soil in hand
15 Sep 2018

Fall is great for adding organic matter to your garden

Melody Hefner

Melody Hefner

Urban IPM and Pesticide Safety Program Coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Programs: Urban Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
Melody Hefner

Latest posts by Melody Hefner (see all)

Many of us add compost and till our vegetable garden beds in the spring. This is a time-honored practice. But did you know fall is also an excellent time to add organic matter? Soils are made up of sand, silt, clay and organic matter. Good, productive soils contain 5 percent organic matter. Our native soils…

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chicken
4 Aug 2018

Protect your vegetable garden from contamination

Melody Hefner

Melody Hefner

Urban IPM and Pesticide Safety Program Coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Programs: Urban Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
Melody Hefner

Latest posts by Melody Hefner (see all)

Reports of food-borne illnesses are increasingly frequent in the news. Most foodborne illnesses are caused by consuming raw fruits and vegetables that are contaminated by pathogens. Pathogens are disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses. Many people do not realize that home gardens are not free from pathogens. Many fruits and vegetables have natural barriers,…

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trees in turfgrass
28 Jul 2018

Water your plants by root depth

Heidi Kratsch

Latest posts by Heidi Kratsch (see all)

This time of year, when the temperatures soar, we worry a lot about our lawns getting enough water. But not enough attention is paid to the rest of our landscape. Our trees and shrubs need water too – not as often as the lawn, but the water should go deeper into the soil to encourage…

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plants in a raised bed
24 Mar 2018

Elevate your garden to a new level

Wendy Hanson Mazet

Wendy Hanson Mazet

Horticulturist at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Wendy, a Certified Arborist, is the Northern Area/Washoe County Horticulturist. She has expertise in horticulture, arboriculture, noxious weeds, and vegetable and low water use gardening.

As Master Gardener Program Coordinator, Wendy leads many volunteer horticulture programs including the Northern Nevada Master Gardener Program, Advanced Master Gardener Training Program, Advanced Master Gardener Greenhouse Program and Annual Master Gardener Plant Faire Extravaganza.

She also offers basic and advanced horticulture classes to arborists, green industry professionals and the general public. One of her most well-known programs is the Gardening in Nevada: Bartley Ranch Series, which offers free gardening classes at Bartley Ranch Regional Park in Reno every February and March.

Wendy’s Contact information:

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Northern Area/Washoe County Office
4955 Energy Way
Reno, Nevada 89502

Email: hansonw@unce.unr.edu

Ph: (775) 336-0246, direct line
Ph: (775) 784-4848, main line
Fax: (775) 784-4881
Wendy Hanson Mazet

Latest posts by Wendy Hanson Mazet (see all)

Across the county, the state, the country and the world, when people want to garden they figure out a way. In Nevada, many times our challenge is the soil and the climate. But, we are not that different from gardeners and farmers in other areas who battle with soils low in fertility and organic matter.…

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kohlrabi leaf
10 Mar 2018

Steps to a successful container salad garden

Jenn Fisher

Jenn Fisher

Commercial horticulture program coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Jenn Fisher

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If you’ve got the gardening itch and just can’t wait to get your vegetable garden going, an indoor salad garden is a great way to satisfy that itch and enjoy fresh garden greens in your salads, sandwiches or wraps. By following these easy steps, you can be planting your garden today and reaping the benefits…

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gardener kneeling on a mat and digging into soil in a garden bed
24 Feb 2018

The importance of ergonomics in the garden

Jenn Fisher

Jenn Fisher

Commercial horticulture program coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Jenn Fisher

Latest posts by Jenn Fisher (see all)

I’m talking to all gardeners: have you ever thought about ergonomics in your garden? You may be thinking, what does ergonomics even mean? Merriam-Webster says that ergonomics is an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely. Alright, so how do we…

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hula hoe in soil
17 Feb 2018

Start scouting now for spring weeds

Melody Hefner

Melody Hefner

Urban IPM and Pesticide Safety Program Coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Programs: Urban Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
Melody Hefner

Latest posts by Melody Hefner (see all)

So far, we’ve had a mild, dry winter. Just a little rain or snow and a little increase in temperature could help initiate weed growth. This time last year, the wet weather gave us a bumper crop of weeds. If last year’s weed crop got away from you and produced seed, you made a deposit…

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close up of yellow star thistle flower
3 Feb 2018

Weeds popping up with warm weather

Wendy Hanson Mazet

Wendy Hanson Mazet

Horticulturist at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Wendy, a Certified Arborist, is the Northern Area/Washoe County Horticulturist. She has expertise in horticulture, arboriculture, noxious weeds, and vegetable and low water use gardening.

As Master Gardener Program Coordinator, Wendy leads many volunteer horticulture programs including the Northern Nevada Master Gardener Program, Advanced Master Gardener Training Program, Advanced Master Gardener Greenhouse Program and Annual Master Gardener Plant Faire Extravaganza.

She also offers basic and advanced horticulture classes to arborists, green industry professionals and the general public. One of her most well-known programs is the Gardening in Nevada: Bartley Ranch Series, which offers free gardening classes at Bartley Ranch Regional Park in Reno every February and March.

Wendy’s Contact information:

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Northern Area/Washoe County Office
4955 Energy Way
Reno, Nevada 89502

Email: hansonw@unce.unr.edu

Ph: (775) 336-0246, direct line
Ph: (775) 784-4848, main line
Fax: (775) 784-4881
Wendy Hanson Mazet

Latest posts by Wendy Hanson Mazet (see all)

 The sun is shining, and with the warm temperatures, I have started to scout the garden and landscape. At this time of year, I was shocked to see how many seedlings were popping up everywhere, wanted and unwanted. In my garden, I am facing the challenge of lettuce and arugula popping up outside of my…

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sediment and debris in storm drain
8 Apr 2017

Protecting Our Precious Soil

Melody Hefner

Melody Hefner

Urban IPM and Pesticide Safety Program Coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Programs: Urban Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
Melody Hefner

Latest posts by Melody Hefner (see all)

This has been a very wet winter for northern Nevada. While we need the water, our soils need some thoughtful protection, now and throughout the growing season. We all have garden fever, but it may be too soon and too wet to work your soil right now. The biggest concern after our wet winter is…

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compost in hand
9 Mar 2017

Top 5 Composting Mistakes

Heidi Kratsch

Latest posts by Heidi Kratsch (see all)

Most of us are aware of the importance of “garden gold” for improving Nevada’s soils. But, how successful have you been in making your own? Not very? Here are some mistakes gardeners make when composting. Correcting them may help you find a gardening “pot-of-gold” at the end of the rainbow. Composting is controlled decomposition of…

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