January:

Water deeply during the first warm spell over 50º F.

February:

Water if necessary. Apply pre-emergent herbicides like corn gluten to prevent the seed germination of dandelion and other early germinating weeds. Water it in thoroughly. This will prevent about 90% of weed control later.

March:

Check dry spots on the south sides of buildings, trees and bushes for clover mites and two-spotted spider mites. Spray area with mixture of soap and water or neem oil. Repeat in two weeks.

If lawn is looking thin, TOPDRESS with compost ¼ inch deep (rake out evenly), fertilize with organic lawn food (stimulates worm activity=natural aeration), then core aerate. Do this in THIS order for best results. Prior to topdressing with compost, trim dormant grass to 1” or so to facilitate spreading of material. Topdressing can only be done in the cooler months of March, April, September and October.

April:

Turn on sprinkler system when damaging temperatures have passed. Irrigate the lawn about once a week. If you didn’t topdress and fertilize in March, fertilize now. Over-seed lawn now or seed/sod new areas. Apply pre-emergent herbicide such as corn gluten in early April to prevent the seed germination of crabgrass, spotted spurge and purselane.

May:

Increase frequency of watering to twice a week (about 1” water per week for Kentucky Bluegrass). Cut grass to about 2 inches high.

If you follow these steps, you should be well on your way to having a healthy lawn in the summer months. Stay tuned for Parts II & III of the series where we’ll talk about lawn care in summer, autumn and fall. If you have more questions, leave them in the comments or send us an email via the contact form at the top of our website. Happy growing and mowing!

Just in time for the Holiday Season, Timberline Gardens has available the COMPOST WIZARD brand of composters.

• The original Compost Wizard is a 12 cubic feet of composting heaven! The big, heavy barrel rolls easily on its base making it easy and convenient to use.
• The Compost Wizard Jr. is a 7 cubic foot unit made for smaller gardens. It’s ideal for gardens with limited space. A beautiful compost can be created in as little as 3 weeks!
• The Compost Wizard Tumbler Hybrid has a 7 cubic foot compost barrel mounted above a water retention tank that will capture the “tea” that drips from the compost barrel. The tank can also be used as a rain barrel to capture water from the gutters. This magical fertilizer called compost tea is highly revered among serious gardeners.
• The Rain Wizard 50 is a faux whiskey barrel that will capture and hold 50 gallons of rain from your gutters. The base is fitted with a faucet valve that makes it easy to distribute the water through a garden hose or soaker hose or just into a watering can. The rustic design fits in with most decors.
• The Rain Wizard Rock is an imitation rock that can be hidden in the landscape and captures a huge amount of rainwater from the gutter. This model also is fitted with distribution fittings.
• The Rain Wizard Urn is a faux terra cotta urn that captures rainwater and is also fitted with water distribution fittings.

Prices for composters range from $225 to $420. Rain Barrels range from $170 to $205.

Lay the fabric right on the ground with the edges weighted or pinned down securely so that the wind doesn’t take it away. As the plants grow, they will lift up the cloth. The quality is outstanding and the taste is sweet. Occasionally, we cover the veggie patch with additional blankets if temperatures drop much below 20 degrees for more than a day or so.

In our little, unheated greenhouse we plant peas and fava beans both of which love the cool weather. Also, crates of green onions, radish and wheatgrass thrive on the shelves in the cold greenhouse.

Also, savory herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage and winter savory are more tender and delicious when grown under a frost blanket.

Frost blankets are available at Timberline Gardens year around. They come in a sheet 10 feet by 12 feet.

For instance, I grow lots of tomatoes for canning. They are a mainstay in our diet through the winter. I find that certain varieties didn’t perform very well this year and others are more prone to disease. I’ve made a note of those details so that I don’t forget and make the same mistake next year. I’ve also admitted that I don’t particularly like eggplant… “Why do I plant so many?” But, I definitely need more green beans and celeriac. Out with the Italian Basil and plant lots more Greek Basil.

The front berm has become an overgrown mess. Time to eliminate the clutter and simplify. All the reseeding thugs are going. It’s time for more evergreen plants in the garden too. Winter is too long to look at dry stubble: more manzanitas and Agaves and less catmint and Jupiter’s beard.

Fall is when I have time for gardening. As I remove tomato plants and root crops, a generous layer of manure covers the void saving me a step in the spring when I’m short of time. Another time saver is removing seed heads from perennials and herbs now so that I don’t have to rogue out so many volunteers next year.

I stock up on the natural pre-emergent herbicide corn gluten now so that I can apply it to freshly cleaned areas in the flower garden and for a generous application to the gravel pathways and driveway in October. Without it, I’ll have to do a lot more weeding next year. I think it reduces my weeding labor by more than 50%. This little effort now saves me a lot of frustration next year.

The most important issue concerning planting in late summer and fall is watering. You can imagine that since the plant has less time to establish a root system before winter, it will be more important to check the soil and water as needed through the winter. Because our winters can be predictably dry, watering one to four times a month is often necessary. When planting perennials, be sure to remove flower spikes, so that the roots have a chance to establish.

Autumn is when we can deal with certain disease problems. It may be useful to dispose of fallen leaves that are infected with fungal spores such as powdery mildew, leaf spot or rust to reduce the infection potential for next year. To play it safe, don’t place the diseased material in the compost.

Managing insect populations if often beneficial in the fall. Controlling many insects such as spider mite, woolly aphid, elm leaf beetle and borers may significantly reduce the insect’s breeding population to prevent damage next year.

A more controversial issue is about fertilizing in the fall. We know from university trials that fertilization of the turf grass is of significant benefit when done in the fall. Feeding woody plants such as trees and shrubs is generally not encouraged except for the application of micro-nutrients such as sulfur, magnesium and iron.

Against contemporary theory, my experience has shown that feeding herbaceous perennials (those that die back to the ground at frost) in early September is when these plants are starved from flowering and seed set, and are “regrouping” for the next year.

Generally, we have plenty of phosphorous and potassium in our soils, but we are lacking in the all-important nitrogen. I prefer to fall feed with a low nitrogen analysis of 8 to 14 percent such as that found in products containing alfalfa meal (Alpha One). This material is also rich in many micro-nutrients that your perennials need.

Start now while it’s still summer, pull and spray weeds as much as possible. And if nothing else, at least remove the seed heads to prevent seeds from spreading. In October, and again in late February, the application of a pre-emergent herbicide such as organic-friendly Corn Gluten or Amaze will prevent the majority of existing weed seeds from germinating next spring.

By doing this every year, you can virtually eliminate your weed problem.

If you can reduce harsh herbicides in your garden, you will also improve the health of the environment and your landscaped plants. By minimizing strong sprays like 2,4-D and related compounds, the soil microbes, the earthworms and your woody plants will be much healthier overall.

On the other hand, glyphosate-type chemicals like Roundup or Killzall are very useful in the landscape and are less contaminating to the soil than most other broad-leaf weed killers. We sell Killzall in several size bottles in a variety of concentrates.

We also carry grass-specific herbicides that can be used in the ornamental garden to control grass that would be too difficult to remove by digging in and around your other plants. To find out more, give us a call at (303) 420-4060 to talk to a staff member.

If you’re looking for detailed information on noxious weeds in Colorado, you can access the list on the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s website. They’ve got a PDF document with the full noxious weed list, as well as pictures you can use to identify them. It’s a fantastic resource.

Good luck with your weed prevention.

1) BLOSSOM END ROT

This is a common problem in our area.  A lack of soluble calcium or damaged roots cause a calcium deficiency in the fruit resulting in a black, leathery spot on the underside of the fruit making it inedible.  Allowing plants to get too dry can damage the root hairs and affect calcium uptake.  Soils lacking in soluble calcium can cause the problem too.  Spray plants with calcium phosphate (Yield Booster) weekly if you’ve had a problem with this.

2) BLOSSOM DROP

When temperatures drop below 48 degrees F. many tomato varieties will abort their flowers.  So no matter how carefully you grow and protect early-planted tomatoes, you may not realize an advantage because of the low temperatures.  Using the plant hormone sprays “Blossom Booster” or “Blossom Set” will help somewhat.  Spray the flower clusters daily.  Eventually, you’ll probably realize that there’s not much advantage of planting tomatoes before mid-May.

3) MULCHING

One of the best ways to preserve moisture in the ground and reduce drought stress is by mulching.  Apply mulch around tomatoes by June 15 before it gets too hot.  Use lawn clippings, shredded leaves, compost or any other organic matter.  Avoid too much manure.

4) SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Support systems produce more usable tomatoes and are space efficient.  When tomato plants sprawl on the ground they are difficult to manage and harvest and are highly prone to slug damage.  Tomato cages made of heavy galvanized wire should be 5-6 feet tall and 18 to 24 inches wide.  “Texas Tomato Cages” fold neatly in the winter for easy storage.  Sturdy wooden stakes (1 to 2 inches thick) six feet tall can be used also.  Using stakes, tie the main stem to the stake every 6 inches and remove side branches (suckers).

5) FERTILIZATION

Fertilization is crucial for a good tomato harvest.  Manure during soil prep is a good start.  Apply alfalfa meal (Alpha One) as a sidedressing about June 1, July 1 and August 1.  Apply about one half cup per plant.  Spray plants with “Yield Booster” (calcium) weekly to minimize blossom end rot.  Alternatively, spray plants with a dilute solution of seaweed extract weekly instead of using alfalfa meal.  Avoid salty fertilizers like Miracle Gro, etc.

6) HARVEST

You’ll get the best flavor if you harvest fruit when it is fully ripe.  As frost time approaches in mid to late September harvest larger sized fruit (getting whitish on the bottom) and let ripen on the garage floor or in the basement.  Just before frost juvenile fruit can be picked and used for green tomato recipes like relish, pickles, mock apple pie, fried green tomatoes, etc.

7) PRESERVATION

Canning tomato fruits can allow you to enjoy them all winter, it preserves the flavor we love.  Freezing them works well but some flavor is lost.  Dried tomatoes have an intense flavor and can be stored for long periods.  Tomatoes can be preserved as sauce, paste, salsa, whole or diced.

Lastly, keep track of varieties that do well for you as well as those that don’t.  If you find a variety that consistently develops disease try another.  If possible, move plants from one area in the garden to another every year to avoid the accumulation and diseases.