Several gardening opportunities on calendar

Fall gardening, a plant giveaway and a chance to become a master gardener take center stage this week. Hope you can take advantage of these opportunities.

'FALL' INTO GARDENING

Yes, fall is an ideal time to plant gardens in Las Vegas. Join several master gardeners and me as we cover the ins and outs of fall gardening. Learn how to add nutrients, high fiber and zest to your dinner table. That's at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd. To reserve your seat, call 822-7786.

It sounds a bit odd, but fall is the best time to grow spring vegetables. It's really spring in reverse. We plant in the spring when it's cool, and harvest in the heat. As a result, you lose some of the flavor. In the fall, we plant when it's hot then harvest when it's cool. The result is sweeter, crisper, snappier, better-tasting vegetables. This way, you will have a greater gardening experience in our desert city. Note these advantages for planting this fall:

• Pests are almost nil. You might find aphids on the leafy crops.

• You'll use less water, resulting in significant savings.

• You'll work under nearly ideal conditions.

• You'll get higher quality produce.

• It will be a significant savings to your grocery bill.

PLANT GIVEAWAY

Between 10 a.m. and noon Thursday, the Springs Preserve will give away three kinds of Mojave plants: a vine, ornamental grass and small shrub. They went fast at the plant sale, so get there early to get yours. The purpose of the giveaway is to get people using Mojave natives in their landscapes.

• California wild grape is great for quickly covering ugly walls, fences or trellises. It often is used to rapidly screen out intruding sun shining through windows or to shade a sun-drenched patio. This native produces large grapelike leaves that turn striking autumn colors each fall. Out in the desert, you'll find it near dry streambeds. Once it's established, it withstands long droughts. It has small, tasteless purple grapes and the plant becomes woody with age.

• Switchgrass is a very attractive, hardy grass. Use it as a low screen in a perennial border, part of a meadow, a native garden, in mass plantings or as an accent. It really shows off during the early winter. It is a clumping perennial warm-season grass, which can get waist-high. Flowers occur in late summer, rising above the foliage, and persist into winter, providing food for birds.

Switchgrass is becoming the next miracle crop for renewable fuel. It's a fast-growing variety of prairie grass. Documents are now showing it is nearly five times more efficient to produce than corn ethanol.

• Bladder-sage is a well-behaved shrub, blending well in xeric gardens, giving them interesting texture and color. The papery, rose-colored balloonlike sac or bladder follows attractive flowers, making this plant unusual and delightful from spring through fall. It gets about knee-high at maturity. You'll find it on rocky slopes and dry washes in our desert. Grayish leaves are sparse and shed if stressed for water. The bladder structure draws you away from the leafless branches.

BE A MASTER GARDENER

Nevada Cooperative Extension is starting a new master gardener series. These gardeners complete 72 hours of training, and in return give 50 hours of volunteer service back to the community each year. The extension is having an informational seminar at 9 a.m. Aug. 10 at the NCE Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 Paradise Road. They will detail the training programs, volunteer commitment and community projects so you'll understand what's expected if you enter the program. You don't have to be an expert gardener to become a master gardener volunteer -- all it takes is a desire to learn and want to help others.

Training classes (24 of them) begin Sept. 14 from 9 a.m. to noon, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. A $150 fee is due with completed applications; scholarships and payment plans are available. To make reservations, call 257-5501.

The master gardener program teaches sustainable desert gardening practices, including proper plant selection and care and pest management and water-efficient gardening tailored for here. Volunteer projects include Acacia Park, the Nathan Adelson Hospice and the Las Vegas Springs Preserve. Additional projects include the Doolittle and Lieburn Senior Center Community Gardens, the Master Gardener Orchard and Nellis Air Force Base Environmental Grove. It also involves answering gardening questions.

Linn Mills writes a garden column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@springspreserve.org or call him at 822-7754.