By Leslie Wustrack
Special to The PREVIEW
The Pagosa Springs Community Gardeners are sponsoring a free educational series on gardening throughout the spring and summer months at a variety of Pagosa Springs venues. Renowned expert Ron Chacey covers all topics related to gardening in the Pagosa Springs area. All gardening talks are free and open to the public.
On Tuesday, June 18, at the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association Clubhouse, 230 Port Ave., Chacey, the eminent regional vegetable grower and an original founder of the Pagosa Springs Community Garden, will discuss how to help your vegetable crops survive the heat. A necessity for growth, the hot Colorado sun can also be a plant’s biggest enemy. Managing your garden with plant stress identification, proper watering, row covers, mulch and successive planting can ensure a successful season.
The evening’s format begins with a Q-and-A session followed by the garden talk. On Tuesday, June 18, beginning at 4:30 p.m., Chacey is inviting attendees to bring their questions — on any gardening topic of interest — and Chacey will spend 30 minutes covering the inquiries. At 5 p.m., Chacey will discuss the management of heat and drought. The talk will conclude with real-life stories and information about what Chacey is actually doing right now in his personal gardens.
An avid grower with more than seven decades of experience, Chacey is a believer in trial and error in all areas of gardening. Chacey believes that learning from mistakes is the foundation of successful gardening.
The Pagosa Springs Community Garden is located at the end of 5th Street on the San Juan River in downtown Pagosa Springs. Decades old, the garden is on land owned by the Town of Pagosa Springs, and plots are granted to the town’s citizens free of charge.
In 2017, the garden was rejuvenated by community volunteers with the assistance of local Pagosa Springs businesses. Raised beds and deer-out fencing were constructed with donated lumber. Soil amendments, fertilizers, seeds, plant starts, tools, hoses and other necessary items are all provided through the generosity of Pagosa Springs businesses. The Town of Pagosa Springs provides free water for the Pagosa Springs Community Garden.
The Pagosa Springs Community Garden is free and open to all. To receive more information, email PagosaSpringsCommunityGarden@gmail.com. Residents and town visitors are invited to stop by and enjoy the lovely space.
The 4:30 to 6 p.m. free gardening talk will be held at the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association Clubhouse on Tuesday night, June 18. Light refreshments will be served. Event attendees will receive a free copy of Chacey’s “2019 Vegetable Growing Notes.”
Visit http://www.facebook.com/PagosaSpringsCommunityGarden or email PagosaSpringsCommunityGarden@gmail.com for the dates of all upcoming free gardening talks.
