Thank you for accessing Dial-a-Garden. This message was recorded on Wednesday, March 5, 2008.

To determine when to start seeds indoor this winter, you will need to know the date of the average last killing frost in your area. In Montrose, that date is April 25; in Delta, April 27; and in Grand Junction, April 10. Additional frost dates are available on the web at www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/climate.html or just call our offices. The seeds need to be started according to the age they should be planted in garden. For example, the cool-season vegetables such as broccoli, lettuce and cabbage should be about 6 weeks old when transplanted, which should be about six weeks before the last average killing frost. A transplanting time table is available on the web at http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/transplt.html or give us a call at 244-1836 to receive a copy.

Most trees, including fruit trees, should be pruned just prior to breaking dormancy. The summer flowering shrubs may also be cut back as needed at this time. Spring-flowering shrubs should not be pruned until it has bloomed, since they bloom on last year's growth and an early pruning will cut off this year's flower buds. With roses, it is especially important to wait until much closer to the last killing frost. Please wait until there are green leaves at the bottom of the rose bush to prune, usually in April in the Grand Valley and May in the higher elevations.

Seedling trees may still be ordered this month, although a few varieties are sold out. The low-cost seedlings are provided by the Colorado State Forest Service for property owners with two or more acres of land, to be used for non-landscape purposes such as windbreaks, reforestation, or wildlife habitat. They come in bare-root lots of 50, or potted lots of 30. See the Forest Service’s website at http://csfs.colostate.edu for descriptions of the available choices. The seedlings will be available for pickup on April 30 in Grand Junction and May 1 in Delta and Montrose.

I'm sure everyone has noticed by now that we are into the Spring burning season. While burning is a quick, cost-effective method of clearing brush, it is not the best method of weed control. The fires in most cases are not sufficiently hot to kill the seeds, and may concentrate them where the brush is piled for burning and the ash adds salts to our already salt soils. Small property owners who do not absolutely have to burn will be better served by gathering their yard watse together and starting a compost pile. As little as one cubic yard of organic watse is enough material to get the pile "cooking". A combination of high carbon materials such as prunings, straw or wood chips with an equal volume of high nitrogen materials, including horse manure, grass clippings, weeds, and plant based kitchen watse is ideal. Shred the material ahead of time to give the microbes more surface area to do their work, and water the pile enough to keep it moist but not wet. Turn it frequently. If there is not enough high nitrogen material right now, toss in a handful of a nitrogen fertilizer such as ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate. See our fact sheet at www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07212.html for more tips on getting started.

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