The site of the Community Garden has been graded for an additional 62 raised beds.

By Sept. 23, garden manager Rita Applegate said 31 of the beds had already been reserved.

Verde Valley Nursery started trenching and installing irrigation for the beds earlier this week.

Gardeners are already planting seeds and plants in their beds. The fall months tend to encourage the planting of cold crops, such as broccoli, cauliflowers and cabbage. Snow peas also are ideal for this season,

Most varieties of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant require about 100 days to harvest so those seeds should be already in the ground. Frost can be expected around Nov. 27.

Garden social

Tips and successes will be shared at a social from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at the garden. It is purely a time to make friends and meet fellow gardeners to share experiences.

Herb class

Donna Lorch, a master gardener, will conduct an herb class from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21, in the Pima-Hopi Room in the Community Center.

She volunteers at the University of Arizona Maricopa County Extension “Plant Help Desk” to assist residents with landscape and plant issues.

Rules change

The times of admission have changed. Access to the garden is 24 hours, seven days a week.

Also gardeners are not required to wear name badges during their time in the garden. Wearing nametags is suggested during special events so visitors can become acquainted with members.

The website for the garden is fhcultural-civic.org/community-garden.