We Can Plant 4 Months From Today! Take these 3 Steps to Prep Your Garden.

Gardening in Colorado is a tough job.

We can’t plant until mid-May due to frost, plants may be hailed out in June and it could snow in September. Still, we plant, water, weed and hold out to savor the early spring lettuce and that first ripe tomato! Now that we’ve turned the corner into 2020, we are in the countdown to planting time. Even on a snowy day in February, we can prepare to garden.

Here are some strategic moves to do so:

#1 – Plan and rotate.
If you drew a map of where veggies were planted last year, adjust this year’s planting plan to provide for crop rotation. Placing tomatoes and other annual veggies in different locations helps curb insect and disease problems that may linger in the soil.

Tip: Did you know that rotating annual flowers is a key to thriving petunias and other flowers? If you would like a new variety of hot pink flowers in the same place, plant geraniums where you had hot pink petunias last year.

#2 -- Order seeds soon.
Popular varieties and new introductions sell out fast. It's not too soon to get online and place your order. For most home gardens, one or two seed packets per variety are enough for the season. Buy more for early spring crops you will replant at the end of the season for harvesting in the fall. These include leafy greens, radishes, bok choy, carrots, beets, and peas.

#3 -- Clean-up and compost.
If debris still lingers in the garden from last growing season, do the clean-up. In spite of cold temps, that debris can still harbor insects and diseases you won't want to deal with when plants start to grow.

Compost does not provide nutrients for the soil, but it develops soil quality by improving its capacity to hold on to water and nutrients. It is a key ingredient to establish a healthy, low-water lawn and for all the other plants in your landscape. 

Buy 1 cubic yard of compost per 100 square feet of area. When you shop for compost, look for one that is well aged, low in salt and has little or no fillers.
 

Keep counting the days – spring will be here before you know it!

And as we count down, now is the perfect time to schedule a landscape consultation with one of our landscape designers so you are ready to enjoy your yard at seasons change.