Ready, Set, GROW!
a FREE Webinar Series *NOW OFFERED ON THE 3rd WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH at 3 pm*With a surge in gardening questions and requests for gardening presentations, the New Mexico State University - Cooperative Extension Service is offering this FREE "Ready, Set, GROW!" gardening series to share recommended gardening practices.
Presenters will include County Extension Agents and State Extension Specialists with experience in horticulture, insects, and food.
Webinars are listed below with registration links. Sign up separately for each of the classes you would like to attend!
Each webinar is being recorded too! Links to the videos and presentation slides will be added as they become available (within a few days of the live "show"). Scroll further down for info on previously aired webinars in our ongoing series.

Presented By:
New Mexico State Cooperative Extension Service
The NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas
NMSU Department of Extension Plant Sciences
Upcoming "Ready, Set, GROW!" Webinars in 2022 Click session titles below to register for each class
Aug 17, 2022 - "Pollinators" with Miranda Kersten, Senior Program Specialist, NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas
Sept 21, 2022 - "Top 10 Most Common Plant Diagnoses" with Phil Lujan, NMSU Plant Diagnostic Clinic
Oct 19, 2022 - "Landscaping with Native Plants" - TBA! ;)
Nov 16, 2022 - "Food Preservation" with Suzanne Cole, Mora County Cooperative Extension
Dec 14, 2022 - "Landscaping Magic: Inspiration for Your Winter Garden" with Wes Brittenham, Director of Horticulture at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm
Previously-aired "Ready, Set, GROW!" Webinars
Water Storage with Sandra Liakus, Sandoval County Extension Master Gardener (EMG) - July 2, 2022 - Among other important EMG roles, Ms. Liakus acts as the Project Chair for EMG Home Visits within the county and has initiated both the New Beginnings Therapy Garden in Bernalillo & the Placitas Elementary After School Garden Club.
- Video Recording
- Presentation Slides
Additional Resources
- Video Link to "Wildlife Conservation and Habitat Enhancement on the Pueblo of Santa Ana"
- Interview with Glen Harper regarding encouraging work at Santa Ana Pueblo to restore their lands to pre-cattle grazing time and restore and reintroduce wildlife species
- Video Link to New Mexico In Focus Episode 1110: "Our Land: Pueblo Of Santa Ana Works To Restore Habitat & Bring Back Wildlife"
Keep It Cool: Shading Your Veggies - June 15, 2022 with NMSU Extension Vegetable Specialist Dr. Stephanie Walker
Drip Irrigation for the Home Garden - April 20, 2022 with Tom Dominguez, Santa Fe County Cooperative Extension
Spring Veggie Gardening - Mar 16, 2022 with John Garlisch, Bernalillo County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent
NMSU Publication - CR-457B: Growing Zones, Recommended Crop Varieties, and Planting and Harvesting Information for Home Vegetable Gardens in New Mexico
Pruning Galore - Feb 16, 2022 - with Dr. Marisa Thompson, NMSU Extension Urban Horticulture Specialist.
Common Evergreen Pests in New Mexico - Jan 19, 2022 - with Dr. John Formby, Forest Health Specialist with NM Forestry.
Video Recording - Common Evergreen Pests in New Mexico Interested in a particular tree or pest? Try searching the Audio Transcript alongside the video recording for key terms, like "ponderosa" or "beetle," to jump to specific times in the presentation.
Holiday Plants - Dec. 15, 2021 - with our own Ready, Set, GROW! Team of NMSU Extension Agents
Home Composting - Nov. 17, 2021 - Want to learn more about improving the soil in your yard and garden? Enjoy this recorded webinar with John Zarola, Outreach Coordinator for the Bernalillo County Extension Master Composters program!
Presentation Slides - coming soon
Healthy Soils - October 20, 2021 - Want to learn more about improving the soil in your yard and garden? Enjoy this recorded webinar with Isabelle Jenniches, Outreach Coordinator of The NM Healthy Soil Working Group!
Additional resources:
NMSU Extension Publications
NMSU Publication - CR-694B: Soil Health—Importance, Assessment, and Management
NMSU Publication - CR-687: Managing Organic Matter in Farm and Garden Soils
NMSU Publication - CR-676: Interpreting Soil Tests: Unlock the Secrets of Your Soil
Growing Fruits with Suzanne Cole and Sara Moran - September 15, 2021 - Learn about growing fruit in your garden, from apricots to quince, and currants to strawberries! Topics include: growing conditions, best varieties for New Mexico, & site placement.
- Video Recording - Growing Fruits
- Presentation Slides - coming soon!
Cover Crops as Garden Tools with Dr. Stephanie Walker - September 1, 2021 - The use of cover crops is a great way to improve soil, manage pests and disease, and increase your vegetable gardening success. NMSU Extension Vegetable Specialist Dr. Stephanie Walker discusses how to select and manage cover crops to overcome gardening challenges.
Planning the Fall Vegetable Garden with John Garlisch - August 18, 2021
Container Gardening - August 4, 2021 - Containers are GREAT for small spaces, patio charm, and movability (depending on the size). But they also present a slew of potential gardening problems. Urban Horticulture Extension Specialist Dr. Marisa Thompson discusses plants that do well in pots and gives tips on diagnosing and avoiding common problems.
Medicinal Plants - July 21, 2021 - Join us as Dr. Ivette Guzmán describes the fascinating world of medicinal plants and introduces us to common garden and house plants that have medicinal value. Dr. Ivette Guzman is the Assistant Professor of Horticulture at New Mexico State University. For more info on the Guzmán Farm-to-Cell research group, visit https://aces.nmsu.edu/guzman/.
Plant Diagnosis - July 7 - Phillip Lujan, Diagnostician for NMSU’s Plant Diagnostic Clinic & John Garlisch with the Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Service help us diagnose plant problems in our own backyards.
Preserving the Harvest - June 16 - Food preservation and safety tips for home gardeners! Presented by Cindy Davies, retired Family Consumer Science Agent with NMSU's Cooperative Extension Service in Bernalillo County.
NMSU Publications - Food and Nutrition
Gardening with Kids - June 2 - presented by Nissa Patterson, Program Assistant for the School Gardens Project with Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension. Gardening activities for adults to do with kids! Great for parents and teachers!
Pest Management for the Home Garden - May 19 - presented by Dr. Amanda Skidmore, the NMSU Extension Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist. Dr. Skidmore helps us all avoid common garden pests this season using proven IPM techniques!
Permaculture for the Home Garden - May 5 - presented by Valencia County Extension Agriculture Agent Lynda Garvin.
Grapevine Management - April 21 - NMSU Extension Viticulture Specialist Dr. Gill Giese explains when to do what with your grapevines based on their cycle of growth, including watering, fertilizing, managing the canopy and heat stress, and when to harvest.
Planting the Vegetable Garden - April 7 - John Garlisch with the Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Service helped us start this season off on the right foot!
Scroll down to find "Planting the Fall Veggie Garden" from Sept 2020 and "Seed Saving" from Oct 2020
Tree Pruning Basics - March 17 - Dr. Marisa Thompson, NMSU Extension Urban Horticulture Specialist
Dr. Thompson provides an introduction to pruning techniques for ornamental and fruit trees. Learn how to get started and what NOT to do!
Designing Landscapes for Diversity - March 3 - Dr. Amanda Skidmore, NMSU Extension IPM Specialist
Dr. Skidmore and members of her IPM Lab Team, Miranda Kersten and Dr. Ge Zhang, presented information on designing landscapes to support diverse insect populations and some beekeeping basics!
Presentation Slides - Designing Landscapes for Diversity - Amanda Skidmore
Presentation Slides - Basic Beekeeping - Ge Zhang
Presentation Slides - Pollinator Research segment - Miranda Kersten presented on Pollinator Research at the NMSU Ag Science Center at Los Lunas
Southwest Yard & Garden column: Q&A from Landscaping for Pollinator Diversity Gardening Webinar
Winter Weed Management - Feb 17, 2021 - presented by Dr. Leslie Beck, NMSU Extension Weed Specialist
Weed Management video recording -- audio transcript is unedited. An updated transcription will be available soon.
Early Bird Catches the Weed: Control Goatheads and Sandspurs
Controlling Perennial Weeds: Silverleaf Nightshade and Nutsedges
Starting Seeds Indoors - 3 Feb 2021 - led by Nissa Patterson - NMSU Bernalillo Extension Program
Starting Seeds Indoors Video -- raw video with auto-generated text
NMSU Publication - CR-457B: NM Growing Zones for the Vegetable Garden
NMSU Publication - CR-457: NM Home Vegetable Gardening
NMSU Publication - Guide H-220: Starting Plants Early
Health Benefits of Gardening - Jan 20, 2021 -- with Suzanne Cole, Mora County Extension
Video for Health Benefits of Gardening -- Raw video and unedited transcript
Houseplant Care - Jan 6, 2021 - with John Garlisch of Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension
Houseplant Care Video Recording -- note text transcription is auto-generated. We are working to clean up any errors.
Holiday Wine Pairings for New Mexico with Dr. Gill Giese
Event occurred on Dec. 16
CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDED SESSION Please note that improved closed captioning will be made available as soon as possible.
Gardening Gift Ideas
Join the Ready, Set, GROW crew as we share our favorite garden-related books, tools, and gear!
Event occurred on Dec. 3 - CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDED SESSION ON ZOOM Please note that full closed captioning will be made available as soon as possible and that link will be included here.
Taking Care of the Winter Landscape
Learn how to take care of your trees, shrubs, and perennials in the outdoors landscape during the winter.
Nov 18, 2020 -3pm
Marisa Thompson, NMSU Horticulture Specialist
Event occurred on Nov. 18 - CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDED SESSION Please note that improved closed captioning will be made available as soon as possible.
View or download presentation slides for "Taking Care of the Winter Landscape"
Selecting and Planting Trees
Learn about selecting trees from the nursery and planting them correctly in your yard.
Nov 4, 2020 at 3pm
Jeff Anderson, Dona Ana Extension Agent
Event occurred on Nov. 4 - CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDED SESSION ON YOUTUBE! Please note that improved closed captioning will be made available as soon as possible.
View or download presentation slides for Selecting and Planting Trees
Seed Saving
Learn how to save and store seeds from your garden!
Oct. 21, 2020 - 3 PM
Lynda Garvin, Valencia County Extension, presenter
Event occurred on Oct 21, 2020 - CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDED SESSION Please note that full closed captioning will be made available as soon as possible. The new link will be provided here.
The Humble Herb - Oct. 7, 2020 - Suzanne Cole, Mora County Extension
Event occurred on Oct 7 - CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDED SESSION Please note that improved closed captioning will be made available as soon as possible.
Demonstrating how to grow, harvest, AND preserve fresh herbs at home!
Pollinator Habitat for the Fall/Winter Garden
Amanda Skidmore, NMSU Integrated Pest Management Specialist, presenter
Want to provide food and shelter to protect pollinators during fall and winter? Dr. Amanda Skidmore will present tips about providing resources to support the pollinator community in the garden.
Event occurred on Sept. 16 - CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDED SESSION ON YOUTUBE Please note that full closed captioning will be made available as soon as possible, using this link.
Planting the Fall Veggie Garden - Sept. 2, 2020 - with John Garlisch, Bernalillo Extension
Late Summer is the perfect time to replant vegetables that like to ripen when it is cool. Start to plan for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Frost will be starting in a couple of weeks in some parts of New Mexico!
CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDED SESSION ON YOUTUBE Please note that full closed captioning will be made available as soon as possible, using this link.
For more information, contact Marisa Thompson
Email:
desertblooms@nmsu.edu