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Mar 22
300

How to Plant Potatoes

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How to plant, grow, and harvest potatoes

By Jodi Torpey

Just about every gardener I know can’t wait to turn the calendar page to March. Not only does the month signal the end to winter and the official start to spring, it means planting time is just around the corner.

If you think the weather in March is still too unpredictable for planting, think again. There are many hardy vegetables that like to be planted while it’s still cool.

Onions garlic bulbs, shallots, and even artichokes can be planted from four to six weeks before the last frost date for our area.

I think potatoes are one of the most rewarding crops to plant in early spring. Potatoes are easy to grow, you can plant them in just about any space, and the taste of home-grown potatoes is incredible. It’s like the difference between the flavor of a home-grown tomato compared to one from the grocery store.

If you’re short on garden space, you can grow potatoes in a container. There are potato grow bags and grow boxes you can buy, or you can plant potatoes in a trash can or stack of old tires.

Here are the keys to growing a great potato crop:

Buy good-quality seed potatoes from the garden center. Choose early season or mid-season maturing varieties, and the kinds of potatoes you like to use in your cooking (baking, frying, boiling, etc.). Don’t use store-bought potatoes for planting.

Plant small-sized potatoes or cut larger potatoes into several pieces. Make sure each piece has at least one eye or sprout. If you cut potatoes, wait a day before planting to allow the cut to dry.

Dig a trench in the garden about four inches deep or fill a container with loose, well-drained soil. Dig in a good-quality compost as a soil amendment.

Plant potatoes with the eye “looking” up. Push potatoes into the soil about ½-inch deep and about 10-12 inches apart with rows about 30 inches apart.

Cover with about 6 inches of soil or clean straw (not hay). The straw is an alternative planting method that protects the potatoes from sunlight, helps keep the soil moist and encourages healthy plants.

When the seeds start to sprout and grow, cover with another 6 inches of soil or straw.

Keep plants watered, but not overwatered. Soil/straw should be kept moist but not soaking wet.

Harvest while vines are green. In late summer, while the vines are still growing, you’ll be able to start harvesting a few fresh potatoes as you need them. Keep the rest of the crop covered with straw.

After fall frosts and the vines start to wither, let potatoes sit in place for a week or more to allow the skin to harden. Then harvest your potato crop and store them in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months.

Mar 20
300

Growing Herbs in Containers

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Planting Herbs in Pots

By Jodi Torpey

If I could grow only one culinary herb in my garden each year, it would have to be basil. Not only is it easy to grow, but it’s one of the most versatile herbs for use in the kitchen.  A packet of seeds produces enough fresh basil to keep my creative juices flowing all summer long.

One of the best methods I’ve found for planting basil is to grow it in containers on my patio. Basil can grow with just a few hours of morning sun each day. I simply sprinkle the seeds on top of a container of potting soil, cover seeds with a thin layer of soil and then keep the seeds moist.

Basil will sprout and grow quickly. You’ll be able to start clipping basil to use fresh when plants have three to five sets of leaves. Once plants get growing, you can cut them back to encourage healthy new growth and branching. Pruning also keeps the plants from flowering, although the flowers are delicious, too!

Of course, there are many other culinary herbs that you can grow in a container garden and containers of herbs can be as beautiful as they are useful. Just make sure your container is large enough to keep plants from quickly drying out and there are drainage holes in the bottom to avoid soggy roots.

The key to creating an attractive herb container is to use the same principle as planting a container of flowers: select thrillers, fillers, and spillers.

Start with a tall “thriller” plant, like upright rosemary. It’s a thriller in more ways than one with its tall form and narrow, aromatic leaves. Flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, French lavender, chives, and other herbs that have an upright habit will look good planted in either the center or toward the back of the container.

Fillers are planted next. These are the herbs that will complement the taller plants. Parsley with curly or ruffled leaves makes an especially eye-catching filler. Sage, sweet basil, and chervil are also flavorful fillers.

Add the spillers last. These are the plants that will cascade over the edge of the planter or basket. Thyme and oregano are two good spillers because of their creeping habit.

You could also choose to plant a container that features one kind of culinary collection, like different colors and flavors of basil or mint. Another idea is to fill the container with plants that all have lemon in their names like lemon verbena, lemon thyme, and lemon balm.

What are your favorite herbs for a container garden?

Mar 16
300

Start Plants Indoors with Better Lighting

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Germinating Seeds Indoors

By Jodi Torpey

Now’s the time to think of the vegetable and flower seeds you want to get started for this season’s garden. The advantages to starting plants from seeds include saving money to buy other garden goods and planting special varieties that aren’t typically stocked as transplants.

It’s easy to start plants from seeds if you keep two important elements in mind: heat and light. Seeds from plants like tomatoes and peppers need both ingredients to speed germination. The faster seeds sprout, the faster the seedlings can start to turn into healthy plants.

Use Heat for Seed Germination

In previous years, folks would place their containers of seeds on top of the refrigerator to give them a steady source of bottom heat. But these days refrigerators are better insulated and more energy efficient so no heat is lost from the top of the fridge.

To make up for it, gardeners need to find another way to keep their trays of seeds and seedlings warm from the bottom up. You can plug in a simple electric heat mat and place trays on top or there are all-in-one planting systems with insulated trays and a built in heat source.

Use Lights for Seed Germination

Seeds need the right amount of light to get a good start, too. New advances in lighting, like T5 grow lights, provide super-bright, full-spectrum light, but are energy efficient.

The T in T5 is the size of the fluorescent bulbs used for high-intensity lights. T5 bulbs are a smaller diameter bulb that offers more flexibility than larger fluorescents. Because they’re smaller they can fit into smaller spaces.

T5 bulbs also provide the maximum light intensity, but don’t use as much energy as larger bulbs. Because they’re cooler, you can place them closer to plants.

The long-lasting bulbs could be used for more than just starting seeds, too. Commercial growers use bulbs like these to take plants from seeds to fruit.

For the most efficient seed-starting system, you could plug your grow lights into a power strip connected to a timer to make sure seedlings get the optimal 16 hours of light they need each day.

When to Transplant Seedlings

You’ll probably be surprised at how quickly seeds turn into seedlings with better heat and light, especially if you’ve tried starting your seeds with conventional fluorescent bulbs or just the light from a sunny window.

When seedlings grow two sets of true leaves, it’s time to transplant them from the tray into individual containers. Then it’s just a matter of time before you’ll be moving them outside to get ready for planting.

Mar 11
300

Gardening Checklist for March

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Gardening Checklist for March

By Jodi Torpey

When I think about “March Madness” I’m not thinking about basketball. I’m thinking in terms of a frenzy of gardening activity.

  • Plant early-season crops. Even if the garden soil is still too wet to work, you can plant some cool-season crops in patio containers. Radish, spinach, and even peas can be planted in March.
  • Plan ahead for a beautiful lawn. Late March is a good time to core aerate the lawn, add grass seed to fill in bare spots and then fertilize with a slow-release turf fertilizer.
  • Celebrate the first day of spring. Clip perennial stems that were left standing over winter, pull the mulch away from new perennials and cut back ornamental grasses.
  • Prune shrubs. Use a pruning saw or sharp loppers to remove dead, broken or crossing shrub branches. Some shrubs, like redtwig dogwood, benefit from having old stems pruned at the base. Be sure cuts are straight across.
  • Treat the turf. Look for gray snow mold damage in your lawn, remove the dead grass, rake, and then lightly fertilize.
  • Water the lawn. Use a screwdriver to test for water moisture in the lawn. If the screwdriver has a hard time penetrating the soil, it’s time to water. Watering helps prevent turfgrass mites that can build up in dry, sunny areas.
  • Wait to remove dead foliage. It pays to wait to remove the dried foliage from spring-blooming plants like daffodils. Wait until the foliage easily pulls away from the bulbs. The leaves serve as food to help with flowering next year.
  • Plant pansies. Despite their wimpy name, pansies are a hardy spring flower. They make droop during a snowstorm, but they’ll pop back up when the weather warms.
  • Evaluate your landscape. Take time to study the landscape while standing inside. Look through your favorite windows to see if there’s a way to improve the views. Think about what a difference it would make to add a rose arbor, shade tree, a few flowering shrubs or a brand new flower bed. 
Feb 22
300

How to Start Seeds—Part 2

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How to Start Seeds—Part 2

By Jodi Torpey

Gardeners in our region often start their seeds indoors to get a head start on spring planting. There’s really nothing to seed starting, if you follow a few basic steps.

First, you’ll need a few supplies. Seeds (of course), seed starting mix, a seed starting tray or containers, a trowel, watering mister, plant labels and source of light.

There are at least two ways to start your seeds:

  • Start seeds in ready-to-grow peat pellets.
  • Start seeds in seed trays filled with seed-starting mix.

You can be successful with either method. Starting seeds in peat pellets means you can plant the expanded pot and transplant right into the garden. In seed trays, you may need to transplant the small plants into larger containers before moving them outside.

For peat pellets, soak the round, compressed disks of peat in water for about 15 minutes or until they expand to their full size. Place the moistened peat containers in a plastic container or tray without any drainage holes.

Use a chopstick or other sharp object to make a larger hole in the top of the planting pot. Then plant at least 2 seeds in each hole. Use the chopstick to cover seeds with the peat at the top of the pot.

Keep the peat pots moistened by adding water to the bottom of the plastic container. Cover with plastic wrap or the tray’s plastic lid and keep warm until seeds start to sprout. Remove the plastic and move them to a bright window or place under fluorescent or grow lights to reach transplant size. (Keep lights close to plants for 12-16 hours a day.)

If you’re starting seeds in seed trays or individual containers, you’ll need to use a seed-starting mix. Seed-starting mixes are usually a lightweight, soilless planting medium that’s sterilized and weed free to give plants a healthy start.

Fill the containers with the seed-starting mix. Water the soil so it’s moist, but not soggy.

Use a chopstick or other sharp object to poke holes for the seeds in each section of the tray or container. Place one or two seeds in each planting hole and cover with soil. Cover the containers with a piece of plastic wrap or tray lid to keep seeds moist.

Check on the seeds as they’re sprouting to make sure the soil is moist; use the mister to water.

When seeds start to sprout, remove the plastic and move the tray to a bright window or place under fluorescent or grow lights until they reach transplant size. (Keep lights close to plants for 12-16 hours a day.) As the seedlings grow into taller plants, you may need to transplant seedlings into their own containers until they’re ready to move outside.

A seedling heating mat, placed underneath the seed tray, provides bottom heat to keep seedlings reliably warm.

For the healthiest plants, wait for seedlings to grow several sets of leaves before fertilizing with a diluted water-soluble fertilizer.

Seedlings are delicate and can wilt and die if the soil is kept too wet, if they’re exposed to cold or hot temperatures or if they don’t get enough light. Take steps to make sure you’re caring for the seedlings properly and they’ll reward you with a beautiful garden this summer.

Feb 16
300

How to Start Seeds—Part 1

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How to Start Seeds—Part 1

By Jodi Torpey

Spring is in the air and gardeners can’t wait to get their hands in the soil. Now’s the time to start the seeds for the plants you want to grow this summer.

The first step in starting seeds indoors can be difficult. With so many seeds to choose from, how do you decide which ones to plant?

  • Look for high-quality seeds from a reliable source.
  • Check each seed packet to ensure it was packaged for the current season.
  • Make sure the packet gives complete planting information (when to plant, how to space seeds and number of days to germination and/or days to maturity).
  • Choose seeds that match our region’s growing season.
  • Select the plants you have space for and will enjoy growing and using.

Denver metro area gardeners have an easier time than other gardeners. We’re lucky to have several seed companies practically out our backdoor. BBB Seeds, Botanical Interests and Lake Valley Seed Company are all located in the Boulder area.

BBB Seeds is a family-owned seed company that started in 1985, and is now led by Mike Wade (pictured stocking the rack at Nick’s). The BBB in the company’s name  stands for Beauty Beyond Belief, and the tagline is “Grow, Enjoy and Share.”

In addition to heirloom vegetable seeds, BBB specializes in wildflower seeds, especially pollinator mixes. The company offers tips on its website for ways to attract more pollinators, especially bees, to your landscape.

Customers appreciate the company’s commitment to high-quality, open-pollinated and non-GMO seeds.

Botanical Interests is another family-owned Colorado seed company, started by Curtis Jones and Judy Seaborn in 1995. The seed packets are known for the beautiful botanical illustrations on the front and the detailed information contained inside each packet.

Botanical Interests offers a wide assortment of vegetable, herb and flower seeds, including many organic and heirloom varieties. There are also a number of seed collections, taking some of the guesswork out of seed selecting.

The company has signed the Safe Seed Pledge, making the guarantee to its customers that it does not buy, sell or trade  GMO seeds or plants.

Lake Valley Seed Company is also located in the Boulder area and is pleased to have been “growing your garden since 1985.” Lake Valley started small, but is now offers a full-line of non-GMO herb, vegetable and flower seeds for gardens of all types.

The seed line includes a large selection of heirloom and organic offerings. Lake Valley has added new items to its catalog, like milkweed seed for attracting Monarch butterflies and a line of organic sprouting seeds.

With so many options for seeds to choose from, seeds from any of these dependable seed companies are sure to provide a good start to this gardening season.

Jan 12
300

A View for the Winter Garden

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A New View for the Winter Garden

By Jodi Torpey

January can be one of the dreariest months because of the colder temperatures, darker afternoons and lack of color in the garden. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. If you’d like to improve the view from your windows, now’s the time to add some winter interest to your garden.

One way to make an immediate impact is to plant at least one large winter container. While we admire the lovely containers filled with branches and greenery at garden centers, gardeners seldom take the time to create a similar display at home.

All you need is one or more metal, wood or fiberglass containers filled with soil. The larger the container, the more dramatic the display.

If the soil is frozen, simply thaw it with hot water. Then insert pine boughs leftover from the Christmas tree and drape them over the sides of the container. Add more greenery, curly willow branches, pine cones and other natural ornaments from the garden. For a longer-lasting container, water to keep the greens looking fresh.

If the container is large enough, you could stick the entire Christmas tree in the container and decorate it with strings of popcorn to feed the birds.

Another way to create a more interesting winter landscape is to consider what vertical structures you could add when the weather warms. Archways, trellises and arbors provide visual impact during four seasons, especially when covered with a nice frosting of snow.

The quiet season of winter is the ideal time to think ahead for adding plants that can add impact, too. Trees, shrubs and perennial plants provide form and structure for better winter scenes in the future.

Put on your coat, grab your camera and step outside to take pictures of the leafless landscape. Photos taken with bare trees and shrubs will help you see what’s structurally missing from the landscape.

Then make a list of what will make a difference when you look at the landscape next winter. Your list may include an arbor, bench, birdbath or a sundial.

A good way to warm up the winter garden is by adding plants that have natural gold foliage. Gold conifers come in many shapes and sizes, and each is sure to liven up blank spaces when used in an island planting or alone as a specimen plant.

The three ‘Gold Lace’ junipers I planted in the backyard several years ago add depth to the landscape in summer, but they also provide some much-needed color in winter when I need it the most.

Dec 20
300

Taking Care of Holiday Plants

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Taking Care of Holiday Plants

By Jodi Torpey

As soon as all the presents are opened, it seems like the glitter of the holidays fades fast. Unfortunately, those beautiful and decorative holiday plants can fade quickly, too, without a  little extra care. While some people consider holiday plants nothing more than a short-lived cut flower, it’s possible to extend their beauty a little longer.

Most seasonal blooming plants will do best if placed in a cool spot, with natural, but not direct light. If possible, keep the plant away from cold drafts and blasts of hot air from the furnace.

Remove the foil wrapper and any bows or decorations, and place the container on a saucer or dish to catch excess water. As with all houseplants, don’t let the plant container stay in standing water. Check for soil moisture every few days and water only when the first inch of soil is dry. Don’t allow the plant to dry to the point of wilting.

If you have one of these four common seasonal plants, here are a few tips to keep them healthy into the New Year:

Poinsettias like a cool spot, but these plants need bright light from a sunny window to help them hold their color. In a dry climate like ours, added humidity will help prevent the leaves from dropping off the bottom of the plant. Lightly spray with water daily.

Cyclamen is another seasonal plant that’s often given as a gift during the holidays. To keep blooming, these plants need sun. If you provide a sunny location and water, the plant should continue to send up flower buds from the crown. When watering, be sure to water at the edge of the container to keep the crown dry.

Norfolk pine is a small conifer that likes to dress up for the holidays. Enjoy the decorations and then store them for next season. Place your little tree in a cool spot, with indirect light and away from heating vents and drafts. The needles are delicate, so keep branches from touching windows and walls. Maintain good soil moisture, but make sure not to overwater. Discard any excess water that drains into the saucer. Wait until spring to add fertilizer.

A Christmas cactus can keep its flowers longer in a well-lit, cool location. Exposure to drafts or blasts of hot air will cause flowers and flower buds to drop. Like other desert plants, a Christmas cactus can tolerate some dry soil, but don’t allow the plant to wilt. Water when the top 1 inch of soil feels dry. Christmas cactus will stay healthier if fed with a houseplant fertilizer meant for blooming plants. Follow the recommended schedule for fertilizing.

Your Christmas cactus is different from other seasonal blooming plants because it can keep growing. Pruning helps with branching, and the pieces of stem that are pinched off can be rooted to propagate new plants.

The best practice for getting your Christmas cactus to re-bloom next December requires giving it long a uninterrupted period of darkness, about 12 hours each night. Start in October by placing the plant in a closet each night for about 6-8 weeks
(about 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.). An alternate method is to keep the plant in cool temperatures, about 50 to 55 degrees, starting in early November, and it should form buds and bloom again for the holiday.

With just a little extra TLC, you can help give your holiday plants an extra leaf on life.

Dec 01
300

Plant a Living Christmas Tree

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Plant a Living Christmas Tree

By Jodi Torpey

Cutting fir trees to use at Christmas dates to the early 1600s in Europe. Those trees were cut, brought into the home and decorated with red paper roses, apples and gold tinsel. In those days, families trudged through the forest to find the perfect tree.

While many families continue that same tree-hunting tradition, others choose to buy a living tree instead of chopping one down.

A living Christmas tree is certainly one way to keep the holiday spirit alive all year. There are just a few things to remember for  keeping your tree healthy through the holiday and into the new year.

When deciding on a living Christmas tree, be sure it will fit your landscape—and inside your house, too. Keep in mind a balled-and-burlap or container-grown tree will be heavy, so make sure you can move it easily or get help to prevent harming your tree or your back.

The trees are usually wrapped in burlap or set in a container, and they need to spend a limited amount of time indoors. Accustom the tree to the indoors by moving it into a cooler place first, like the garage or sheltered patio.

Then move it into the house for the holiday. Place it in the coolest part of the house, away from heating vents and fireplaces. Protect delicate branches with light-weight ornaments and miniature lights. The tree should be indoors for only 5-7 days.

Trees need to be watered and the soil kept moist. A good method is to place the root ball or container in a large tub with a two-inch layer of gravel on the bottom to keep the tree from sitting in water.

After the holiday, plant the tree as soon as possible. That means you probably will have to have the site selected in advance and the planting hole dug early to avoid trying to plant when the ground may be frozen. Save the soil in a place where it won’t freeze, because you’ll need it for planting.

Give the tree a little time to get readjusted to the outdoors by keeping it in the garage or sheltered area for several days.

Plant the tree using the best practices for all tree planting. It’s important to give the tree roots  a good start. Roots need room to spread out and they need oxygen to survive. Without adequate rooting space, a tree’s growth will be limited.

Dig a saucer-shaped planting hole that is at least three times the size of the root ball. The hole should be shallow (no deeper than the root ball) and wide. Planting too deep slows root growth and can harm the tree.

Set the root ball on undisturbed soil 1-2 inches above the soil grade. Remove the burlap or container before planting. Remove wire tree baskets once the tree is in the planting hole.

Backfill the hole with the saved soil in layers, firming each layer. Water in and apply several inches of mulch like pine needles, straw or bark chips on top of the root ball. Consider staking the tree to prevent wind damage. In the summer you may be able to remove the stakes.

Keep your new tree watered through the winter, at least once a month or more frequently if the weather is dry and warm.

Baby your tree for the first few years to make sure it stays healthy for many Christmases to come.

Nov 19
300

How to Grow Orchids Part Two

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How to Grow Orchids Part Two: Caring for orchids in our dry climate

By Jodi Torpey

Orchids make lovely houseplants, and they’re just as easy to grow. Whether you want to keep one orchid on a windowsill to add color through winter or start a collection of orchid “pets” there’s sure to be many an orchid for you.

Just give these tropical houseplants what they need and they’ll return the favor with flowers that brighten your great indoors. In our dry climate that includes some humidity and the right soil moisture.

Humidity

To grow beautiful orchids in a dry indoor environment, the plants will need some humidity. There are two common methods for increasing the humidity in your home. One way is to plug in a cool vapor humidifier that adds moisture to the air.

Another way to add humidity is to place each orchid container on a plastic tray filled with pebbles and water. The water level should be kept below the top of the pebbles to keep the air moist, but the plant roots dry.

Grouping plants close together in their trays also helps increase humidity. Misting plants with a hand mister adds some humidity to the air, too. Mist plants in the morning to allow flowers and foliage to dry during the day.

Once orchids start growing indoors, you may see roots that grow up and out of the potting soil to find and absorb the moisture that’s in the air.

Water

Overwatering is the most common reason houseplants die, and that’s the case for orchids, too. Be sure the soil dries some between waterings, because the roots don’t like to sit in overly moist soil. But don’t let the potting mix dry out completely either.

Depending on the humidity in your house, and whether it’s a cool winter or hot summer, you’ll need to adapt your watering to the conditions, rather than watering on a set schedule. Many orchid growers take their plants to a sink to water them. They either let the water run all the way through each container to wet all the potting mix or they let the plants soak just long enough to get the mix wet. Be sure to keep the crown of the plant dry to prevent problems with rot.

There are a number of liquid soluble orchid fertilizers you can add when watering, about every other time. A well-balanced, all-purpose houseplant fertilizer can be used as well.

As orchid buds bloom and fall away, they may bloom again on the same stem or they might send out new stems. Prune back any brown stems to encourage blooming.

Some growers say orchids are the most rewarding of houseplants to grow. It’s especially enjoyable to watch the flower shoots appear, see the flowers start to unfold and then delight in their fancy, long-lasting blooms.