Events & Volunteer Opportunities

Updated by Marisa at 3:30 pm on Monday, September 14, 2026  


⛈️⛈️⛈️👏 Rain update! We are projected to get almost an inch of rain this evening! It’s plenty dry enough out there now to get our work done, but I’ll check the field conditions and update this page before 7 am tomorrow. So please check back before you come to the farm! ⛈️⛈️⛈️

TOMATO TIME CONTINUES. Please join us if you can! 

🍏🍎 On Tuesday, September 15 & Thursday, Sept 17, in addition to tomato study tasks, we will be pruning apple trees to improve access for orchard maintenance and remove fireblight-infected branches while learning about this disease. We’ll also be harvesting apples as we go. BYOB*

* BOXES, silly! 

Total tomatoes harvested by volunteers so far in 2026: over 240 lbs!


Goodbye 🍑🍑🍑 and HELLO 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅

PEACH SEASON HAS FINALLY COME TO AN END HERE AT THE LOS LUNAS AG SCIENCE CENTER. 

Thanks to all who helped harvest and share the beautiful bounty. Stay tuned next summer: depending on crop damage from the last freeze, we may have peach picking days again. 


See details below for volunteering and EVENTS! 





Page Contents:

  1. Volunteering at the Los Lunas Ag Science Center!
  2. Upcoming Events & Other Activities
  3. Tomato Study summary with photos from 2026 and 2025.

1. VOLUNTEERING WITH US at the Los Lunas Ag Science Center!

    • Where: Los Lunas Ag Science Center, 1036 Miller Road
    • When: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8-11am, starting Tuesday, April 14
      • PLEASE CONFIRM BY CHECKING this list regularly for any updates, for example, we may need to occasionally cancel volunteer mornings due to inclement weather or if we're out of town.

    • In addition to tending the tomato study rows, we will be pruning fruit trees, maintaining the saffron study plots, preparing raised beds, and much, much more on these regular Tuesday/Thursday volunteer mornings! 
      • Park in the main parking lot and follow the ORANGE TRAFFIC CONES on foot to find the group wherever we're working that day. 
      • What to Bring: 
        • a Water bottle/canteen/vessel, 
        • Sun protection - hat, sunscreen, long sleeves/pants, 
        • Sturdy fieldwork shoes that can get muddy, 
        • Gardening gloves (we have extras, if needed), 
        • Camera! Please help me snap pics of our pruning adventures for posterity 
      • As always, you are welcome to arrive late or leave early on these days. 



2. Upcoming Events & Other Activities


September

  • September 12th & 19th: Garden to Table to Pantry: Beets! 2-part series on growing, preparing and preserving BEETS in the town of Bernalillo! Just in time for fall planting. register here 
  • September 16, 3-4 pm, Ready, Set, GROW! Gardening Webinar Series (online), 9 Years of Tomato Research at the Los Lunas Ag Science Center with Dr. Marisa Thompson. Register at https://desertblooms.nmsu.edu/grow.html
  • September 17th, 9:30: learn how to protect your farm from POCKET GOPHERS with a trapping demonstration at the Indigenous Farm Hub in Corrales, led by NMSU Wildlife Specialist Sam Smallidge! Register here: https://rsvp.aces.nmsu.edu/gophers 








October







  • October 21, 3-4 pm, - Ready, Set, GROW! Gardening Webinar Series (online), "2026: Growing Challenges and Plant Diseases, a Plant Diagnostic Clinic Perspective" with Dr. Phillip Lujan. We'll review both, abiotic and biotic growing issues and plant samples sent to the plant clinic and what we can learn from them. Phillip is the NMSU Extension Plant Pathologist and Seed Certification Program Manager. Find the NMSU Plant Diagnostic Clinic at https://plantclinic.nmsu.edu/. Register at https://desertblooms.nmsu.edu/grow.html



November

  • November 18, 3-4 pm, Ready, Set, GROW! Gardening Webinar Series (online), "Saffron: A High-Value, Low-Input Crop for Small Farms in New Mexico" with Dr. Saeid Salmasi. Saffron (Crocus sativus), known as “red gold,” is the world's most expensive spice and offers a promising opportunity for small-scale farmers in New Mexico. This presentation will cover saffron production, management, harvesting, and economic potential, highlighting research and grower recommendations from New Mexico State University (NMSU). Dr. Salmasi is an Associate Professor of Agronomy and the Research Director of the Sustainable Agriculture Science Center at Alcalde, New Mexico State University. Saffron research in NM: https://alcaldesc.nmsu.edu/saffron-alcalde.html. Register at https://desertblooms.nmsu.edu/grow.html




Have an event you'd like to see posted here? Please share it with us! <desertblooms@nmsu.edu>







3. Pics from summer 2025:


Ready to be picked! In need of good home. Photo: Marisa 10-15-25 
Volunteers and interns — replanting failed tomatoes and moving solarization plastic on 7-17-25




Summer Fruit Tree Pruning workshop with TreeNM & volunteers on 7/10/25. 


Carol and I found these five hornworms on her tomatoes, and one was pooping when I took the pic.  📸 7-14-25. M. Thompson. 

















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