edible notables
GROW YOUR OWN
Overcome Reno-Tahoe gardening challenges.
WRITTEN BY JIM SLOAN
PHOTO BY CAROLE TOPALIAN
Vegetable gardeners new to Nevada often experience a harsh awakening: the soil is nearly barren, the desiccating wind could dry out a jungle, and the growing season starts late and ends early. This leaves you hardly enough time to see tomatoes turn red before the first frost.
Well, if any of these challenges has ever gotten the better of you, rest assured. Heidi Kratsch and her team of gardening experts can come to your rescue.
Kratsch is the state horticulture specialist for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, and last year she introduced a popular new series of classes for the area called Grow Your Own, Nevada! This series of eight classes is offered three times a year in locations throughout the state. Classes cover everything from fertilizers and compost to pest control and preserving produce.
And while success is never guaranteed in Nevada gardening, the classes will certainly improve your odds of a good harvest, Kratsch says.
“The most common problem people in Northern Nevada have is knowing when to plant,” she says. “If you plant too early, you can lose the sensitive plants, like tomatoes and corn, to a late frost. But if you plant too late, you run the risk of not getting any fruit before the fall’s first frost.”
Kratsch noted that an increasing number of Nevadans is interested in growing food for their own table as well as growing it for sale at farmers’ markets. Many parts of Nevada, she says, are considered food deserts because people don’t have access to locally grown produce, and programs such as Grow Your Own help improve that situation.
Grow Your Own Nevada is one of several Cooperative Extension programs that help small-scale farmers and backyard gardeners succeed in Nevada. The Herds & Harvest program, for instance, helps farmers and ranchers who have been in business fewer than 10 years or are diversifying their agricultural operation, and Great Ideas from Growers bring small-acreage farmers together to discuss trends in Nevada farming. These and other programs fall under the Tomorrow’s Table initiative launched this year by Cooperative Extension to help Nevada agricultural producers enjoy more success.
Jim Sloan is a communications specialist with University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.
Resources
This summer Grow Your Own runs 2 – 4 p.m. every Monday from July 9 – Aug. 27. Classes are primarily offered live at the Washoe County Cooperative Extension office, 4955 Energy Way in Reno, and are video-conferenced live to locations in Carson City, Duck Valley, Elko, Ely, Fallon, Las Vegas, Lovelock, Tonopah, Winnemucca, and Yerington. To register and check costs, call your local Cooperative Extension office or contact Ashley Andrews at 775-336-0231 or Andrewsa@unce.unr.edu.
For details on Grow Your Own classes, visit www.Growyourownnevada.com.
For details on the Herds & Harvest program, visit Www.unce.unr.edu/programs/sites/bfr/.
For details on the Great Ideas from Growers program, visit Www.unce.unr.edu/news/article.asp?ID=1660.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday, July 8
Cliff Lede Vineyards with winemaker Kale Anderson and Chef/Owner Douglas Dale of Tahoe City’s Wolfdale’s Cuisine Unique
Sunday, Aug. 12
Elyse Winery’s Winemaker/Owner Ray Coursen and Chef/Owner Charlie Soule of The Soule Domain of Crystal Bay
Sunday, Sept. 9
Petra and Greg Martin, proprietors of
Martin Estate Winery, and Chef Rick Koplau of Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino’s Lone Eagle Grille in Incline Village
Sunday, Oct. 14
Dave Miner, founder/owner of Miner Family Wines, and Chef Ruben Garcia of The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe
