By Elizabeth Warburton-Smith Many of you know that the land where the Rita Ranch Community Garden resides has now been sold and that our last day is April 30th. We do have a temporary location where we will be able to store all of the garden blocks, fencing, sheds, potting bench, etc., but for our forever home, we are currently in negotiations and...
By Elizabeth Warburton-Smith Its been a long road along the journey to create the Rita Ranch Community Garden. 10 years ago, we conceptualized the idea of the community garden located at 7471 S. Houghton Road. We were given full permission to develop and use the land with the stipulation that the land could potentially sell someday. Just over a...
By Elizabeth Warburton-Smith According to www.TribetoTable.com, tepary beans have been grown in our Sonoran Desert for countless generations. These extremely drought tolerant and heat loving beans are super heart healthy providing more protein (21 grams per ½ cup) and more fiber than regular beans and they also have a lower glycemic index. They...
By Elizabeth Warburton-Smith While we are still searching for our forever home for the Rita Ranch Community Garden, that hasn’t stopped things from happening at our Houghton Rd location. Recently, we had lots of amazing volunteers come out for a 2 day “Days of Caring” event sponsored by United Way of Tucson to pull weeds, harvest veggies, and...
By Elizabeth Warburton-Smith Pumpkins are one of the oldest domesticated plants having been cultivated and loved since about 7,500 BC and are native to the Southern United States and northeastern Mexico. Pumpkins are a great source of healthy nutrition being high in vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin K, folate and lutein with 1 cup providing 1.8...
By Elizabeth Warburton-Smith Moringa tree with over 100 seed podsMoringa is one of the most amazing trees in the world and in fact, its nickname is the “Miracle Tree” for all the benefits it provides. Moringas are prized for their high nutritional value and are edible from the root to the leaves and most people ingest the leaves either fresh or...
By Elizabeth Warburton-Smith August is the time of year when we usually have lots and lots of herbs in our garden. Basils, parsley, thyme, mint, marjoram, and many other herbs are going strong and they taste and smell so good. You can harvest your herbs anytime the plant has enough leaves to share with you and still keep enough to photosynthesize...
By Elizabeth Warburton-Smith Chili peppers are a favorite in the Southwest for their flavor, versatility, and of course spiciness. Some of my absolute favorite chilis to grow are Jimmy Nardello which is a sweet Italian frying pepper and Anaheim for the very best chili rellenos. Chef Greg loves habanero and chili de arbol which looks like an...
By Elizabeth Wharburton-Smith The Rita Ranch Community Garden has been my passion project since the idea popped into my head 10 years ago. But it is so much more than that. Our community at large has enjoyed the garden in so many different ways: by personally growing and harvesting flavorful, organic produce; touring the garden for design and...
By Elizabeth Warburton-Smith As we continue to look for a new location for the Rita Ranch Community Garden, we haven’t stopped tending the garden in its current location. There is much to do in February including keeping an eye on the weather as it can be the coldest month of the year. Plant your spring pepper and tomato seeds now (if you haven’t...
