Get ready to plant
Memorial Day weekend means the planting and outdoor garden season is officially in full swing. This summer, make it a family affair. Shop, plant and mow are the big three to-dos, but kick up the fun by adding outdoor lights around the patio and comfortabl
IN THE LANDSCAPE
B Shop until you can shop no more for seeds, annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs. Plant now — get them in the ground before the heat of summer. B Direct seed annual flower seeds including zinnias, ageratum, amaranthus, asters, celosia, cosmos, marigold, scabiosa, Blackeyed Susan vines, morning glory and sunflowers. B Plant summer flowering bulbs in sunny locations wherever you need a pop of color or to fill in bare spots — coleus, cannas, dahlias, gladiolas, and elephant ear and begonias (both need shade). B Cut spent flowers from spring-blooming bulbs, but allow the leaves to remain as they provide food for next year’s bulbs. Pull leaves after they completely wither. B Mark the location where bulbs are growing if you want to move them. Fall is the best time to move bulbs. B Stake taller perennials like peonies and delphiniums before they start to get too heavy or flop. B Most lawn mowers have three or more settings. Set it in the middle or one higher. Taller grass increases resistance to disease, insects, drought and weeds. B Let grass clippings remain on the lawn after you mow (or use chemical-free clippings for vegetable mulch or toss in the compost pile). Grass clippings add nutrients back to your soil and do not lead to thatch in lawns. B Late May is a good time to sod, seed or repair dead or bare spots in lawns. Low spots can be top dressed with top soil or compost. Add layers gradually over time so grass isn’t smothered and will continue to grow.
VEGETABLES/ HERBS
B Direct seed basil, dill, chervil, calendula and nasturtiums. In addition to their culinary or other herbal qualities, herbs planted throughout the garden and near the vegetables attract beneficial insects. (http://www.denverpost.com/ ci_23785448/punch-list-7beneficial-insects-knowand-put) B Plant hardened off warmseason vegetable transplants including tomatoes, eggplants, tomatillos and peppers. Do the same for cucumber, melon and squash if not direct seeding (many types of transplants are available for sale in local garden centers). B Many vegetables appreciate being fertilized during the growing season. Crops vary on how much and when to fertilize. A helpful resource for vegetable care, including fertilizer tips, can be found at http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/719.html B Use weed-free straw, grass clippings or a single layer of newspaper with grass on top to mulch around new vegetable transplants and later on for direct seeded plants when they are up several inches. Mulch prevents soil from splashing onto lower foliage, keeps soil moist and cool during warm weather, and makes weeds easier to pull. B Continue planting or seeding short season, cool season vegetables — lettuce, spinach, radish and green onions. Successive plantings will give you a longer harvest period. B Check the potato patch, they may need to be hilled (add more soil on plants as the foliage grows, not allowing sunlight exposure to tubers, just to the foliage). B Harvest asparagus stalks larger than 3/8 inch in diameter until the end of June. Cut just at soil level.
WATERING THE LANDSCAPE
B Watering guidelines have been set for area municipalities. Watering may not be allowed or recommended between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. because too much evaporation takes place. B Avoid water waste by repairing gutters and broken or misaligned sprinkler heads. B Water deeply when your lawn needs watering, once or twice a week if rain is scarce. Water to the root zone, about 6 inches deep. Footprints left on the lawn after walking across indicate watering is needed. B New plantings need consistent moisture to get established. In warm weather, that may be every day or every other day. Hand watering new plantings helps prevent overwatering. B Established vegetables typically use a W inch of water per day, so water deeply about every three to four days, applying an inch of water. When the top 2-4 inches of soil around vegetables are dry, it’s time to water. Hotter, dryer weather may require more frequent watering. B Great news: The 2016 Colorado legislature approved and signed into law the use of rain barrels for rainwater collection for home landscapes beginning Aug. 10. Two rain barrels per household, with a combined storage of 110 gallons or less, are allowed under this new law. There are several “best practices” guidelines associated with collection such as the container must have a resalable lid to prevent mosquito breeding and be completely emptied every month or less. Check out more details at (http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/natural-resources/rainwater-collectioncolorado-6-707/)
GARDENING WITH CHILDREN
Ask your children and grandchildren to help out in the garden this year. For younger ones give them easy tasks like dropping larger seeds in the planting hole — green beans, pumpkins, sunflower seeds and squash are good choices. Let them water the seeds and check the growth all season. While out in the garden, look for beneficial insects including lady beetles (a.k.a. ladybugs), green lacewings, and parasitic wasps. Make the adventure more challenging by looking for the larva stages of these insects, which is the stage these insects often do their best work in the garden (ingesting aphids and other pest insects). Check out what they look like at http:// www.denverpost.com/ grow/ci_23397122/bugshug-5-beneficial-insectsand-how-attract While exploring in the garden point out the various types of bees (honey, bumble and leafcutter bees) and watch them pollinate plants. Teach kids to appreciate and respect bees — bees try to avoid human intervention unless actively disturbed. Yellow jackets are brutes and should be avoided.