The Eldorado Gardening Lecture Series

The Eldorado Gardening Lecture Series will be held on Saturdays throughout April, May and June 2011 in Eldorado. These lectures are a kick-off for the Eldorado Gardening Tour, a tour of seven unique Eldorado gardens, scheduled for Saturday June 4th. All lectures are free, start at 10am and run 1-1 1/2 hours. They will take place at La Tienda Community Center except for the Compost Lecture which will take place at the Eldorado Community Garden and Outdoor Classroom (behind the Elementary School in Eldorado.)All are welcome.

March 12 - Growing Cactus in Eldorado
 John, (Obie), Oberhausen has been growing, collecting and planting cactus in the Eldorado area for about 8 years. He has over 75 different types of cacti in his extensive home cactus gardens.  He is a member of the NM Cactus and Succulent Society and has started The Cactus Rescue Project, an effort to save the endangered Santa Fe Cholla.  He will be giving a talk about ways to propagate cactus, soil types needed, and the various types of cactus that survive in the Eldorado area. Included will be a slide show of cacti in gorgeous bloom.

April 2 - Perennials and Xeric plants in Eldorado
 Steve Gooud has been gardening for over 30 years and has won gardening awards in Chicago where he lived previously.  He now brings this expertise to New Mexico where he specializes in native xeric landscapes.  He grows many plants from seeds and cuttings.  He has an artist’s sense of gardening and his garden was featured last year in the first annual Eldorado Gardening Tour.

April 23 - Composting (to be held outdoors)
Dana Simmons is one of the leaders of the Master Gardeners in Eldorado.  He heads the Compost Committee for the Eldorado Community Garden and is an avid home gardener and composter.  Dana has made a science of this vital aspect of gardening. Come hear his hard earned secrets of making gold out of our blowing Eldorado soil!

May 14th - Vegetable Gardening in Eldorado
Barbra Kastner- the ultimate vegetable gardener, Barb has a minimum of 10 raised beds in her yard and also has plots at the Eldorado community garden. She has experience growing a wide variety of vegetables.  She is also involved in the Outdoor Classroom in an educational capacity with the school kids. Barb can share stories of both her successes and failures common to home vegetable gardeners in this arid and difficult area.

Eldorado Demonstration Garden: Description

This is a new Master Gardener Project located in Eldorado, 12 miles SE of Santa Fe off Rte. 285. This project will inform and educate the general public on good gardening techniques and practices for the harsh semi-arid environment of Eldorado.

Eldorado Photos

Goals

To learn and teach good water-wise gardening principles for residential vegetable and flower gardening.

Looking for Volunteers who...

...will work with community garden volunteers to study and practice good gardening techniques of soil preparation, planting, irrigation and composting. Also need volunteers to prepare hand-outs and teaching materials to explain water-wise vegetable gardening principles with step-by-step instruction for design and care of a residential vegetable garden.