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Bonanza Photo - Emma Garrard Wend Schaefer, Shannon Beets, Daniel Eppolito, and Bruce McNulty listen to George LeBard's presentation on high-altitude gardening at Sierra Nevada College Thursday afternoon.
Tahoe has a short growing season, sometimes less than four months, and for mountain gardeners the truncated time frame coupled with the frustrating possibility of frost, even in July or August, is enough to make many "throw in the hoe" - so to speak.
But the master gardeners participating in Green Thumb Thursdays rake to a more positive tune.
Each Thursday a different gardener teaches a class at the Sierra Nevada College demonstration garden about the landscaping and growing possibilities for yards in Tahoe.
From teaching Best Management Practices, to growing container gardens to proper irrigation and fertilizer management, the eight sessions in the series offer enough tips to renew the spirits of even the most frost bitten of yard hands organizers said.
Last Thursday, George LeBard of Project MANA (Making Adequate Nutrition Accessible) set out to prove that vegetable gardening could yield delicious results for anyone with a little patience and a few feet of ground.
But the master gardeners participating in Green Thumb Thursdays rake to a more positive tune.
Each Thursday a different gardener teaches a class at the Sierra Nevada College demonstration garden about the landscaping and growing possibilities for yards in Tahoe.
From teaching Best Management Practices, to growing container gardens to proper irrigation and fertilizer management, the eight sessions in the series offer enough tips to renew the spirits of even the most frost bitten of yard hands organizers said.
Last Thursday, George LeBard of Project MANA (Making Adequate Nutrition Accessible) set out to prove that vegetable gardening could yield delicious results for anyone with a little patience and a few feet of ground.
And LeBard should know.
He's written a colorful manual about high-altitude gardening in Tahoe after spending many seasons growing his own produce at the lake.
LeBard started gardening in Brockway in 1974, a practice he continued in the temperate ground of the California foothills and then in the humid tropics of Belize before returning to his garden in Incline.
Thursday evening, a small crowd of people gathered around a picnic table at SNC to listen - some with obvious skepticism - to LeBard's confident assurance that vegetables could indeed be grown successfully at 6,200 feet.
"Given a choice, I'd rather grow vegetables at a high altitude than in the tropics," LeBard told the group, some of whom actually gasped with surprise.
LeBard said he found insects and fungi in the tropics more discouraging to his gardening endeavors than some of the hurdles he's encountered working at high altitudes.
He's written a colorful manual about high-altitude gardening in Tahoe after spending many seasons growing his own produce at the lake.
LeBard started gardening in Brockway in 1974, a practice he continued in the temperate ground of the California foothills and then in the humid tropics of Belize before returning to his garden in Incline.
Thursday evening, a small crowd of people gathered around a picnic table at SNC to listen - some with obvious skepticism - to LeBard's confident assurance that vegetables could indeed be grown successfully at 6,200 feet.
"Given a choice, I'd rather grow vegetables at a high altitude than in the tropics," LeBard told the group, some of whom actually gasped with surprise.
LeBard said he found insects and fungi in the tropics more discouraging to his gardening endeavors than some of the hurdles he's encountered working at high altitudes.
Some attendees were veterans armed with seeds and trowels while others said they had never even attempted to grow traditional edible produce on their property.
"I just came to see what you can grow and how you can do it," said Bruce McNulty and Incline resident who described himself as a "terrible - but curious" gardener.
Another resident, Gina Wiebe, said she wants to grow a vegetable garden for her son of two-and-a-half years.
"We want to grow tomatoes and radishes - but only if pests don't come," Wiebe said.
Pests, said LeBard, are a tricky part of gardening in Tahoe.
Students of LeBard's class toured the vegetables LeBard and Project MANA have planted at the demonstration garden.
"I just came to see what you can grow and how you can do it," said Bruce McNulty and Incline resident who described himself as a "terrible - but curious" gardener.
Another resident, Gina Wiebe, said she wants to grow a vegetable garden for her son of two-and-a-half years.
"We want to grow tomatoes and radishes - but only if pests don't come," Wiebe said.
Pests, said LeBard, are a tricky part of gardening in Tahoe.
Students of LeBard's class toured the vegetables LeBard and Project MANA have planted at the demonstration garden.
LeBard pointed out some of the ecologically friendly methods he uses to discourage critters from gnawing on his plants.
Small fences, fake predators statuettes (like owls), and raised beds were just a few of the tips LeBard pointed out as keys to a healthy, productive, high-altitude garden.
LeBard said Project MANA promotes gardening for its economic and nutritional value.
He also reminded attendees that growing a garden has less tangible but possibly as significant rewards.
"To me it's really grounding, just to be out in the garden - getting a little dirty, getting a little sun - it's a chance to observe one of the miracles of nature," LeBard said.
Green Thumb Thursdays are free and open to the public. The classes take place each Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m. through Aug. 10 at the North Lake Tahoe Demonstration Garden on the Sierra Nevada College Campus. For more information contact Kelly Kelso at the NTCD: (775) 586-1610 ext. 26.
Small fences, fake predators statuettes (like owls), and raised beds were just a few of the tips LeBard pointed out as keys to a healthy, productive, high-altitude garden.
LeBard said Project MANA promotes gardening for its economic and nutritional value.
He also reminded attendees that growing a garden has less tangible but possibly as significant rewards.
"To me it's really grounding, just to be out in the garden - getting a little dirty, getting a little sun - it's a chance to observe one of the miracles of nature," LeBard said.
Green Thumb Thursdays are free and open to the public. The classes take place each Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m. through Aug. 10 at the North Lake Tahoe Demonstration Garden on the Sierra Nevada College Campus. For more information contact Kelly Kelso at the NTCD: (775) 586-1610 ext. 26.
