New to Colorado or new to gardening and want to plant vegetables or flowers for the first time? The outdoor gardening season is here, and it’s a cinch to get started. From gardening in containers on a patio to breaking new ground, the pleasing fruits and flowers of your labor will make it a great summer.
Colorado gardening basics
The soil structure and rainfall totals are much different than other parts of the country. So what grew “back home” may not grow easily in Colorado. Knowing and managing these conditions will help you grow plants that do well here — including lawns and vegetables.
Our soil properties tend to be heavy clay, which means slower draining and slower root growth. Naturally plants need to be watered to grow, but if the soil is slow draining to begin with, then the plant can easily drown from lack of oxygen. The long-term solution is to improve the soil with added compost or amendment, but not too much at once, which can add extra salts that limit root growth.
Colorado soils are alkaline, meaning they are high in calcium carbonate, so avoid acid-loving plants like rhododendrons and blueberries. Try daphne, mockorange and viburnum shrubs instead. Other berry plants do quite well — raspberries, strawberries and gooseberries.
For turf, try the newer, more drought-tolerant, cool-season Kentucky bluegrass hybrids. Fescues and ryegrass also grow well here. Consider water-thrifty warm-season blue grama, buffalo or bermudagrass. Do your homework, talk to independent garden centers, and match the turf type with the amount of activity and care required. http://cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/564.pdf#turf
Temperatures change rapidly — from 70 degrees one day to the 40s and 50s the next (nights are colder). Fluctuations require paying attention to which plants go in the ground at the right time. Pumpkin and basil seeds won’t germinate in cold soils, and geraniums and petunias need warm nights for continuous bloom. Pansies and snapdragons love cool temperatures, as do potatoes, broccoli and lettuce.
Yearly rain and snowfall is 15 inches, which is lower than most other states (Nevada is the lowest at 9 inches). Try plants that need less water, such as iris, coreopsis, lavender and ice plant. Remember that all new plantings require regular watering their first year and should have moist roots going into fall and winter. Trees and shrubs often need more than one year of regular watering for root establishment.
Low humidity and intense mile-high sunlight exposure can overwhelm otherwise full-sun plants grown in other parts of the country. Plants such as dogwoods, Japanese maple, peonies, coral bells and hibiscus prefer morning sun. Thank goodness the list is long for plants that can take all-day hot and sunny Colorado locations — coneflower, agastache, salvia, lavender, yarrow, mums and ornamental grasses.
Get started
When planting vegetables, annuals or perennials in the ground, remove turf grass, weeds and large rocks. Work up the soil with added amendment until it’s loose so that air and water can reach the roots. Consider using raised beds for better drainage and soil management.
Careful not to plant trees, shrubs or any plant too deeply.
Use the many Colorado online resources and plant lists to design, choose and care for plants: Plant Select (plantselect.org), Flower Trial Garden (flowertrials.colostate.edu); recommended trees (coloradotrees.org/find.php); flowering plants, groundcovers, native plants and more (cmg.colostate.edu/pubs/Flowers.html); growing vegetables and herbs (cmg.colostate.edu/pubs/Vegetables.html); growing small fruit (cmg.colostate.edu/pubs/SmallFruit.html); growing tree fruit (cmg.colostate.edu/pubs/TreeFruit.html).
Container Gardening
Have fun choosing a container or two for your outdoor living space. From pretty-colored glazed and clay pots to the newer lightweight self-watering systems, there’s a container for everyone. Check out the almost fail-proof (from overwatering) fabric-type containers that allow more root growth with less heat buildup. They easily fold for storage in the off season. http://gardenpunchlist.blogspot.com/2015/07/smart-pot-smart-choice.html
When using containers for vegetables such as tomatoes or blooming annuals, use 12-inch-wide or larger containers (especially for vegetables). Small containers dry out too quickly.
Drill or poke holes in the bottom for drainage. Cover the holes with a coffee filter, nylon or screen and fill with quality sterile potting soil (garden soil is too heavy, and your plants will not thrive). Add dry fertilizer at planting per package instructions and fertilize regularly all season with liquid or dry fertilizers.
Why wait all summer for one or two ornamental plants to fill the pot? Design with flair and pack plants closely in the container. Vary foliage types and growth habits (thriller, filler, spiller or specimen like a spiral evergreen). Mix all types of plants for more interest — perennials, annuals, grasses, herbs and vegetables.
The latest trend is seeding quick-maturing “cut and grow again” lettuce in any type of container, even repurposed ones like an old drawer, wooden wine crate or window box. Don’t forget to poke drainage holes.
Tomatoes are one of the most popular home-grown vegetables and grow well in containers.
Use trays under containers to collect water and protect surfaces from salt spots from fertilizers. Drain excess water from the trays to prevent the plant from soaking up the drained fertilizer salts.
Garden Tip: Pest Watch
One perk of the cooler, wetter spring is that fewer pest insects are showing up, but don’t get too complacent, keep an eye on your vegetables. Watch for tiny holes in the foliage of beets, radishes and potatoes, caused by flea beetles. Control them with neem or insecticidal soaps. Or use tucked in light-weight floating row cover over vegetables at planting to keep them out. Consider planting trap crops that attract flea beetles (arugula or radishes). Plant the trap crops far away from plants you wish to harvest.
Betty Cahill: gardenpunchlist.blogspot.com/
