Thank you for calling Dial-a-Garden. This message was recorded on Monday, February 25, 2008.

A “Seedling Survival Workshop” will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4 at the Sagebrush Room on the Mesa County fairgrounds, for those who have ordered or are interested in ordering seedling trees and shrubs from the Colorado State Forest Service. Each year, the Forest Service distributes approximately two million seedlings to landowners in Colorado and neighboring states at low cost, for use as reforestation, wildlife habitat, windbreaks, and so forth. Landowners must have at least two acres, and pledge not to use the seedlings for landscape purposes. The trees and shrubs come in bare-root lots of 50; additional trees are also available potted in lots of 30. To learn more about this program, please visit the Forest Service website at http://csfs.colostate.edu/nursery.htm or give the Extension office a call at 244-1834.

In Montrose, a Seedling Survival Workshop will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 28, in Friendship Hall, 1001 North Second Street. There is no charge for these informative workshops.

The cool-season vegetables include peas, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce. These very early crops may be planted as early as six weeks before the average last killing frost, which means any time now in the Grand Valley. These cool-season vegetables must be planted early in the season, as they will bolt or wilt when the weather gets hot. Warm-season vegetables, by contrast, cannot be set out until all danger of frost is past; this group includes tomatoes, peppers, corn, and squash. For lists of which vegetables to plant when, please see our web page at http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/vegpltim.html or give our office a call at 244-1836. The average frost dates for both spring and fall for the Tri River Area may be found at http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/climate.html or we’ll be glad to send you a copy.

Ornamental grasses are among the perennials that we frequently like to leave in place over the winter, to add shape and structure to our gardens during the off season. If you left yours in place, they will need to be cut back during the next few weeks. Try to avoid damaging the new tips that are coming up through the old plant. Cut carefully; pulling the old stalks will damage the roots. Many of the ornamental grasses are tough, difficult to cut, and hard on the hands, so use care when working with them.

Other perennials can be cleaned up now too. As with the grasses, cut carefully to avoid damaging any new tissue, and cut rather than pull the dead tissue away to keep from damaging the roots. In Mesa County, the landfill accepts yard waste at the composting facility at no charge, Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nothing over six feet in length, please.

February is an excellent time to take care of your house plants. Many of them will need to have soil added, and some may need repotting; most will benefit from a gentle washing. Distilled water is best for this. Pruning and dividing can also be done now. Since it is a little too early to do very much in the outdoor garden, take a little time now to spruce up the indoor one. A little light fertilizing will be appreciated as the plants start to put on new growth.

This month is also a good time to get your soil tested, so you can prepare it for spring planting. We can test for salt levels at the Mesa County Extension office, located on the fairgrounds at 2775 Highway 50 in Grand Junction; or you can drop samples off at our Delta and Montrose offices. If you’d like a nutrient analysis, which needs to be done by a qualified laboratory, we’ll be happy to provide the information.

Contact us with your plant questions; we’re at 244-1836. Master Gardeners are available most days; leave a message with your name, number, and a brief description of your problem or question, and we’ll get back to you. Thank you for calling Dial-a-Garden. This message will be updated next week; have a great week!

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Curt Swift CSU Extension Tri River Area Horticultural Agent