By using clear plastic and wire wickets you can create a tube that will give you a jump-start on your season. Bend the wire in a semicircle that will give 24 inches of width on the ground and the same height. Plant your row, insert the wires firmly into the ground and cover with plastic. Tape the plastic to the wickets inside of the tube and bury the lengthwise edges of the plastic with an inch or two of soil. Leave a couple of feet of excess plastic on either end, to be tied off on cold days or thrown wide-open on hot ones. Keep in mind that the temperatures inside can soar on sunny days, so it’s usually better to err on the side of more ventilation — both ends open — on a day that may be cloudy but is likely to become sunny later.
Archive for the ‘Avant Gardening Series’ Category
Guide to Avant Gardening: Part 14 ~ Gardening Under Plastic
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010Guide to Avant Gardening: Part 13 ~ Plant Cold Tolerant Seeds
Monday, March 1st, 2010
Knowing that gardening is always an iffy proposition, understand that some seeds can tolerate frost and grow in the cold–and take a gamble by planting them early in spring or even the fall before. Chard, spinach, kale, broccoli, fava beans and peas can all be direct-sown in March. It it’s cold they’ll wait to germinate, if it warms up you’ve got a great jump on the growing season. Broccoli and fava beans can be sown a little deeper than usual to protect them from a late cold snap.
The Tomato Plant That Swallowed Boulder - 29 Feet and Growing
Saturday, February 6th, 2010Taking a cue from the gardeners at the Epcot Center in Florida,who grew a single tomato plant that covered a quarter-acre and produced 32,000 fruit, we’re trying our hand at it. In the back of the main greenhouse we’ve got a Sun Gold tomato plant that has currently hit 29 feet and still growing. Stop by and take a gander and pick a tomato in winter, if you can reach them.
Christmas Tree Tips
Friday, November 20th, 2009
When selecting a tree, brush your hand over the needles and see how many needles fall off — if it seems like a lot, forgo that tree.
Check that the needles are green all the way down the stem right up to the trunk of the tree. Trees lose their needles from the inside out, so if the stems are barren except at the tips, skip that tree.
Pick the tree up and try to sense if it seems heavy for its size. Fresh trees are full of water and feel heavy. If a tree feels light, skip it.
When you go to put a fresh cut on the bottom of the tree use a hand saw rather than a power saw. The xylem, the cells which carry water up the trunk and keep your tree fresh, suffer less damage when hand cut. Cut at least one inch, preferably three or more, off the bottom and immerse the base immediately in water.
The first two or three days, it’s critical to check the water levels two or three times a day. If the water level has dropped and the base of the tree has dried out you’ll want to cut it again. Some trees drink a lot, others very little. As long as the tree seems flexible, things are probably okay.
Be careful about what you add to the water. Formulations including sugar, soda pop, bleach, copper, etc. are almost all bad for your tree. A few years ago we put evergreen sprigs in water tubes with different formulations and the only one that surpassed tap water was tap water with a trace of aspirin. Take a gallon of warm water, and add a half-dozen crushed aspirin. You need only do this in the initial watering. After that use warm tap water.
Positioning the tree is important. Sunlight, heating vents and drafts can all hasten a tree’s demise. If it’s cold out let the tree have some transition time in your garage — a day or two is fine. Antidessicants such as Wilt-Pruf can be sprayed on a tree to keep it fresher longer.
Keep in mind that smaller trees are easier for the growers to groom so that they tend to be more symmetrical than the big boys.
And take a good hard look at your tree stand. If it’s one of those creaky, shaky discount stands with the three or four little screws and a shallow bowl — don’t hesitate — toss it. Cheap stands are dangerous. Spend a little more and get a good stand– we sell excellent ones — and save yourself from a holiday’s worth of frustration.
Winter Watering
Saturday, November 14th, 2009
One of the Glorious things about Front Range winters is the warm spell. It’s not unusual to hit 60 or even 70 degrees in winter, but however much we enjoy it, it can be tough on our perennials and shrubs.
Warm weather can lure plants out of dormancy only to freeze off new growth days later. One of the most important things you can do in winter — especially for recently transplanted plants — is to remember to water in winter. If it hasn’t rained or snowed for more than two weeks and the ground has thawed, it’s a good idea to water your plants. Give them a good drink in the winter and you’ll have much better plants next spring.
Beware the Checkered Dealth Lily!
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
The only plaid flower you’ll ever see is that of the Fritillaria meleagris a.k.a. The Guinea Hen Flower or the Checkered Death Lily. While other members of the family can grow three feet tall and sport impressive clusters of blossoms, the Death Lily is rather unassuming. At least until you look closely. Their inverted, tulip-shaped blooms are, by God, finely checkered in red and white. Only six to eight inches tall, they like lightly shaded areas with rich soil. Now’s the time to plant their bulbs for a show next May.
Amaryllis and Paperwhites
Friday, October 23rd, 2009For those of you who want to grow something, anything during these dark months, amaryllis and paperwhites will give you heartening, long-lasting blooms in the depths of winter. They couldn’t be simpler to grow. Bury the bottom third of paperwhites in gravel, sand or even marbles in a low, drainable pot. Water them and give them some light and you’re off to the races. They’ll sport lovely white flowers within a few weeks.
Plant amaryllis to the same depth but in good quality potting soil. Once again, water and sunshine give the bulb all the help it needs to produce astonishingly pretty blooms. There are varieties like Red Lion, which can grow three feet tall and sport a quartet of blossoms 8 inches or more across. The pallette of amaryllis colors is amazing, featuring, red, orange, pink, white and even green flowers. Antey they can be kept from year to year, growing even better with age.
Winter Veggies
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009Once a good hard frost has nuked your cukes, it’s time to get out there and clean house. There’s no greather pleasure than to walk out in spring and find a well-fertilized, perfectly raked and shaped bed in which to plant.
So now’s the time to rip out all the dead vegetation, add manure and compost, till,rake smooth and await the spring. Wtih cold frames and row cover you can extend your current season and get a jump on your next.
It’s always a good idea to sow some spinach, chard, kale, peas and even brococoli in the fall and cover them with row cover or a light mulch of straw. They’ll come up in their own sweet time, often much earlier than you’d expect. A good resource is Elliot Coleman’s The Four-Season Garden. Even he’s reduced to blanching endive in late winter, but there are a lot of good tips on extending your growing season.
Bulbs On The Brain
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
If you love daffodils, tulips, crocouses and hyacinths, now’s the time to plant them. It has gotten cool enough to be sure that they”ll be properly chilled to put on a great show in the spring. Select bulbs that are firm and blemish-free, with no sign of growth. It’s important to plant them at the proper depth. Plant some that will bloom at the first breath of spring, like crocuses, and others that will bloom later. There are spectacular parrot tulips, gorgeous Rembrandt tulips and quaint little species of tulips. Daffodils range from the tiny Tete-aTe to the hulking Dutch Masters. They come in yellow, white orange and pink, not to mention combinations thereof.
One of the best things to remember is that they look best in large groups - massed plantings. Find a variety you really adore and plant a lot of them.
If you’re going to plant a lot of bulbs, we’ve discovered a terrific way to do it. You’ll need an electric drill, a bulb auger, a shop vac and a piece of 1″ PVC pipe. With the auger in the drill, take a marker and mark on the shaft of the auger the depth you want to plant. Pick an area a few feet in either direction. Start drilling holds to the right depth and spacing, but don’t worry about dirt that may slide back into the holes. Duct tape the foot-long piece of PVC pipe to the end of the shop vac hose. Once you’ve finished a section, insert the pipe into the bottom of the holes and drop in the bulbs, pointy end up. They are all now at5 the same correct depth. Dump the topsoil out of the shop vac and rake the soil back into the holes. You8 can cover a lot of ground with this method and save yourself the agony of planting them one at a time. You also ensure that they’ll all come up and bloom at about the same time.
Though bulbs may seem expensive, keep in mind that you’re paying for a garden show that has potential to go on a decade or more. Once the blooms are gone give them a good feeding and let the leaves stand. This will give you an even better show the next year.
Fall Clean-Up -
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009Although you may be weary from a long summer of gardening, once the frost takes out your vegetable garden it’s time to clean up. Toss or compost wilted greens, till in some manure and compost. Rake your beds smooth. If you just suck it up in the fall you’ll be able to stroll out to your garden in thh spring and plant away. It really is a pleasure having done the hard work in the fall.
