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Harriet Phelps and Wende Gehrt, Pinal County Master Gardeners, stand in front of cactus Sept. 17, 2026
She quickly became involved with the Master Gardener program upon moving to Maricopa in 2017. The secret she learned? Focus on native or desert-adapted plants. “I walk around the big box stores and I say, ‘This shouldn’t be sold in Arizona, or this shouldn’t be grown in Arizona,’” Gehrt said. She gives petunias as an example, noting they can be grown in February but should not be sold in stores in June. Phelps puts hostas in the same category, explaining they are too tender for the Arizona heat. All gardeners, however, should not be afraid of trial and error — or at least within reason given the extreme conditions. “It’s always an experiment; we don’t use the ‘F’ word,” she said. “There’s no such thing as failure if you try something and it doesn’t work.”
situation, it’s going to be ugly. Young families need to understand what they need to do so sustain themselves.” Gehrt looks back on similar beginnings. Her mother’s orchard and strawberry patch were only part of the equation. “I’ve been involved in gardening since I was a child growing up on a large dairy farm in Wisconsin because that’s where the food came from,” she said. “We grew and raised everything we ate. The kids also grew cucumbers for the local pickle factory, which paid for our school supplies and clothes.” She carried her love of gardening throughout her life. “Every place we lived, I always found a way to garden,” she said. “It’s the purest way to get your food.”
PINAL COUNTY MASTER GARDENER RESOURCES
520-374-6263 MacMasterGardener@gmail.com
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HARRIET PHELPS
WENDE GEHRT
What tips do you have for new gardeners?
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“Choose wisely. If you want to not do a lot of care, there are certain plants you can try. If you want something to be colorful and blooming, you’re going to do a lot of pruning and watering.”
“Be aware of the weather and your environment. If you are planting seeds, pay attention to the seed packet. That’s an encyclopedia of information.”
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“Outdoors, one of the easiest is the agave cactus. There’s no care, no pruning and it can handle the heat. It can grow in sun or shade — and you have the different colors.”
“The prickly pear cactus is easy to grow. It puts out a red fruit and you get the prickly pear jelly.”
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“We’re here to help. We want people to be successful,” Gehrt, a Glennwilde resident, said. “We are happiest when we know you are being successful.” Always a gardener The gardening journey for Phelps began in a farming community in southern Kansas. “When we were young, we knew to take a bowl out and pick the peppers or cut the okra,” she recalled. “It was just a given.” Before moving to Arizona in 2010, she was a Northern Illinois Master Gardener for seven years. Add in 13 years as a Master Gardener in Arizona, and she has 20 years of experience in
the program. A retired psychologist, Phelps worked with families and on child welfare issues for a quarter century. She believes gardening is much more than a hobby or popular diversion: She believes it can empower others to sustain themselves. She relayed the story of a teaching colleague in Illinois who was advising young people about orchards in the area. “A 5-year-old asked if all apples grow on trees. That told me how separated we are from agriculture, leaving our young people in jeopardy,” she said. “My personal perspective is that gardening teaches young families survival and sustainability. If we are ever in a food crisis
ARRIET PHELPS AND WENDE Gehrt both grew up gardening from an early age. But gardening in Arizona meant learning a few
new rules. “We killed everything the first two years we lived here,” Phelps said of she and her husband, Ted, who live in Hidden Valley. “We had to adjust our growing period. We were doing it at the wrong time of the year.” Phelps and Gehrt are two Pinal County Master Gardeners helping gardeners figure out what grows — and what doesn’t — in Maricopa. In fact, it’s why they write a gardening column in each issue of InMaricopa .
Current personal project
“My tomato garden. I love trying different varieties and colors. I get such a kick out of putting a packet of seeds in the ground and ending up with big, beautiful plants.”
“I love cactus. They are survivors and there are so many varieties. I’ve become the cactus lady. I have blue agave in my yard and a 20-foot saguaro was recently blown over by monsoon winds. It’s quite a sight seeing me hold the cactus back with a bungee cord. You have to be careful with them.”
InMaricopa.com | October 2026
October 2026 | InMaricopa.com
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