Roots – April 2026
Speaker: William LaVoy started his career with plants at the Muir Woods National Monument working for the National Park Service, while studying botany at San Francisco State University. He then shifted focus to agriculture where he worked with symbiotic mycorrhiza and their role in drought tolerance in rice, while obtaining a Master’s at Mahidol University in Thailand. Now as a PhD candidate in the Computational Plant Science Lab with Dr. Alex Bucksch at the University of Arizona, William is pursuing the use of sophisticated technological tools to help better understand the impact of roots and their architecture on nutrient uptake to aid plant breeding efforts.
This presentation will focus on the often overlooked and hidden half of plants, the roots. Roots are responsible for the uptake and transportation of almost all nutrients required for happy and healthy plants. They also serve as the interface between the plant and the surrounding soil environment. Root signals will actively recruit beneficial soil micro-organisms and alert the rest of the plant about changing environmental conditions. Roots are amazingly complex and important, please join my presentation to learn all about them!
Aquaponics – February 2026
Guru Das C. Bock is a permaculture designer and natural builder with 20 years of experience in building and design. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geoscience from the University of Arizona and permaculture design certification from the Sonoran Permaculture Guild. His work in the Tucson community is focused on sustainable development and regenerative practices. He is a founder of the Development of Regenerative Yield Cooperative (DRY Co-op), Awareness Ranch Inc., and Anantam Aquaponics. His work is focused on grass roots action to support and enhance the local ecology and culture of Tucson.
Aquaponics is a low water use crop production method that incorporates fish and plants in beneficial relationship. The newest iteration of this is emerging here in Tucson and southern Avra Valley. We will explore desert adapted methods designed by Anantam Aquaponics and implemented by Awareness Ranch. The critical system components will be reviewed with time for questions and answers.
Mushrooms – January 2026
January 2026
Chad Borseth is a Tucson local with decades of experience in gardening and general mycology. Chad has served the Tucson community as an educator in seed saving, gardening, mushroom cultivation, and wild mushroom identification.
Chad will discuss basic mushroom cultivation from a gardeners perspective. It is easy to get overwhelmed with the scientific techniques and equipment used in commercial mushroom cultivation, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can start your own cultures with store bought mushrooms and easy to find household materials. We will also discuss the benefits of mushrooms in the composting process and answer general mycology questions from the group.
Irrigation Basics – December 2025
December 2025
Speaker: John Counts has 10+ years in construction, 28 years at “ASDB” (yes he can sign) , 1+ years “Tucson Community Gardens of Tucson” as the irrigation specialist and 30+ years fixing irrigation systems and helping his brother Steve, a Journeyman Plumber.
This presentation will consist of basic irrigation tips, watering times he has learned and how he troubleshoots plumbing/irrigation problems in Tucson. He will demonstrate and show the different kinds of irrigation that can be used in the local area. We will have a hands-on workshop (date and details TBD) as well.
Soil Building – September 2025
September 2025
Kathleen Opeka is the founder of Desert Primrose Gardens, a Tucson-based garden educator and permaculture designer. With a background in environmental studies and wilderness education, she brings decades of hands-on gardening experience from the Colorado Plateau to the Sonoran Desert. Kathleen’s passion lies in connecting people to plants, community, and place.
Join us for an engaging discussion on building healthy soil in desert environments. This class will touch on strategies and principles for improving soil fertility through natural and regenerative approaches. Great for gardeners at any stage.
Seed Workshop – April 2025
Nicci Radhe is the grower and producer of seeds and plants at Horny Toad Horticulture. An all organic urban seed farm at the base of Sentinel peak. We offer wholesale plants and seeds to nurseries and do direct sales to the public at markets and events! Horny Toad grows and produces locally adapted heirloom and open pollinated seeds right here in Tucson.
In this speaker series we will enjoy a very short 30 minute seed 101 talk by Nicci about starting seeds indoors and outdoors followed by a seed harvesting and processing workshop. We will talk about seed starting mediums, containers and best practices to ensure strong and vibrant seedlings. The second part of this meetup is a hands-on workshop that will be on the patio of the Knox room. Attendees can just watch but if you wish to participate please bring gloves, a mask and wear long sleeves. We will be processing Hollyhocks, Wild Luffa, Tithonia, Artichoke and Basil and everyone will get seeds to take home