b'Happy 2024! A NEW YEAROFGARDENINGAWAITS US!By Bridgette CrosbyIfree to experiment with other types as well. If you plan on am so excited to get started with projects I have put oncanning figs, Black Mission does better when preserved and hold over the past year. WithBrown Turkey figs are best if you desire to eat them fresh the cooler weather, gardeningright off of the tree. Usually, they will give you two crops of chores seem to multiply rightfruit, one in spring on the old growth and one in fall on the after the holidays, but I dontold growth. mind. The weather here is still warm enough to enjoy being outdoors and there is justNow that the long hot summer has passed, my focus will enough chill in the air to benefit our fruit trees.be on taking care of my tomato plants during the winter. I nursed them through the summer and Im excited about One of the most important jobs in the garden in winterthe size and variety of green tomatoes that are now slowly is pruning. A surprise warm spell can create a false startripening. I planted several different varieties to see what on our fruit trees, so we want to be extra careful to prunethey would do. One variety I tried is an heirloom seed that only when our trees are dormant. If we wait too long after aI had gotten from a friend - she believes it was a Beefsteak, warm spell, we will miss the opportunity to prune and treeswhich I have not had luck with before. This one seems to be will start growing. Not all trees need pruning, so pleasedoing great, though. make sure you know what kind of tree you have and decide if it really needs to be pruned before you start cutting.Usually, on cold nights, I cover my garden beds with old Sometimes our warm spells will keep our fruit trees fromflannel sheets. This year, I am toying with the idea of using going dormant! I have seen too many wonderful fruit treesa sort of floating row cover that can be removed with little killed by people who decide to start chopping brancheseffort, sort of like a mini greenhouse cover. I have sketched off without really knowing what they are doing. Evenout plans for the design and will start building soon. I amyou plant it experienced gardeners need second opinions sometimes.not sure if this will work, but I am eager to give it a try.in your yard. So, if in doubt, call a friend or expert to take a look.If you are Other chores in my garden will include cleaning out andbuying at a Over the summer, my beloved Black Mission fig tree reallyrebuilding my garden beds. I am getting older, and I havenursery, ask struggled. With the high temperatures of summer, I didfound that constant bending and kneeling is not as fun asthe person everything I possibly could to shade, water, and keep itit used to be. I have decided to raise the height of my bedshelping you healthy. My efforts failed, and today I decided to have aso that I no longer have to stoop so low to the ground. Ito tip the friend come over and give me a second opinion before Ialso hope that the increased depth will enhance growth forcontainer so made any rash decisions. He looked at the mangled andwhatever I plant in the future. I may also bring my stockyou can peek dry branches, peered closely at the bark, and broke a fewtank out of storage and replant that as well. It did very wellat the roots. things off to check for any sign of life. There wasnt anya few years ago and I enjoyed the interest it added to myThey will green under the bark so he suggested cutting the entire treeyard. My grandson especially enjoyed it.usually do down to the trunk. Upon closer examination, I discoveredthis for you depending on the size of the tree.two new little saplings growing underneath the deadJanuary is also the perfect time to plant additional fruit branches off of the main trunk. He suggested letting thosetrees in your yard and garden. Do your research andIf you want to plant vegetables in your garden this month, two new branches become my main and assured me thatdecide what trees you want to add before you buy them.now is the perfect time to plant seeds or transplants of multi-branched tree would do just fine. Normally, fig treesTake a look at your yard and watch where the sunlightbroccoli, carrots, beets, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, artichoke, do not really need to be pruned, but because mine wasfalls. You want to pick a spot large enough for your fruitlettuce, spinach, turnips, green onions, leeks, chard, sweet struggling, I want to try and save the tree.tree to grow and spread its branches. Planting fruit treespeas, potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, bok choy, Chinese is an investment and will pay for themselves in wonderfulvegetables, and potatoes. Feel free to find something new to Luckily, figs are rapid growers, and pruning now willharvests of fruit well into the future if you treat them right.experiment with! After all, we live in one of the best climates effectively give the younger two branches a boost. I willPlan fruit trees as part of your entire yard and landscape,for winter gardening in the country! keep my fingers crossed as figs are so easy to grow here in Arizona. They are also delicious and great to eat raw, use inAnna apples do well here, as well as apricots, oranges, figs,For those who love flowers, you can plant geraniums, recipes, or make homemade fig newtons! If you are thinkinggrapefruit, peaches, plums, and pomegranates. Right nowpansies, hollyhocks, petunias, alyssum, sweet peas, about adding a fig tree to your yard, do it now. Figs typicallyit is too early to plant citrus so stick with other types ofsnapdragons, roses, and a variety of native plants that attract need fewer chill hours than other fruit trees and they dofruit. Many types of trees are available at local nurseries.hummingbirds and pollinators. Some great hardy native very well in drier, warmer climates.Just be sure to check the roots on whatever tree you areplants that bloom include chuparosa, brittlebush, fairy looking at - you dont want to buy a tree with roots that areduster, ocotillo, penstemon, lupine, sage, orange bells, barrel Black Mission and Brown Turkey figs are the two varietiesburnt, curled, or root bound as this tree will struggle whencactus, and saguaro. Remember, the health of your garden that do the best here but feeldepends on the health of your pollinators, so be kind to the birds, bats, bees, and the other little things that keep our gardens and our food supply productive!Happy Digging! I would like to invite you to join me on Saturday, January 20th. Desert Diggers Garden Club will be meeting at 10 am in the East Valley. There will be a short meeting, a gardening presentation, a light lunch, and a private tour of a local organic farm. Email me at contact@desertdiggers.org to reserve your spot. This is going to be a really wonderful event. I hope you will join us.Photos by Bridgette Crosby38 January 2024'