Category

Grow a Garden

Putting the Garden to Bed

By Education, Fall, Fall Gardening, Grow a Garden, Winter

Fall is a season of dramatic contrasts; transitioning from the exuberance of giant zucchinis that seem to escape our notice despite careful searching, tomatoes that always ripen all at once and overwhelm our processing abilities, and days that can show 30 degrees or more of temperature swings between morning and evening.  With decreasing hours of daylight, plants take longer to mature, typical diseases such as ‘powdery mildew’ overtake squash, pumpkins and cucumbers and we begin to embrace the garden rhythms that promote a time of rest. Fall is a time for gardeners to contemplate, plan, preserve the harvest, prepare soil and celebrate small steps along the life path of learning.

To put your garden to bed for the year, follow the steps below, beginning when your crops are still in the ground.

Make a map

  • Note where everything was planted, including quantities of plants used, noting varieties that did well, which insects and/or diseases were challenging.
  • ·Also take note of succession plantings: which early season crops were replaced with heat – loving crops, dates of harvest, mulches used.

Plan for crop rotation

  • In this basic tenet of organic gardening, vegetables in the same ‘family’ are grown in a different location in the garden each year to prevent the build-up of soil diseases and insect problems. It is especially important to practice a two to three year crop rotation for members of the Solanaceae family (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplants).

Clean up all garden beds

  • Dig up all annual crops and dispose of disease and/or insect infested varieties (do not utilize them in the compost pile). Crops that are left standing in the garden become overwintering sites for pest insects.
  • Make sure the perimeters and aisles surrounding garden areas are weed–free.

Dig the soil in all garden beds

  • Turn the soil, dig in chopped up leaves (try mowing them so they won’t mat down), and add a half inch of compost as you turn the soil.

Plant cover crops

  • By the end of September, or first week in October, plant winter rye and hairy vetch, raking the seeds lightly into the soil, tamping down with a hoe, covering with a layer of weed–free straw or chopped leaves and watering well.

Start or update your compost pile

  • All end–of–season garden material that is free of insects and/or disease can be chopped into one to two inch pieces and incorporated into the compost pile
  • More information about composting can be found here.

Clean and store all garden tools

  • Scrub all tools to remove soil and dry well
  • Use a wire brush or sandpaper to remove rust
  • Use a light layer of vegetable oil to prevent new rust

Remove all garden structures and amendment materials

  • All tomato fences, cages and secondary support structures must be removed from community garden plots
  • Leaves may be mown or chopped, dug into the soil or spread on top as a light mulch. Bags of leaves are not permitted to be stored within community garden plots.

Order garden catalogs

  • Begin the process of dreaming and planning for spring by ordering garden catalogs
  • If you participate in DUG’s Free Seeds and Transplants program, be sure to apply by February 1st

Celebrate each new thing you’ve learned

  • Share your wisdom with friends, giving back more than  you reap. The best gardeners are like a rich compost, embracing communities, growing slowly with the season.

Fall Gardening

By Education, Fall, Fall Gardening, Grow a Garden, Winter

Fall gardening is a great way to extend the growing season as the warm weather crops of summer are ending their life cycle.

What to Grow
All cool weather crops can be successfully grown in the fall. Optimal temperatures for these crops range from 55-75° F. Crops grown for a fall and/or early spring harvest include garlic, radishes, beets, broccoli, cabbage (including Chinese cabbage), cauliflower, chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, carrots, peas, leaf lettuces, mustard greens, parsley and spinach.

When to Plant
Tentative first frost date in Denver is the first week in October. Check the maturity date (days to harvest) on the back of the seed packets. Add the time needed for germination (usually 7-10 days) plus another 10 days to your time to account for slower growth with decreasing daylight hours.
Example: If peas mature in 62 days, add 10 days for germination and another 10 days for slower growth in late summer. For this vegetable, we would need to plant the seeds 82 days prior to the end of the first week in October, which would be around the last week in July to gain a fall harvest.

Soil Preparation
Before planting new transplants or seeds, cultivate seedbeds deeply and incorporate at least one inch of aged compost, dug into the top two inches of soil. Moisten soil lightly and if possible wait at least two days for buried weed seeds to emerge before planting fall crops. Use a hoe to cultivate out weeds, which can be left on the soil surface to decompose and provide extra nutrients.

Selecting Varieties
Always select the shortest maturing variety of a vegetable (e.g. a 62 day vs. a 70 day pea) for fall planting. Some examples are below.

 

Peas

Shelling peas: Strike, Premium and Little Marvel

Snap peas: Sugar Ann, Sugar Sprint

Snow or sugar peas: Snow Sweet, Oregon Giant and Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea

Radishes

Any variety of radish planted in spring that matures in less than 35 days, such as Cherry Belle or Easter Eggs can be selected for late summer or fall planting. Avoid daikon types that require a long growing season.

Carrots

Nantes or Chantennay/Kuroda types (shorter, blunter carrots that do better in Colorado heavy clay soil) include Nantes Half Long or Vitana, Bolero or Hercules

Beets

Standard spring varieties of beets include Detroit Dark Red, Red Ace and Chioggia.

Spinach 

Varieties that are good for fall harvest and also can overwinter if protected with straw or leaves include Avon, Indian Summer, Melody and Tyee. Leaves can be either smooth or crinkled.

Lettuce 

Greenleaf: Black Seeded Simpson and Waldmann’s Dark 

Redleaf: New Red Fire and Vulcan 

Green Oakleaf: Sergeant 

Romaine or Cos: Winter Density, Green Forest Green Butterhead: Adriana and Nancy

Bibb: Buttercrunch

Planting Techniques
Plant slightly deeper than spring plantings to account for hot, dry soil. When making a furrow, moisten it well before scattering seeds. Mulch seeds beds immediately with straw to preserve moisture and keep the soil as cool as possible. Peas benefit from soaking them for a few hours in a solution of 3 tsp. liquid kelp to one quart of water. Beets, carrots, parsley, spinach and parsnips should be soaked overnight in the same concentrate. All cool season crops, when planted in summer heat, enjoy foliar sprays of 1 tsp. liquid kelp to 1 quart of water. Mix the solution in a spray bottle and mist on all foliage. This also provides a few degrees of frost protection at the end of the season. Shade cloth fabric stapled on a wooden frame is helpful for peas, lettuce and spinach.

Crop Specifics
Broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts do better starting inside, under lights and set out when they are six weeks old. Plan on having them garden ready by the end of July, hardening them off for one week in the shade before planting them in full sun conditions. All of these plants require abundant nitrogen, mulched soils for cool roots and even moisture for best results. As tiny heads appear on cauliflower, tie the large leaves together with string to prevent browning of the curds from the strong sunshine.

Plant spinach during the last week in August and again in the first week in September. By mid-October, as nights cool substantially, mulch the whole plant with three inches of straw or chopped leaves to provide an over-wintering blanket of protection.

Lettuces are best planted as succession crops, in compost-enriched, moist 1/2” deep furrows. Plant small quantities from the end of August through mid-September, at two-week intervals. Again, mulch seedbeds as soon as seeds are planted. Young plants can be treated in a similar manner to spinach, using mowed leaves or straw for over-wintering.

Cilantro will yield a superior crop when planted early to mid-September as daylight hours shorten and temperatures cool. Spring planted cilantro often sends up a flowering stalk prematurely as temperatures warm rapidly. Allowing a single plant to set and drop seed is an easy way to plant a fall crop. Mulch the young plants as October approaches and plants will grow rapidly the following spring.

Frost Protection
Row covers of spun polyester (a Reemay-type of fabric) can be directly placed over crops when night temperatures lower into the 30s and will provide several degrees of frost protection.

Rocks can be used to prevent the fabric from blowing away, laying them directly on the soil/fabric interface. Additionally a foliar spray on all crops of liquid kelp (1 tsp. kelp/qt. of water) will provide additional frost protection and also increase the storage life of vegetables. 

Hoop houses are a great way to extend the season by creating a mini-greenhouse in your garden. Here is a video on how to build one.

Harvest Essentials
Harvest individual, outer leaves of spinach and lettuces to promote extended growth periods before heavy frost. Carrots must be thinned to 2-3” apart as they grow, to allow the roots sufficient room to expand. They may be harvested as baby carrots, as soon as the deep orange color is seen.

As they grow, mound soil over the tops (crowns) of the carrots to prevent the sun from greening the shoulders of the vegetable and producing a bitter taste in the roots. Radishes are best utilized when they are about the size of a penny and will reach edible size within a month of germinating. Vegetables are most nutritious when grown in compost-enriched soil that is cultivated on a regular basis. 

Dealing with Flea Beetles

By Education, Grow a Garden, Spring, Summer

Flea beetles are tiny, black, and shiny, and will leave lacy patterns in plant leaves, from cabbages to tomatoes.

‘Jungle Judy’ Elliott, DUG’s Community Education Cultivator,  gave us some tips for treating plants affected by flea beetles:

  • Pull any badly affected plants out.
  • Lightly scratch the soil surface, also known as cultivating the soil, around the plant to expose the pests to birds.
  • Spray the tops and bottoms of affected leaves, and the soil around the plant, with soapy water every three days or so.
  • You can also use organic insecticidal soap.
  • Alternatively, you could spray with a hot pepper mixture. Combine half an onion, 2-3 cloves of garlic, and a hot pepper (seeds and all) in a blender with water. You can also add strong smelling herbs like oregano and sage if you have them on hand. Blend, let sit overnight, and then strain with cheese cloth or a coffee filter, then dilute with water by 50% before spraying plants.
  • To strengthen plants, you can spray with kelp.
  • For preventing infestations, companion plant your brassicas and tomatoes with strong smelling plants like garlic and onions.

Have more questions about organic pest management? Join our upcoming Pests & Diseases workshop. Register here.

Companion Planting Guide

By Education, Grow a Garden, Spring, Summer

Companion planting is the practice of growing different crops near one another to enhance crop production, repel damaging pests, improve soil health, and promote biodiversity.

Three Sisters Garden
Utilizing companion planting also helps maximize your garden space, by pairing different types of plants, like tall plants to provide shade to smaller plants, vining plants like squashes to help with weed suppression, and flowering plants to attract beneficial insects. A great example of companion plantings is ancestral The Three Sisters Garden or Milpa, which includes corn, beans and squash. The corn provides a natural support trellis and shelter for beans, peas and other climbing crops. In return, these legumes provide nitrogen to the soil for the corn and squash plants. Squash and pumpkin leaves shade the smaller bean and pea plants that need sun protection and provide weed suppression.

Here is a list of the most crops and their preferred companions:

Vegetable Plant with Do not plant with
Beans Potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage,

summer savory, most other vegetables and herbs

Onions, garlic,

gladiolus

Beans, Bush Potatoes, cucumbers, corn, celery, summer savory,

sunflowers, strawberries

Onions
Beans, Pole Corn, summer savory Onions, beets,

kohlrabi, sunflower

Beets Onions, kohlrabi Pole beans
Cabbage Family (cabbage, cauliflower, kale,

kohlrabi, broccoli)

Aromatic plants, potatoes, celery, dill, chamomile, sage, peppermint, rosemary, beets, onions, thyme, lavender Strawberries, tomatoes, pole beans
Carrots Peas, leaf lettuce, chives, onions, leek, rosemary,

sage, tomatoes

Dill
Celery Leek, tomatoes, bush beans, cucumbers, pumpkin, squash
Corn Potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, squash, pumpkin
Cucumbers Beans, corn, peas, radishes, sunflowers Potatoes, aromatic

herbs

Eggplant Beans
Leek Onions, celery, carrots
Lettuce Carrots and radishes (lettuce, carrots, and radishes

make strong team grown together), strawberries, cucumbers

Onion/Garlic Beets, strawberries, tomato, lettuce, summer savory,

chamomile, beans (protects against ants)

Peas
Parsley Tomatoes, asparagus
Peas Carrots, turnips, radishes, cucumbers, corn, beans,

most vegetables, herbs (adds Nitrogen to soil)

Onions, garlic,

gladiolus, potatoes

Potato Beans, corn, cabbage, horseradish (should be

planted at corners of patch), marigold, eggplant (as a lure for Colorado potato beetle)

Pumpkins, squash,

cucumber, sunflower, tomato, raspberries

Pumpkin Corn Potatoes
Radish Peas, nasturtium, lettuce, cucumbers
Soybeans Grows with anything; helps everything
Spinach Strawberries
Squash Nasturtium, corn
Sunflower Cucumbers Potatoes
Strawberry Bush Beans
Tomatoes Chives, onion, parsley, asparagus, marigold, nasturtiums, carrots, limas Kohlrabi, potatoes, fennel, cabbage
Turnip Peas

Here is a list of the most commonly planted herbs and their preferred companions

Herbs Companions and Effects
Basil Companion to tomatoes; dislikes rue intensely; improves growth and flavor;

repels mosquitoes and flies.

Beebalm Companions to tomatoes; improves growth and flavor.
Borage Companion to tomatoes, squash, and strawberries; deters tomato worm;

improves flavor and growth.

Caraway Plant here and there; loosens soil.
Catnip Plant in borders; deters flea beetles.
Chamomile Companion to cabbages and onions; improves growth and flavor.
Chervil Radishes; improves growth and flavor.
Chives Companion to carrots; improves growth and flavor; plant around base of fruit

trees to discourage insects climbing trunks.

Dill Dislikes carrots; improves growth and health of cabbage.
Fennel Plant away from the garden; most plants dislike it.
Garlic Plant near roses and raspberries; deters Japanese beetle; improves growth and

health; plant liberally throughout the garden to deter pests.

Horseradish Plant at corners of the potato patch to deter potato bugs.
Hyssop Companion to cabbage and grapes; deters cabbage moth; keep away from

radishes.

Lamb’s Quarters This edible weed should be allowed to grow in moderate amounts in the garden, especially in the corn.
Lemon Balm Sprinkle throughout the garden.
Marigolds The workhorse of the past deterrents; plant throughout garden especially with

tomatoes; it discourages Mexican bean beetles, nematodes, and other insects.

Mint Companion to cabbage and tomatoes; improves health and flavor; deters white cabbage moth.
Marjoram Plant here and there in the garden; improves flavor.
Nasturtium Companion to tomatoes and cucumbers.
Petunia Protects beans; beneficial throughout the garden.
Purslane This edible weed makes good ground cover in the corn.
Pigweed One of the best weeds for pumping nutrients from the subsoil, it is especially

beneficial to potatoes, onions, and corn; keep weeds thinned.

Rosemary Companion to cabbage, bean, carrots, and sage; deters cabbage moth, bean beetles, and carrot fly.
Rue Keep it far away from sweet basil; plant near roses and raspberries; deters

Japanese beetle.

Sage Plant with rosemary, cabbage, carrots, beans, and peas; keep away from cucumbers; deters cabbage moth and carrot fly.
Summer Savory Plant with beans and onions, improves growth and flavor; deters bean beetles.
Tansy Plant under fruit trees; companion to roses and raspberries; deters flying insects,

Japanese beetles, stipend cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and ants.

Tarragon Good throughout the garden.
Thyme Plant here and there in the garden; it deters cabbage worms.
Yarrow Plant along borders, paths, near aromatic herbs; enhances essential oil

production.

Adapted from Organic Gardening and Farming, February 1972, pp. 32-33, 54, and The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Rodale Press, Inc., 1978, pp. 233-235.

Strategies to Combat Hail

By Education, Grow a Garden, Spring

To Replant or Not to Replant

Although there is no single solution to mitigate the impact of a severe hailstorm, it’s sometimes helpful to take a few minutes and remember some of the strategies we can pull out of our toolboxes to help promote healing.

  • Gardens, like their caretakers, are resilient and have an amazing capacity to  ‘come back’ in the most challenging situations. For a few days after a severe hailstorm, allow for grieving to occur but don’t concentrate on this aspect.
  • Carefully look for signs of new growth, and realize that given the crop or time in the season in which hail occurs, many plants will have time to recover.
  • After several days, spread about ½ inch of aged, landscape – based compost around all plants, and, using a hoe, hand trowel, or other type of cultivating tool, lightly dig it into the soil, taking care to not dig deeply or damage roots. Hail Storms lead to hard, crusted soil and a light cultivation not only opens air channels but also allows for the slow release of nutrients obtained from compost.
  • Tomatoes have the benefit of producing new side shoots from many of the leaf nodes so watch for this new growth before pruning them back.
  • Prune back damaged tops of eggplants and peppers to an outward facing node.
  • Remove shredded leaves that may be on the soil surface to prevent places for slugs, cutworms and other moisture – loving critters to move in.
  • Use a foliar spray (a spray bottle is fine) with one tsp. of liquid kelp per pint of water & spray all foliage with this solution.  Kelp provides many micronutrients and also compounds known as cytokines that stimulate and strengthen new plant growth.
  • Remove outer leaves of damaged lettuce and squash, to stimulate new growth.
  • Replant seeds of collards, summer squash, basil and beans. There’s plenty of time left in the season for them to flourish.
  • Plant marigolds and zinnias around the edges of beds to attract beneficial pollinators.
  • Consider erecting windbreaks of fallen branches near crops to break the force (next time, of course) of pounding rain, wind and/or hail. Branches can be erected in ‘teepee like’ structures to straddle rows of taller crops. If crops are low enough, a basic cover of several layers of garden row cover (often sold as ‘season extenders’ or frost protection) placed directly over the crops and weighted down with rocks or soil at the bottom may provide some protection.

Most of all, celebrate you! Realize that you play an essential part in the garden’s recovery. Hail is a natural part of our Colorado landscape—but so are the incredible blue skies, relatively few problems with disease-causing organisms and smiles we gain from noticing that first new shoot that seems to stand out so strongly as a survivor—a testament to the caring spirit of you—that special person working in partnership with the earth.

Guide to Container Gardening

By Education, Grow a Garden, Spring

Container gardening refers to the gardening practice of cultivating plants in pots, tubs, or other containers instead of directly in the ground or in raised beds. Container gardening allows for food, flower, and herb production in locations where traditional gardens are not possible or accessible, including patios, balconies, decks, and sites with poor soil quality. They are a great option for renters, individuals with limited mobility, gardeners seeking to extend the growing season, and beginner gardeners looking to start their gardening practice gradually.

The portability of containers allows gardeners to choose micro-climates for each plant based on their preferred temperature and level of sunlight. Please refer to the instructions on the back of your seed packets for more information about the preferred micro-climate of your plant varieties. 

Keep in mind that containers are more susceptible to high temperatures and moisture loss than traditional gardening arrangements. You can mitigate damage to your plants by watering the base of the plant only, checking water level daily, covering the soil with mulch, and, if necessary, using shade cloth to lessen the sunlight’s intensity. 

When growing plants in containers, pay special attention to the type of soil that you use. Soil from garden beds or your yard is generally too dense for container gardening. Instead try a lightweight potting mix.

Most garden centers will carry general purpose potting mixes or mixes specifically designed for container gardening. Or create your own soil substitute for container gardening by mixing 3 parts organic compost, 3 parts peat moss or coconut coir, and 1 part vermiculite.

Plants grown in containers often need additional nutrients since potting mixes don’t provide the same nutritional profile as garden soil. Use an organic based fertilizer several times during the season.

Remember to always add mulch (such as straw, not wood chips) on top of your soil in containers to reduce moisture loss from intense Colorado sunlight.

Tips for choosing containers 

  • Use containers at least 8” in depth for all plant varieties other than herbs and lettuces, and much larger containers will be required for many plant varieties. 
  • In general, the larger the container, the better. More soil and space will allow plants to thrive and generate larger harvests. 
  • Always use containers with drainage holes on the bottom or drill drainage holes into containers that do not already have them. 
  • You can increase harvest yield for some plant varieties (such as potatoes) with specialized planters adapted to the unique features of certain plants.

Tips for selecting plant varieties

  • Always select plants based on the amount of light available in your space. Refer to the back of seed packets for this information. 
  • Consider planting more than one plant variety together in a container. Companion gardening is most effective when you choose plants that have physical characteristics that aid each other’s growth. Common companion plants for container gardening include: 
    • Beans, Carrots, and Squash
    • Eggplant and Beans
    • Tomatoes, Basil, and Onions
    • Lettuce and Herbs
  • Companion plants should have a diversity of root depths to limit competition for water. 
    • Common shallow root plant varieties include: chives, lettuce, radishes, salad greens, basil, cilantro, beans, garlic, kohlrabi, onions, peas, mint, and thyme.
    • Common deep root plant varieties include carrots, chard, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, leeks, peppers, spinach, parsley, rosemary, beets, broccoli, okra, potatoes, and summer squash. 
    • Most, but not all, plant varieties are adaptable to growing in containers. Common varieties that are generally not adaptable to container gardening include deep-root plants such as corn or sprawling plants with extra large yields like pumpkins and melons. 
      • Varieties with ‘Patio’ or ‘Dwarf’ in the title are container friendly.

Container gardening can be very resource intensive. You’ll need to acquire large containers and enough soil to fill them. 

Tips for making container gardening cost effective

  • Consider recycling existing containers such as buckets or tubs into plant containers. Make sure to thoroughly clean and disinfect recycled containers using chlorine free bleach before planting.
  • Buy your soil and soil amendments in bulk rather than in bags.
  • Order a seed, seedling, and educational resource kit through DUG’s pay-what-you-can with a free option annual program called Grow a Garden www.dug.org/growagarden
  • Get your seeds for free from DUG every spring in our office (1031 33rd St. St #100, Denver, CO 80205)!

____________________________________________________________


Sources: 

  • CSU Extension “Colorado Gardening: Challenge to Newcomers” Guide 
  • Dustin Wright of Living Earth Designs

Gardeners Can Save Water and Grow a Bountiful Garden, Too

By All Seasons, Education, Grow a Garden, Summer

If you have been paying attention to the news, you’ve seen a lot of coverage on the Colorado River Basin and its dwindling water supplies the “bathtub” rings of Lake Mead; the controversy of which states can reduce their water usage and when.

Walking through our verdant community and home gardens, it may seem like water scarcity is someone else’s problem. But climate change, a growing population and annual weather events (or the lack of them) are squeezing nearly everyone’s water supplies. Even our largest and most stable local water providers in Colorado are prioritizing water conservation policies and programs. Aurora Water, which serves the city’s population of more than 386,000 and provides some water to surrounding communities, is experiencing concerningly low reservoir levels and has declared Drought Stage 1 with watering restrictions going into effect on May 1.

While conserving water during a drought is critical, we all need to do our part to conserve water every year. The more of a buffer we can create between our water demand and our total supply, the more resiliency we have to handle the unexpected. 

There is a lot of water to be saved outdoors, even in our vegetable gardens. With the right tools and methods, your veggie patch will use less water than a traditional Kentucky bluegrass lawn.

What are these amazing conservation tools and methods?

  1. Healthy soil
  2. Mulch 
  3. Watering low and slow
  4. Choosing water-wise plants
A person with gloved hands is scooping dirt out of a tipped wheelbarrow

Healthy Soil
Soil that is healthy for growing vegetables and saving water is soil that is rich in organic material, airy and contains moisture. The natural soils of the Denver metro area are generally lean and either very clayey or very sandy, which is not a healthy environment for veggies. Amending your soil is therefore necessary every year. We recommend organic amendments, meaning materials derived from living matter.

Organic amendments such as compost (purchased or homemade), worm castings, composted manure and coco coir will not only add nutrients, but will increase the water holding capacity of sandy soils and improve the tilth of clay soils. Those elements help water slowly move through the ground and reach your plant’s roots.

In the spring, cover your entire garden with two to three inches of your chosen amendment (or a mix) and till it in. After harvest in the fall, you can cover your beds with a layer of leaves. The base of the layer will decompose over the winter, and then you can till it all in with an additional amendment the following spring.

Mulch is Magic
Organic mulch makes the magic happen. It benefits your vegetables in so many ways:

  1. Retains moisture in the soil
  2. Prevents erosion
  3. Cools the surface of the soil
  4. Inhibits the growth of weeds
  5. Reduces compaction as you weed or harvest
  6. Prevents soil surface crusting so that water doesn’t run off
  7. Keeps plants clean
  8. Creates a tidy look

Select an organic mulch that will decompose quickly, such as straw, grass clippings, dried leaves, non-glossy newspaper or a combination of those. Start off with a layer three inches thick and replenish throughout the season as needed.

Watering can watering garden bed

Watering Efficiently
There is a lot to know about applying water efficiently in the vegetable garden. Vegetable gardens in our region generally require about one inch of water per week, but the efficient gardener pays attention to the weather and adjusts accordingly. Your plants’ watering needs will change as they mature. For seeds and small seedlings, water shallowly and keep soil evenly moist which may mean watering daily if temperatures warrant it. When seedlings are at least four inches tall and have several mature leaves, you can reduce watering to about every other day to encourage deep root growth. 

Don’t use your eyes to check if your plants need water—use your fingers. Seeing some wilting during a hot day is okay. To know if your plants really need water, check the moisture level two inches below the soil surface with your fingers. If the soil is obviously moist, dark and cool, no need to water.

Avoid overhead watering. It’s tempting to rely on your pop-up sprinklers, but that can trap humidity that encourages the growth of powdery mildew and other diseases.  

The most efficient type of irrigation for a garden is in-line drip. You can add a drip zone for your vegetable garden onto your current sprinkler system (it must have its own zone). Update your controller settings each month, as your veggies need a lot less water in April than in July.

Alternatively, you can connect a regular hose to drip tubing or soaker hoses on top of your mulched bed and run it. You can then run your hose manually. Do not bury these hoses because of concerns that soil may get into your water line. We don’t recommend hose bib timers, as they can break and waste hundreds of gallons or worse.

Hand watering works best for small areas or containers. Always use a nozzle on your hose to slow down the volume and flow rate and water as close to the ground as possible. Do your hand watering in the coolest and least windy parts of the day. In the summer, that means before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

Go Water-wise
Many of us love to plant vibrant annuals like marigolds near our vegetable gardens to attract those awesome pollinators! Generally, annuals require more water than water-wise or native perennial flowers. So switch it up by planting a water-wise and/or native perennial border to accomplish the same purpose. After the perennials are established, they’ll need little to no water. Make sure to mulch them with a three-inch layer of mulch like bark or wood chips. They’ll use less water while providing habitat for the bees and other insects that pollinate our vegetable plants.

This article was written by Diana Denwood, Senior Water Conservation Specialist for Aurora Water

For more information on Aurora Water Conservation Plan click here

Effective Water Conservation Techniques

By All Seasons, Education, Grow a Garden

Gardening in Colorado mandates the conscious use of effective water conservation techniques. We believe community gardens should be models of efficient water use, especially in seasons of drought. Additionally, use of water conservation techniques has several other benefits including reduced water costs and weed proliferation.

If you apply the following techniques, plants will respond by growing quickly and producing an abundant harvest. We have also outlined a set of water restrictions required of all community gardeners in response to the on-going drought. Regardless of the duration of the drought, however, DUG advocates gardeners adopt and incorporate these techniques as a way of life.

Water Plants in the Cool of the Day, Especially During the Evening
Watering first thing in the morning or an hour or so before sunset, allows plant roots to utilize moisture more efficiently. Late-day watering allows the water to percolate into the soil for 12 hours or more before the sun and wind magnify the effects of evaporation and transpiration from soil and foliage.

Mid-day watering is a poor use of gardening time and an extremely inefficient way of watering into thirsty soils. Since plants do a significant amount growing at night, it makes sense to provide moisture prior to this critical period. 

Water the Roots and Soil, Not the Leaves
Although some plants, such as the broccoli family and lettuces, do not mind overhead watering and moist leaves, most vegetables prefer watering at soil level. Tomatoes, peas and members of the squash and melon families can suffer from disease problems that proliferate on wet foliage. 

Cultivate the Soil Before Watering
Hoe the soil around plants at least once a week. This serves a dual purpose—cutting off germinating weeds that compete for moisture and opening up our heavy clay soil so that water can more easily penetrate to deeper levels. Watering should be done after cultivation, while the soil is loose and airy.

Compost Throughout the Season
Compost should be applied at the beginning of the gardening season, digging two inches of compost into the top 4 – 6 inches of soil, as well as several other times during the summer and fall.

Spread a shovel-full of compost around vegetables, flowers and herbs, lightly cultivating the soil to incorporate the organic material. Since compost has the ability to hold up to 100% of its weight in water, this allows soils to hold and release moisture and organic nutrients slowly. Having compost-enriched soils is one of the best water conservation techniques available to gardeners.

Space Plants so that their Mature Leaves Shade the Soil Surface
Soil that is in shade, even in conditions of drought, is more capable of retaining moisture and reducing evaporation. The mini-climate that is produced by plants that are spaced so that mature leaves almost touch provides shading and cooling effects on the soil surface below. You can extend the growing season of cool season plants, such as lettuce, by growing them in the shade of taller plants such as pole beans. Their leaves provide a “living mulch” to help cool the roots of surrounding plants and to retain moisture.

Mulch Any Uncovered Soil Areas
Mulch conserves water, moderates soil temperature, helps to prevent erosion and slowly enriches the soil with humus as it decays. Pesticide-free grass clippings that have dried out for a few days, clean straw or fall leaves are all excellent sources of mulch. Exposed soil areas that are not being used for growing quickly become weedy and unsightly and are spaces where wasteful evaporation occurs. Mulch warm season crops, such as tomatoes and peppers, after the soil warms. Mulch cool season crops, such as lettuce, peas and broccoli several weeks after they have been transplanted or after they have been growing for about a month after germination.

Check the Soil for Needed Moisture
Most vegetables need about an inch of water per week for adequate growth. Poke a stick or your finger an inch to two inches below the soil surface to see if water is needed. Soils that are exposed to the sun (with no mulch), and are deficient in organic matter, will be significantly less efficient at retaining moisture and nutrient supplies than those that are shaded and compost enriched.

Wilting Leaves Do Not Always Signal a Call for Water
Plants with large leaves, such as those in the pumpkin/squash family, normally droop during the heat of the day. Plants are just minimizing the water loss (due to transpiration) and watering them at this time will increase water loss rather than lessen it. It also weakens the plants by promoting shallow rooting structure. 

Utilize Efficient Watering Tools
Using a hand-held watering wand with a shutoff nozzle allows you to water underneath leaves and close to the soil surface. This also breaks the force of the spray and lessens effects of soil compaction and erosion. Water with a low volume spray, as this lets water percolate deeply into the soil. Clay soils absorb water slowly. Watering for a short period of time, allowing the water to infiltrate the top layer and then re-moistening the area is a more efficient watering technique rather than short, intense watering. As an option to hand watering we suggest the use of black soaker hose snaked through your garden at the base of your plants.

Harvest Frequently
Harvest crops while plants are actively producing and healthy. Overgrown, insect and/or disease- laden plants should be removed and the area replanted to another type of plant or seeded with a cover crop. When the plant is taking more out of the soil than it returns, it is time to concentrate on soil improvement.

When to Harvest? Follow These Guidelines to Get the Best from your Garden

By All Seasons, Education, Grow a Garden

Part of having a garden is enjoying vegetables, fruits, and herbs at their peak. Follow these guidelines to get the best of your garden.

Asparagus: Begin harvesting when spears are 6-8 inches tall and about as thick as your small finger. Snap them off at ground level and new spears will continue to grow. Stop harvesting about 4-6 weeks after the initial harvest, to allow the plants to produce foliage and food for themselves.

Beans, Green: Pick before you can see the seeds bulging. They should snap easily into two. Check daily. It doesn’t take long for beans to go from tender to tough. 

Beets: Harvest and eat the greens that you thin out of the rows. It’s a matter of personal preference when it comes to the right size for harvesting. They are ready any time after you see the beets shoulders protruding at the soil line. 

Broccoli: We eat the unopened flower buds of broccoli, so check frequently, especially as the weather warms up, to ensure you don’t let the flower heads bloom. Don’t expect your home grown broccoli to get to the size of supermarket heads. Harvest when the buds are about the size of a match head. Use a knife to cut below the main crown to harvest. Once the central crown is harvested, smaller broccoli spears will grow as side shoots.

Brussels Sprouts: The sprouts will mature from the bottom up. You can begin harvesting once the sprouts are at least an inch in diameter. Harvest by twisting off or cutting the sprout from the stem. 

Cabbage: The cabbage head will feel solid when gently squeezed. Cabbage needs to be harvested when it reaches maturity or it will continue to grow and split open. Use a knife to cut at the base of the head. Large cabbage leaves that surround the head can also be harvested and used like cabbage. 

Carrots: Carrots can be hard to judge. The tops of the carrot will show at the soil line and you can gauge when the diameter looks right for your variety. If the diameter looks good, chances are the length is fine too. Pull one to be certain. Carrots can be left in the ground once mature. A light frost is said to improve and sweeten the carrot’s flavor. 

Cauliflower: Like broccoli, your homegrown cauliflower heads will probably not match supermarket size. Harvest when the head looks full and while the curds of the head are still smooth. Cut at the base of the crown with a knife.

Corn: About 3 weeks after silks form, they will dry and brown. Kernels should exude a milky substance when pricked. 

Cucumber: Check daily and harvest young. Timing and length will vary with variety. The fruits should be firm and smooth. Over ripe cucumbers can be very bitter or pithy, even before they start to turn yellow.

Eggplant: Slightly immature fruits taste best and should be firm and shiny. Cut the fruit from the plant. 

Garlic: Cut scapes off as soon as they mature, this encourages bulb formation. Garlic tops will fall over and begin to brown when the bulbs are ready. Dig, don’t pull, and allow to dry before storing. Brush off the dirt instead of washing.

Kale: Kale leaves can be harvested throughout the season. They should be a deep green with a firm, sturdy texture. Kale flavor is best in cooler weather. Harvest the largest outer leaves on a plant by simply grabbing a hold of the stem and pulling down. 

Kohlrabi: For the best texture, harvest once the kohlrabi bulb has reached about 2-3 inches in diameter. The bulbs become tougher as they grow and age. Pull or slice at the base. 

Leeks: Harvest leeks when they are about 1 inch in diameter. 

Lettuce, Head: Harvest once the head feels full and firm with a gentle squeeze. Hot weather will cause it to bolt or go to seed rather than filling out. Pull the entire head out. 

Lettuce, Leaf: Harvest the outer leaves once the plant has reached about 4 inches in height. Allow the younger, inner leaves to grow. Leaf lettuce can be harvested in this fashion for most of the summer.

Melons: There are many varieties of melons, but a general rule of thumb is that the color should change to beige and the fruit will slip from the vine when lifted. You should also be able to notice a sweet smell when ripe. 

Onions: Onions can be dug once the tops have ripened and fallen over. Brush the dirt off rather than rinsing and allow the onions to dry in the sun. 

Parsnips: Parsnips taste best if they are left in the ground until after a frost or two. They can be left in the ground over the winter and harvested in the spring. In cold areas, they should be mulched for the winter.

Peas: The pea pods should look and feel full. Peas are sweeter if harvested before fully plumped. Peas really need to be tasted to determine if they are sweet enough. 

Peppers: Each variety is different, but generally, peppers should be harvested when they turn the expected color. Carefully cut the pepper from the plant.

Potatoes: ‘New’ potatoes can be harvested when the tops start to flower. Carefully dig at the outer edges of the row. For full size potatoes, wait until the tops of the potato plants dry and turn brown. Start digging from the outside perimeter and move in cautiously to avoid slicing into potatoes. 

Pumpkins: Once the pumpkins have turned the expected color and the vines are starting to decline, check to make sure the skin has hardened enough that poking it with your fingernail will not crack it. Do not pick your pumpkin too soon because it will stop turning orange once it’s cut, but don’t leave them out in a hard frost either.

Radishes: Radishes mature quickly. You will see the shoulders of the bulbs popping out of the soil line. If left too long, they will become tough and eventually go to seed. 

Rutabaga: The bulbs should be about 3 inches in diameter, generally about three months after setting out. Rutabagas can be mulched, left in the ground and dug up as needed. Cold weather improves their flavor.

Swiss Chard: As with leaf lettuce, cut the large outer leaves at the base of the stem—being careful not to cut new growth—and allow the center to continue growing. 

Spinach: Spinach goes to seed quickly. Harvest by cutting at the soil line before you see a flower stalk emerging.

Squash, Summer: Pick young and check often. The skins should be tender enough to poke with your fingernail.

Squash, Winter: Color is a good indicator of winter squash maturity. When the squash turns the color it is supposed to be, cut from the vine. Do not let winter squash be exposed to frost. 

Tomatoes: Harvest when they are fully colored and slightly soft to the touch. Gently twist and pull from the vine. 

Turnips: Turnip shoulders should be about 2” in diameter at the soil line when ready. Overripe turnips are woody. 

Watermelon: The white spot on the bottom of the melon should change to a deep yellow when ripe. You may hear a change in the sound made when the melon is thumped with a finger. It should make a hollow sound when ripe.

Source: Gardening About