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| One of the African Violets grown in the winter enclosure. We did lose some of the violets due to the moisture level but most of them made it. |
Every late fall and winter are an interesting time for me as a Master Gardener at 8,000 feet. I enjoy gardening during the late spring and summer. My question after summer is what is next.
So, I begin by making sure I have pulled all my vegetables and letting my flowers go to seed. I then pull all the spent vegetables. After that I break up the soil and add any amendments I need for the next year. I put the raised gardens to bed for the winter.
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| Enclosure for my more sensitive plants including violets, small Bonsai and other house plants. Works well - we only lost a few plants during the Winter. The violets were on warming pads in the enclosure. |
This year I brought one of Russian tomato pots indoors for a trial to see if they would over-winter inside in my plant area in the basement. That area has large windows facing south, east and west. It also has some plant lights lit at night in that same area. The area’s average temperature in that area is around 66 sometimes and higher at other times. So far as of late April it is doing well and growing. It also has produced flowers and tomatoes. I also over-winter my outdoor succulent in the same area and they are doing well. They have grown so much that they have to be split and repotted.
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| The Russian Tomato growing in my basement. As of May 1st, it is 5.5' tall. If you look carefully in the center of the plant, you see a ripening tomato that has developed while over-wintering in the basement. I will cut the tomato back when I place it outside for the summer. |
I also grow African Violets, Ficus trees, and started several willows for bonsai work, several Christmas cactus and a few other assorted house plants. In any case they all require different needs. This keeps me very busy in the winter. The African violets must be kept at 67 and above and have at least 12 hours of combined artificial and natural light. They are housed in an area I can watch over them weekly.
My Bonsai trees also face the south and are doing well. I have a Ficus tree that is a foot tall and have had it for more than 20 years and 2 smaller ones I started from cutting off that tree. I have repotted these trees this year.
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| My 30 year old Ficus bonsai - with it are my 4 and 1 year old Ficus bonsai. Both are from cuttings of 30 the year year old tree. |
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| I am rooting willow cuttings to grow as bonsai. They will sit in water for 4 weeks and then be planted in plain soil with no fertilizer. They must be kept moist until fully rooted and well leafed. |
It is time to start my seedlings indoors so that I can plant them in the second week of June at my altitude. I have started them; my cucumbers and tomatoes have started and my squash have just emerged. I planted my flower seed outside in the last week of April and am making sure my raised gardens are ready to plant my tomatoes and squash.
I begin the cycle again.
