Golden Plains Area Horticulture

2012-02-01T14:48:00.001-07:00

January is the time to sit back with all your catalogs and add plants that add flavor to your cooking: herbs. If you do not want a separate herb garden, then plan the herbs of your choice in areas where you have empty space. While doing this, keep in mind the requirement for caring for herbs is full-sun and well-drained soils. Herbs make good companion plants that contribute to the health and flavor of other plants as well as repel insects.

Once your herbs are planted, keep cutting them frequently in the first stage of their growth called the leaf stage. Harvesting herbs at the right stage is very important with a few exceptions. Picking your herbs at the leaf stage gives you the opportunity to capture optimal flavors. If you wait until the second stage of growth, the flowering stage, the leaves slow down or stop growing. Once the leaves slow, the taste changes and they can yellow. The tastes can change to grassy, woody and bitter. Who would want to eat herbs at this point? Flowers do have their purpose. At the flowering stage, some herbs are used as fragrant garnishes for salads or deserts.

What can herbs do for you besides add flavor to your food? Herbs are a natural food. Food that has nutrients, enzymes, proteins, vitamins and minerals which your body uses. Eat well and you have a better chance of staying well. So why not add herbs to your garden for fragrance and to enhance the flavor of the foods you love and add nutrients to your diet from a fresh food.

What herbs should you add to your garden? The kitchen herbs are the basic essential herbs for cooking. There are eight essential kitchens or culinary herbs: basil, coriander/cilantro, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme. Basil, cilantro and rosemary are all annuals. Mint, oregano, sage, tarragon and thyme are perennials.

Basil is an annual which you can easily reseed in the garden each year. It is a very aromatic herb which can be used as a culinary herb, condiment or spice. The best way to use basil is fresh, or if not fresh, then dried. During the growing season, it is important to keep basil watered on a regular basis. Basil is intolerant of water stress. It is also best to keep cutting basil. The first main cuts should remove up to half the stem. And keep pruning to keep the basil bushy. If you wish to plant basil in the vegetable garden, it will improve the flavor and growth of tomato plants. Repelling thrips, flies and mosquitoes, basil is also beneficial for peppers, oregano, asparagus and even petunias.

Coriander aka Chinese Parsley is often mistaken for parsley and easily reseeds itself each year in the garden. With this herb, Cilantro refers to the leaves and Coriander refers to the seeds of the plant. The leaves are best used fresh, added to the dish before serving. When the leaves are dried or frozen they spoil rapidly. The seeds are used in cooking as well. As a member of the carrot family, coriander using this in the vegetable garden to repel aphids, spider mites and potato beetles.

Mint is a perennial herb which can be very aggressive in the garden. Create an underground barrier or place the mint in an area where it can go wild. Some of the mints are hardy, such as peppermint which can grow in zone 3. Spearmint, on the other hand, tolerates the heat best in zone 11. Mint can be used in teas, with lamb, added to fruits such as berries and melons, and even vegetables such as beans, carrots, potatoes and peas. If you wish to use mint in the vegetable garden, you can use cuttings of the plant around any member of the brassica family which would be cabbage, cauliflower and kale. Mint deters a number of pests including cabbage moths, ants, rodents, flea beetles, fleas, aphids and improves the health of tomatoes and cabbage. The flowers of mint attract hover flies and predatory wasps.

Oregano is a perennial which can seed itself in your garden. The ideal soil is well-drained and slightly alkaline with full-sun exposure. Oregano is a slow grower. It is good to keep the soil free of weeds around the plant to help oregano get established. Like Basil, keeping the plants pruned will keep them bushy and full. If you wish to plant oregano amongst your vegetables, it is very versatile. It can be beneficial for most all crops, especially cabbage.

Rosemary is difficult to start from seed. It is best to take cuttings of this every year to keep inside for the winter. Rosemary will not tolerate our cold winter temperatures. A temperature of 30 degrees Fahrenheit is about the lowest temperature before the plants are damaged. Rosemary can be used to enhance any food. The key words are any food. Rosemary is often added to meats, but is equally great with salads and desserts. So add rosemary to lamb, veal, rabbit, poultry, fish, eggs, pickles, fruits, jellies, jams and cookies. If you wish to use rosemary in amongst your vegetable plants, they deter cabbage moths, bean beetles, and carrot flies. So place your rosemary next to cabbage, carrots, and beans.

Sage is another strongly flavored herb that is a perennial which requires slightly alkaline, well-drained soil and full-sun. Every spring sage needs to be pruned back. Take away half of each stem. This way it will retain a bushy habit. For its culinary uses, sage can be used in salads and omelets. Since sage is a rather strong flavored herb like rosemary, the best way to use it is lightly, if you have no experience with it. To use sage lightly, we need to use the younger leaves and sometimes you may want to use only 1/3 of the leaf. For those with experience in using sage, using the older leaves will bring its strongest flavor out in cooking. If you wish to plant it in the vegetable garden, sage deters cabbage moths, flea beetles, beetles and carrot flies. So plant it next to broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and carrots.

Tarragon is a perennial herb with an aromatic smell similar to anise. It is an herb that is difficult to grow from seed. It is best grown from a root division. If tarragon is not divided regularly, the roots can choke the itself out. Besides that, it thrives on neglect. Our climate of hot and dry in the summer is what tarragon prefers. Tarragon is one of the basic herbs used by the French in their cooking. Tarragon is used with chicken, fish, lasagna and eggs. The most interesting characteristic of tarragon is its scent and taste. Insects dislike both, so tarragon is used as a companion plant. Tarragon has the ability to enhance both flavor and growth of nearby vegetables in the garden.

Thyme is a perennial herb that can be picked at any time of the year, but as one of the exceptions, the best time is when it is in bloom. It prefers full-sun and well-drained soil. It can be easily started from seed, stem cuttings or division. Thyme is used in soups, sauces, poultry stuffing, fish and other meats. Thyme can be dried or frozen without damaging the quality of the herb. Thyme is said to deter cabbage worms, if you choose to use it as a companion with cabbage in the vegetable garden.

Heirloom Seed Saving

2012-01-17T14:43:00.006-07:00

Do you save heirloom seed? Once upon a time, families saved seed because it was a way of life. Without doing so, the family would starve. There were no major seed companies distributing seed before industrialization came along. During the Dust Bowl, Russian immigrants came from their homeland with seeds sown in the lining of their clothes. Varieties from their country were grown here. They brought a wheat variety called Turkey Red Wheat. This is a hardy variety that is planted in the fall and harvested in the spring.

Today seed is grown and then saved in governmental and non-governmental seed banks throughout the world. Among the 1,460 seed banks in the world, one of the largest seed banks is Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. From 13,000 members, they have 1 million varieties of seed. They have varieties of apples from the early 1900's. Since that day, we have lost in cultivation about 80% of the older varieties.

In Longyearbyen, Norway, deep in the Arctic Circle constructed beneath the permafrost sits the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It is designed to withstand earthquakes and even a nuclear strike. It currently houses more than half a million seeds, many of which may survive as long as 2,000 years at the -18C temperature. It is operated like a safety deposit box, seeds are only available to be withdrawn by the country or institution that provided them.

U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Center for Genetic Resource Preservation in Fort Collins has their own seed bank ranked one of the top in the world. This seed bank houses the parents of all the hybridized seed of modern times. Additionally, there are about 40,000 new varieties added each year. Even native seeds are placed here from the Center for Plant Conservation from St. Louis, Missouri.

Why save the seed in the first place? Seed-physiology scientists believe that climatic changes due to global warming will wipe out about 40% the world's crops. The scientists will be able to pull from this huge seed bank to help breeders and researchers as they have in the past when a disease or drought or some other catastrophic issue destroyed a crop.

If you wish to learn more about saving your own seed from heirloom crops, Colorado State University Extension has an on-line fact sheet titled Seed Saving, numbered 7.602.

When saving seed from heirloom crops, here are some common sense tips:

Pick mature and disease free vegetables.
Dry at room temperature. Do not dry the seeds in or on paper towels.
Store in a cool, dry place. Temperatures are best kept below 50 degrees Fahrenheit but above freezing.
Store in a glass container or a white envelope.
Don't forget to date and label the envelope using pencil or permanent ink.
Keep good records of your seed saving.

Happy seed saving!

Labyrinths

2012-01-09T11:03:00.004-07:00

What kind of a tool is a labyrinth? A labyrinth is a circuitous pathway. You enter and exit from the same point. The design of a labyrinth combines that of a circle and spiral. Throughout the ages, the labyrinth has been used for centering, healing and meditation.

There are many classical patterns of labyrinths. Read about the many different patterns by going The Labyrinth Society on-line to see photos and find more in-depth information.

Labyrinths serve to help with right and left brain functions. A labyrinth focuses on right brain tasks of intuition, creativity, imagery and solutions to problems. As the left brain functions focus on logical thinking and analysis.

While walking a classical labyrinth the movements required mediate the functions of the left and right brain and bring them into balance. One does not over-power the other. The left brain does not over analyze and the right brain does not get too emotional or over imaginative.

Many different people have used a labyrinth for grief, loss and letting go, morale building, team building, healing anger, violence, illness and lastly, celebration. What is it about this type of tool that can transform one's life? In the physical walking of these labyrinth patterns, it takes our minds out of ego into a relaxed state for both left and right brain. So overall, the two hemispheres of the brain work together. That is a true state of balance. When we become focused while walking through a labyrinth we come into present moment. At that point, our energy is focused and we begin to see things clearer in our objectivity. It is this objectivity that helps us gain balance.

Enjoy learning and creating your labyrinth.

Get Rid of Kitchen Waste: Vermicompost

2012-01-03T15:49:00.001-07:00

Worms need food too. Want to get rid of your kitchen waste? The preferred worm for composting your entire kitchen waste is a brandling worm, Eisena foetida or a red wiggler Lumbricus rubellus.

Why not earthworms? Earthworms, Allolobophora caliginosa, like garden soil and spend their time at the bottom of compost pile, so they would not be the best benefit for composting. According to New Mexico University Extension, there can be up to 500,000 earthworms in an acre of land. These earthworms can recycle 5 tons of soil or more a year. That is what they do best.

Brandling and red wiggler worms eat compost and manure. This passes through their bodies and is excreted as castings or worm manure. These castings are organic material rich in nutrients.

How do you get started? You can use wood or plastic recycled containers or spend lots of money and get something fancy for the kitchen. The trick is that compost bins for kitchen waster should be no deeper than 8 to 12 inches. Red wigglers are surface feeders. When you go to add bedding and food wastes it packs down in bins which are deeper. This forces air out and creates an anaerobic condition which causes the bin to smell. You always want to keep it an aerobic condition with lots of air.

How big to make the bin? This is determined by the number of people in your family and how much food waste is produced every week. So the rule of thumb is to provide one square foot of surface area per pound of waste.

What types of materials can be used for a bin? Plastic or wood are good. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Wood is a better insulator if you are keeping the bin outside. Do not use redwood or other aromatic woods because they kill the worms.

Plastic can keep the compost too moist. It has no insulating properties. Plastic is easier to keep clean. It is also easy to create drainage and air holes in plastic as well as wood.

The air and drainage holes should be ¼ to ½ inch in diameter on the bottom and sides of the bin. Rest the bin on cinder blocks, brick or gravel in a tray underneath the bin to catch the drainage. You can purchase special plastic worm bins that have several layers with the bottom layer having a faucet that allows drainage into a container. The liquid being drained at first is excess water and compost tea, later as the food waste is being composted. This compost tea can be used on indoor plants or to fertilize any plants in your landscaping.

What can you use for bedding materials?

Shredded newspapers, envelopes, but remove the plastic windows, computer paper, or cardboard, shredded leaves, straw, hay or dead plants, sawdust, peat moss, compost or aged composted manure. Bedding material high in cellulose is best to use. These materials include plants and paper. These materials help aerate the environment for the worms.

How many worms do you need to add to the bin?

Two pounds of worms can recycle a pound of food waste in 24 hours. Just add the worms to the top of the prepared bin and they will make their way into the bedding. Cover the bin with a lid or burlap because worms do not like the light. They become paralyzed and can die.

What can I add to the bin for waste?

The worms can compost any type of shredded yard waste and many kinds of food: pulverized egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags, vegetable and fruit waste, grass clippings, manure and sewage sludge.

Do not add chemicals or insecticides of any kind. Do not add raw meat, bones, dairy products, garlic, onion or spicy foods. Do not add too much citric fruit as well.

It is best to use a food processor to break the food into smaller pieces and speed up the composting. Do not add food to the same place in the bin. Add food to different areas of the bin so it does not accumulate in one spot. In about 2 to 3 months the bedding material will be composted. At that time separate the composted material from any new material still in the bin. Move the composted material to one side, add fresh bedding material and wait until the worms move over to the new material then collect the composted material. Do make sure that food is covered over in the bedding material each time you add it. Otherwise, it will attract other insects and pests. Again, covering the bin with burlap and straw will help deter any pests.

What is the optimal temperature at which to keep the bin?

Bedding temperatures between 55 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit are the best. Keep the worms from freezing. Keep the worms from getting soaked by the rain if the bin is stored outside. The worms will drown. Covering the bin with straw in the winter or even in the summer is best to prevent the bedding material from drying out. If placing your bin in the garage or basement remember to keep it between those critical temperatures of 55 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.

How much will I reduce my family’s garbage by using a worm bin?

The Environmental Protection Agency states that on average most families throw away about 1.3 pounds daily. The challenge is to see how much you can reduce the garbage each week. Can your family get the garbage down to half a bag of trash? The biggest challenge will be what to do with all the plastic packaging. About 1/3 of all our packaging is plastic. If what you are throwing away is just all non recyclable plastic, you are doing a great job recycling and composting which in turn reduces your environmental footprint.

The National Gardening Bureau

2011-12-27T14:16:00.003-07:00

The National Gardening Bureau was the brain child of James H. Burdett who envisioned an increasing suburban lifestyle. During World War II the NGB placed their emphasis on Victory Gardens. Later after WWII, the emphasis of NGB changed to encompass community beautification. Today, the NGB is a non-profit organization with memberships from various seed companies, growers, corporations and individuals who are all about selling, producing or breeding plants.

The mission of the National Garden Bureau is to disseminate basic instructions for backyard gardeners. If you go to the website: www.ngb.org you will have access to new varieties, articles and companies. Most of the companies are within the United States.

There are 95 new varieties to preview with pictures and information and a click away from the retailers and wholesalers where they are available for purchase.

Their gardening links to the web are fabulous. They have a wide selection of reliable sources of information from lots of horticulture/gardening magazines, blogs, associations, directories of public gardens and extension websites across the United States and more. It is almost overwhelming. But it puts together a lot of information at your fingertips especially for the backyard gardener. It is an on-line library of information on horticulture. If you don't know about the National Gardening Bureau, get acquainted with it.

As a tradition, the National Garden Bureau selects one vegetable and one flower which is their choice for the season. In 2012, NGB is selecting one vegetable, one flower and one perennial. The vegetable is herbs; the annual is geranium; the perennial is coral bells. So go to their site and enjoy viewing the selections during the winter.

What is an All-American Selection?

2011-12-27T13:04:00.003-07:00

In 1932 W. Ray Hastings who was president of the Southern Seedsmen's Association of Atlanta, Georgia proposed the idea of an All-American Selection. This was a way of helping home gardeners which new varieties are truly improved and assist garden consumer editors a way of getting reliable information. In the 1920's the information was misleading from time to time.

Thanks to W. Ray Hastings there is a national network of trial grounds throughout North American climates. The seed trials accept only unsold varieties. Since 1933, there have been AAS Winners introduced each year. The AAS is the oldest, most established international testing organization in North America. There are many other breeders from Japan and Europe that also flood the market with new varieties each year. But North America can rely on unsold tested varieties from various test gardens in North America.

Each year a panel of judges award two awards each year. The two awards are: 1) AAS Gold Metal Award for a breeding breakthrough and is given about once or twice a decade; 2) for a flower or vegetable with the achievement of being superior to all others on the market.

Since the AAS does not advertise the new winners, their public relations department informs gardeners each September about winners. The AAS depends on extension agents as well as magazines to introduce the winners to the general public.

For 2012 the following are AAS Winners:

Ornamental Pepper 'Black Olive' has an attractive purple foliage which endured the heat in the southern trial gardens.

Salvia 'Summer Jewel Pink' the blooms appear two weeks earlier than other pink salvias is prolific throughout the summer.

Pepper 'Cayennetta' F1 it required no staking on this well branched plant that produced bigger yields. It has an excellent mild spicy taste and was easy to grow for beginner gardeners. It also has good cold tolerance and handled extreme heat as well.

Watermelon 'Faerie' F1 the vines spread to only 11' with prolific fruit set, general disease and insect tolerance. The fruit has a high sugar content with a crispy texture. The outside of the melon is creamy yellow with thin stripes.

Give these All-American Selections a try. Let your local greenhouse know that you are interested in growing these plants this season. Remember: consumers drive the market.

Proven Winners for Your Landscape

2011-12-23T15:47:00.001-07:00

What is a Proven Winner? Plants that have this brand are considered to be the best annuals, perennials and shrubs in the world. These plants are chosen as top performers because they survived extensive trials and tests to prove they are disease-resistant and easy to grow while producing long-lasting color. In addition, these plants are tolerant of heat and humidity. All the plants chosen to be a Proven Winner go through a three year selection process. This sounds like an Olympics for plants. The greatest benefit of all is that because these plants perform so well, they reduce the need for chemical usage in your garden.

How did all these new plants happen? A man named Ushio Sakazaki was in Brazil raising grapes. While failing at the grape business during his stay there, he came upon a plant that was growing in the Rain Forest. This plant was a wild species of petunia with thousands of flowers on one plant that spread like a carpet. He brought the seed back to Japan. He applied state-of-the-art-gene technology and came up with a plant that resulted in a cross between the wild and domestic petunia called: Surfinia. And from there the technique is applied to other plants. The Superbena is a cross between the wild and domestic verbenas. The Rockapulco is a cross between the wild and domestic impatient plants.

Every year there are plants added to the ever growing list of Proven Winners.

For 2012 here is a list of annuals for your containers and landscape gardens:

Superbells®Cherry Star

This cherry pink bloom has a golden yellow star radiating from its center. All the Superbells Family has bountiful blooms, great color and easy maintenance.

Superbells®Sweet Tart

This has a soft pink flower with a large lemon yellow eye. This annual will bounce back after a rain or dry spell looking fresh and vigorous.

Supertunia®White Russian

This has antique white petals with dark veins and a dark eye. It is a striking plant. Want attention? This plant will get it.

Rockapulco®Coral Reef

Bright coral pink blooms are large and rose-shaped. The Rockapulco is the most floriferous of this series to date.

Superbena®Royal Peachy Keen

This flower has fragrant clusters with great color and vigorous growth. The blooms are a rich salmon and turn to a blush peach hue as they age. This is low maintenance, heat-tolerant and grows to 6-10 inches tall and blooms all season long. What more could you ask for?

For more information or photos go to www.provenwinner.com . More information coming soon on new shrubs and top perennials for 2012.

Begin with the End in Mind

2011-12-22T11:57:00.001-07:00

The title of this article may sound familiar to most of you who have read Stephen Covey’s book titled Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Now what does this have to do with gardening? Habit number Two which is “begin with the end in mind” means who do you want to be and what do you want to do? This habit focuses in on your goals. So in applying this to gardening, it focuses in on what kind of gardener do you want to be and what kind of gardens do you want to create? Success with anything in life comes about with preparation.

If you want to have 100 pounds of produce from your garden in the coming year, we have to be proactive. Proactive is habit one. Life happens because you create moment by moment. Life is built on choices that you make. A garden is carefully designed by you and so is your life through each and every choice. If you do not think through the steps clearly while designing and implementing a successful garden, it will appear by the types of choices you make.

Let’s say you decide to go away for the weekend shortly after you transplanted seedlings in your vegetable garden. You decide to water them well on Friday and mulch them well. You check the forecast and decide that they will be fine until you get back late Sunday night. You figure that you do not need someone to check on them Saturday and Sunday since you checked on the weather forecast and you think things will come through fine. You return on Sunday night before dark and check on your seedlings. Most of the seedlings are wilted or dead. Sunday’s weather turned out to be a little warmer than forecasted. The seedlings were too newly transplanted to be well established to survive. Planning ahead takes us back to begin with the end in mind. You probably did not aim for this type of a result, but your choices lead you to this happening. So habit one is not only being proactive with your life, but it is very much about taking responsibility for your life.

We could jump to the next habit of highly effective people which is habit three. This habit states, “put first things first which combines habit one and two. If the vegetable garden is a priority in your life, you manage and organize your time and events accordingly. First things first. All the things in your life that are first are things of worth. If the vegetable garden was one of those things of worth, you would have organized your life by making a better choice to ensure that the seedlings were looked after in your absence.

Habit number four is about creating a win-win situation for those you interact with on a daily basis. We cannot apply this to the vegetable garden situation unless you were in conflict with another person over a garden situation. Habit four is about approaching conflicts from a win-win result. To do this appropriately, you need integrity: sticking with your true feelings; maturity: expressing your ideas and feelings with courage and consideration for the ideas and feelings of others. Let me pause right here. Sometimes, people are not honest with you about their true feelings and ideas because they have other intentions. With plants, your intentions have a direct result. They are honest and true. If plants do not get watered or fertilized, they show it in some way. Plants are not so sophisticated like human beings who do not always follow through. For habit four to work, having integrity means being honest about your feelings in a respectful way. In gardening, you have to respect and consider the plants needs in order to be successful. If a plant needs to be watered three times a day to stay healthy, then you will benefit from what the plant offers in return.

Habit four also speaks about abundance. We believe there is plenty for everyone. For some people it is hard to consider believing there is plenty for everyone. Those that steal have lost hope in the present that there is plenty for them too. So they end up stealing from other people’s gardens. Someone may come and steal your prized watermelon. Instead of scowling about it being gone, be grateful you had to give. You could say they needed the watermelon worse than you. In return, your gratefulness brings about better in your life.

Gardening is a reflection of life. Our habits present themselves in gardening and all aspects of our lives. With Habit five seek first to understand, then to be understood. If you do not understand the needs of the plants in your garden, then you will not be successful and they will perish. The other half of this does not apply to gardening but to life. We always want someone to understand our problem rather than listening.

Habit six is about synergizing. This means teamwork. In gardening, when we use teamwork the work goes quickly and gives us more time to enjoy the garden and do other things in life. In doing the teamwork, we discover that working together produces better results. Some of the things that we discover while working together are insights that we might not have had working alone. This is what happens in a community garden. Working together produces better results and we have greater insight.

Habit seven is about sharpening the saw. This means you are taking care of you. Live your life in balance by taking the time to renew yourself; taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Gardening can help renew by providing the opportunity for physical exercise. Working together with others in gardening can add to the social interaction and emotional well being. Sharing stories and experiences while gardening can help boost each other’s morale.

Gardening helps those who are mentally traumatized by some event in their lives. Caring for plants can bring back a caring and nurturing aspect in you. Gardens can help focus our lives. It has been demonstrated with labyrinths that are used on mentally and emotionally imbalanced people and those with violent backgrounds. Using a labyrinth has helped those people get to the core of their issues and bring them into balance. Labyrinths symbolize a transformative journey to your center and back out in the world according to Dr. Johnston at the Medical Center of Central Georgia.

Gardens are very healing places. Gardens are used for meditation and spiritual connections for centuries. The Chinese and Japanese use gardens for renewing their spirit. Dry gardens are an example of this. In some dry gardens, they have a pattern that needs to be raked daily. This serves as a reminder for daily renewal. It is also a reminder to focus in the present and an opportunity to leave the past in the past.

Overall gardens are spaces and places that serve many purposes where we interact and forward an aspect of our lives. There is more useful information written by Stephen Covey in a number of his other books which can be related to gardens and gardening. One of these is Habit 8®From Effectiveness to Greatness.

What is new in 2012 flower introductions?

2011-12-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

It just doesn’t get any better than this. This coming year there are some wonderful new plants for your garden. Some of these plants have been growing for decades in other places and are now being integrated into our market.

The groundcover called Carpeting Pincushion flower is one of those plants. It is closely related to Pincushion flower or in Latin Scabiosa. The Carpeting Pincushion flower grows as a mat of attractive gray-green evergreen crinkled leaves. It blooms from late spring through summer with large 1 ½ mauve-pink flowers followed by furry, silvery-pink seed heads. This plant will be attractive all year from the sound of the evergreen crinkled leaves, the flowers and the seed heads. I would say a must have for the garden. It sounds like a minimal care plant. Nothing to do but find a full-sun location that is well-drained soil. It is has low fertility requirements. This plant is native to the mountains of Morocco and tolerates light foot traffic. It sounds ideal for between pavers and flagstones.

A couple of old standard plants such as yarrow or in Latin Achillea filipendula ‘Gold Plate’. The flowers are yellow-gold which stand above tall sturdy stem with flowers 4 to 6 inches in width. The best part about yarrow is its ability to live in a wide range of soils and climates. The next best thing is its long-blooming season, if you deadhead the old flowers. It is great as a dried flower as well. It can also grow next to penstemon plants as a companion.

Another old standard is Coreopsis integrifolia or commonly called Fringe Leaf Tickseed. It has a large, deep golden-yellow flower with deep waxy green foliage. This plant is a native to the southwestern United States. It is very adaptable to growing in all types of soils and tolerant of both moist and dry conditions. The best attribute about this plant is once established it spreads slowly on short stolons and is said to be long-lived perennial. The longest lived perennial is a peony with fifty plus years. This will have to stand the test of time on both those claims.

A native to New Mexico and Arizona is a species of fleabane and in this case, commonly called Rock Fleabane or in Latin Erigeron scopulinus. We do have some wonderful native fleabane species in Colorado as well. This grows naturally on cliff faces and rocky ledges. It is said to thrive in both hot, dry sites and partial shade with more moisture. It blooms in late spring-early summer with white daisy flowers above a tight green mat of leaves. This is outstanding crack filler for between pavers or flagstones. It is also very easy maintenance with low fertility requirements. It does require well-drained soil.

To add to penstemons for our garden, there are two new introductions. First Penstemon alamosensis or commonly named Alamo Canyon Beardtongue. This plant has twisting spikes of coral-orange flowers over gray-blue, evergreen foliage. This plant requires limestone soil or fast draining non-clay soils. For many of you with sandy or loamy fast draining soils this plant could be a possibility to try.

The next penstemon is Penstemon procerus v.formosus or commonly named Alpine Beardtongue. This is another low, evergreen mat with dense rosettes of foliage with short spikes that blooms with lavender-blue flowers. It blooms through summer with a low water requirement and well-drained soil. It does well in full sun to part shade. This plant will tolerate winter temperatures that dip to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit

Going Green with Leaves

2011-11-07T13:45:00.001-07:00

According to the National Audubon Society, every fall that Americans rake leaves, adds up to 8 million tons in plastic sacks at the curb to be picked up by their local trash management. This creates 20 percent of our garbage output according to the Environmental Protection Agency. They go onto say that trucking the leaves uses up a ton of fuel yearly.

In Holyoke, we have a city that collects the leaves and adds them to the lawn clippings and a local farming family, who uses them for compost. Some of the local residents request leaves for their gardens. The community garden also makes use of some of those leaves. Overall, Holyoke is actively participating in “going green”.

Leaves are an invaluable resource because they contain 50 to 80 percent of the nutrients a plant extracts from the soil and air during the season. There are many studies which compare and contrast the levels of nutrients in leaves before they fall and after they fall. The nutrient levels tested are nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and the carbon/nitrogen ratio. These nutrient levels vary greatly among tree species. Along with that, the overall ecosystem plays a role in nutrient absorption and release.

Like our local farming family, other cities and municipalities have the opportunity to build a partnership with local producers with a technique of sheet leaf composting. This is an alternative method of leaf recycling. Sheet leaf composting is the application and incorporation of leaves on cropland actively devoted to agricultural production. Naturally, the leaves are mulch plus a soil amendment.

There is another method which is a conventional windrow composting that farmers apply. Windrow composting places the raw materials in a long row which is agitated or turned on a regular basis. This is a passive aeration method. The windrows are three to 12 feet in height with the variance in width of 10 to 20 feet.

The use of raw materials can be manures. When manures are mishandled, we open ourselves up to risks. Generally, it is important for the consumer to increase their safety by washing fresh produce and properly cooking the food. The manures that should never be added to compost are dog, cat and pig. The parasites they carry may survive in compost and remain infectious to humans. Extension can provide information on these other issues.

Either of the above mentioned methods have benefits to the local producers. Some of these benefits are additional income through tipping fees or contracts, cropland improvements in soil tilth, moisture holding capacity, structure and nutrients. Other benefits are sustainable agriculture and additional compensation for the use of cropland, equipment and manpower used during the post-harvest season.

The community also benefits with lower disposal costs, minimal hauling expense, eliminating the liability and expense associated with the operation, maintenance and management of a leaf compost facility plus we support local farmers.

The environment benefits from decreased soil erosion, improved soil nutrient holding capacity, reducing leachate and runoff concerns and decrease in potential environmental problems sometimes associated with a composting facility.

As for the homeowner and the avid gardener there are other ways to manage your leaves instead of raking which are as follows:

1) mowing them with a mulching mower

2) mulch for the vegetable garden by working in 6 to 8 inches of shredded leaves

3) 3-6 inches of shredded leaves around the base of trees and shrubs

4) 2-3 inches of shredded leaves in the perennial beds

5) Create your own compost pile for adding to different areas of your landscape at a later date

Now that everyone is going green with leaves, stay tuned for my next article on vermicomposting. Take going green to the next level by reducing your kitchen waste and garbage.

For more information visit www.ext.colostate.edu.

Time for Planting Bulbs in Eastern Colorado

2011-11-02T16:11:00.001-06:00

Bulbs enhance your garden in a carefree way. Plant them at the proper time and they give you years of pleasure without much effort.

What kind of bulbs do best in eastern Colorado? Daffodils, snowdrops, squill, lilies and tulips are the best for this area. Hyacinths are popular, but the bulbs break apart and they flower less and less each year. Squill, hyacinth, daffodils and tulips are spring-blooming and need a winter chill in the ground. Planting during October and November are ideal when the soil temperature is cooling down into the 40’s.

Some unusual bulbs to try are autumn crocus which bloom in the fall and can be planted in July and August. Other crocus that is fall blooming are not considered as true bulbs, rather they are classified as corms. So they are bulb-like because they lack the outer fleshy scales like true bulbs. Montbretia and gladiolus are in the same class. However, they bloom during the summer and need to be planted in the spring. Once they are finished blooming, montbretia and gladiolus need to be dug up and keep in a cool place that is frost-free over winter. That can be challenging to find that cool place.

For the true bulbs that you decide to purchase, pay attention to the type of soil in your landscape. Tulips, daffodils and hyacinths planted in a light soil or a soil with more sand needs to be planted at a depth of 7 inches. While tulips, hyacinths and daffodils planted in a heavier soil with more clay need to be planted no deeper than 5 inches. Of the three bulbs mentioned, daffodils can be grown successfully in any soil even though a well-drained sandy loam is ideal. With daffodils or narcissus, there are nine different classifications of varieties. Narcissus jonquilla is classified in group number 6 with a description of grasslike foliage, small sweet-scented flowers, single or in clusters.

For fertilizing your bulbs, place bone meal in the hole with the bulbs. This will become available as the soil warms and the bulbs begin to grow. It acts as a slow release fertilizer. The middle number on the bone meal should be the highest number. The middle number corresponds to the amount of phosphorus which contributes to good root development, the production of fruits and seeds and helps balance an overabundance of nitrogen in the soil. In eastern Colorado there is about 1% nitrogen in our soils and certainly no overabundance. In our alkaline soils, phosphorus becomes less available to plants. Phosphorus moves very slowly in the soil, so place the fertilizer close to where the root zone of the bulbs will develop.

Bulbs can be used in the landscape to transition between one season into the next. You can use daffodils to take you from early spring through early summer. Daylilies can be used to cover the dead leaves of daffodils for the rest of the summer. Daylilies also offer a wide variety of rebloomers. Stella D’ Oro is the most popular and widely used rebloomer. There are a host of others in all colors for early, mid and late season in the garden. Bulbs can help you have an ever blooming garden.

Heirloom Bulbs are becoming more popular. Oddly enough these plants have been around for hundreds of years over the cultivated varieties that we now have. Heirlooms predate large scale agriculture.

Some of the best bulbs are heirloom tulips. Here are a couple of suggestions that will grow in zone 4.

Tulipa tarda is native to central Asia and spreads like a groundcover. The flower is a showy star-shaped flower with a yellow center and white tips on the petals. It is labeled as xeric. It grows best in full sun with a preference for afternoon sun.

Tulipa sylvestris is a zone 5a plant. It is also native to Asia Minor. It blooms in late winter, early spring or mid-spring. It is called the wild tulip. It has a yellow flower which makes for a great cut flower. Beyond being a great cut flower, the flower has an added bonus of fragrance. It makes Tulipa sylvestris a must have.

Tulipa polychrome is native to the mountains of Afghanistan and northern Iran. It is also hardy in zone 4 and grows best in elevations above 7,000 feet. This works as a suggestion for those of us who have a second home in the mountains or relatives who live in the mountains. Tulipa polychrome grows best in full sun with a preference for afternoon sun and blooms early in the spring. The flower has a yellow center with white petals. It is also labeled as xeric.

There are hundreds more to chose from. Using a wide variety of bulbs will extend the season from early winter into late fall. Something will always be blooming and your neighbors will be wondering what plant that is?

Tomatillos

2011-10-13T08:58:00.006-06:00

Now that the gardening season has come to a close for most of us, now is probably the best time to reflect on what did not do well and what did and what you would like to plant next year. Make room for the tomatillo. The picture to the left by gourmetsleuth.com.

A tomatillo has many names such as husktomato, jamberberry, miltomates, Mexican green tomatoes, strawberry tomatoes and ground cherry. In Mexico where the tomatillo is native, they call it tomate verde. Not only does the tomatillo have so many different names, but also so many different variables within its plant characteristics. To make matters worse growers have made attempts to improve tomatillo selection with very little success. It is the crop that should win the award for great variability in plant habit which includes fruit size and the timing on harvest.

The tomatillo is in the Solanaceae or nightshade family along with pepper, tomato, potato and eggplant.

If you plan on planting tomatillos you must have at least two plants because they are not self-fertile. They are hardier than a tomato. Being in the same family as a tomato, they do share the same cultivation practices. The tomatillo plant grows best in rich loamy soil and with that said, they are rather tolerant of a variety of soils. The best pH range is between 6.5 and 6.8 and again, they do just fine in the pH range of 6.0 to 7.0. Like tomatoes they require a full day of sun and do better with even soil moisture. They do benefit from adding a general purpose fertilizer or 10-10-10 in the planting bed when you are preparing the soil. As the tomatillos fruit starts to ripen add potassium sulfate to give the plants much needed energy for development and healthy leaf growth at this time. Tomato and tomatillo are susceptible to leaf blights. These can come about by poor irrigation practices or rain. Do not use over head irrigation with these plants.

You can start your own seedlings indoors. Remember to do this 6 to 8 weeks before the intended outdoor planting date. Go to your local weather station and get a listing of the history of average frost and freeze dates for your area. Before you transfer the transplants directly to the garden, harden the plants in a shady, protected area and gradually move them into longer periods of sun. If you forget and just get so excited to start gardening again and transplant them directly in the soil without any acclimation, they will suffer transplant shock with symptoms of burned leaves, wilting and so on. They may even die. In human terms it would be like you going from a hot shower into a tube with ice water. Naturally you would not die, but you get the picture. When you finally have the transplants acclimated and you are ready to plant your tomatillos, space them 3 feet apart with rows 3 to 6 feet apart.

Be sure to plant your tomatillos with enough time for the fruits to mature. This takes about 75 to 100 days. The best time to harvest the fruit is when the husk turns from green to tan. Fully ripe fruit will be a yellow or purple color and loses its tangy flavor.

If you wish to store your tomatillos in their husks you can keep them in the refrigerator in a paper bag for about 2 weeks. If you wish to store them longer remove the husks and refrigerate the fruit. They will keep up to 3 months this way.

Here are a few cultivars to chose from:

Pineapple: 3/4 inch round fruit with a sweet fruit taste like pineapple. Plants are short, spreading but give a high yield.

Purple: small purple fruit with a sweet, tart flavor. Plants are vigorous.

Purple De Milpa: fruit is 2 inches covered by a husk with purple stripes and a strong-flavored taste. This is also an heirloom variety from Mexico.

Toma Verde: green 2 inch fruit with a sweet, tart favor. Plants are more prolific and vining.

Verde Puebla: 1 to 2 ounce green fruit with a sweet, tart flavor with continuous production.

Zuni: cherry-sized fruits with a sweet, tart flavor. This is from the Zuni Indians of New Mexico.

With extensive testing done on some of these varieties, studies have found that the purple varieties such as Di Milpa have a flavor that is sweeter and juicier. Grow tomatillo plants and try them for yourself.

Varieties most commonly found in catalogs are as follows: Toma Verde, Purple Di Milpa, Verde Puebla.

Garden on Through Fall and Early Winter

2011-09-26T15:34:00.002-06:00

Sound impossible? If Master Gardener Eliot Coleman in Harborside, Maine can grow vegetables through December, why not here in Colorado?

Create a cold frame. Then over the cold frame create another layer of protection such as a high tunnel or a low tunnel. If that sounds like too much work, then use a row cover for your crops and extend the season late into the fall.

Better yet, in your high tunnel create a hotbed using compost that is still decomposing. These hotbeds will create the natural heat that you need to keep the temperature levels high enough for growing your fall crops.

Fall crops do better if the temperatures dip below freezing. Kale is one of those fall crops that needs to have the temperature into the low 20's and below in order to have a superior flavor. Some good choices for varieties are 'Black Tuscan', 'White Russian', 'Red Russian' and 'Winterbor'.

Other choices for fall vegetables are radicchio, swiss chard, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, spinach, beets, collard, arugula and cabbage.

According to research trials by the Organic Seed Alliance there are some fabulous choices of hardy varieties for growing in fall and winter. Go to the website: www.seedalliance.org for more detailed information.

Here are some choices of those hardy cultivars:

Broccoli : 'Marathon' and 'Packman'
Carrots: 'Bolero'
Lettuce: 'Winter Density' a bibb type, 'Rouge d'Hiver' a romaine type
Swiss Chard: 'Fordhook Giant'
Radicchio: 'Variegata di Luisa Tardiva' an Italian variety
Arugula: 'Sputnik'
Beets: 'Red Ace', 'Chioggia Guardmark'
Collards: 'Champion'
Spinach: 'Olympia'

If you are planning to do a high tunnel, according to Master Gardener Eliot Coleman each layering of plastic covering over your fall crops will put you in a zone equivalent to one and a half USDA zones further south of where you live. So if you live in Zone 4 and apply a covering then you are well in Zone 5. An additional covering will give you moderate temperatures of Zone 6.

With a little ingenuity, we can garden throughout the year - almost. If you do decide to extend the garden season well into winter, then be planning on using some cover crops and creating some hotbeds to provide a fertile soil for future planting areas or to give your beds a boost now.

Just think about having fresh beets or spinach for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Tired yet? With all the grocery money you are saving, take a vacation to a sunny destination.

The Xeric Plant: Red Yucca

2011-09-19T13:17:00.004-06:00

Red yucca is xeric once established. It spreads to six feet with a flower stalk of six feet tall and six feet wide. The evergreen plant is three feet tall without the stalk. It begins to bloom in April and lasts through November. It survives in elevations up to 2500 feet in elevation.

Hummingbirds are attracted to this plant.

These plants like alkaline, well-drained soil the best.

This plant needs full-sun since it is very drought tolerant as well as heat tolerant. They are relatively pest free and they have a wonderful arching structure which makes them appear as a graceful plant. This plant can be grown in mass plantings with several plants in a section. Place this plant in the hottest, driest place with full-sun exposure that you have in your garden. Then sit back and enjoy!

My Favorite Ornamental Grasses

2011-09-15T13:34:00.016-06:00

Some of my favorite grasses which are native that can be used in your landscape and help you conserve on water and still have a fabulous landscape.

Andropogon gerardii cv. 'Pawnee' is commonly called Big Bluestem has purplish red inflorescence and stems that are a bluish purple in the fall. See for yourself in the pictures below:

Big Bluestem grows in dense stands. This grass grows in moist well-drained soil. It has deep roots that he It is the tallest grass on the prairie. Once it was food for the American bison. This is the grass of the tall grass prairie that kept the wind from blowing the soil away before the land was cultivated before the Dust Bowl of the 1930's.

Panicum virgatum featured to the left, commonly called Switch Grass has different fall coloration for the foliage depending on the cultivar. The flower panicles are reddish-pink. This plant gets to three feet tall and stays compact, narrow and erect. This grass likes well-drained soil that is moist and needs full sun exposure. The old foliage can be cut back to the ground in late winter or early spring. There are now a number of wonderful cultivars that you can add to your garden:

Panicum virgatum cv. 'Prairie Fire' and Panicum virgatum cv. 'Heavy Metal' :

Both grasses are beautiful in the landscape and have changing features throughout the season that can enhance your landscape. Overall grasses are low maintenance and soften areas in the garden.

Medusahead Grass

2011-09-14T14:21:00.005-06:00

Yet another invasive species of grass. The movement of the grass Taeniatherum caput-medusae resembles the snake-like tresses of Medusa. This grass orginated in the Mediterranean. The photo to the left is from Oregon State University showing this growing on the their range land.

Due to the high level of silica in this grass and the stiff awns of this grass it is unpalatable. As cattle and other livestock and wildlife attempt to forage on this grass, the seeds and spiky heads cut their mouths. It grows faster and blooms longer than other grasses that it crowds out the space for native grasses which livestock and wildlife can forage. Medusahead even out competes cheatgrass and like cheatgrass it is a winter annual that is a non-native species orginating from Eurasia. Cheatgrass came to this country about 1898 to Washington State. While Medusahead came to Oregon in 1883.

Medusahead grows 6 to 24 inches tall. It can be confused with foxtail barley which has similar stiff, barbed awns. Foxtail barley has longer awns.

The seed germination rate is quicker than other native grasses. So space for native grazing grasses is being taken away. Most ranches have lost 40 to 70 percent of their grazing capacity.
It is important to have this grass identified correctly and for landowners to participate in control efforts.

Control efforts most likely to be used are prescribed burning, tillage, herbicide treatments, judicious grazing management and seeding of desirable perennial grasses and forbs.

Ballyneal Golf Course: Their Water Conservation and National Audubon Cooperative Santuary Program

2011-09-12T09:43:00.005-06:00

Ballyneal Golf Course is a course certified by the National Audubon Cooperative Santuary Program. It is an award winning education and certification program that helps the golf courses protect the environment and preserve the natural heritage of the game of golf. A golf course earns certification by their environmental management practices. Here is a list of those practices that must be met to be certified:

Environmental Planning
Wildlife and Habitat Management
Chemical use, reduction and safety
Water conservation
Water quality management
Outreach and education

Below is information provided by the superintendent of Ballyneal, Dave Hensley:

Water use at Ballyneal Golf Club in Holyoke, CO has been a hot topic to those involved in the project since the idea was created in 2002. Ballyneal is built in the inland Sand Dunes of Northeastern Colorado and the sand profile is deeper than you can dig. Its grassing choices which consist of Fine Fescues, Colonial Bentgrass, and Kentucky Bluegrass present a surface that mimics the traditional playing surfaces of golf. The primary grass, a mix of five Fine Fescues, generally likes a Mediterranean climate but can be very heat and drought tolerant. We have sowed approximately ten different varieties of the Fescue giving our turf stand many characteristics that thrive at different times of the year.

Although we work hard at all aspects of stewardship our biggest challenge is water conservation. The choice to use our water wisely challenges the maintenance staff at Ballyneal to learn and practice watering techniques that will ultimately present the best playing surface while conserving our water inputs.

The irrigation system is equipped with individual head control and a winter watering system. We continually monitor turf conditions not only by aesthetic appearance above ground but also by what the soil is telling us underground. The deep and infrequent irrigation philosophy is our goal. We very rarely use over head irrigation if it is not a scheduled irrigation event and never use over head irrigation on the greens to spot water. We use soil probes that show what the soil needs in order to provide the plant the water it needs to survive, not the amount it needs to stay green. This is a science and we spend a lot of time training our employees what not to water.

We have also spent a lot of time “tweaking” and auditing our irrigation efficiency with individual heads and our computer control system. We make changes daily in the field by adjusting run times for areas receiving too much water. We can change percentages of run time in our control system and this has greatly reduced water usage in areas that do not require or were at one time over watered. Our irrigation heads also have adjustable arcs and angles of throw so we can control wasteful watering into native areas. We have recently done a thorough audit of each sprinkler head to adjust the gallon per minute, radius, and the arc and angle. In 2008 we conducted a nozzle inspection and conversion to control drift from the winds we experience at Ballyneal.

We implement all drought management strategies, these include; the use of wetting agents, eliminating irrigation in select areas, reducing rough irrigation, hand watering, adjusting fertilization practices, reducing fairway and tee irrigation, increasing mowing heights, and modifying irrigation control systems.

It has been a challenge and although we have had success we have also had some setbacks. As our turf ecology grows water use will decline on the short grass we have currently. We are proud of what we have achieved in the growing seasons of 2008 and 2009 as we have applied approximately a third less water each year than what we have used in each of the previous three years.

We are currently members of the Audubon Society and sponsor the 4^th Grade class at Holyoke Elementary School in their efforts in the Audubon Society and educating about the environment. We welcome the opportunity to show off our property and would be happy to give you a tour of our stewardship efforts, our native habitat, or our gardens.

We are also constantly looking for volunteers to help with bird and wildlife watching and inventories. Please call Dave Hensley at (970) 571-3901 with any inquiries.

Seniors: Tips for Gardening with grace

2011-09-08T14:27:00.007-06:00

In the United States, in the next ten years, the 78 million baby boomers will be reaching retirement age. Those that already enjoy gardening as a hobby will need to adjust some of their gardening techniques as they age.

Here is a brief list of age related considerations that should be taken into consideration for gardeners:

Physical attributes that decline with age, below is a list:

1 Vision - there are changes in the eye lens structure. The lens thickens, yellows and becomes opaque. This impacts our clarity. Blue, violet and green are harder to see. Depth perception is diminished. There is a loss of peripheral vision as well.

Tips:

Paint tools a bright color.
Make paths firm, level and smooth.
Create good drainage off paths.
All paths should be wide enough to accommodate someone in a wheelchair.
For those pushing the wheelchair and others, place ample seating throughout the garden.
Each path needs to have a clear beginning and ending.
Use contrasting colors and textures to help with visibility.
Have good lighting.

2 Skin - the elderly are more susceptible to sunburn, bruises and bumps because of thinning of our skin.

Tips:

Limit exposure to the sun during the time when the sun is the strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Wear long sleeves and pants or loose protective clothing.
Apply sunscreen with (SPF) 15 or higher to dry skin 30 minutes before going out into the sun. If an elderly individual's health and age allow one to be outside for more than two hours, reapply the sunscreen every two hours.

3 Body Temperature - as the body ages it does not adjust quickly to temperature changes. So we may not know that we have stayed out too long in the sun or cold. Heat stroke and dehydration and hypothermia are as much health concerns as arthritis and rheumatism, heart disease, kidney function and osteoporosis.

Tips:

Garden in the early morning or early evening.
Drink lots of fluids which do not include alcoholic beverages.
Splash water on your body or shower frequently.
Eat light meals.
Wear gloves.

4 Muscular/Skeletal - there is reduced agility, balance and strength. There is an increase in tremors and broken bones.

Tips:

Create more raised beds in the garden.
Use ergonomic tools.
Design vertical gardens or lots of trellis work.
Add more pots or containers or window boxes for gardening.
Add window boxes or hanging baskets.
Add miniature garden planters.

Other key considerations of gardening as we age are as follows:

1 Cognitive abilities - this may decrease with age especially if the individual is not socially active. Alzheimer's and dementia increase our loss of memory and increase our difficulty in learn new skills.

Tips:

Simplify the garden design. Less is more.
Favorite plants can trigger a memory.
Focal points can help orientate an individual to location in the garden. Make them original.

2 Economic Dependence - older family members may become more dependent on their children. With this comes a lose of control over aspects of an individual's life. As family and friends pass away, this can create isolation. If an older member of the family is forced to move to one of their children's homes because of economics or care this reduces self-esteem and self-confidence.

Tips:

Give loved ones a place to garden that is all theirs. They get to chose what plants and how to care for them in their area.
Create social activities in the garden.
Create inter-generational time in the garden.
Be creative and use recycled materials to keep the cost low.

Happy gardening for the next decade and more!

Too much food abundance?

2011-08-16T10:26:00.021-06:00

Your garden is growing successfully. You have an over abundance of food. You are being swamped with all the produce that your garden is producing. How do you manage the excess? Do you have 10 bushels of homegrown tomatoes that you will not be able to use? Would you community be interested in starting a local canning group?

In an article published by American Profile, since 1942 people have been bringing their produce into Keezletown Community Cannery in Keezletown, Virginia. People bring beans, beets, peaches, pears, cucumbers and even chickens to the canning kitchen. As a team, these people work to peel, chop and mince among friends and fellow gardeners.

Community canning kitchens started in the 1940's during the time Americans were doing Victory gardens in the food-rationing days of World War II. Today there is a resurgence of community canneries. Why? People want to know where their food is coming from and know what is in the food according to Elizabeth Andress, Director of U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Canning is one option in your community. There are other options if your local church or food bank is not interested in fresh or preserved surplus harvest. Read on for a list of options:

Food banks are located all over the country. Here are some of the ways to locate a food pantry to deliver your fresh food.

Feeding America is a website dedicated to listing food banks in each state. Click on the state and there is a comprehensive listing of information about the food bank.

http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx

Ample Harvest is an on-line organization which lists food pantries in different states across the country.

Google is helping to fund this website. www.AmpleHarvest.org

Hunger Free Colorado Campaign to end childhood hunger in Colorado. Call the hotline and they can assist with locating food pantries to food stamps.

Hotline Number: (855)855-4626

http://www.hungerfreecolorado.org/main.html

Sharing food gives others food abundance and gives life. This feeds the soul and preserves the gardener.

Growing Beans

2011-08-11T10:32:00.001-06:00

Why grow beans? Beans are easy to grow as well as a dependable crop with lots of variety. There are snap beans, dry soup beans, scarlet runner beans, lima beans, asparagus beans and lastly tepary beans. Beans are rich in protein.

To have a successful bean crop, you need to prepare the soil first. Beans need a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. This is slightly acidic. So to get your soil to that pH mix in organic matter with lots of leaf material that is slightly acidic.

The next step to being successful with growing beans is to plant the seeds after the last frost date when the soil warms up to 60 or 70 Fahrenheit which is great for their germination. You will get the best results by making sure your soil is fertile by mixing in one inch of mature compost. With the faster maturing snap bean varieties, you can plant every three weeks through the middle of summer to assure a good production through the season. You can plant successive crops with all vegetables to extend the crops through the season. However, one planting may be all you need.

When planting the seeds one inch deep two to four inches apart. If you are planting bush beans space the seed four inches apart and then with pole beans space those seed six inches apart. When planting the seed in rows, space the rows apart 12 to 14 inches. When you plant the seed you can inoculate the seed with nitrogen-fixing bacteria or throw some soil from last year’s bean patch in with this year. Bush beans can be used as a cover crop and turned under.

Bush bean varieties require no staking. Some varieties for growing in our area are Blue Lake 274, Bush Kentucky Wonder and Derby. Blue Lake 274 is resistant to bean mosaic and takes 58 days to harvest. The pods are tender and seeds very slowly to develop. Kentucky Wonder has flattened pods and takes 57 days to harvest. Derby has excellent pods slim and tender and very prolific with 57 days to harvest. Derby is an All American Selection Winner of 1990.

Pole beans varieties that are good for this area are Blue Lake with 65 days to harvest. The pods are juicy and tender. This variety is resistant to bean mosaic virus. Kentucky Blue is an All American Selection Winner with pods that are seven inches in length. Kentucky Wonder is also 65 days to harvest with nine inch pods in clusters.

During the time the beans begin to flower it is very important to keep the beans well watered with good drainage. The real key is full sun and lots of heat but moist and dry. One word of caution about their root systems. They have shallow roots systems and they will dry out quickly. When the beans reach a length of 4 to 6 inches, this is a good time to begin harvesting. The more you pick the more the plants will produce.

Beans are a good source of carbohydrates. They are a moderate source of protein, fiber, Vitamin C and beta carotene with small amounts of calcium and trace nutrients.

Mature green beans need to be cooked or blanched before eating. It is best to wash beans under cold running water and drain before cooking. Beans retain their color and nutritional value if they are cooked whole. It is also best to freeze or can beans within a few hours after harvesting.

There are three options for preserving your green beans to enjoy long after the season. They can be frozen, dried or canned. If you chose to freeze your beans, then they must be blanched before hand to retard the enzyme activity. All vegetables contain an active enzyme that causes deterioration of plant cells. This enzyme will cause the beans to lose color, become tough and loose nutrient value.

I think eating the green beans fresh is best. Try the following recipe from Allrecipes.com to enjoy your green bean harvest:

Fresh Green Beans, Fennel and Feta Cheese

Ingredients

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 fennel bulb, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Fill a saucepan half full with water and bring to a boil. Add the green beans and fennel slices; cook until just beginning to become tender, about 4 minutes. Pour into a colander to drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Return the empty pan to the stove and set heat to medium. Pour in the olive oil and let it heat for a minute. Return the green beans and fennel to the pan. Season with basil, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until coated and warm. Transfer to a serving dish and toss with feta cheese.

What to do with Excess Fresh Produce?

2011-07-31T12:40:00.003-06:00

Tired of all the excess cucumber, zucchini, squash and tomatoes that keep producing and producing???? Too much produce to preserve??? Want to give them away?? And where and how you ask???

Food banks are located all over the country. Here are some of the ways to locate a food pantry to deliver your fresh food.

Feeding America is a website dedicated to listing food banks in each state. Click on the state and there is a comprehensive listing of information about the food bank.

http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx

Ample Harvest is an on-line organization which lists food pantries in different states across the country.

Google is helping to fund this website. www.AmpleHarvest.org

Hunger Free Colorado Campaign to end childhood hunger in Colorado. Call the hotline and they can assist with locating food pantries to food stamps.

Hotline Number: (855)855-4626

http://www.hungerfreecolorado.org/main.html

American Gardening Association has a website where you can register your community garden and assist with other community garden issues as well as a database to connect with other gardens.

http://communitygarden.org/learn/starting-a-community-garden.php

Mourning Cloak Butterfly

2011-07-12T09:30:00.011-06:00

In the caterpillar stage of every complete metamorphasis of certain insects, this stage does the most damage because it is feeding itself before it goes into pupate and transform itself into a beautiful adult.

In fact, this beautiful butterfly, the Mourning Cloak Butterfly is the adult stage of the spiny elm caterpillar. The spiny elm caterpillars feed on the leaves of elm, hackberry, willow, aspen, cottonwoods and poplars. It can defoliate small trees, but may defoliate a section from a larger tree.

The Mourning Cloak Butterfly is often found in Colorado. It is named the state butterfly for Montana. Yet is quite common throughout the United States.

The first picture on the left above are the eggs once initially laid. The picture directly to the left of this sentence is after the eggs mature. Females lay the eggs in spring and they hatch in ten days. The female dies shortly after she lays her eggs. She can lay up to thirty to fifty eggs on a tree branch.

The picture directly below is the spiny elm caterpillar before it pupates and transforms into an adult butterfly.

And finally to the left the Mourning Cloak Butterfly in the adult stage. These butterflies have a wing span of 2 3/4 inches to almost 4 inches. This butterfly has a unique characteristic whereby it overwinters in a semi-frozen state called "crypto-preservation".

The name of this butterfly refers the resemblence of a traditional garment used while in mourning over the death of a loved one. This butterfly has several generations a year because they are year round. They live a period of ten months.

The other unique feature of these butterfly are with their legs. Most butterfly as with most insects have six legs but this butterfly has only four legs. So look for this butterfly throughout the year. It can be a nuisance and it can defoliate smaller trees. If find it in your landscape and it starts to create a problem, then you need to contact your local Extension office for control methods.

Now Re Blooming Lavender

2011-06-27T15:24:00.005-06:00

Lavender angustifolia 'Pastor's Pride' was introduced in 1980 by Well-Sweep Farm in New Jersey. This plant is an early bloomer. The plant is loose flowering. The blooms are dark lavender on an 18" tall plant.

It grows in zones 5-10 and takes well-drained soils as is important for all lavenders. All lavenders need full sun requirements to do their best. Pastor's Pride has a two foot spread and is about 18" to 2 feet tall. This plant needs low fertility.

Once this plant blooms, you need to prune off the old blooms and it will re bloom a second time. This is a plant you could have in your water wise garden.

Speaking of re blooming most perennials if their dead blossoms are pruned back, they can re bloom again during the same season. Delphiniums are a great example of this. Picture below from gardenguides.com. When you go to prune your herbaceous perennial, you want to prune it hard as though a frost has killed it. Then fertilize the perennial plant and water well and it will re bloom again. It takes considerable energy to treat the plant in this manner. It can be done, but I do not recommend doing it. Sometimes, plants re bloom too late in the fall and get caught in a freeze before they finish blooming a second time. You are literally forcing your perennials to give you a show twice in a season. I personally, do not recommend doing this, but it can be done and sometimes is done in the landscape business. Some nurseries do this to have the perennial re bloom for a fall sale. People purchase a plant based on the flower. If plants are not in flower, they are less likely to sell as well.

Enjoy your flowers when they bloom the first time in season. Take a moment and smell the flowers.

New: A Re blooming Lilac

2011-06-23T14:19:00.003-06:00

That's right, now we have really done it. Proven Winners developed a lilac that re blooms in mid-summer and then until frost. What more could we ask for?? After re blooming daylilies and re blooming iris, we now have Boomerang Purple Lilac.

It gets about 48" to 60" tall with a mounding habit. Spacing should be about 72" apart if you are planning to plant these in a shrub row. It is hardy in zone 3 through 7. It is rated to a -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is suggested to use as a container plant. As you can see from the picture that it has a great lavender color. Like all other lilacs, it is deciduous. Now wouldn't that be something if Proven Winners developed one that was evergreen. Yes, evergreen as well as re blooming.

The culture of this re blooming lilac sounds too good to be true. But here it is. It takes full sun, well-drained soil. Flower production can slow with really hot summers. Prune after it flowers in the spring to encourage re blooming. Lastly, it is very resistant to powdery mildew.

This lilac attracts butterflies and is fragrant. And if you have deer that visit your garden, it is said to be deer resistant. Only time will tell. One great addition, the flowers are good cutting flowers. It is always a plus to bring the fragrance of lilacs into your home. Once thought of as the fragrance of spring now becomes a fragrance for almost all season.

Is it an Eastern or Western Cedar or Juniper?

2011-05-26T13:43:00.011-06:00

People use the names of Cedar and Juniper when speaking about some of their evergreens. What is the difference between cedars and junipers and eastern and western cedar?

Eastern Red Cedar or Juniper have the Latin name of Juniperus virginiana. This is a slow growing tree that is long-lived and grows to about 40 feet and is adaptable to a variety of wet or dry conditions. It is an evergreen with opposite scale-like leaves. There are male and female trees with the female trees producing the berry-like fruit. The bluish berry-like fruit are covered with a whitish powder about 1/4 inch in diameter which contains one to two seeds. The bluish berry-like fruit once pollinated become cones.

Western Red Cedar has the Latin name of Thuja plicata. Other alternate common names for this plant are Giant Arborvitae, Western Arborvitae and Pacific Red Cedar. Sounds confusing doesn't it? Leaves are again evergreen, scale-like and sharply pointed. The picture to the left shows the scale-like leaves.

Rocky Mountain Juniper or Colorado redcedar has a Latin name of Juniperus scopulorum. Its leaves are evergreen and scale-like and tightly appressed. The cones on this ripen in the second year. Its overall habit is narrow, pyramidal with several main stems. It is a slow growing tree.

There are many cultivars of junipers used in our landscapes such as Juniperus scopulorum 'Moonglow' - the picture directly under the sentence. Junipers withstand drought conditions very well, but it is not well-adapted to humidity and high night temperatures of the southeast.

With all of these, be sure you know the Latin name and understand the habit of the tree which helps in knowing if you have what you wanted.

Is Vinegar a solution to weed control?

2011-05-26T11:54:00.003-06:00

According to information provided by Purdue Extension on USDA research on using acetic acid or vinegar on common weeds such as Canada thistle, it can be effective. With a 5% or 10% household concentration, you can kill the younger plants in the first two weeks of their emergence. Once they are older and more established the plants required higher concentrations of acetic acid. This then becomes more dangerous for individuals spraying the plants. Higher concentrations can cause eye injury and burn your skin. Although, higher concentrations have a higher kill rate on plants up to 85 to 100 percent. With older plants of Canada thistle, it just temporarily burned the vegetative growth. The thistle re-sprouted new shoots in a short period of time.
If you choose to use vinegar, the soil pH was only temporarily affected because it breaks down quickly. The higher pH will however stay around for a few days. The USDA scientists do note that corn is the only crop not susceptible to tissue burn as other crops. More research is needed on other crops on ornamental and non-ornamental crops.

Other options for an organic method of controlling weeds are the old fashioned method of hand pulling in your flower beds or under your trees. Corn gluten will affect seeds that have not emerged. Contact your Extension Office before attempting any other types of organic remedies.

Cedar-Apple Rust

2011-05-25T11:03:00.005-06:00

Ever see one of these galls before? These galls use the Western Red Cedar trees or Juniperus virginiana as a host to complete its life cycle. The Cedar-Apple Rust fungus overwinters in spherical galls on cedar trees. With the spring rain it causes the telia or horn-like structures to extude from the galls. These horn-like structures absorb water and are gelatinous and then become swollen. Through all the spring rains, these telial horns produce teliospores that germinate to produce a germ tube or basidium from each cell. Basidiospores can be produced within 4 hours after the telia or horn-like structures absorb water. These basidiospores are discharged into the air and are carried long distances to infect the undersides of young leaves on apple trees, hawthorn trees and crabapple trees. So that later you detect rust spots on your hawthorn that appear like the picture below:
Though the spores are carried for long distances, it is more likely that you or your neighbor would end up with rust from a cedar a few hundred yards away. The life cycle of this type of rust takes a two year time frame to complete. There are resistant apple and crabapple varieties. Some of the more resistant are as follows: Macoun, Paulared, Maiden Blush, Empire, Early McIntosh, Dayton to name a few. Early detection is the key, so contact the Extension office in your county if you see the galls on the Western Red Cedars.

The Real Value of A Tree

2011-02-01T10:53:00.010-07:00

Do you know what the real value of a tree encompasses? When certified arborists evaluate the value of a tree they take into consideration the species, the location and the condition. Arbor Day Foundation website has a great on-line guide to finding the value of your tree. This is called the National Tree Benefit Calculator. The Tree Benefit Calculator uses formulas that certified arborists use. These can be very complicated and add in a great deal of factors. The Arbor Day Foundation has based their Tree Benefit Calculator on industry standards used by certified arborists to provide you with accurate information. The Arbor Day Foundation has broken down the process into various categories to demonstrate to you what is factored into the monetary value of a tree. Besides arborists, real estate agents and home buyers place a value on the trees which increase the value of a residential property between 10 to 23 percent.

What factors are involved in assessing the value of a tree? The industry standards that are factored into the value of a tree are property value, stormwater, energy, air quality and atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction. The property value of a tree is based on the square feet of the leaf surface area of the tree. One can expect that the leaf surface area will increase each growing season as the tree grows to maturity. So the older the tree and larger the tree, the more value it will add to your property. If you have a property with a large number of trees, you will have more leaf surface area. Naturally, real estate agents do tend to see trees on the property as great "curb" appeal.

Trees help with stormwater runoff. Think about the amount of leaf surface area and the water that can sit on the leaf surface and evaporate as well as the branches and bark surface. The root system of a tree can filtrate and store the rainwater runoff. The root system of a tree helps with erosion control. As an example, if you have a plum tree that is 10 inches in width at breast height, then your plum could potentially intercept 661 gallons of runoff water. With runoff water comes surface pollutants such as salts, oil or gasoline, other pesticide/herbicide residue and any other debris. With trees helping to intercept the runoff water, they are slowing or decreasing the amount of pollutants washed into community waterways.

With that same 10 inch plum, it will conserve 26 kilowatt hours of electricity for cooling and reduce consumption of natural oil or gas by 3 therm(s). It is easy to see how the leaf surface area of a tree can shade a home as well as reduce the wind speed. Transpiration adds to the cooling effect. The process of transpiration is the absorption of water through roots and the loss of water to the atmosphere through openings called stomata in the underside of the leaf surface. Add to this evapotranspiration the loss of water from the soil as well as the transpiration from the stomata of leaves and you get even more cooling effect.

As trees intercept rain water runoff, they also help intercept air pollutants. Leaves can intercept ash, dust and smoke as well as other pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Plants in general, generate oxygen and use carbon dioxide in the process of photosynthesis. One mature tree can produce enough oxygen for 10 people for a year according to the Arbor Day Foundation.

Trees sequester carbon dioxide in their roots, trunks, branches and leaves as they grow. If a tree is harvested for wood, the carbon dioxide remains in the wood. So a 10 plum can reduce atmospheric carbon by 90 pounds. The amount of carbon sequestered varies from one species to another. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Method for Calculating Carbon Sequestration by Trees in Urban and Suburban Settings, a one year old fast-growing hardwood sequesters 4 pounds of carbon a year. As the hardwood matures to 50 years, it sequesters 122.7 pounds of carbon a year. One acre of trees absorb enough carbon dioxide to equal the amount of carbon dioxide produced driving a car 26,000 miles according to US Forest Service.

Undoubtably, the value of a tree is more than monetary. The beauty they provide in our landscapes and the healing capacity they have can make them invaluable. Research is now finding that patients who are recuperating from surgery recuperate faster and need less pain medicine if they can view a tree from their hospital room window. Their are historical values placed on trees as well as emotional values. There are plenty of literary authors in the world that demonstrate our attachment to trees. "If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees," by Hal Borland.

Here on the eastern plains of Colorado, we are grateful for the value of trees as windbreaks and shade trees. Trees have many different values. Understanding the type of tree you have and its cultural needs, goes along way to extending a tree's life, no matter how you value your trees.

Are Boxelder Bugs Invading Your Home?

2011-01-19T10:27:00.010-07:00

Below and to the left Boxelder seeds - Samara and middle picture Boxelder Bug and final picture Boxelder leaves.

Boxelder bugs can be a nuisance from fall through spring in and around your home. The picture to the far left is an adult boxelder bug. They find crevices, cracks in walls, doors, foundations and crawl inside. On warm sunny days they are often found on the exterior of west or south side of buildings. As you can see from the picture on the left, these adults are flat-backed, elongate and narrow about 1/2 inch long, 1/3 inch wide and e a dark brownish-black with three lengthwise red stripes on the pronotum or area behind the head. There are three veins in the wings and the abdomen is bright red under the wings which you cannot see in the picture.

Typically, the boxelder bugs feed on a variety of plants. Their favorite food are the seed pods of boxelder trees and then occassionally maple seeds. So if you have a female boxelder tree then you might expect to see boxelder bugs. They also feed on sap of these trees as well as fruit trees. The above picture of leaves is a sample of boxelder leaves courtesy of Cornell University Extension.

The boxelder tree is a maple, Acer negundo which grows best along rivers or streams. It is found in Colorado along riverbanks but is also found in flood plain areas. These trees have very soft wood with no commercial value. Their seeds germinate easily and can become a weedy species. So, if you do place this in your landscape, plan on being overrun with boxelder trees and bugs.

Boxelder bugs are just a nuisance. In late summer the second generation crawl down to the ground and the adults and large nymphs begin to congregate in large numbers. They migrate to a protective, warm place to overwinter. They come out of hibernation in late March and females begin laying rusty red eggs in groups during late April or early May. The eggs hatch in 11 to 19 days and begin their five nymphal instars. The instars become progressively darker red with each stage. The first-generation nymphs feed on boxelder seeds, various low-growing plants and recently dead insects. These first-generation nymphs become fully grown by early summer. Then, a second generation occurs in late summer and the eggs are laid, more exclusively on boxelder seeds. The adults from the second generation begin to congregate, migrate and hibernate.

Other plants that the boxelder bugs feed on are as listed: ash, elm, cherry, apple, peach, grape and strawberries. You may find scarring or dimpling on fruits.

Insecticidal soap is recommended to control the large congregations of boxelder bugs. Once inside the house, they can be killed by direct contact with a household insecticidal aerosol or household spray cleaner. Using a vacuum cleaner can be just as effective. Come late spring or about May, the surviving boxelder bugs move back to their host trees and stop becoming a nuisance for the homeowner.

Winter Landscape Reveal Some Redesigning

2011-01-05T14:24:00.014-07:00

A gardener's work is never done. Winter is the best time for viewing the overall structure of your garden layout or design. Whether you use a balanced symmetrical design or an unbalanced asymmetrical design, winter exposes the structural elements of our gardens. These elements would be the placement of paths that lead you into the garden and direct overall circulation. The proper placement of other hard scape features like statues, fountains, walls, gazebos or creative artwork will become obvious.

Keep in mind the principles of landscape design as you are redesigning so that you do not make the same mistakes again. The first principle to consider is unity. To understand unity, you need to have consistency and repetition which should follow through in all the elements in your garden from the walkway to the plants. Without unity, the garden will feel and look hap hazard. Everything was an after thought. Theme gardens are the easiest to create unity. Theme gardens which follow the rule for the same color or textures throughout. Ladew Gardens in Monkton, Maryland is a garden with 15 theme gardens in it. Some of the theme ideas used in Ladew Gardens are a berry garden, pink, rose, white gardens, woodland garden, Victorian Garden and a Garden of Eden. Another famous garden in Colorado that uses theme gardens is Denver Botanic Gardens. Some of them are a woodland garden, a wildflower garden, a vegetable garden to name a few. You get the idea. Be creative!

The second principle to keep in mind is simplicity. Some of the most beautiful and pleasing gardens to the eye and also commands a peaceful space are those with a few well placed elements. I think of the Japanese technique of Ikebana flower design when I think of simplicity. In Ikebana flower design, less is more. Using just one color or one type of texture or one type of specific boulder or shape throughout the garden are all examples of simplicity. Do not clutter the garden with stuff. Have a specific purpose in mind for the placement of an element.

Lastly, balance is the third principle. When you use one shape or texture on one side of the garden, use the same shape on the other side. Balance is about keeping things equal in our gardens. Symmetrical is an aspect of balance in the garden by keeping spaces equal in all areas of the garden as well as shape, size, color and texture. Gardens designed in a formal manner are noticeably balanced. The Italian Water garden at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania is designed in a formal manner. The picture at the beginning of this blog is a formal garden setting in Kutztown State University, Kutztown, Pennsylvania. This landscape won the 2010 Green Star Award from the Professional Grounds Management Society as one of the many landscapes demonstrating the best in grounds management.

On the other hand, asymmetrical is an aspect of balance where you deliberately have areas that are more random while all the other elements within those areas remain constant with shape, color, size and texture. Gardens designed in an informal manner can be considered asymmetrical. Gardens designed informally are woodland gardens or cottage gardens.

As you view your garden landscape through the winter, think about these principles as you make changes for the coming gardening season. Stretch your creativity and try something new. Enjoy the process!

Seed and Plant Catalogues are here!

2010-12-29T10:43:00.004-07:00

Time to start planning for the garden. There is a catalogue for every taste. The picture in this blog is Echinacea 'Orange Marmalade' read more about it later in the article.

Willing to try heirloom varieties? Willing to go organic? Are you even willing to try grafted tomatoes? Get two or more varieties on one vine.

Here are some of the new items out there. Try an Italian heirloom eggplant called Prosperosa Eggplant. It even sounds Italian. It is still purple with a pleated top and cream color under the stem. How about an organic lettuce called Mottistone. It is a French Crisp/Batavia type, totally unique with a claim to be a "strong and healthy, disease-resistant variety," according to Territorial Seeds.

If you want a zippy annual, there is a new zinnia called Zahara Raspberry Lemonade Mix with three colors coral, yellow and starlight rose. It seems to me that more and more, the gardening world is expanding in their choices of offering plants with mixed colors or at the very least, mixes of plants like bulbs in color combinations. Just for the ease of gardening. But if you are into just white, there is a new introduction in a sunflower called White Ice which gets to be about 4 to 5 feet tall.

In the last 5 to 7 years there has been an explosion of new introductions in the perennial plant world. There are several new Echinacea introductions for 2011.

According to AB - Breeding for Better Gardens 'Southern Belle' is a hybrid with many characteristics of Echinacea tennesseensis which is an endagered species only a few are found in southern part of Tennessee. It flowers as one of the first Echinaceas, already in late June and continues to flourish in October as the latest cultivars begin to lose their color. 'Southern Belle' is very hardy. The double flowers are very attractive with a beautiful, deep pink color.

Echinacea 'Guava Ice' is a salmon-pink double flowering very disease resistant with a first flowers late June and ending in September.

Echinacea 'Marmalade' is double flowering with yellowish orange ray petals and on top in its tufted bonnet the petals are more golden yellow. It blooms for 8 to 12 weeks starting in early to mid-June.

Echinacea purpurea 'White Double Delight' is exactly like 'Pink Double Delight' because they are twins.

If you need something that will do well in a shady area of your landscape the new series of Tiarella introductions are called Diva-rellas series of clumping Tiarella cordifolia. The blossoms range from a deep purple-red to eggplant with a mix of variations in leaf shape and coloration with again green and purple. If you are interested in reading more about these plants and where they originated link onto
http://www.plantsnouveau.com/2009/02/26/diva-rellas/. You will also find more information about many new perennial plant introductions on this link.

If you are interested in knowing about the perennial plant of the year go to the Perennial Plant Association and see the perennial awarded for 2011.

If you are interested in new introductions for almost any plant there is an association or plant society that you can search on-line.

If you want to know about Plant Select 2011 introductions, go to plantselect.org.

If you want to know about Proven Winners, go to www.provenwinners.com and you will see a wide range of plants from annuals to shrubs.

Enjoy picking new plants for your garden in 2011. If you are an avid gardener like me, there is going to be less lawn and more plants.

Happy New Year and Happy Gardening in 2011!

There is hope for the bee with Penstemon species

2010-12-28T10:34:00.006-07:00

According to research at the Missouri Botanic Gardens by Richard R. Clinebell and Peter Bernhardt, penstemon are a good native plant which benefit several pollinators. The five Penstemon species used in their study were P. tubaeflorus, P. cobaea, cobaea variety purpureus, digitalis, grandiflorus and pallidus. The study took place in nine sites in tall grass prairie in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri.

Penstemon tubaeflorus was noted having the native bee, Bombus spp. or more commonly known as the bumble bee as a pollinator.

Penstemon cobaea and Penstemon digitalis are visited by a rare Penstemon wasp, Pseudomasaris occidentalis.

Both Penstemon digitalis and pallidus which have a reduced bell-shaped corolla attract a bumble, Bombus nevadensis subsp. auricomus that fits perfectly to the flower.

Leaf cutting bees, Megachile brevis, carry dorsal depositions of penstemon pollen when they come in contact with the anthers and stima while busy foraging for nectar on only four of the Penstemon species listed, not including P. tubaeflorus.

Other pollinator are three distinct subfamilies of the anthophorids such as carpenter bees, digger bees and cuckoo bees attracted to the same four Penstemon species, again not including P. tubaeflorus. The anthophorids are very diverse in the western United States as are some 22 species of penstemon.

I encourage you to grow penstemon in your garden. The best to grow here in northeastern Colorado among this group is Penstemon digitalis or Foxglove Penstemon. The famous Penstemon digitalis cultivar is the award winning 'Husker Red' and readily available. There are many other cultivars available. You will enjoy a bloom time from April through August. They grow in woodland, meadow or field setting.

Native bees also help pollinate a number of other crops such as almonds, apples, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, pears, plums, squash, tomatoes, watermelons, canola, sunflower, alfalfa and clover.

There are 20,000 native bee species worldwide with 4,000 of those species residing in the United States. However, the European Honey Bee, Apis mellifera is the most important crop pollinator in the U.S. Due to their decline since 1950 because of disease, the native bees are equally as important.

Various studies in the literature give information about the increasing demand of pollinaton services, decline in managed bee colonies, increase in rental prices of managed bee colonies for pollination which all play a factor in the future role of the wild pollinators or the native bees. One additional factor is the future trend of food production, not including crops grown for livestock or oil production, will also play a key role in determining how important native bees could become.

VOTE DAILY FOR GOLDEN PLAINS PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT

2010-12-07T09:27:00.005-07:00

Below is a direct link to voting for our Golden Plains Area Extension Project:

The Golden Plains Area Extension is in the running for $50,000 for two projects: Ag Fest and Community Gardens.

Support Extension by VOTING DAILY through December 31st.

Community Food Preservation

2010-10-29T14:27:00.004-06:00

Every growing season do you have 10 bushels of homegrown tomatoes that you will not be able to use? Would you like to get together and can the surplus vegetables that would otherwise go to waste in your garden? Well in the state of Virginia that is what folks did at harvest time.

In an article published by American Profile, since 1942 people have been bringing their produce into the Keezletown Community Cannery in Keezletown, Virginia. People bring beans, beets, peaches, pears, cucumbers and even chickens to the canning kitchen. As a team, these people work to peel, chop and mince among friends and fellow gardeners.

Community canning kitchens started in the 1940’s during the time Americans were doing Victory gardens in the food-rationing days of World War II. Today there is a resurgence of community canneries. Why? People want to know where their food is coming from and know what is in the food according to Elizabeth Andress, director of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia in Athens.

This is a chance to give back to the community for all who grow a vegetble garden. Help supply the local food bank throughout the year without having to dig deeper into your pocketbook for canned goods during the winter. And if you are not a vegetable grower, then help can or contact others you know who grow. This is an opportunity for local farmers who have some surplus to also give.

The vision is to duplicate this effort in Callaway, Virginia in other areas. For over 30 years, members of the Highland United Methodist and Piedmont Presbyterian churches have canned apple butter to raise money for building maintenance and help church members in need. Let’s set a great example here by preserving the food we cannot use from our gardens. Remember the old saying: waste not want not.

Needle Drop of Evergreens

2010-10-26T13:13:00.002-06:00

When an evergreen begins to shed needles, most homeowners become alarmed. Evergreens are following a natural cycle. Austrian pines shed their needles every four years while Eastern White pine and Scotch pine shed their needles every two to four years. White pines can shed all but one year old needles and creates a dramatic effect. As late summer approaches the older needles begin to turn yellow, brown or reddish tan. In general, a pine will shed their needles every two to five years, except Junipers and Douglas firs which shed their needles every ten years. And Spruce trees shed their needles in a five to seven year range.
So when do you know if it is natural needle drop or not? Monitor by watching in late summer and early fall to see if the inner most needles, the older needles, begin turning. Sometimes, the change can be very subtle. Environmental stresses such as drought, herbicide damage, insect damage, disease damage or root damage can intensify the fall needle drop. If there is another added stress such as a disease you will want to monitor the tree more often. Acquire knowledge about the disease so that you understand what it is you are monitoring.
Other reasons for unseasonal needle drop might be mites, drought, planting care, nutrition, herbicides, winter damage or wet/poorly drained soils. Mites cause the needles to yellow and there will be evidence of stippling on the needles. If you suspect mites, hold a white sheet of paper under the branch and shake. If you see small moving insects, they may be mites. If you see light webbing on the branches as well as insects on the white paper, then contact your local Extension service to confirm this.
Herbicide damage can cause premature needle drop as will excessive soluble salts or a lack of potassium. With de-icing along roadsides, the salt content is increased. Increased levels of salts affect nutrient and water absorption of plants. The excessive amounts of sodium displace the calcium, magnesium and potassium uptake. Further, excessive sodium causes soil aggregates to breakdown leading to poor aeration and slower water permeability. This means reduced levels of oxygen for the roots as well as less water because the water is drawn to the high salt content.
Drought such as our late summer heat and no-to-low precipitation in the Golden Plains Area will cause an even earlier needle drop and it may even be more severe because of the insufficient moisture.
Proper planting leads to the best start a tree can have along with planting a tree in the proper place and soil. Planting depth, either too deep or too shallow can cause a decline in the health of a tree and in 80% of transplanted trees cause death within 7 to 8 years. For further information about planting and proper placement go to Colorado State University Extension Website and click on fact sheets. Then click on the title: Trees and Shrubs and go to fact sheet 2.926 Healthy Roots and Healthy Trees. At the end of this fact sheet you can also reference at the bottom of the last page another comprehensive piece of literature titled: Colorado Master Gardener Garden Notes #633 The Science of Planting Trees. Having this information and using it will help guide you to keeping your trees healthy.
Other stresses that cause premature needle drop or excessive needle drop in the fall are nutritional deficiencies such as iron. To avoid this problem before planting new trees have your soil tested so that you can place the proper tree with the proper soil pH. Often times, our high alkaline pH causes an iron deficiency here in the Golden Plains Area.
Winter damage is due to winter injury or winter drought. The best practice is to deep root water before the ground freezes in the fall and periodically during the winter. Newly planted trees need light infrequent watering. It is handy to purchase a soil moisture meter to help you determine moisture levels. For further information on proper watering go to http://www.cmg.colostate.edu/ and click on CMG Garden Notes on the left side of the page at the bottom and then under classes click on Tree Planting. Garden Notes #635 Care of Newly Planted Trees provides a listing of tree caliper and watering need for our hardiness zone 4-5. This listing provides irrigation requirements for tree vigor. As a rule of thumb with newly planted trees in our hardiness zone 4-5, they have an establishment that takes one season per inch of trunk caliper.
With this knowledge about evergreens and their natural cycle, you won’t panic when needles turn during late summer or early fall. Consider all the other factors in your landscape before accessing the situation or call your local Extension Agent.

2010-10-26T09:16:00.001-06:00

Winter Watering

Before the soil freezes and the damaging winds with the cold temperatures of winter take hold, irrigate the top 6 to eighteen inches of the soil surface. Starting the landscape plants out for the winter season out of a drought stressed state helps the plants go into their dormancy in a healthier state. If conditions are excessively dry in the fall, this can interfere with the normal process of their dormancy and predispose them to winter injury.Think of it this way. Have you ever been dehydrated? Do you loose your vigor and physical strength? In a plant without the proper amount of water the metabolic activity slows. Water plays an important role in the survival of a healthy plant by keeping biochemical and chemical processes of plant metabolism functioning. Water transports minerals through the soil to the roots. Within a plant, water is a solvent for minerals and dissolved sugars transported throughout.When a plant does not receive adequate water this slows the process of photosynthesis. Less photosynthesis means less energy and less in the production of sugars and starches for the plant to use.Additionally, water is a cooling mechanism that allows plants to maintain an appropriate temperature for the metabolic process to occur.During the dry periods in January, February and March give the landscape plants some additional moisture especially when the there is no snow. Any trees or shrubs in open, windy sites need additional water to help prevent desiccation. Desiccation occurs during sunny, windy, dry days when the leaves loose their water faster than it can be replaced by the roots when they are in frozen soil.Any plant that is newly established is more susceptible to winter drought whether it is a tree, shrub, herbaceous perennial or turf grass. Desiccation in evergreens shows as reddish-brown color of the needles in late winter. In other plants the winter damage may not show up until early summer.Water when the soil and air temperatures are both above 40 degrees. This will give the roots a chance to utilize the water before the soil freezes again at night. Be sure that water is applied to the root zone area. For trees this is by the tips of the branches and not at trunk of the tree.Mulching around the roots of your plants can help conserve water loss and winter damage. Applying a 2-inch layer of mulch reduces water loss as well as maintains uniform soil moisture. Mulching can mediate the freezing and thawing cycles of the soil. The proper time to apply the mulch is after there have been several killing frosts. Types of mulch can range from pine bark, wood chips, pine needles, evergreen pine boughs, and straw or alfalfa hay. Smaller sizes of wood chips need to be used in more protected sites and not open landscape beds. The high wind velocity on the eastern plains will carry the wood chips to another location.By using these techniques of watering and mulching, all your landscape plants can survive the winter in a healthier state. For additional information or if you have any questions, please feel free to call or visit your local extension office. We will be happy to assist you in keeping your landscape healthy through the winter.

Herbicide Damage on Hackberries

2010-07-23T13:55:00.004-06:00

The picture on the left taken by Judy Wilson, Extension Support Staff is a branch from a hackberry tree. This tree is located in native prairie in the Golden Plains Area nearby neighbor's field.

The symptom of whitening or bleached effect can occur with chlorophyll-inhibiting herbicides. Some of these herbicides are atrazine or simazine. Other herbicides that can cause this are clomazone. Clomazone is the active ingredient in Command or Commence.

Atrazine is an odorless, white poweder that dissolves in water and is used to control weeds. It is a restricted use herbicide. Simazine is used to control broad-leaved weeds and annuals. It is an off white crystalline compound which is sparingly soluable in water.

All three of these herbicides act in inhibiting photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is a molecule in the leaf that absorbs sunlight. The radiant energy from sun is then synthesised into carbohydrates from C02 and water. If that cycle is interrupted, as it is with these chemicals then this is the specific result based on their chemical make-up.

Ethylene and the Ripening of Tomatoes

2010-07-19T14:59:00.008-06:00

Ethylene (C2H4) affects the growth, development and the senescence with all plants as well as tomatoes. It is present in all vegetables and fruits in small quantities as a natural hormone when the fruit or vegetable reaches a mature stage of development. Also, ethylene is used to initiate the ripening process with fruits and vegetables from an external source.

With tomatoes, the ripening process comes to a halt with temperatures above 85 degrees fahrenheit. When ethylene is not present at these high temperatures, tomatoes do not produce lycopene and carotene pigments responsible for color of ripe tomatoes depending on the cultivar. If ethylene were present the tomato would normally start at light green and go to red, pink, yellow or orange, again depending on the cultivar.

So often, we see tomatoes during the heat of July and August that are at full size called a "mature green" and sit on the vine until temperatures begin to cool down at summers end. At summers end all the tomatoes ripen at once. One other point would be the tomato will successfully stay on the vine unless, there are no other environmental stresses that occur in between the ripening stage.

Many fruits produce ethylene in larger quantities when exposed to external sources of ethylene. Some fruits and vegetables are sensitive to the ethylene and can dimish the quality of the produce and reduce the shelf life. Some of these are broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leafy greens and lettuce.

Aside from the fruits and vegetables sensitive to ethylene, the following is a list of fruits which naturally produce ethylene: apples, avocados, bananas, melons, peaches, pears and tomatoes.

To learn more about ripening fruits and vegetables, go on-line and read The Ripener Newsletter.

Choosing resistant varieties is best to avoid apple scab

2010-07-14T14:51:00.005-06:00

The above pictures are from Cornell University Extension. Apple scab can occur on both apple and crabapple trees. In early April and May this fungus starts on the undersides of the newly emerging leaves. The lesions can be olive green and have very indistinct margins that origniate along the veins of leaves. Overtime the lesions can blacken and the leaves yellow and drop. The falling of leaves can occur in early summer.

The fungus that is responsible for this disease is Venturia inaequalis. Like other fungal diseases, Venturia overwinters within infected leaves. Early spring rains splash the fungus spores to the newly emerging leaves. The initial infection begins. A second spore develops producing infection through the summer and fall.

For control, sanitation is a good practice. Rake and destroy all the leaves in the fall. Prune either your apple or crabapple tree in late winter to maintain an open habit. With better air circulation, you are making it difficult for the fungus to infect the leaf surface. If moisture sits on the leaves with a dense tree canopy there is no hope for any quick evaporation of accumulated water on the leaves or even high humidity.

Timing on spraying is critical. Spraying on a regular basis just as flower buds start showing pink. Spray during wet weather by applying fungicides before a prolonged period of wet weather. This may seem an impossible task. However, keep in mind fungicides protect the leaf surface. So, if you misjudge and the weather turns sunny and hot, at least, you were proactive about it. And you need to be proactive about managing this.

The other best control over apple scab is to plant resistant varieties. There are a few apple varieites that are more resistant such as Liberty, Florina and Goldrush. There are a number of others still being tested. If you want crabapples which are highly resistant Redbud, Prairifire, Red Jewel, Ann E., Basakatong, Tea, White Angel, Sargent to name a few. On the other hand, at the other end of the spectrum the cultivars that are most susceptible are Adams, Brandywine, Candied Apple, Indian Magic, Indian Summer, Profusion, Robinson, Snowdrift, Velvet Pillar, White Candle and White Cascade.

Remember resistance does not mean the cultivar can never be infected. It just means that a cultivar has decreased its chances of acquiring apple scab.

Beware of the Tomato psyllids

2010-07-14T08:24:00.004-06:00

Tomato psyllids are damaging to tomatoes and potatoes. Leaves on the tops of tomatoes yellow along the midveins and leaf edges. Leaf veins may turn purple. Growth stops while any new leaves remain small, narrow and stand upright producing a feathery appearance. Potato leaves become thickened and curled. Waxy beads of sugary waste from nymphs can be observed on the plants.

The nymphs are a flat yellow-orange discs about a 1/10 of an inch when full grown which sit on the leaves for up to 3 weeks. There can be between 3 to 4 generations of these psyllids in one season.

The damage begins while the nymphs are sitting on the leaves and feeding they are injecting saliva into the leaves which disrupts the plant growth. So leaf curling, color changes and slowed growth begins.

After the nymphs mature into adults after a few days they go from a pale color to gray or black with white bands and markings.

Where do tomato psyllids come from? Psyllids normally occur in southern states. They migrate to Colorado but they spend their winters in the extreme southwest of the United States and Mexico. Migration starts as the spring weather warms. These psyllids can become a pest in greenhouses with tomato and potato production.

Research trials from Colorado State University have found the most effective control comes when using sulfur. Other choices are permethrin/esfenvalerate rated with fair control.

Ash Anthracnose

2010-07-07T11:18:00.005-06:00

If you have ash trees in your landscape, pay attention during wet springs and summer when there is wet and cool weather. Anthracnose can overwinter on fallen leaves, so sanitation is key as well as pruning out dead limbs. This disease is caused by the fungus Discula species. The spores of this fungus can be carried by wind and splashing water or rain to the new buds expanding in the spring. Usually, this disease does not cause permanent damage to an established tree. With that said, if an established tree is affected by another stress like drought or root restrictions or insect problem then the tree will be less tolerant of this infection.

The leaf spots have an irregular shape and appear brownish in color. The leaves are misshapen or distorted and it starts from the margins and works in. This disease can cause extensive defoliation even in one season which can weaken the vigor of a tree. The lower and inner portions of the tree are affected because the humidity is higher. Moisture is kept under the tree longer. If the tree looses its vigor, a spring fertilization can help the tree regain its vigor. Fungicidal sprays are not always warranted, since this is a seasonal disease. If the ash has this as a recurring problem and wet springs are here to stay for several seasons in Colorado, then fungicidal spray early on at bud break can help protect the young succulent growth.

Cultural controls are always best. Follow proper watering, mulching and sanitation for your ash. You might want to consider deep root feeder to water your trees rather than allowing the sprinkler system hit the bark of the tree while watering the grass. And watering the grass does not supply the tree with adequate water especially in times of drought. The root systems of turf and trees are at different depths. Tree roots or the absorption roots are about 8 to 10 inches below ground and turf can be at 4 to 6 inches below ground and that depends on your watering practices. Consult your Extension Service if you have questions.

Grasshopper control for the Homeowner

2010-06-22T15:10:00.003-06:00

This is the week of June 20, 2010 and site visit calls have started asking about grasshopper controls from Holyoke to Burlington in the Golden Plains Area. The grasshoppers are in record numbers and are being found not only in tall grass or weeds, but in shrubs and trees. In the Holyoke Community Garden in Holyoke in some taller grass by our cutting garden, there were more than 25 nymphs in one square foot. The Holyoke Community Garden is located in town and in years past has not had a problem until after wheat harvest.

Colorado State University Extension has a great fact sheet titled: Grasshopper Control for Small Acerage and Gardens. There is a list of controls that are available for the homeowner. Some of these are listed below, but for further reading visit CSU Extension Website and go to fact sheets:

1)Common name: Carbaryl Trade name: Sevin
2)Common name: Acephate Trade name: Orthene
3)Common name: Permethrin Trade name: Many trade names.
4)Common name: Nosema locustae Trade name: NOLO Bait or Semaspore

If you are interested in hiring a licensed pesticide applicator, then the recommendation is as follows:

1)Common name: Diflubenzuron Trade name: Dimilin (this is a restricted use pesticide)

Think about calling your neighbor and getting a larger area sprayed at one time and splitting the cost.

If you are into the organic methods and want to use poultry livestock to control the grasshoppers then purchase turkeys, guinea hens and chickens. If you decide on chickens, they scratch and will damage young plants.

Other alternatives like vegetable oils or garlic-based preparations are not recommended and may increase feeding on plants.

Once again, go to CSU Extension Website and click on fact sheets and read more about grasshoppers. This season may take an arsensal of different chemicals and techniques. Let's get creative and devise new techniques. Here is an organic method, called electrocution like bug zappers. Remember necessity is the mother of invention.

Black Swallowtail Caterpillar

2010-06-21T15:43:00.005-06:00

In case you are wondering, these are not nasty pests. Folks have collected the caterpillars and brought them into the office for identification. These caterpillars are not pests. They will feed on the leaves of plants in the Parsley family and sometimes with plants in the Citrus family. So, for our Colorado area, if you have any carrots, dill or parsley in your garden and find these caterpillars, the pictures to the right are the adult butterflies. The adult butterflies feed on nectar from red clover, thistle and milkweed. So in order for this butterfly to complete its lifecycle it needs different plants at each stage to survive. Like this black swallowtail, there are many moths and butterflies which are important pollinators across the United States. All of the pollinators have a limited palette and without the necessary plants, they become extinct.

Recognize the underwing Moth?

2010-06-21T15:00:00.009-06:00

Have you seen these before? The underwing Moth is in the Noctuidae family in the order Lepidoptera. The adult moths are active at night and spend the day resting upside down with wings open against the bark of trees. The picture to the left is the caterpillar stage of an underwing moth. The moth acquired its name because of the colorful patterns on the hindwings which are covered by the forewings while resting. Hence, the colors of black, red or yellow are displayed while in flight.

This catepillar stage of the lifecycle feeds at night and rests during the day hiding in the crevices of the tree bark. Like all butterflies and moths, the catepillar is the second stage in the what is termed a complete lifecycle. First, during the summer the female lays the eggs in small clusters in the tree bark. Second, a catepillar emerges the following spring as the leaf buds begin to swell and feed on the leaves of willows, poplars, cherry trees and walnuts. The eggs are very hardy and can survive a dry and cold winter.

There are more than 200 species of underwing moths across the United States. Below is a picture of the adult stage of an underwing moth:

We need your vote for our Pepsi Refresh Everything Grant

2010-05-15T21:18:00.004-06:00

This month the Golden Plains Area Extension is in the running for $25,000 for two projects:

1) Ag Fest is a project that educates 5th and 6th graders about the practical application of science and math of food production. This project utilizes the new STEM curriculum which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. We piloted the project this spring in 3 locations Brush, Lamar and Seibert. We had 10 instructors teaching 10 different areas of agriculture/food production. These included embryology, biodiesel, livestock and insect lifecycles to name a few. We have found that there is a demand to take this project on the road to several other neighboring counties. We are asking $10,000 for this project.

2) Community Garden Effort is a project that educates all ages through the community gardens in the Golden Plains Area. There are five gardens at varying stages of establishment. These gardens teach child and adults as well as FFA and 4-H how to raise food. The community gardens help supply the local food banks and the participants have the opportunity to help build the local farmers' market of which there are none with local fresh produce less than 50 to 100 miles away. We are asking for $15,000 for this project.

In a time when Extension offices around the country have either closed or are laying off staff, we are attempting to stretch the tax-payers dollars by looking for funding through local, state and national funding such as Pepsi.

Educating our youth outside of the classroom ensures that they see how their knowledge can be applied in different aspects of agriculture. This is the real test of their knowledge. It strengthens them as students and enhances them as future citizens in our communities.

This is a link for our project is on

If you chose not to use the link go to www.refresheverything.com our title is Educate youth in food production in 7 counties in Colorado. We are under Education and then under $25,000. You can go to the words VOTE FOR and click on Ideas Near You and once you have voted Ideas you support.

We need people to vote for us daily and as often as they can using a different email each time. If we make it in the 100 rank or below we stay on the site automatically and the voting starts again next month. We were only able to get ranked at 197 and have worked down to 166 or there about each day. The best rank that we could have gotten would have been 101 first time out. We have gone down to 103 but have not been able to stay there.

We will keep submitting our project each month because others have done the same and have now reached the top ten ranking and now will be funded.

If you believe this type of education is valuable and wish to help us stretch our tax-payer dollars, please vote for us and share this with others.

We greatly appreciate your support. Know that we have a passion in Extension for educating people in general and not just youth, so that you can make an informed decision because we delivered research-based information that is accurate.

Our goal is to better you life.

What about a radish?

2010-04-07T10:05:00.005-06:00

A radish is a root crop best grown in cool weather. They are a popular vegetable in Japanese and Chinese cuisine.

Since they are a shallow rooted crop they can be grown in containers and started about 4-6 weeks before the last frost. They can tolerate some frost. It is best to plant the seed directly in the ground at about half an inch deep and thin later to 2 to 3 inches. Though radishes tolerate a wide variety of soils, it is best to add compost to build better soil structure whether sand or clay. Use fertilizers low in nitrogen and use only one application of fertilizer.

Radishes will germinate quickly between 3 to 10 days. And they will mature quickly from about 20 days to 40 days. If you like a lot of radishes stagger the crop, to have several over the cool season.

Nutritionally, radishes have vitamin C and K as well as riboflavin and B6. They also contain high levels of copper, manganese and potassium.

So what can stand between you and a really good radish is hot weather. Air temperatures over 75 turn radishes pithy and they go to seed. They are tolerant of shade and need about 6 hours of sun. So if you live in a really hot climate like Colorado where winter often goes directly into summer with no spring, radishes would not mind some afternoon shade. Like most other vegetables, they need an inch of water per week.

For those who really love radishes, there are spring as well as winter radishes. Winter radishes can be planted in mid to late summer with a spacing of 2 to 3 inches apart. They grow slower and come in different colors like black, green and white rather than the pink, red, purple or white of the spring radish.

Radishes can be enjoyed in different salads such as oriental salads. For a quick salad recipe go to Cooks.com and try the couscous salad with radishes. Or marinate your radish. Don't forget the tops of the radishes are edible, too.

So before the season gets away from you, go and plant your radishes.

Think about using Natives over Annuals!

2010-01-07T09:45:00.007-07:00

Now that everyone is getting in the mail all the new seed and plant cataloges, think about adding some native choices to your list. The native pictured to the left is Gaura coccinea or scarlet beeblossom. Planting these in mass can make quite a show in the middle to late summer.
Natives over annuals. Annuals need water and fertilizer regularly. An annual by its very nature does what it needs to do in one season. Annuals give us a spectacular show in a very short time. Because annuals have been on the market for a long time they are readily available. We can buy annuals at a reasonable price. However, those prices are now effected by our sluggish economy. Once you purchase an annual that money only lasts a season. With purchasing a native that fits with your environment, it can last for many years.

So where do we find natives. Some of the nurseries have a small supply. Most nurseries carry seed. If you are looking to start from seed, go to a native plant seed company. Those places usually carry a wider variety. If you live in Colorado, go on-line to Colorado Native Plant Society. They can recommend some choices. Every state may have a native plant society.

The American Horticultural Society can help you with information on other societies. You can email them and get information or call.

Here is Colorado, I have used the Rocky Mountain Native Plant Company. They have a wide list and you can purchase plants in different sizes.

I suggest to familiarize yourself with these plants to do some research. Part of your research could be to take our Extension class titled Native Plant Master offered every spring. The deadline for the application is in March. Call your local Extension office for information.

The second thing I would suggest to learn about natives is go visit the nurseries that supply them. That way you can see the plant. Sometimes we see plants in pictures and they look great. Then we get the plant and it is not quite the same color or texture we thought.

Some of the plants that I would suggest in our area of the Golden Plains of Colorado would be as follows:

Coneflower -- Echinacea angustifolia
Aspen Fleabane--Erigeron speciosus
James' Buckwheat--Eriogonum jamessii
Common Gaillardia--Gaillardi aristata
Dotted Blazing Star--Liatris punctata
Rocky Mountain Iris--Iris missouriensis--for moist areas
Cardinal flower--Lobelia cardenalis--for moist areas
Western Coneflower--Rudbeckia occidentalis
Prairie Spiderwort--Tradescantia occidentalis

Along with these there are a list of grasses and other shrubs and trees that would complete your landscape.

I have listed a few choices below:

Trees: box-elder -- Acer negundo
Gambel oak-- Quercus gambelii
Ponderosa Pine--Pinus ponderosa
Southwestern White Pine--Pinus strobiformis
Limber Pine--Pinus flexilis
A word of caution when selecting trees: keep them within their native elevation. If your elevation is up to 4,000 purchase trees that match that elevation. Plants can and do adapt; however, not all plants adapt, and if they do, they still may present a weakness due to less optimal conditions than their native environment.

Shrubs: Mountain-mahogany--Cerocarpus montanus
Golden currant--Ribes aureum
Red berried elder--Sambucus racemosa
Western Chokeberry--Prunus virginian melanocarpa
Apache plume--Fallugia paradoxa
A word of caution when selecting shrubs: again same as above - keep shrubs within their native elevation.

By using natives you will enjoy a lifetime of natural beauty and conserve on water, pesticide and fertilizer. So go out this spring and visit nurseries that carry lots of native plants and see what appeals to you that will grow in your elevation.

Landscape Seminar

2009-12-31T09:01:00.009-07:00

January 20, 2010
Wednesday,
Yuma Community Center
421 East 2nd Avenue
Yuma, Colorado
9:30am-3:00pm

Topics and Speakers:

Growing & Pruning Fruit Trees/Shrubs
By Bruce Bosley, Natural Resources & Cropping Systems
10:00am-11:00am

Common Pruning Mistakes
By Tyson Reents, Owner of Sunrise Lawn Service
11:00am-12:00pm

LUNCH
Noon-1:00pm

Composting and Aquaponics for your family or business
By Colorado Master Gardener Lisa Brewer and Linda Langelo, CSU Horticulture Program Associate
1:00pm-2:00pm

Raised Beds & Container Gardening with Trellising Techniques
By Bill and Deb Rawlings, Owners of William’s Fresh Floral and Garden Center
2:00pm-3:00pm

Contact: Phillips County Extension at (970)854-3616 for further details and to register by
January 13, 2010
Cost $35 includes lunch, late registration or at the door $45

Sponsored by Colorado State University

Aquaponics: What is it all about?

2009-12-24T10:43:00.005-07:00

In Phillips County in Colorado in our new Phillips County Community Event Center on January 16th, come and participate in an aquaponics workshop from 10 to 12.

Aquaponics yields two products: vegetables + fish. Join our workshop and find out how others are supplementing their income or starting a business with aquaponics. Grow foods that you love without soil or fertilizer. This system still is very conservative with water.

Call the Phillips County Extension at (970)854-3616 and ask for Linda Langelo, Horticulture Program Associate.

Gardening Workshops

2009-12-24T10:17:00.005-07:00

The first in a series of gardening workshops is titled Designing Your Garden on January 9th in Burlington. Call Phillips County Extension at (970)854-3616 or Kit Carson County Extension (719)346-5571 for more information.

This workshop will focus on square foot gardening. The inventor Mel Bartholomew has made this technique popular. Its popularity is due to the strategy behind the techniques. This strategy changes the psychological approach to gardening. That strategy is less work and less space. Having less space conserves water. Let's face it-backyard gardeners are not farmers and farming is hard work.

The technique can be accurately described as each square is a foot and the maximum area is four feet by four feet. Each square can contain anywhere from 1, 4, 9 or 16 plants. This can give you a maximum of 130 plants/four foot block.

Every week you can easily manage one block of four feet by four feet in just an hour. The gardening is done in a raised bed. A great deal of work goes into the preparation of the soil in the raised bed that creates the four by four foot block. But once that is accomplished, you have no use for power equipment and an ideal place to sow seeds that is easy to work. The raised bed is is no deeper than a foot. This depth gives the plant's roots plenty of room to grow.

Join us January 9th in Burlington and learn more about this easy almost effortless way of gardening and save water at the same time.

Tentative 2010 GPA Garden Class Schedule

2009-11-09T10:07:00.002-07:00

January 9: Designing Your Garden - Garden layouts, watering systems, companion planting & vertical gardening.

February 6: Compost Happens!- Composting & vermicomposting & soil improvements.

March 6: Starting Your Garden From Seed - Do’s & don’ts of starting plants indoors - grow lights & cold frames.

April 3: Raising Micro Greens & Salad Gardens - Fresh salad & greens year round & raising sprouts.

May 1: Gardening in Raised Beds & Containers - Produce a lot in a small space! Hands-on workshop at Williams Floral & Garden Center after class time.

June 5: Raising Herbs Inside and Out - Raising, harvesting, storing & using the herbs you grow.

August 7: Raising Fruits & Berries – Ext. Agent Bruce Bosely - Methods of raising fruit & plant varieties for the Plains.

September 11: Raising & Storing Root Crops - Compare & contrast methods of growing root crops & best way to preserve them.

October 2: Starting Early & Finishing Late - Extend the growing season with micro-greenhouses.

November 6: Raising Vegetables Year Round - Triumphs & pitfalls of growing food in greenhouses.

For more information contact Linda Langelo, GPA Horticulture Program Associate or (970) 854-3616 or Lisa Brewer, GPA Master Gardener (719) 346-8828

Class Offered for Growing Pumpkins & Squash

2009-10-26T14:49:00.002-06:00

Perhaps no family of plants is more fun and rewarding to grow than pumpkin and squash. The variety of pumpkins and squash is amazing. Their colors and shapes are interesting and even a bit artistic in the garden. The vines are fast and aggressive and require no great skills on the part of the gardener as long as a few simple rules are followed. Come learn about the ins and outs of raising pumpkins and squash. We will learn about heirloom varieties and new ones; raising them in large gardens or in smaller spaces with trellising tricks.

Local master gardener, Lisa Brewer, along with Extension Agent Linda Langelo, will be offering a class entitled “Powerful Pumpkins and Super Squash” as part of their on-going series of home gardening classes. The class is free to anyone interested in raising their own vegetables and fruit. Joy Akey, Extension Agent from Yuma County, will be there with lessons on the proper way to preserve the bounty from your next pumpkin and squash harvest! Squash and pumpkin are nutrient dense and calorie thrifty vegetables that we should utilize more often in our healthy diets. Recipes will be available to get you started on adding squash and pumpkin to your meals.

Class will be held at Old Town in Burlington on Saturday, November 7th. Class begins at 10:00 a.m. and will last until noon. If you are attending the class you may enter the facility at the west gate (the old Emporium entrance) between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. After that, you will need to go around to the new entrance on the east side of Old Town. If you would like more information on this or any other classes being offered please contact Lisa Brewer at 719-346-8828.

Thanks!
Perry Brewer

True and False -- What to do for fall lawn care and other tidbits!

2009-10-01T14:43:00.004-06:00

Fall and spring are the two better times to overseed your lawn. True.

When you overseed your lawn, your seed must make good contact with the soil. True.

Overseed your lawn with different types of grass species other than what you have. True.

When you fertilize your lawn in the fall, it keeps it greener longer and greens up earlier in the spring. True.

Fertilizing your lawn in mid-September stimulates healthier root growth. True.

Fertilizing your lawn in mid-November and mid-September also helps stimulate healthier root growth. True.

Fertilizing late in the season does not provide the same benefits to buffalograss and blue grama grass, bermudagrass or zoysiagrass as it does Kentucky Blue grass. True.

Fall is a bad time for core aeration. False.

Needled and broadleaf evergreens are at a higher risk when planted in the fall. True.

Needle drop occurs every autumn on conifers/evergreens. False.

Needle drop occurs every 3-4 years on ponderosa. True.

Needle drop occurs every 4-5 years on austrian pines. True.

Water your trees at the root zone once a month, if it is a dry month in the winter. True.

Start monitoring water for you trees beginning November 1 to March 1. True.

Fall Bulbs -- Iris Rebloomers -- Order Through Your Local Master Gardeners

2009-09-14T15:33:00.011-06:00

Top left: Blue Suede Shoes is a reblooming iris for zones 3 to 9 with a late spring and early summer bloom.

Top right: Mariposa Skies also a rebloomer with the same zones and bloom time as Blue Suede Shoes.

Lower left: Immortality again with the same zones and bloom time.

Lower right: Pure as Gold again with the same zones and bloom time as the others.

Remember these will bloom again in the fall. They are spectacular and when there is not much blooming what a show. I used Immortality on a golf course back east and what a show stopper it was.

So, if you are interested in ordering this collection, it sells for $40 through Master Gardeners in the Golden Plains Area or call Linda Langelo 970-854-3616 and place your order.

Flower Power Bulb Sales

2009-09-14T15:09:00.003-06:00

Flower Power Bulbs come direct from Holland through the Dutch Bulb Company. We have been using the fall sale of bulbs for a Master Gardener Fundraiser in the Golden Plains Area for the third season in a row. Each year, we get to keep 50 percent of what we raise. The funds go to support projects like classroom supplies for Master Gardeners who teach about gardening or for other community projects like the local community gardens. Two years ago in Holyoke, Master Gardener funds were able to pay for a tree for an after school class on proper tree planting. These are just a few examples of how the funding is used to educate our communities children.

The bulbs that are for sale this year are as follows:

A Reblooming Iris Collection for $40 with Blue Suede Shoes, Immortality (white), Pure as Gold, Mariposa Skies (white and blue)

Jumbo Crocus (20) for $10

5 Allium Purple Sensation -- always popular for $10

5 Fragrant Hyacinths Mixture for $12

8 Deluxe Tulip Mixture for $12

Turkenlouis Oriental Poppy for $15

3 Stargazer Lilies for $15

4 Avalon Daffodils for $12

20 Glory of Snow for $10

4 Pagoda Dogtooth Violets for $10

25 Lavender Mountain Lilies for $10

8 Pink Impression Tulips for $12

1 Brookside Hardy Geraniums $15

12 White and Blue Grape Hyacinths for $10

And a spring garden collection for $25 with 5 Tulips, 5 Deluxe Daffodils, 10 Jumbo Crocuses, 10 Blue Grape Hyacinths, 10 Tall Dutch Iris and 10 Alpine Rosy Bells.

We hope you consider Master Gardeners. Thank you for your donation.

Please call (970)854-3616 and speak with Linda Langelo for information and placing an order.

Vegetable Gardening Classes Offered

2009-08-31T14:30:00.003-06:00

The C.S.U. Golden Plains Area Extension Service is offering classes in vegetable gardening to anyone interested in raising their own produce. Vegetable gardening is a wonderful way to relax, spend time outdoors, connect with children and/or grandchildren, and even get a little exercise! It also offers the added bonus of fresh tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc. for your table!! What could be better than that?

Extension Horticulture agent, Linda Langelo, and Kit Carson County Master Gardener, Lisa Brewer, will be offering many classes in the coming months. Most of the classes will be held in the old gift emporium at Old Town in Burlington. A small fee of $10.00 will cover the costs of materials and handouts. In addition to these classes, there will be some hands-on workshops next spring at Williams Floral & Garden Center in Burlington.

Some of the class topics will be on designing your garden, raising and using herbs, vermicomposting, raised bed and container gardening, small fruit and berries, water-wise gardening, preserving your harvest, and many more. Each class will last from two to three hours and you will come away with good information that you can adapt to your particular gardening needs.
If you are interested in attending one or more of these classes, please call the Burlington Extension Office at 719 346-5571 to register.

Fall 2009 schedule of Classes:

Sept. 12th – “Staring Early & Finishing Late” – extending the growing season with micro-greenhouses and harvesting the garden twice.

Oct. 3rd – “Gardening with Heirlooms” – the pros and cons of raising heirloom varieties of tomatoes, squash, peppers, etc.

Nov. 7th – “Powerful Pumpkins & Super Squash” – growing, cooking and canning pumpkin and squash for nutrient dense, low calorie dishes.

*All classes will begin at 10:00 a.m. at Old Town in Burlington

The Mountain Pine Beetle Arrives on the Plains

2009-08-31T14:20:00.002-06:00

The Colorado State Forester for the northeastern region of Colorado, Norland Hall, announced the mountain pine beetle was found in Willard, Sterling and Fort Morgan over the last couple of weeks in August. The picture to the left shows a close up dorsal view from the USDA Forest Service.
Yes, the mountain pine beetle has been concentrated in the Rocky Mountains and Black Hills areas. For the past few years, those residing on the plains have watched the devastation from a front row seat. However, this bark beetle which is only about ¼ inch long with black or brown coloring. The larvae are yellowish-white with no legs and dark heads.
These beetles attack ponderosa, lodge pole, limber and occasionally scotch pines. If you have any of these trees in your landscape keep the trees healthy. The best natural defense is a healthy tree. Healthy pines are less attractive to the beetle. Other natural defenses are woodpeckers and clerid beetles. Mother Nature can help control outbreaks by providing extremely cold temperatures. However, when planting your landscape use a diversity of trees in your plan and properly space the tree to match its mature height and width. Overcrowding adds stress to the trees. To create an analogy for you, picture the idea of having a family of ten live in a two bedroom home with no basement and two bathrooms.
In our current economic state, everyone is looking for a bargain. Firewood for some people is the primary way they keep their homes heated in the winter. These beetles have devastated acres of trees and are providing a cheap source of firewood. Firewood is being sold from acres of those ponderosa trees from Colorado and Wyoming. If you purchase firewood from such a source, remember if the bark is still intact, there may be mountain pine beetle larvae still alive and active in the firewood.
The signs to watch for are a popcorn-shaped masses of resin on the trunk where the beetles initially attack and have started tunneling. Notice any sawdust in the bark crevices or on the ground. Woodpecker feeding is another piece of evidence with pieces of bark on the ground. Woodpeckers also feed on other larvae as well. In May or June the crown of the pine would turn reddish-brown and would be a late symptom of attacks the previous season.
If you have any questions or see the popcorn-shaped masses of resin on the bark or fresh sawdust, please feel free to contact your local Extension office.

What is Swiss chard?

2009-08-26T15:26:00.002-06:00

Swiss chard is a member of the Beet family that does not produce an edible root, but rather produces edible crinkly leaves. This is not a popular vegetable because people do not know what to do with it or even know what it is.
In the Holyoke Community Garden, we are growing the 1998 All American Selection called Bright Lights. The stem colors or petioles of Bright Lights range in color from orange, red, white, yellow, gold, pink and striped. It takes 55 days to maturity. Swiss chard is excellent as an ornamental.
Swiss chard can grow in any soil type, but likes the soil to stay evenly moist. It will grow in any day length and temperature. The seeds can be planted in spring an inch deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. If the soil is high in organic matter, this will keep the soil moist.
There are no major disease or insect problems occasionally aphids and leaf miner. Aphids can be hosed off with water or sprayed with insecticidal soap.
This crop will provide a full season of harvesting once the leaves get to be about 4 inches tall. Harvest the outer most leaves. Once you harvest it, it is best eaten fresh, but you can freeze, can or dry it.
Swiss chard has the bitterness of beet greens and a salty flavor of spinach leaves. But with swiss chard, you can eat both leaves and stalks. The stalks need to be cooked slightly longer than the leaves.
The vitamin content of Swiss chard starts with the highest percentage of vitamin K, then A and then C. Besides these, magnesium, manganese, potassium and iron are also high percentages within this vegetable. Other nutritional benefits of lesser levels are calcium, copper and dietary fiber, B6, B2, B5, B1, B3, folate, zinc, tryptophan, biotin and phosphorus.
With this easy to grow vegetable, there is a far greater benefit with a full season of harvesting.

A native---Cleome

2009-08-18T11:27:00.005-06:00

This is a native of the western region. Right now it is blooming in Sedgwick County in Julesburg along the roadside growing among the fenceline into the fair grounds.

This plant can be found on dry sandy soils along roadsides and waste places. The bees appreciate the nectar from the blossoms of this plant. However, livestock stay away from the plant because it has an unpleasant odor. The flowers are attractive in gardens. This is as an annual.

The common annual that you can purchase from Burpee is called Cleome hasslerana and can flower from early summer until fall. It takes full sun and likes a dry location in the garden. The Queen series has violet and rose colors. This plant can get 3 to 4 feet tall or taller and needs to go in as background in your garden or as a focal point. It does not need dead heading and can reseed next year, but may not come up in the same location. The more popular name for it is Spiderflower.

Other seed mixes that you can purchase of this annual are called Sparkler Mix with white, purple and pink. It is best to just sow the seed directly. This annual takes little care. And the best part is that it should be considered as a xeric plant.

As for the plant's cultural assets, the Indians used the plant for food and making pottery paint. The whole plant was boiled to make into cakes of black dye. The seeds were eaten raw or cooked. The seeds were ground into a meal to be used as mush or used in flour for bread-making. The shoots, leaves and flowers were used as potherbs.

Do not underestimate such as easy to care for plant in your annual borders next year!

Xeric Landscapes

2009-07-14T13:13:00.005-06:00

People are becoming more and more interested in xeric plants. Xerophyte plants have many different innovative adaptations of their physical to survive an environment of extreme heat and drought. Cactus have spines to help shade the plant and a waxy coating to hold the moisture in the plant. Some plants store water in their stems. Other xerophytes have no leaves and there for no transpiration. Some come out of dormancy for a short period, flower and go to seed and go back into dormancy.

There are many types of plants to choose for the xeric landscape. Calylophus serrulatus is a golden-yellow flowering plant that is very drought tolerant as well being among the native plants. It is readily available in several mail order catalogues.

Plan on planting these xeric plants during the fall when their root system has the opportunity to have a lot more moisture and produce a well-developed root system by next spring and summer. The ability of these xeric plants is to have roots that can grow to several feet in order to have access to subsurface moisture. Some other types of plants are butterfly bush, agaves, ice plants, hesperaloe, hyssop, pussytoes, prickly poppy, fringed sage, red valerian to name a few.

Anyone can go to Plant Select website and search through some seventy selections for xeric plants. Plant Select is a plant program started by Denver Botanic Gardens and Colorado State University in search of plants that were the best selections for our native climate. Among the list some are more xeric than others. There are some listed as annuals and not winter hardy. Pay attention to the zones. For those in northeast Colorado, we are in zone five, but it is better to select plants hardy to zone 4. If we have a slightly colder winter, then the plants are sure to overwinter.

The last and most important point about xeric plants is they need to be well-drained soil. Some of the plants can tolerate a periodic flooding, but if their root systems sit in consistently wet soil the crown of the plant will rot, along with the roots.

Go out and explore and add some xeric plants to your garden today.

European Elm Flea Weevil

2009-07-13T13:31:00.005-06:00

Throughout the Golden Plains Area, the European elm flea weevil is a pest that has been in the United States since 1982. Now it is showing up in Siebert, Wray, Paoli and Holyoke, Colorado. This pest attacks Siberian elms and has been doing so in the upper Midwest since 2003. The adults begin chewing holes in the leaves. The feeding usually starts in May and early June. We are still seeing activity from the adults here in July. The females lay eggs in the mid-vein of the leaf. When the larvae hatch, begin to mine the leaf-tip. The mined area enlarges into a blotch. Once the larvae pupate, they emerge from the leaf and in late July or early August.

These weevils can do extensive damage in defoliating a tree. Their extensive feeding on trees can weaken the tree making it more susceptible to secondary problems. There are chemical controls recommended. A systemic soil dench applied to the tree in fall will help with leafminer stage in late spring and adults feeding later in the season. For adults emerging now sprays are recommended now. Contact your local Extension for identifying the pest and recommendations on sprays.

The outbreaks began in Siebert and then have been slowly making their way into northern region of the Golden Plains Area to Pailo and Holyoke.