Here’s what Odyssey says about our upcoming event.

Almost a ladybug - ladybug pupa.

I may look creepy, but I am a friendly bug - actually a baby ladybug! (Ladybug larva)

Look closely! I may be yellow, but I’m not an aphid. These are ladybug eggs.

I planted heirloom cilantro seeds a few years ago. I have never had to buy seeds since - I just put down some of the seeds I saved the year before and I get new plants.

Each year that I’ve had cilantro, dill, parsley, or celery - I have had ladybugs use my garden as a nursery. The benefits are I get to see ladybugs (which make me smile) and my aphids are gobbled up.

Have you ever thought about turning your lawn into a bee lawn?

https://homegrownnationalpark.org/native-bee-lawns-the-better-of-both-worlds/?utm_source=Start+a+new+HABITAT&utm_campaign=094ae1f6a2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_11_06_03_46_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-f7088a1207-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

Help Pollinators by Going Natural!

Natural Fertilizers:
* Coffee Grounds (nitrogen - good for roses or magnolias - add additional acids, good for radishes, sweet potatoes, peppers, rhubarb, and parsley.)
* Banana Peels (calcium, phosphorus, and potassium, making them excellent for plants that flower, such as zucchinis)
* Epsom Salt (magnesium and sulfur - which tomatoes love)
* Egg Shells (calcium, promoting cellular growth in your plants - good for tomatoes too)
* Compost (basically all of your plant-based waste)
* Fish (provides multiple different vitamins and nutrients to your plants)
* Milk (a source of calcium, along with protein, sugar and vitamin B, which aids the overall growth of the plant)

Homemade Plant Food
1.5 tbsp magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salt – MgSO4)
1.5 tsp sodium bicarbonate (Baking Soda – NaHCO3)
0.25 – 0.5 tsp Ammonium Hydroxide (Ammonia – NH4OH)***
1 gallon of water (H20)

Natural Weed Control:
* Newspaper can work like landscaping fabric, especially covered in mulch
* Vodka (or rubbing alcohol) also works to kill weeds. Mix 2 ounces of cheap alcohol with 2 cups of water and a few drops of dish soap. Spray this on your weeds but be careful not to get other plants or your grass.
* Salt - Mix a gallon of vinegar with a cup of salt or borax and a tablespoon of dish soap. Pour the solution into a spray bottle. Use the stream nozzle in a small area and the spray nozzle for a wider area.
* Mulch
* Boiling water on weeds only

Canna Lily seeds from my garden are coming May 4th. The hummingbirds really love this canna!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY3AwBEHgOw

Edamame seeds are coming May 4th
https://www.globalbean.eu/publications/soybean-edamame/

Wondering about that animal food event that sometimes shares the parking lot with our event? Find out more
https://be.chewy.com/chewy-arizona-community-come-together-to-help-thousands-of-local-animals-in-need/

Here is a list of some suggestions as to what to plant in May. As it gets hotter, there is less we can plant in the garden in AZ. But the bees and other pollinators still need us to help them survive.

Scarlet Sage
How to grow salvia https://www.rareseeds.com/blog/post/how-to-grow-salvia-sage

I am working on sweet potato slips to hand out at May 4th's Borderlands POWWOW Event. Here are a few of my sweet potatoes from this year's harvest. Not only are they HUGE, they are yummy too!!

For information on how to grow sweet potatoes in AZ, visit

https://growinginthegarden.com/how-to-grow-sweet-potatoes/

30+ plants for Arizona Bees
https://gardenvarietylife.com/30-plants-for-arizona-bees/

We will be giving out seeds for some of these at our upcoming event on Saturday, January 6th!