News & Events at Mission Garden

Enjoy our beautiful and healthy four-acre outdoor setting, where physical distance is easy to keep. Visit Pima County Health Department COVID-19 page for details on staying safe and please wear a mask in the garden. Statement on Mission Garden’s COVID-19 measures.

Unless otherwise noted, events are free with suggested $5 donation at the garden gate.

Mission Garden Open to Public
October – March, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
(April – September, Wednesday – Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.)

SALES

Mission Garden Shop (open whenever the garden is open)
Our shop carries a range of books on history and gardening, Mission Garden shirts, hats, masks and a variety of other products. We now also feature fertilizer, compost and mulch.

REGULAR CLASSES AND EVENTS

Tours of Mission Garden
Every Friday and Saturday at 9 a.m.
This 45-minute tour covers the whole garden, with information on Tucson’s history and about gardening in the Sonoran Desert. Group size limited to 10. First come, first served. Tours for small groups and families can be arranged at other times by contacting us at 520-955-5200 or missiongarden.tucson@gmail.com.

Tai Chi in the Garden on Saturday mornings has been suspended till further notice. Please continue to check here for this and other upcoming attractions that will happen in the fall.

Mission Garden Bird Walk
October 8, 8 – 9:30 a.m. (second Thursday of each month)
Join Mission Garden Outreach Coordinator and birder Kendall Kroesen to see birds that have inhabited gardens on the historic floodplain of the Santa Cruz River for millennia. Great for beginning and intermediate birders. Limited to 10 birders.

A Desert Feast: Carolyn Niethammer Book Launch
Saturday, October 17, 2020, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Carolyn Niethammer’s new book celebrates and recounts the agricultural and culinary history that led to Tucson’s designation as the United State’s first “City of Gastronomy.” On October 17 Mission Garden celebrates the launch of A Desert Feast: Celebrating Tucson’s Culinary Heritage. (COVID-19 precautions will be in place in our four-acre garden where social distancing is easy. Please wear a mask.) Other Tucson “makers,” local food system experts and representatives from the City of Gastronomy will be present. More details to come.

Corn to Tortilla: Demonstrations by Carlos Figueroa of Maiz Tucson
October 10, October 31, November 14, December 12
Details to follow

INTERNATIONAL TRIPS

The 2020 Oaxaca trip has been canceled. We have scheduled the 2021 trip:
Oaxaca
September 28 – October 5, 2021
A 7-day tour to benefit Mission Garden. Experience Oaxaca on a cultural jouirney with Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace. Tour includes: Jardin Botanico, Monte Alban, Teotitlan del Valle, Cuajimoloyas nature reserve, Mitla, Tlacolula, Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, El Tule, local markets, carving and weaving workshops, art exhibitions, artisanal mescal palenque. Trip includes trasportation (including air fare), lodging, breakfasts and lunches, 3 dinners, expert guides. Cost: $3,800/person. Single supplement $300. Reserve your spot by contacting Dena Cowan at dena.e.cowan@gmail.com.

 

 

Questions: missiongarden.tucson@gmail.com or (520) 955-5200