April 2020 Gallup Journey Magazine

Page 44

T’aachil

Growth of Early Plant Life

H

By Nicole A. Benally ow is it already April? Although time seems to be flying by and there are tons of things that are out of our control, I always find that my Navajo culture and gardening always bring me back to peace and balance. The Navajo word for “April” is “T’aachil” meaning the

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April 2020

Growth of Early Plant Life. So this article will hopefully serve as a quick general guide for you to begin your garden journey this year. Earlier I came across one of New Mexico State University’s Extension HowTo Publications called “Home Vegetable Gardening in New Mexico” by Stephanie Walker. Stephanie structured gardening into eight simple steps which I will be sharing with you and then relating them

to the areas of McKinley and San Juan Counties for example. Step #1: Know your climate. In New Mexico, there are three major growing zones (north, central, and south) which are all based on the average number of frost free days. McKinley and San Juan counties are in the northern zone which has about 150 frost free days. Usually the


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