a strategic partnership with @TextMyGov to expand citizen en- gagement with text messaging To opt in, text the word "QUARTZSITE" to 91896. 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BEATING THE HEAT By Alex Taft Some plants are successful at beat- ing the heat as long as they get a break from the sun, sometime dur- ing the day. Lemongrass, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme all man- age through the summer heat. One of the most successful summer fl owers are vincas, or periwinkles as they are also known. Actually, vin- cas can survive more than one sum- mer. They are tough and colorful fl owers. The different types of vines that survive the heat are cat claw, which is evergreen, fast growing and has bright yellow fl owers; bougain- villea which is moderate growing and evergreen; passion vine which is moderate growing and has white and purple fl owers; and lilac vine, an evergreen and fast growing that is native to Australia. Trees that survive the heat best are the native stand-bys, palo verde trees, ironwood trees, the sweet, wil- low or shoestring acacia trees, and desert willow trees and eucalyptus. These are all trees that do well with- out constant watering, once they are established. Citrus and most fruit trees require frequent watering to survive and thrive. For vegetables that are thriving now, summer squash, zucchini, melons, cucumber, tomatoes, egg- plant and peppers all do well as long as there is some shade. Many gardeners use shade cloth to keep plants from burning up. Dennis did. He had his large garden fenced in to make it critter-proof and shaded so he could grow fruit and vegetables all year. From a personal preference standpoint, I would prefer planting where there is suffi cient natural shade from a porch or on the east side of a home so everything is pro- tected from the western sun or suffi cient trees that of- fer strategic shade, but shade cloth is a very practical solution, whether it is over the top of the garden, as Dennis had or just protecting the garden on one side from the worst of the sun. There are many choices. All of those choices lead to garden vegetables and fl owers so they can continue to grow while we survive the summer in air conditioning. Growing vegetables in this area is more important and practical than growing vegetables other areas, where there is a large gro- cery store in most neighborhoods. La Paz County exists in what is termed a food desert. Wikipedia defi nes a food desert as, "an area that has limited access to afford- able and nutritious food. In con- trast, an area with greater access to supermarkets and vegetable shops with fresh foods may be called a food oasis. The designa- tion considers the type and the quality of food available to the population, in addition to the ac- cessibility of the food through the size and the proximity of the food stores." Even containers that serve to grow tomatoes and pep- pers make a difference. Dennis understood the importance of help- ing people to grow a garden, even if the term of food des- ert was not known to him. What is home- grown also tastes better and has more nutrition because it has not been packed be- fore it is ripe or shipped or handled multiple times. The Food Access Research Atlas shows that Arizona in general and our area specifi cally is a food desert. In some areas farmer's markets and community gardens address this is- sue with considerable success. We have neither here. Neither does Bouse, Salome, Wenden to name a few. So, consider starting small, if you have not done so already and plan for next year to grow tomatoes, or zucchini or whatever else you really like. It is a little more of a challenge here because of the sun and the heat, but it can be done successfully every year. Just ask Marilyn McFate who has done so every year for the 28 years I have known her and I am sure more than that. 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. DEADLINE : WED. JU LY 1 2 TH for JULY 19 TH edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com side of a home so everything is pro- tected from the western sun or suffi cient trees that of- fer strategic shade, but shade cloth is a very practical solution, whether it is over the top of the garden, as Dennis had or just protecting the garden Even containers that serve to grow tomatoes and pep- pers make a difference. Dennis understood the a garden, even if the term of food des- ert was not known to grown also tastes better because it has not been packed be-

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