Articles in this issue:
| If you wait until May or
June to start your vegetable garden, you are missing out on planting many
cool season crops. My friends are surprised when I tell them that I already
have my garden going in March. With a little preparation during the winter
months, you can be ready to start harvesting weeks earlier.
Our cool spring and fall temperatures, as well as the cooler night temperatures throughout the summer, favor the cool season vegetables. Some can be planted by seed directly in the garden. As soon as the soil is ready, usually around April 1, you can plant peas, lettuce, spinach and turnips. The sweet little sugar snap peas are now my favorite garden vegetable, beating out fresh asparagus and tiny french green beans. Edible podded peas will usually out-produce the common garden or shelling pea. Peas come in bush or vining form. The bush varieties do well with pea sticks to lean on. I use smaller branches that I ve pruned from trees and shrubs in the early spring. Set in the ground when the peas are planted, the plants will grow up through them rather than flopping in the mud. Provide a trellis for vining varieties. Lettuce is an easy crop to grow, and much better than what you find at the grocery store. It's sweeter and more tender, and certainly cheaper. Attractive enough to include in a flowerbed, it's also small enough to grow in a container and is extremely hardy. Several years ago in late April I planted out some lettuce I had started indoors. Two days later we had 3 feet of wet snow. I worried about those little lettuces and when the snow melted they were flat as pancakes. Within a few days they perked up and grew on. I always plant old timer Black Seeded Simpson in my garden for a productive leaf lettuce. Freckles or Speckles leaf lettuce is an unusual lime-green variety spattered with tiny maroon spots. Merlot is a deep black-red lettuce that is so decorative that I have used it in flowerbeds. Once the days get hot, lettuce will go to seed but can be sown again in mid-August for a fall crop. Try one of the mesclun seed mixes, which often include arugula. My husband calls it hippie lettuce ; it s the trendy mix of greens often served in restaurants, with small, pungent, colorful leaves. It makes a fast growing crop that will produce several cuttings. Around the 15th of April you can sow beets, chard and radishes in the garden. Beets need a steady amount of moisture and like turnips, need their shoulders covered to avoid sunscald. The heirloom variety Bull's Blood has lovely dark red foliage. Burpee's Golden Beet has good flavor and doesn't bleed as red beets do. Chard is tough, withstanding cool spring temperatures and also holding up in hot weather. The award winning variety, Bright Lights includes a mix of colored chard; pink, orange and yellow as well as the more familiar red and green. For colorful radishes try the variety Easter Egg for pink, white and purple radishes. In late April carrots can go in. They take their time germinating so it's important to keep the seed bed moist. Try covering it with a light layer of straw to help hold the moisture. |
For long straight carrots it's necessary to remove rocks from the seedbed. In a child's vegetable garden it's recommended to leave the rocks in, the better to grow carrots with funny shapes! To avoid the problem altogether, grow the short, round-shaped variety Thumbelina . Some cool season vegetables will get off to a faster start if you start them indoors, or buy transplants from a nursery, rather than sowing them directly in the garden. These will need to be hardened off before you can plant them out in the garden. Cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower plants can go in the ground April 15, so you will need to start them indoors on March 1. Cabbages come in all shapes and colors and are truly beautiful in the garden; I consider them the giant roses of my vegetable garden. January King is a luminescent blue-green cabbage flushed with pink and purple. It is an heirloom variety from England that is the star of my vegetable patch, so gorgeous that I can hardly bring myself to pick it. Melissa is a sturdy grower with savoyed, or ruffled leaves. Red cabbages like Ruby Ball do well, but develop more slowly. Homegrown broccoli tastes much better than its grocery store counterpart and is well worth planting in your garden. Cauliflower is more temperamental to grow than broccoli and requires a bit of luck to do well. Be prepared to protect it from a cold snap, as cauliflower will not tolerate a severe freeze. You will need to blanch the heads so that they don't become yellow and tough. This means folding and tying the leaves over the developing heads when they are about 2 inches in diameter. To avoid this task, look for self-blanching or purple varieties. I'm not a fan of brussels sprouts but I planted them in my garden for my mother-in-law. They look like vegetables from Mars; the tiny cabbage-like sprouts form along a thick central stem, very different from any other vegetable in the garden. Brussels sprouts require a long season to develop and should be set out in mid-April for a fall harvest. Brussels sprout aficianados say they taste best after a frost in the fall. Variety Red Rubine produces a colorful crop. Kohlrabi is another vegetable that looks like something from Mars. Start kohlrabi indoors on April 1 and plant it outdoors after May 15. You can sow a fall crop in the garden in mid-summer. Plant a few hardy annuals in mid-April along with your cool season vegetables. Flowers like pansies, snapdragons and calendulas will bloom early and attract pollinators and other beneficial insects to your garden. The varieties mentioned in this article are some that I have had success with. For a list of varieties tested and recommended by Colorado State University, see SIA 7.600, Vegetable varieties recommended for Colorado's Front Range . For a handy vegetable gardening reference covering culture, varieties and pests, call our office and ask for a copy of Vegetable Gardening in the Pikes Peak Region . Cost is $5.00. |
CSU Fact Sheets:
Request these information sheets about vegetable gardening from the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension office, or download them from http://www.colostate.edu/depts/CoopExt/PUBS/pubsmenu.html.
SIA 7.603 Planning the vegetable garden
SIA 7.604 Vegetable root crops for the home garden
SIA 7.608 Leafy vegetable crops for the home garden
SIA 7.611 Fertilizing the home vegetable garden
SIA 7.613 Efficient water use in the vegetable garden
| Growing your garden from
seed is such a satisfying process. I know some fine gardeners that don't
want to bother and buy all their plants each spring to transplant. They
may have beautiful gardens, but I can't help but feel they are missing out
by not taking part in the entire life cycle.
Aside from the satisfaction of nurturing your garden from seed to harvest, growing from seed allows you to be more selective about the varieties you grow. You can choose varieties that grow well in short seasons, tasty heirloom vegetables, or unusual annual flowers. Seeds are available on racks at local nurseries, or through mail order from dozens of seed companies. It is worth buying good quality, fresh seed for reliable germination. Study your seed packets for information on when to start different types of seed. It should tell you how many days from germination to transplant time. Then count back the proper number of weeks from the planting date to decide when to start your seeds. Starting seed indoors can be done easily with a little preparation. Seeds need light, warmth and moisture to grow. A sunny windowsill provides sufficient light, but you will need to turn your pots often to keep the seedlings from leaning toward the sun. Your other option is to provide artificial light. Use cool-white 40 watt fluorescent bulbs; more expensive Grow lights are not necessary for seed starting. I use two inexpensive shop light fixtures suspended about 3-4 inches apart. Seeds will grow best with a constant temperature of about 60-65F; this will produce sturdy plants. Leave the lights on 16 hours a day; a timer makes this easy to schedule. Keep the seedlings close to the lights, only 3-4 inches away. Seedlings grown under lights seem stockier and do grow faster than those grown on the windowsill, but either method will work. Providing warmth can speed up germination. This can be as simple as putting your pots on top of the refrigerator or water heater, which stay warm all day, or using fancy electric heating cables and mats. Since using a heating cable, I have found that germination is much faster, especially with warm season plants like peppers and zinnias. Bottom heat will speed up germination, but is not necessary. You can use a variety of pots for seed starting: small plastic tubs from dairy products, styrofoam cups, egg cartons, cut-off milk cartons or plastic jugs. Whatever you use needs to be clean (wash with a solution of 1 part household bleach to 9 parts water), and must have holes for drainage. You will need to allow for a soil depth of 2-3 inches. At your local nursery you can purchase plastic six-packs, peat pots or small plastic pots and flats. If you want to use garden soil, you will need to screen out rocks and large chunks and sterilize it to get rid of weed seeds and damaging fungi. You can do this in a 250-degree oven. Moisten the soil, spread it in a shallow pan and leave it in for 45 minutes. Allow it to cool and mix with sphagnum peat and sharp sand at a ratio of 1 volume of each to 2 parts soil. I have never done this myself, it sounds like a lot of trouble and I've heard that it really stinks up your kitchen. Instead I use a commercial seed starting mix.
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Moisten your soil mix before filling your pots. Some mixes initially resist moisture due to the peat included in the mix. Fill your pots and firm the soil, don't pack it down, leaving some space from the soil surface to the top of the pot. Now you will need to read the back of your seed packet to find out how deep to plant the seed. Place the seed on the soil surface and sift soil mix on top to the proper depth. The rule of thumb is to cover the seed no more than 4 times its diameter. Some seed needs light to germinate and will not need to be covered at all. The packet should also note if the seed needs special preparation before planting, like soaking or chipping at the seed cover to aid in germination. I usually water after the seeds are planted by placing the pot in a larger tray full of tepid water. The pot will eventually soak up moisture from the bottom. Don't forget to label your pots! You can purchase plastic or wood labels at a garden center or use wooden popsicle or craft sticks, which can be purchased cheaply at hobby stores. Seal the pots in a large plastic bag or cover with plastic wrap to create a moist environment for germination. Rigid plastic covers to place over seed starting trays are available at garden centers. Keep the pots out of direct light to germinate. Once you see little green sprouts, move into brighter light and gradually remove the plastic covers. The first thing you see emerge from the ground is the cotyledon; a pair of leaves that may not resemble the true leaves of the plant. The cotyledon contains nutrients to nourish the seedling for a short time. Once the first true leaves appear, you can thin the seedlings, or move them into a pot of their own. It is best when thinning to cut off the unwanted seedlings rather than pulling them so that you don't disturb the roots of the ones you want to keep. I always feel bad for the thinnings and have to resist potting up everything. There are limits on space, so choose the strongest seedlings and cut away the rest. Transplanting tiny seedlings is a delicate operation, allow enough time so you aren't rushed. Prepare your new containers, firm the soil mixture and use a pencil to make a small hole to drop the transplant in. Separate the seedlings with a kitchen fork or knife and lower one into the prepared hole. When handling the seedlings, hold them by a leaf, not by the stem. Tamp soil lightly around the seedling and water gently into place. Keep them out of direct light for 24 hours to prevent transplant shock. Watch your pots carefully to monitor the soil moisture. They are small and can dry out quickly, killing your fragile seedlings. If kept too wet, you may see mold growing on the surface, or lose plants to damping-off fungus. I've never had a problem with damping off; perhaps our extremely dry climate helps prevent it. Damping off is a fungal disease that can leave seedlings lying on the soil with green leaves and blackened, shriveled stems. It can sweep through entire flats, so remove any plants immediately that show these symptoms. Use clean pots, sterile soil and water sensibly to avoid the problem. You will need to fertilize your small plants, especially if you have used a soilless potting mix. In her book From Seed to Bloom, Eileen Powell suggests using a liquid fertilizer applied at the rate recommended by the manufacturer. Apply this weak solution 1-2 times a week for the first 3 weeks, then use at full strength every 10 days or so. Do not apply fertilizer to dry soil. In July and August, when I survey my garden and see all the flowers and vegetables that I have nurtured from seeds, I marvel at the miracle I have taken part in; watching tiny dried up seeds sprout and grow into 5 foot tall tomato plants, or gaudy blooming zinnias. Being involved in the entire process gives an added satisfaction to gardening.
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| It's Winter. Almost every
garden article you read for the next couple of months will start out with
this is the perfect time of the year to plan next spring s garden. I have
to agree. I can't wait until after the holidays to cozy up in a big chair
on a cold winter day, with an armload of books and catalogs, a pad of paper,
colored pencils and start planning!
When we hear those words garden planning , most of us probably think of garden catalogs loaded with vegetables, annuals and perennials. We tend to forget the walls of our garden rooms - the trees and shrubs, without which our garden may appear only a foot or two taller than the plains from which it came. Maybe you've just moved into a brand new home. Garden walls ? Your yard is probably waiting for its first dandelion! Or you might have a very established landscape, but perhaps there's one corner that's been calling out to you over the years, and you just can't make up your mind which plant would look the best. Whatever the reason for planning, it can be as much fun to research your future trees and shrubs as it is to order those heirloom tomato seeds. As you're beginning your research, one of the many things to keep in mind is - how interesting are these plants during the entire year? Who doesn't swoon during the first blush of spring when the forsythias are in full bloom? They provide us with a very necessary dose of spring fever and nostalgia. For those of us who are forsythia and lilac-deprived, it may cause us to rush right out to our local nursery and purchase an entire truckload of these shrubs for a 60-foot hedge along the back border. I find myself driving all over town, through the different neighborhoods every spring, in search of these border hedges so I can get my forsythia fling out of my system. But, if your yard is on the small side, planting space is more than likely at a premium. Are you sure you want to use up the whole border for a two week romance? In a small yard, one magnificently scented lilac, next to the bedroom window, may be all you need. Why not fill up the rest of your space with shrubs that can pique your interest all year long? Fortunately, along the front range we can choose from a large selection of four-season shrubs, native and cultivated, that thrive under our challenging growing conditions. The largest challenge we face is the lack of moisture. Are there four-season shrubs that are xeric? You bet! One plant that's been along the front range longer than I-25 is the Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus). A Colorado native, this one didn't start out as one of my favorites, but over the years, its standing has moved up to the very top of my list. You've all seen this plant at road edge - two to three foot high, a wide-spreading mound which in late summer, early fall, is covered with brilliant yellow flower heads that should give Highway #115 its very own gold-belt designation. During the winter months, the flower heads remain, turning from gold to a rich taupe. In the spring and summer, depending upon the variety, the slender, gray/blue or bright green foliage is a standout against the dark evergreen background of Pinon Pines and Junipers, the perfect soul mates for Rabbitbrush. |
I'm happy to say it has gained favor all over town in recent years. In a cultivated setting, such as our yards, it benefits from a late winter, early spring haircut. Trim all the branches evenly, keeping the mounded shape so the branches are approximately 12-18 high after trimming. Remember to keep this one away from the sprinklers though. It needs supplemental watering only during its first year in the ground. After that, whatever nature provides is sufficient. Blue Mist Spirea (Caryopteris x clandonensis) is Rabbitbrush's cultivated counterpart, only with tiny, cornflower blue flowers that bloom in late July and August. It mirrors the same mounding shape as Rabbitbrush, retains layers of tiny dried, creamy colored flower heads throughout the fall and winter, and likes the same springtime haircut as Rabbitbrush. It, too, has gray/blue/green foliage that benefits from an evergreen background. It does just fine with nature's watering system, but will tolerate the sprinklers better than Rabbitbrush. Colorado is lucky to have its native Three-leaf Sumac (Rhus trilobata) which gives us great fall color and wildlife habitat for the birds, but one of the cultivated sumacs provides a little more winter interest than the native. Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) not only has brilliant fall color (orange/red/purple), but in the winter the sparse, picturesque branches do, indeed, resemble the horns of a stag, in shape, and to the touch, as if the horn is in velvet, very soft and hairy. The fruiting stalks are a deep maroon, approximately 10 long and remain all winter long into spring. The large, compound leaves of the Staghorn Sumac provide a tropical texture to the garden in spring and summer. This plant needs a place in the garden where it can freely self-propagate, sending up suckers which can create a Staghorn Sumac grove if that is your desire. (Why not?? They don't have all the leaf spot diseases than our aspen groves are prone to when we bring them down from their mountain habitat.) The Staghorn Sumac especially looks nice planted near a corner of a house - just the right height to soften the edges (mature height 12-15" high). I have just enough space left to tell you about one more of my favorite four-season shrubs, Red-leaf Rose (Rosa rubrifolia), a very delicate plant, visually. It starts out in the spring with tiny, beautiful dark red/purplish foliage that remains all through the growing season into autumn. The pure pink, single flowers appear in late spring and early summer, with a few stragglers in late summer. During the winter, deep orange rose hips decorate the branches for the birds. This rose bush does better with minimal pruning. Left alone to develop its own branching pattern, it will gracefully reach out here and there, eventually becoming a mature 6-8" tall. Not quite as xeric as the others mentioned above, it will do okay with no supplemental watering, but if you have a microclimate in your yard where you keep your favorite plants that do need a small amount of supplemental watering, this is probably where you'll want to place Red-leaf Rose. I've just touched on a few of the many shrubs that could be your next four season shrub, just to wet your appetite. It's so much fun to sit in that comfy chair and do your own research, I don't want to take all the pleasure away from you! Be sure to call the Master Gardener office, 636-8921, to add to your research-based information stash!
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In some climates, gardeners put their yards and gardens to bed in late November, then watch the snow cover their plants, knowing their gardens will be insulated and well-watered until the snow finally melts in March. But not in our neighborhood! Here in the Pikes Peak region, winter wears many faces; sunny and warm, snowy and cold, overcast and damp or blustery with howling winds. We have to protect our gardens from all aspects of this most changeable season. A key step in preparing your garden for winter is to clean up debris from the past season's gardening efforts. Dead leaves can serve as mulch and insulation for plants, but any rotting or discarded plant parts, vegetables for example, should be cleaned out of the beds. They can serve as incubation sites for plant disease that will affect next year s crops. In your perennial beds, dead or decaying foliage can also harbor insect pests. You are wise to tidy up all of your growing areas. Another important consideration is your garden's water needs. Because much of the winter in this region is sunny, dry and windy, not only the ground dries out, the plants do, too. Although photosynthesis slows down in the winter, may plants continue to lose moisture through their leaves or needles. When plant roots cannot find soil moisture to compensate for what s lost through the needles and leaves, the plant begins to brown and die. Of course, you can't use your irrigation system in the winter because of the danger of water freezing in the pipes and damaging the system. But you will need to water; at least once a month if there has been no snow cover. Water on a day when the temperature is above freezing and the sun is shining. Apply water early in the day so it will have time to soak in before nightfall. Even though the plants in your yard or garden are relatively dormant, their root systems will need water so you should water as deeply as possible. Another way to protect your plants from desiccation (loss of water through the leaves or needles) is to purchase an antidesiccant spray from a garden center. Antidesiccant sprays should be applied before the first hard frost. Follow the directions carefully; too much spray can burn the foliage.
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A third approach, to be used in tandem with the first two, is to use a winter mulch. The evergreen boughs from your holiday tree, pine needles, peat moss, leaves or bark chips, almost anything you can pile 3-4 inches deep, will protect the root systems of perennials, shrubs and trees. Mulches not only slow the rate of soil moisture loss, they also insulate the soil from thawing and re-freezing as temperatures fluctuate. In some parts of the country, gardeners use burlap as a winter coat for evergreen shrubs that are exposed to lots of sunlight and wind. Hammer three or four stakes into the ground around a shrub, then wrap burlap around the stakes. The screen you create for the plant should not be so tight that branches are constricted; it should allow several inches of air circulation below the plant and not cover the top of the plant. Deer continue to be a problem in the winter months when their natural forage is scarce and our plantings become even more appealing to them. You can continue to spray plants with solutions that have unpleasant tastes; cayenne pepper and egg diluted in water, or commercial preparations. Feather meal and Milorganite are also potential deer deterrents. The deer in our neighborhood eat from our bird feeder, but that doesn't keep them away from the shrubbery! Your ceramic pots will last years longer if you empty them, turn them upside-down and store them in a covered area. If you have no space in your garage or other covered area, try to find a protected spot and cover them with a tarp. Finally, winter is the time for a garden assessment. What grew particularly well this past season? What disappointed you? Did your garden put a strain on your water bill? Did you select the right plants and the wrong spots? New gardening catalogs will arrive along with the new year, offering a chance for some gardening resolutions and new ideas for the coming growing season.
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CSU Fact Sheet - 7.211, Fall and winter watering
| The holidays are upon us!
Gift ideas for gardeners abound at local nurseries and bookstores. Buy your
favorite gardener more supplies to support their habit. To make that gift
decision easier on you, here are a few ideas from some of our local professionals
and passionate gardeners.
Several local nurseries were consulted for these recommendations. First, the "Do It All Digging Tool", the Soil Scoop by Garden Works. This scoop shaped tool with serrated edges and a pointed end is a natural extension of the hand. The scoop is made of stainless steel and is connected to the solid birch handle with industrial strength epoxy. It is especially effective in clay soils. Next is the Digger by Cobra Company. The long pointed stainless steel hand tool is effective for weeding and planting. The lower price makes it a good alternative to the most popular of all gardening tools, the Hori Hori Knife, a sturdy hand tool with a serrated edge. Wolfgarten Snap Lock Toolstools are short, long and telescoping poles that have attachable parts to help in all areas of the garden. Attachments include rakes, assorted cultivators, hoes, edgers and fruit pickers. A collection of these tools can cut down on storage space. Other tool ideas are a Korean Hand Plow with curved handle and leaf-shaped blade, a Japanese Hand Hoe which serves as an inexpensive weeder and Felco pruners with replaceable parts. To decorate the garden, weather and bear proof steel gazing balls are available in silver and come in a variety of sizes. Rosemary in windowsill-size pots or potted amaryllis make lovely holiday tokens.
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Local gardening celebrities suggested a wide array of gift ideas. Barbara Bates, our CSU Extension Horticulturist, would love to receive decorative pots or garden art. She included a peat moss bale on her wish list and gardening gloves with a quality gardener's handcream. She also enjoys all the aromatic bath items that are available to soothe gardening aches and pains . Ann Seymour, Colorado Springs Water Utilities Water Conservation Manager has recently developed an interest in birding. Her Christmas list includes bird feeders to keep birds in her yard year round. She also listed the new book, Passionate Gardening, Good Advice for Challenging Climates, by Rob Proctor and Lauren Springer and ratcheted pruners on her wish list. Ann was concerned that Santa's budget might be stretched with her last request, as she wants a quality pair of pruners, an expensive item, but one that is well worth the price. Vera Skinner, retired CSU Extension Horticulturist, agreed with Ann. She too would like to receive a new pair of pruners as a holiday gift. Her wish list goes on to include more practical items like saucers for indoor plants of all sizes. Judy Sellers, local garden designer and columnist, proclaims herself a bookworm and so advocates gardening books as gifts. For ideas on what books to purchase a visit to local bookstore or nursery would set you on the right track. Judy also included on her list the famous Hori Hori knife or a gift certificate to a local nursery. A wonderful idea from Susan McMullen, president of the Broadmoor Garden Club, is to give a gift back to the community. She suggested a donation to a non-profit organization like the Starsmoor Center, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo or Aiken Canyon, earmarked for horticultural endeavors. Her thought was to continue the gift of gardening through the education and enjoyment of the public. Enjoy a little reprieve from the Colorado winter as you investigate our many garden centers and nurseries in search of that perfect gift. Armed with these many new ideas, your experience should be a pleasant one. Holiday greetings to the gardeners in your life!
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We hope you enjoyed this edition of the Growing Points Newsletter!
Colorado State University
Cooperative Extension
El Paso County
305 S. Union Blvd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80910
(719) 636-8923