Author: Fredricka Bogardus
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Year-round gardening: Coaxing seed out of dormancy in the spring
As interest in using native plants increases, more home gardeners might be interested in starting perennial plants from seed. Native plants can be difficult to find in garden centers and there can be substantial cost savings starting plants from seed. However, when it comes to perennial seed, it might be important to pre-treat the seed…
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Year-round gardening: Start some seeds indoors now to get a head start on your garden
March is a great time to start some seeds indoors. This can be a small project or an obsession gone berserk! Optimal light conditions, growing medium, soil moisture, temperature and timing are critical factors for success. • Seedlings need at least 12 hours a day of light. • Bright windows might provide enough light but…
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Year-round gardening: Get garden started by sowing seeds indoors
Want lots of plants? Start some seeds! There are many flowers and vegetables that can easily be grown from seeds in our region. To get a head start, start some seeds indoors to transplant once the danger of frost has passed, which is typically mid-May in the region. Seed germination is the first step. Germination…
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Year-round gardening: Winter an ideal time to prune trees
Winter is a great time to prune deciduous trees. Once the leaves have fallen, it is easy to see the structure of the tree and determine what branches should be removed. There are easy targets for what to prune first. Broken, damaged or diseased limbs should be removed. Branches that cross each other can rub…
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Year-round gardening: Garlic season is a happy time in Colorado
”Stop and smell the garlic! That’s all you have to do.” — William Shatner Growing your own garlic (Allium sativum) is a great use of garden space over the winter. Garlic requires a chill period before forming new heads, and winter is the ideal chill time. Best planted between late September and mid-October and harvested…
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Year-round gardening: Let worms wiggle their way into your life
“The message is not so much that the worms will inherit the Earth, but that all things play a role in nature, even the lowly worm.” — Gary Larson Have you considered raising worms? While not a usual choice for pets, they are a great way of recycling food scraps to produce a really good…
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Year-round gardening: The ancient art of peony planting
Peonies can be a great addition to gardens. These are ancient plants, estimated to be under cultivation as early as 1900 B.C.E. in China. Early cultivation is thought to have been for medicinal purposes, and peonies are mentioned as medicinal plants in Roman literature as early as 77 B.C.E. In addition to being ancient as…
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Year-round gardening: Adding trees and shrubs to your Colorado garden
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” — Warren Buffett Mid to late spring is a great time to add trees and shrubs to the garden. Trees and shrubs are woody plants that do not die back to the ground in winter. They bring many benefits to…
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Year-round gardening: Getting your lawn ready for summer
If you love your lawn, you probably feel a bit picked on these days. With concerns about allocation of Colorado River water among Western states, lawns are beginning to come under scrutiny. Yet thirsty, cool-season grasses (bluegrass, fescue, etc.) continue to dominate much of the region’s landscapes. As gardeners, we should consider ways to diminish…
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Year-Round Gardening: Get head start on season by starting seeds indoors
If you find yourself dreaming of flowers and fresh vegetables during this time of the year, then you are a gardener! While it is a bit early to start planting outside, you can get a head start, and a gardening fix, by starting some summer crops indoors. Seed starting is a very scalable project; while…