Mary Jane Wilson
Does it seem as if it doesn’t matter what you plan to plant where, because the plants that perform the best are the ones that choose their own location in your yard? Does it seem like your garden harvest yields more questions than answers?
Well, join the club! A year ago this summer, our club president Bob Kumza invited SaddleBrooke residents who were interested in gardening to his backyard to talk about what a gardening club might look like, what activities they would be interested in, and opportunities to contribute to this new club’s success. The highlight of these gatherings was not just seeing his garden but listening to him talk about his gardening practices. It became obvious that we all had a lot we could learn from each other. Cacti, succulents, citrus, fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, roses, flowers—you name it and someone in SaddleBrooke probably has experience growing what you are interested in. Club members’ gardening experiences run the gamut from being new in town and just starting out to “been there, done that,” to Master Gardener. We will be glad to show you what I’m talking about. Four subgroups offer like-minded members breakout meetings and garden tours: Vegetable/Herb, Cactus/Succulents, Flower/Rose, and Citrus/Fruit Tree.
Lots of new gardening information has been added to the SaddleBrooke Garden Club (SBGC) website this month, including a dozen new seed and supplies resources and a great new video entitled “Garden Heatwave Survival Tips.” In addition, avid gardeners will find a link to the Seedtime Garden Planning Tool. Guessing when to plant and hoping for the best may work for some gardeners, but the Seedtime Garden Planning Tool eliminates the guessing and hoping. Seedtime is free for most home gardeners. The links for these valuable aids can be found at sbgardeningclub.weebly.com/non-sbgc-help-resources.html. If you’re not using the SBGC website to become a better gardener, you’re missing out on some of the best gardening information available on the web.
The SBGC website at sbgardeningclub.weebly.com continues to expand with great gardening information supplied by our members. Although our subgroups aren’t meeting during the hottest part of the summer, the Upcoming Events section is continually updated with new postings for plant sales, educational seminars, farmers’ markets, and garden tours all around Tucson. Member contributions make the SBGC website your “go-to place” for all things gardening in SaddleBrooke and the Tucson area. If you see a gardening event happening in the Tucson area that is not on the SBGC website, please send this information to SBGardeningClubAZ@gmail.com so we can add it to the website for the benefit of all our members.
More than 170 gardeners have joined the SBGC so far to learn from each other’s gardening experiences. This is truly a Members Helping Members club! Membership applications and information about the club and volunteer opportunities can be found at www.sbgardeningclub.weebly.com. Dues for a basic membership are $10 a year.