Friday, March 27, 2015

How's Your Garlic Growing?

If you planted hardneck and softneck planting garlic (cloves) last fall then you're also watching the plant leaves emerge with gusto these past days and weeks. Isn't it a joyful sight?  Garlic is easy to plant, and more fun watching it grow until harvest than the final fireworks crescendo on the 4th of July at Boston Harbor (hum 1812 Overture). That might be an exaggeration but there's something indescribable about walking out to the garden every day or twice a day on the weekend and eyeing those solid green shoots soar above a blanket of snow! Other gardeners might have fall planted 'Bloomsdale' spinach growing under a thick layer of mulch just ready for a tasty spritzing of shallot vinaigrette (please invite me over), but we have garlic stems, psueudostems and leaf blades to keep our attention...and wait until the scapes show up in May! Yowza!!  Ring the bells and pull out the blender for garlic scape pesto...ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!!!

Late March 2015
Okay, back to earth and the garlic check. Your garlic plants should be up or at least emerging if you live along the Front Range.  Higher elevations may be a couple of weeks behind.  Their moisture level should be okay from the recent mid-week rain/snow.  But it is dry out there so keep an eye and finger under your mulch to gauge whether you need to hook up the hoses and give them a deep drink. They need regular watering until a few days before harvest, not wet, more like a well wrung out sponge.  And renew the mulch if needed.  Mulch maintains soil temperatures and keeps moisture in and weeds out (or at least easier to pull).  I use shredded leaves from the fall and have several back up bags just for renewing the garlic and the other raised beds. Beds that are mulched all winter don't have to endure that horrible freeze/thaw/crack/peel/blow away cycle.  Plus once you remove the mulch in the spring to plant your lettuce or tomatoes (later in May), the soil is ready to go - nice and soft from being tucked in all fall and winter under a thick bed of mulch. 

If by chance we start getting lots of spring moisture it's a good idea to remove the mulch around the garlic to prevent any mold problems or slugs. 

Late March Snow 2015

There's nothing that needs to be done until about mid-April and again in May.  I like to spray all the plants twice with a diluted solution of water and fish emulsion. This gives them a little dose of nitrogen and generally helps with any yellow tips on the leaves. 

Then it is wait for the scapes - the gorgeous flower stalks that form on the hardneck varieties. Bulb harvest won't be until until June or early July.  I'll leave it here for now and pick up another writing when the scapes arrive.  In the meantime enjoy the daily stroll to check on your rocamboles and purple stripes.  It's not too soon to memorize the recipe for 40 Clove Garlic Chicken from The Stinking Rose Restaurant in San Francisco.


 Spring Crop a Few Years Ago
  

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Super Spring, Super Moon

The spring equinox officially arrives at 4:45 pm (MST) on Friday, March 20, 2015.  That's the time when the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night are nearly equal.  

FROM timeanddate.com -

Equinox and solstice illustration
Equinoxes and Solstices are opposite on either side of the equator. Photo from timeanddate.com

  FROM timeanddate.com -

The Sun Crosses the Equator

The March equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from south to north. This happens on March 19, 20 or 21st every year.

Equinoxes and solstices are opposite on either side of the equator, and the March equinox is also known as the "spring vernal equinox" in the northern hemisphere and as the "autumnal fall equinox" in the southern hemisphere.


Why is it Called “Equinox”?

On the equinox, night and day are nearly exactly the same length – 12 hours – all over the world. This is the reason it's called an “equinox”, derived from Latin, meaning "equal night". However, in reality equinoxes don't have exactly 12 hours daylight. 


What Happens on the Equinox?

The Earth's axis is always tilted at an angle of about 23.5° in relation to the ecliptic, the imaginary plane created by the Earth's path around the Sun. On any other day of the year, the Earth's axis tilts a little away from or towards the Sun. But on the two equinoxes, the tilt of the Earth's is neither away from nor towards the Sun. In fact, it is perpendicular to the Sun's rays, like the illustration shows.


Celebrating new Beginnings

The March equinox has long been celebrated as a time of rebirth in the Northern Hemisphere. Many cultures celebrate spring festivals and holidays around the March equinox, like Easter and Passover.


Friday also brings another Supermoon, where a full or new moon occurs during the moon's closest approach to earth.  This is according to AccuWeather.  It's super because it appears larger and brighter in the night sky than other full moons during year.   

Friday, March 20, 2015 will be the beginning of a super spring season and a super moon! Can't beat that!

A supermoon rises through the trees in Spencer, N.Y., Aug. 10, 2014. (Photo: Tom Pennington, Getty Images)






Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

'St. Patrick' Hybrid Tea Rose, photo from Week's Roses


This gorgeous hybrid tea rose was introduced in 1996 by Week's Wholesale Growers, Inc.

Mild fragrance, mixed yellow blend that has a slight green cast, blooms in flushes all through the growing season.  Very disease resistant, hardy to zone 5/6.  


Saturday, March 7, 2015

Snow? So Grow! Part 1

It's time to start vegetable seeds indoors, especially if you want to transplant cool season veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage outside in a few weeks.  Read my latest column on seeds and reading a seed packet first - Denver Post March 7, 2015 Punch List.  Then check the chart below for windows to sow indoors or direct seed outside. 

Some cool-season seeds like lettuce, spinach, and arugula are just better directly sown in the ground when the weather and soil conditions are right (March through early May). They are such quick growers there's no need to start them by seed indoors.  If you have cold frames or similar to get started earlier, then you know what to do (don't forget to send me photos of your early lettuces please).  It's much too early to plant warm-season crops outside, but it's time to start peppers and eggplant by seed indoors, they can take up to 8 weeks to fully grow into transplant size.  I'll post a chart for flower seeds shortly, so please check back.


Vegetable Planting Calendar for the Colorado Front Range
Add at least 2 weeks for higher altitudes
For super earlier spring planting (using Tunnels, Cloches, Cold Frames), move up all dates accordingly



CROP
COOL
SEASON
DAYS
TO
MATURITY
START SEEDS INDOORS
PLANT SEEDS IN THE GROUND
PLANT
TRANSPLANTS
OUTSIDE
Arugula
30

April 15-June 1

Asparagus
Perennial


Plant root crowns
April 15 to May 15
Beets
60-65

May 1-May 15

Broccoli
70
March 1-Mar15

April 1-May 15
Brussels Sprouts
80-95
March 1-Mar15

April 1-May 15
Cabbage
60-70
March 1-Mar15

April 1-May 15
Carrots
55-75

May 1-May 15

Cauliflower
50-55
March 1-Mar15

April 1-May 15
Cilantro
55-65
March 1-Mar30
May 1- May 15
May 1 -  May 15
Chard-Swiss
50

April 15-July 15

Celery
85-110


Fall planted best
Chinese (Napa) Cabbage
48-55
April 15-April30

May 15-June 1
Chives Onion
Perennial


May 15-Sept. 15
Chives Garlic
Perennial


May 15-Sept. 15
Collards
50-55
April 15-May15


Garlic



Best planted in Fall
Horseradish
Perennial


May 15-June 15
Kale, Mustard Greens
50-55

April 15-May15

Kohlrabi
55

April 15-May15

Lettuce Leaf
40-45

April 15-May15

Lettuce Head
70-80

April 15-May15

Onion Bulb
100

April 15-May15

Onion Bunching
60-80

April 15-May15

Parsley
75
March 1-Mar30
May 1-May 15
May 1 – May 15
Parsnips
85-120

April 15-May15

Peas – shell and snap
50-65

April 15-May15

Peas Edible Podded - snow
60



Potato Tubers
80-120

April 15-May15

“New” Potatoes
50-60 days

April 15-May15

Radishes
20-30

April 15-May15

Rhubarb
Perennial


May 1 –June 15
Rutabaga
90-95

Early August

Spinach
30-50

April 15-May15

Turnip
40-75

April 15-May15






CROP
WARM
SEASON
DAYS
TO
MATURITY
START SEEDS INDOORS
PLANT SEEDS IN THE GROUND
PLANT
TRANSPLANTS
OUTSIDE
Basil
60-85
April 15-May 15
June 1-July 15
June 1 – August 15
Beans, Bush
45-50

May20-July  15

Beans, Pole
60-65

May 20-June 30

Corn, Sweet
65-80

May 20-June 15

Cucumber
Slicing
48-72

May 20-June 15

Cucumber
Pickling
58-58

May 20-July 1

Eggplant
60-80
March 15-
April 10

May 20-June 10
Cantaloupe
85-120
April 15-May1
May 20-June 10
May 20-June 10
Okra
55-65
April 15-20
June 10-July 15
June 10-July 15
New Zealand
Spinach
50-60

May 20-July 15

Pepper
70-80
March 1-
April 10

May 20-June 10
Pumpkin
95-110
April 15-May 1
May 20-June 5
May 20-June 5
Squash
Summer
55-65
April 15-May 1
May 20-July 15
May 20-June 10
Squash
Winter
55-105
April 15-May 1
May 20-June 10
May 20-June 10
Tomato
60-85
March 15-
April 10

May 20-June 20
Tomatillos
75-100
March 15-
April 10

May 20-June 10
Watermelon
75-100
April 5-15

May 20-June 10


Document by Betty Cahill, http://gardenpunchlist.blogspot.com/