Events & Volunteer Opportunities

Updated by Marisa at 10:25 am on Tuesday, Sept 30, 2025

BYOB*! (* boxes)

Lots of HARVESTING & volunteer opportunities listed below. 

JUJUBE Tasting & Picking Workshop -- Ristra-Making Workshop -- Quince Harvest Party (plus tomatoes, apples, and chiles every Tues & Thurs)

🍅🍅🍅 2025 Harvest Weights - Running total: over 1,100 lbs. (see individual harvest amounts per volunteer day at the bottom of this page)

                        

Page contents:

  • Volunteer Info (where, when, what to bring)
  • Upcoming Events & Other Activities
  • Photos from this summer
  • Flyers for upcoming events
  • Tomato harvest weights by day


Volunteer Info (where, when, what to bring)


    Marisa Thompson's Urban Horticulture Program (Agrivoltaics & Tomatoes in 2025)
 Harvesting TOMATOES -- From here on up past the first frost, we'll be harvesting tomatoes (and chiles and apples) every week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Please bring boxes with you if you'd like to take some home. I'll keep a running total of harvest weights below.


                Where: NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas
                1036 Miller Road
                Los Lunas, NM 87031

    • May-October - Tuesday & Thursday Mornings, 8 am - 11 am. 
      • Our volunteer mornings are at the Los Lunas Ag Science Center, meetings either in the Learning Garden or adjacent veggie rows, or pruning activities in different fruit orchards. Park in the main parking lot and follow the ORANGE TRAFFIC CONES on foot to find the group wherever we're working that day. 
      • As of July 24, tomato harvests have officially started! 
      • What to Bring: BOXES for tomatoes! and 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. 👍

     

    Upcoming Events & Other Activities

    • Sept. 26, 9-11 am -- Jujube Fruit Picking & Tasting Workshop at the Los Lunas Ag Science Center. **CLASS IS FULL**
    • Oct 2-5 in Las Cruces - Native Plant Society of New Mexico Annual Conference https://www.npsnm.org/
    • Oct. 6-8, 2025 Southwest Turfgrass Conference & Expo, Ruidoso. More info: http://southwestturfgrass.com/
    • Wednesday, October 8, 10-11:30 am - "CHILE CHAT" conversation hosted by the Chile Pepper Institute. First Wed of each month! Attend remotely via Zoom or in-person in Las Cruces. See flyer below for details.
    • Friday, October 10, noon - "Hose Bib Irrigation for Trees" webinar presentation by Richard Perce for the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority (part of a series! see flyer below)  - https://www.abcwua.org/conservation-rebates-workshops/
    • Wednesday, October 15, 3 pm - Ready, Set, GROW! Webinar - "Japanese Beetles" - Bethany Abrahamson, Sandoval County Extension Agriculture Agent, will discuss invasive Japanese beetle, its role as an agricultural pest and how you can help keep it out of New Mexico. Register at https://desertblooms.nmsu.edu/grow.html
    • Thursday, October 16, "When Do Trees Need Our Help?" presentation by Marisa Thompson for NM Nursery Growers Association at Osuna Nursery
    • Friday, October 24, noon - "Passive Rainwater Harvesting" webinar presentation by Anthony Luketich & Bobby Mullin for the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority (part of a series! see flyer below)  - https://www.abcwua.org/conservation-rebates-workshops/
    • Tuesday, October 28, 1-3 pm - "Ristra Making Workshop" at the Los Lunas Ag Science Center. See flyer below for more details.
    • Saturday, November 15, 10 am - 12 pm - "Quince Harvest Party" at the Los Lunas Ag Science Center! 
    • Wednesday, November 19, 9 am - 4 pm - Southeast NM Urban Horticulture Symposium in Roswell. See flyer below.
    • Wednesday, November 19, 3 pm - Ready, Set, GROW! Webinar - "Vermicomposting" - Yini Wang, Bernalillo County Extension Master Composters Apprenticeship Program. Yini will walk us through the simple steps for vermicomposting in any garden. Register at https://desertblooms.nmsu.edu/grow.html
    • Wednesday, December 17, 3 pm - Ready, Set, GROW! Webinar - "The Skinny Garden" - Anne Fenkner, Western Region Project Developer with Davey Resource Group. Anne will waltz us through a decade-long tale of converting a rusty chain link fence into a stunning community asset! For more information, visit the Skinny Delight website. Register at https://desertblooms.nmsu.edu/grow.html

    Pics from this summer:

    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. 





















    🍅🍅🍅 2025 Harvest Weights - Individual harvest amounts from each volunteer day

                        July 24: 34 lbs.

                        Aug 5:    58 lbs.

                        Aug 7: 38 lbs. 

                        Aug 12: 76 lbs.

                        Aug 14: 106 lbs.

                        Aug 19: 146 lbs.

                        Aug 21: 67 lbs.

                        Aug 26: 140 lbs.

                        Aug 28:

                        Sept 2:  191 lbs.

                        Sept 4: 

                        Sept 9:

                        Sept 11: 72 lbs.

                        Sept 16: 161 lbs.

                        Sept 18: 55 lbs.

                        Sept. 23:

                        Sept. 25:



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