The Seedling - August 2021

Life is back in balance.  That is what our wonderful monsoons, interspersed with clear skies and puffy clouds, has brought to my mind.   Our desert plant life, including that in our garden plots, is happy, the hummingbirds are happily feasting on the post-rain blossoms, the lizards are out in abundance and small children are enjoying the many puddles left after heavy downpours.  The rainbows that arch across the sky, brilliant early morning dawns and richly-colored sunsets have been wonderful to observe and always leave me with a feeling of gratitude that I live in the Sonoran Desert. 

And now that the intense summer heat is behind us, we are able to start ramping up our activities in the gardens.  Many improvements are being planned for the next several months – we’ll be building raised beds, improving pathways, installing more compost systems, replacing (or adding) fencing where needed, putting up educational signage and more.  The Community Gardens of Tucson has received several grants this year that are providing the funding for many of these much needed and long-awaited improvements.  

A number of garden work days are also being planned so get ready to spend a few hours working with your fellow gardeners if your schedule permits – your help is always greatly appreciated. Stay tuned….

Community Gardens can play an exciting role in building community and increasing food security.  We are grateful to Professor Scott Larson who recently lead an educational session with Site Coordinators to inspire us with ideas locally and nationally for supporting food justice. You can view the presentation recording and keep the discussion going!

Scott Larson is an urban geographer (PhD City University of New York Graduate Center, 2010) who studies community-led development and urbanism. He and his wife, Jamie, moved to Tucson late last year, though he continues to teach in the Urban Studies Department at Queens College in Queens, New York, where his current work focuses on community land trusts and urban agriculture as mechanisms for reorienting political and economic agency at the community level. He comes from a long lineage of farmers/avid gardeners, volunteers at the Mission Garden and in a past professional life worked as a chef/restaurateur. 

Believe it or not, fall is right around the corner.  This is a great time to start your own seedlings for fall planting such as broccoli, kale and chard.  And with all our rain it is easy to get warm season crops to germinate such as basil, beans and squash. You can follow Community Gardens of Tucson on Facebook to receive updates.  Be sure to see our full planting guide for even more planting ideas!