Tip #1 2/8/10 - I want to start my garden plants indoors to get a jump on the season. When should I sow the seed?
Do not start your garden seedlings too early. If you start them too
early you have to keep them healthy in what is usually a low light
growing environment for too long of a period before getting them
hardened off and out into the garden. Plants grown for too long in the
house are weak stemmed and stretched out and do not take the transition
to the outdoors very well. I suggest that you determine the date which
you want to take your plants outside and then count back 6 weeks for
the proper sowing date. If you want to put plants out on the 15th of
May count backwards to the 1st of April to determine the proper time to
sow the seeds. This of course is a rule of thumb and can be adjusted
for each variety of vegetable. In Buena Vista we usually get a killing
frost between the 1st and the 15th of June, so don't plan on setting
your tender varieties like tomato, pepper and squash out until after
the last frost unless you are able to protect them with walls - o -
water or some other method. Keep good records of sowing dates and make
adjustments as necessary.
Tip #2 3/6/10 - To grow the best flowers and
vegetables, fix the soil first. Be a successful gardener
in Chaffee County by starting with the soil. Most of our natural soils,
in Chaffee County are a combination of sand, gravel, and rocks and
contain very little nutrient and very little organic matter. When
building a new garden or refurbishing an old one you need to take a good
hard look at the soil. Loosen the soil up with a rototiller or hand dig
to fluff it up a bit. Throw out rock that is bigger than 2" diameter
and then add 2" of compost over the whole growing area. Till or spade
this organic product into the soil as deep as you can. This should be
done annually in vegetable and annual flower gardens. This addition of
organic matter adds water holding capacity and increases available
nutrients. Many types of organic matter are available. We sell bulk
compost, and have many bagged composts to choose from. A good organic
garden soil can only be built over a period of time, just don't forget
to add something each year. Your plants will love you for it.
Tip #3
4/19/10 - Pull the heavy mulch back from the crowns of perennials to
prevent crown rot in March and April.
If you mulch your perennial
flower beds in the fall to help the plants survive our variable winters.
You need to get into those beds this spring and pull the mulch away
from the perennial crowns (where the plant comes out of the soil) so
they do not rot. The mulch will keep the area moist and the new growth
of some varieties of perennials, like Lupine, can rot when the
conditions are just right. If you combine warming temperatures, tender
new growth, and moisture you may create the conditions for crown rot. If
you let the crowns dry out a little, by pulling the mulch back, you you
can stop this rot by removing favorable conditions for the fungi. Keep
the mulch over the roots to prevent drying of the soil, to satbilize
soils temps, and prevent weeds.