Scientific Reasons You Should Resolve to Start Gardening in 2023 by Nancy Shepard

 

Professor Jill Litt (right) checks on a plant with colleague Erin Decker (left) at a community garden next to Regis University. Photos by Glenn Asakawa/CU Boulder, 2017

We’ve all heard the anecdotal evidence of gardening improving people’s health but up until now, few studies have scientifically tested gardening’s effects on disease risk factors. Our own University of Colorado did that and the findings were published Jan. 4 in the journal Lancet Planetary Health and Science Direct.

Jefferson County Gardeners Calendars for Sale by Bonny Griffith

Photo Mary Kirby

• Want a calendar that reminds you every month what you should be doing in your garden? Or perhaps you would like a unique and distinctive holiday gift for other gardeners on your shopping list? The Jefferson County Gardeners are selling 2019 calendars with beautiful and interesting photos of plants and flowers taken by Master Gardeners. The calendars are available at the CSU Extension Office at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds for $14 each or by mail for $16 (quantities of five or more to one address will not be charged the shipping fee). The money raised from the sale of the calendars will fund scholarships for horticultural students in Colorado. Each calendar features: 
• Twelve months of beautiful high-quality photographs taken in Jefferson County. Each month has a “Gardening To Do List” especially written for Jeffco gardeners. 
•  Six months each have a photo of a Plant Select® specimen. Plant Select® is a non-profit program jointly run by Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens and professional horticulturists. Plants selected for the program must be tough and resilient, have low water needs and be non-invasive. They also must be aesthetically pleasing! For more information on the Plant Select® program, go to https://plantselect.org. 
•  Six months each have a photo of a Native Plant specimen. Native plants are low-maintenance and are beneficial to wildlife and pollinators. For more information on learning about Native Plants, go to http://conativeplantmaster.colostate.edu. Both Plant Select® and Native Plant photos include a brief paragraph with information on how to care for them. Both common and botanical names of all plants are provided. Printed on a matte finish to allow for writing your appointments on the appropriate date. 
• Calendar size is 9 x 12 inches, so there is plenty of room for writing on each date. Each month also has a special box for writing notes. 
• 55% of your cost is tax-deductible. 

 To buy this beautiful calendar, please visit the CSU Extension Office, 15200 W. Sixth Ave., Unit #C, Golden, from 8am to 5pm weekdays. The phone is 303-271-6620. Or email jeffco.gardeners.calendar@gmail.com. Credit cards are accepted.

Beginning Vegetable Gardening Symposium January 28, 2017 by Amy Bubar

Jill Knussman Colorado Master Gardener using best practices in our demo garden.

Jefferson County CSU Extension Colorado Master Gardeners announce their 2017 Spring Gardening Symposium to be held on Saturday, January 28, 2017 from 8:45 AM to 4:00 PM at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.  Come join us for a full day of vegetable gardening excitement for beginning and intermediate gardeners in particular.

Morning Session:

Best Management Practices for Planning This Year’s Garden. Where do you start? Lear the basic planning skills to guarantee a great garden this year whether it is your first garden or you are trying to perfect the one you already have. 

The Dirt on Dirt. It is estimated that nearly 80% of all garden problems originate with the soil and lack of appropriate preparation.  Learn how to avoid problems and develop the best soil possible for the biggest and healthiest harvest ever.  

The 10 Easiest Vegetables to Grow in Colorado. Why not start with the most successful veggies to grow in Colorado?  You will not only get a list of the top 10 best, but we’ll tell you how to do it successfully as well as how to share techniques for succession planting to keep it interesting for three seasons.  

Lunch

Lunch and Learn Class (requires special registration – limited space)

Incorporating Flowers and Herbs into the Vegetable Garden.  Add some interest and variety to your vegetable garden by incorporating aromatic herbs and edible flowers to the mix.  Learn the best options for Colorado gardens and how to do it successfully.

Tomatoes.  The Holy Grail.  If you only grow one vegetable, make it a tomato!  So what are the secrets of growing the best tasting, best producing tomatoes?  Are heirlooms better than hybrids?  What are the most common things people do wron?  Learn this and more to make your tomato crop amazing.  

Starting Seeds or Transplants? What is best? What is easiest?  What’s the difference?  Variety?  Cost?  And the list goes on.  What are the best strategies for planting seeds?  Come get a great tutorial in starting your garden the best way possible for you.  

Container Vegetable Gardening.  Short of space?  No worries.  Almost any vegetable can be successfully grown in a container.  You will learn container planting strategies to maximize pleasure and production from your small space gardens.  

Let us help you step up your vegetable gardening success this year by taking your gardening skills up a notch. No questions unanswered! 

To register visit https://sprgardsymp2017.eventbrite.com. For more information call the Jeffco Extension Office at 303-271-6620.

Master Gardeners at the Farmers Markets by Ed Powers

Photo courtesy IA State Extension

Farmers Market time is here! June kicks off this great summer event across the state. Our Jefferson County Farmers Markets offer fresh fruits and vegetables grown in the local area as well as produce from other regions of the state (think Palisade peaches and Rocky Ford melons!). Many markets have morphed into outlets for crafters and cottage food producers as well as clothes, books and other items.

Jefferson County Master Gardeners in Service: Horticulture and Demonstration Garden by Jill Knussman

Photo by Jill Knussmann

Did you know that Jefferson County Master Gardeners have a demonstration vegetable and fruit garden at the fairgrounds? For the past two years, hundreds of pounds of produce have been grown in these garden beds and donated to local food banks. We invite you to visit and see what you can learn about growing produce.

Jefferson County Master Gardeners in Service: Community Garden Coaching by Nancy O’Brien

Community Garden Coaching, photo by Nancy O'Brien

You might be wondering, “what is a garden coach, anyway?” A garden coach provides specialized gardening information to manage garden problems. Jefferson County Master Gardeners are available to provide coaching for neighborhood associations, fraternal organizations, schools, businesses or church groups that have or sponsor a community garden. For example, a Master Gardener coach could come to a community garden and work individually with each plot owner to figure out how to get maximum harvest from their space.

Jefferson County Master Gardeners in Service: The Courage Garden by Lorrie Redman

Weeping Crabapple in bloom at The Courage Garden, photo by Loretta Simms

Every day, we are surrounded by stories of violent crime. Rather than forgetting these horrific events, communities strive to bring people together to honor the victims and seek solutions. In Jefferson County, a Courage Garden was created in 1995 to help individuals remember loved ones and to remind community members that there is still work to be done. The garden provides a peaceful setting for reflection and solace. 

JeffCo Master Gardeners Announce Flower Gardening Class

Photo by Carol King

Jefferson County CSU Extension Colorado Master Gardeners announce a spring gardening class  “Flowers: the Where, What and How of Growing Flowers in Colorado”.  Wednesday April 22, 2015,  6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Class begins promptly at 6:00 p.m. $40.  Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Register now at http://sprflowers.eventbrite.com

One of our instructors is Jennifer Verprauskus, Landscape Architect, Permaculture Design Certificate holder, Denver Master Composter, Colorado Master Gardener, and owner of  UpBeet Landscapes, an edible landscape design firm. She is passionate about landscape design and teaching people how to live off the land.  http://upbeetlandscapes.com/

Jennifer states: “Often times we can appreciate something without fully understanding it, but as we learn the intricacies of what makes it stand out; sometimes we can appreciate it on a deeper level. A built environment surrounds most of us on a daily basis but do we realize it as such? The majorities of the landscapes we find ourselves in have been created and don’t just appear.  From more urban landscapes such as city parks and backyards to recreational trails in the mountains- they have all been designed intentionally. 

An understanding of the principles of landscape design, which include the elements of unity, scale, balance, simplicity, variety, emphasis, and sequence as they apply to line, form, texture, and color, create the perfect landscape.  These elements are interconnected. Scale, line, balance and form are some of the things that dictate our perception and comfort in a space. Through the use of design principals as well as an understanding of the site we can choose the right plant for the right place, and almost more importantly we can design a space that feels complete. As we design a landscape, one of the most compelling skills we can embrace is the ability to design with all of our senses. 

Without the deliberations of design, our efforts of hard work, time and money are often fruitless. We are tempted to choose plants by color and not suitability, create spaces that look nice but fail to function and to use materials that distract from the space we’ve worked so hard to create. Our senses can identify a space as successful or unsuccessful; therefore, it is through education we are able to create landscapes in the built environment that are exciting and beautiful yet comfortable and useful.

Come join Jennifer and the rest of the team for an evening of the basics of designing or re-designing a flower garden, site selection and how to create fabulous flowering containers. Register now at http://sprflowers.eventbrite.com. For further information call Jefferson County CSU Extension at 303-271-6620.

Planning Your Garden for Seed Saving Classes April 2015

Photo seedlibrary.org

Jefferson County CSU Extension Colorado Master Gardeners announce classes in Seed Saving.

Beginning Seed Saving – Tuesday, April 14 – 6:00-8:00 p.m. Cost $28
Register Now:http://BegSeedSave.eventbrite.com

Did you know it’s so easy to save the seeds from your vegetable and flower garden? Saving seeds will adapt them to your soil and your care, ultimately making your plants more resistant to the insects and diseases that could possibly threaten their health. 

 This beginning class will start with the five easiest seeds to save and go step-by-step through the process. You will learn how to appropriately take care of the plants, select from your crops the best seeds to save, learn how to identify the best seed, care for them, harvest them and prepare them for saving and storing them. You’ll end up with stronger plants that are adapted to your own landscape. Once you can ensure your seeds are pure and true, than you can swap with others and to contribute to your community seed library.  

Advanced Seed Saving – Wednesday, April 15 – 6:00-8:00 p.m., Cost $28
Register Now: http://AdvSeedSave.eventbrite.com

Perhaps you are skilled at saving seed and you have enough property to practice advanced seed saving skills. You will learn about the distance required to separate similar varieties of plants within the same plant family. We will cover appropriate isolation techniques and the more advanced skills necessary to save seed for squashes, pumpkins, broccoli, for example, or to grow out biennial plants like carrots for saving seed. If you are ready for these steps, you are already a passionate seed saver and this class is for you. 

All classes will be held at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds 15200 E. 6th Avenue Pkwy. , Golden, Co 80401.  For more information, call 303-271-3362.

 

Building Terroir to Impart Flavor and Place to Your Garden by Pete Biggam

The French have an old expression that relates the taste of an agricultural product to the place in which it was grown: gout de terroir, or terroir (Tare-wahr) 

Terroir is both a geographic area with specific soil and climate characteristics that also portrays a legacy steeped in traditions of agricultural practices and crop production that is a reflection of the people that work its land. 

Making the most of one’s land is the common goal of farmers and gardeners and is the heart of the notion of terroir, and relates back to “a sense and taste of place”.

And What a Great Year it Has Been! by Steve Sherwood

On October 12^th, five members of the Jefferson County CMG program took part in a Health and Wellness Fair at Lockheed Martin.  Over the course of the day we talked with an estimated 500 to 600 employees about gardening and the CMG program.  What made our booth special was the way we actively engaged people.  While many of the people staffing booths sat behind their table and waited to be approached, we waded right into the crowd and asked people if they had any gardening questions. 

New Online Gardening Resource from the Denver Botanic Gardens

Prunus padus 'Albertii' can be seen on the Cherry Blossom Blitz tour

The Denver Botanic Gardens is bringing gardeners an exciting and valuable new online resource.  Gardens Navigator allows you to search for plants growing at the York Street location by common or scientific name or by features or garden. Navigator can also help you find plants that bloom at certain times or by flower or leaf color to help you design your own garden.

Precocious Pre-Schoolers put Classroom Concepts to the Test by Amy Bubar

Remember the first time you felt the joy of digging in the dirt, making a home for a tiny plant and nurturing it into a full-grown leafy donor of juicy, delicious veggies?  A group of children at the Mount Saint Vincent Home is doing just that.  Though they range from only 3 to 5 years old, as pre-schoolers they’ve already been taught the basics. 

2011 Master Gardener Garden Tour: Home Grown by Georgina Kokinda

Photo by Janet Shangraw

It was the last day of July, a perfect commonly sunny summer day with temperatures hovering close to the century mark, when the Jefferson County (Jeffco) Colorado Master Gardeners (CMG’s) held the HOMEGROWN TOUR. The event, which focused on home/community food production, was organized and orchestrated by a team of Jeffco CMG’s led by Janet Shangraw. Featured were six luscious gardens, including: a community garden in Golden; the home garden of CSU Extension Research Associate, Curtis Utley; three home gardens of Jeffco CMG’s; and the Horticulture Research and Demonstration Garden at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.

Belmar Farmers' Market by Grace Olson

The Farmers’ Market season crept into Jefferson County like a late spring, and is now suddenly in full bloom.  From Evergreen to Lakewood, the weekends are alive with smells of exotic cooking stations, shouts of face-painted children skipping through the streets, and the enthusiasm of those seeking a local connection to their land, food and community. In between the booths selling seedlings, scarves, fresh produce and stuffed chili peppers, Colorado Master Gardeners (CMG) add their voices to the festival-like atmosphere.

Evergreen Earth Day Festival By Grace Olson

Apprentice Master Gardener Judy Huckeby and Master Gardener Laura McReynolds (right)

    Saturday, April 23, rung in the Evergreen Earth Day Festival with a dusting of snow across the shores of the town’s lake. Volunteers from the Colorado Master Gardener program braved the weather with other non-profit organizations in order to represent the Jefferson County Extension at this popular annual event.

    “It’s important to let the community know we’re here,” said Master Gardener Laura McReynolds, who has been volunteering at the event for the past three years. “It gives us exposure, and lets people know we are always here to answer their questions.”

    And the slushy, April snowstorm outside made it clear that there are plenty of questions for the gardeners of Evergreen.

Project BudBurst by Elaine Lockey

Prunus x cistena, Purple-leaf Sand Cherry

One of the neatest studies I’ve recently learned about is called Project BudBurst.  This project began in 2007 in an effort to monitor seasonal plant change by involving the public. Ultimately the goal is to see what effect climate change might be having on plants in different regions of the US. Project BudBurst is co-managed by the National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. (NEON) and the Chicago Botanical Garden.

Citizen scientists carefully observe plants in their backyards or even while out in parks and other places and report data, such as, when there is a first leaf, first flower, first fruit, end of flowering or when 50% of leaves have fallen off a plant.  Anyone can participate and it is a great fun to go out and examine your plants and see what they’re up to for your own knowledge and also to share your information with others for research. The goal is to get as much diverse plant information as possible. There are reports in already for 2011 from around the US on their website and they are fun to read.  One is from Erie, Colorado, for a first leaf on an apple tree- dated March 1!   

Impact of Soil on Veggie Gardening by Gardener Cumax

Applewood Community Garden (32nd Ave. and I-70 in background)

It's been a week since the start of Fall weather, which started Saturday, August 14 with the cool weather. It was cool enough to start turning my tomatoes red. The recent warm up hasn't altered the rate of ripening.I've been the busiest I've ever been gardening this year. The seedlings kept me busy from March to June. Then gardening and yardwork kept me busier from June to even now. I've wanted to stop and write down my observations, some things I've learned this season as it happened but decided that each time I watered I would spend that time observing and memorizing what I've learned and see if those still apply throughout the season.

Community Garden Target of Bugs, Beetles ... Burglars

The folks into community gardening in Grand Junction, Colorado are not having the perfect summer.  Let's hope the thieves are merely hungry and not malicious!!

Community garden target of bugs, beetles ... burglars | GJSentinel.com

Arvada Gardeners Taste Test! by Dusty M

What's a really cool and unique way for gardeners to entertain friends and colleagues at the end of summer? How about arranging a tomato-tasting and cider-pressing party? That's what Arvada gardeners Tom and Char Gottlieb did on a recent Saturday afternoon. It was their 12th annual gathering, held despite the July hailstorm that flattened their garden and destroyed all their apples. So this year, particularly, the guests were asked to bring their favorite tomatoes and apples to share.