Farewell Gardening Season 2017

Another year of weather wackiness, world and national escapades. Closer to home it was a good tomato year, first one in many years, so something was going my way.

Please join me in looking back on the 2017 tomato year and more.

Ah...the weather in Colorado, always a safe conversation starter.

During the first quarter of any winter season, it's fairly easy to gauge how much and how often it snows in the Denver area based on the number of times a snow blower or shovel is used. This past January through April, we used our snow blower twice, hardly worth having it tuned up this season.

In addition to being almost bone dry the month of January, we had balmy days reaching sixty degrees. February and March where such winter "lamb" months that all you needed was sun screen and a rake to start early garden clean up. In February we had close to twenty days of over fifty degrees and reached seventy-eight on February 10. In March we had eleven days in the sixties and nine days in the seventies. No need to be a snow bird and head south during the Colorado winter of '17!

It snowed in late April followed by the catastrophic hail storm on May 8 that hit the west and north areas of metro Denver. I won't forget that day. I was in Longmont and headed back to Denver later that afternoon. My volunteer supervisor cautioned me about the storm and suggested I stay in the office for awhile, good call.

Internet Photo ABC News

 
Once in the car I crawled home slowly, ready to turn back if needed while glued to the radio weather news and the stormy sky up ahead. And it was gloomy...one of those dynamic spring skies with blue directly above, powdery gray in the not so distant foreground that was butting up to the streaky, mean sky. 

Internet Photo Denver Post

I followed the storm that left devastation in its wake and ankle+ high moving rivers of hail on the highway. Sure, I had white knuckles driving that day, but nothing like the folks who were in their cars getting hit so hard by softball size hail that it shattered their windshields. BTW, car body shops still have a wait list (in to late 2018) to repair cars from this storm.

And as you can guess, gardeners cried during and after the hail storm, maybe you were one of them. I cried with you and again ten days later when our house had a direct hail hit. We had some warning so I covered my favorite plants with as many covers I had on hand. I learned during that storm that patio tables and chairs can be used over shorter plantings for a quick, easy cover. If you're worried about the table getting damaged by hail, cover it with an old blanket or tarp. Weigh it down with bricks or boards.  

Patio Table over Herb Bed 5-18-17 Storm

By June 10 we hit the low nineties and settled in to a long, hot summer. It continued in September followed by a warm October. 

Veil over Smart Pot to keep JBs off 

Our vegetable garden had a very good producing summer, not the case for many friends and gardeners who lived in other neighborhoods. Many of their tomato blossoms dried, which means less fruit. I even escaped the common tomato diseases and psyllid pest insects which often find our address. 

Japanese beetles had another banner year in our garden and many other areas, they are definitely on the move. Friends found them for the first time in parts of Arvada and Golden. If you want to read all my JB beetle woes and management hints, start here, I've written several blogs on them - Japanese beetles and here for the fall re-cap.  

The flowers and blooming shrubs and trees were happy in bloom so made us happy as well.

Maple Tree Near our House

As in 2016, this past recent fall was visually delightful - the autumn colors were prominent and long lasting. It also seemed like the fruits and seedheads on shrubs, hawthorns, crab apples and many more plants held on for weeks, which only added to the orange, red and purple fall color parade. 

Winter has finally arrived in the Denver area (the mountains are getting some snow, they need more). Snow has been spotty along the Front Range - we'll welcome any moisture to replenish our dry soils from the dry fall season. Warm days in the fifties and sixties seem to sneak in here and there between the brief cold snaps. 

Take advantage of the dry days above forty degrees to water unfrozen new plantings and south facing areas of the landscape. After you drain the hoses, head inside for a warm cup of (your choice) and peruse the 2018 garden catalogs. Dog ear the pages or bookmark the company on your toolbar. Place your orders soon but save some dollars and support your local garden retailers. Better yet, stroll on in to your favorite store, get some seeds and other garden supplies. Breathe in the moist air and dream...of you know what...spring. 😎