I had a good conversation with one of my bee mentors the other day. We were discussing the importance of being extremely selective in the information gathered from the internet for our own hives. Specifically, he mentioned being especially cautious in following the advice of a beekeeping blogger in North Carolina for matters relating to beekeeping in Northern Nevada. This advice relates to gardening as well, I can’t stress the importance of regionally gathered information. Gardeners love to showcase the fruits of their labors and garden blogs can be fun to follow. However, when they are paid for gathering followers, and use flashy, hot topics, there are clickbait garden secrets and hacks you should be wary of. Thankfully we have a wonderful, research-based resource here in town that can help you answer any garden questions you might have.
Occasionally in my nursery days, we would encounter a plant question that was above our pay grade. My next level of help advice was always, “you should go down to the Extension Office.” The white building at the corner of the fairgrounds at 111 Sheckler Road is owned by the University of Nevada. You can find a whole host of Northern Nevada-specific handouts, publications, and ID books to help you along on your gardening journey here. Need to get your soil tested? Highly recommended if you haven’t already by the way. The Extension Office has a list of about 25 reputable companies they can recommend. One company in particular that they regularly refer gardeners and farmers to is just over the hill in Modesto. The office here can also offer guidance on the proper method to take your test and help with the reports once you get them back. Water testing kits are also available there and again, help sorting through results is provided.
Like most offices around the county, challenging times are upon us. The Extension Office is no exception. A very kind, very experienced, wealth of information person working in the office stepped in and up to help with the vacancy. Linda Brown, a bookkeeper by trade has worked in the Extension Office for 9ish years. Herself a home orchardist and hardy flower keeper, she is a wealth of experience and good information. I would say a walking encyclopedia, but that analogy is dated these days, isn’t it? A walking Google maybe, with the ability to provide tried and true, science-based resources. She can help the home gardener with insect, weed, and or nursery plant ID for the very common, regularly occurring species we find around our county. The most frequently occurring weed she identifies for people she tells me is, Kochia by the way (future Eat your Weeds column potential). As you can imagine, she received many phone calls last year about the yellow-striped armyworms. As well as providing up-to-date, research-based solutions to help sort through your botanical issues Linda can also refer you up the food chain if needed. Whether it be the state entomologist or field crop specialist, Linda can point you in the right direction.
For more information, I encourage you to visit the office (masks are required). The building also houses the Lahontan Conservation District, NRCS, and FSA offices. You can also check them out online at extension.unr.edu or by calling 423-5121.
Finally, a gentle reminder, it’s just good practice and courtesy to always bring any samples in a Ziplock or sealable container. No one wants a desk full of woolly aphids!
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