Rhubarb - Try it for your 2020 Victory Garden by Vicky Spelman

Photo Courtesy: sungress

Rhubarb Love it for its Taste; Eat it for Your Health.

Encouraging Children in the Garden by Melissa Lovell

Photo: M C Lovell

One of the best ways to encourage children to eat vegetables is to grow them together. Many vegetables that go great in salads can be grown fairly quickly indoors or out; in containers or in the ground. Seeds, soil and water are all you need to get started. Use potting soil or amend the ground with compost to create a rich soil for the seeds to grow in. After planting, keep the soil moist and in a sunny location. Click here for details about growing leafy greens: LeafyGreens 

Memorial Day can be Planting Day by Joyce D'Agostino

Photo: Joyce D'Agostino

If you love to garden, you know how hard it is to wait to finally plant your summer garden. Often this begins with weeks of starting seeds inside under lights, nurturing the seedlings and then getting the young plants acclimated for the final place in your garden.

Using a Moisture Meter to Determine Watering Trees/Shrubs by Steven White

Moisture Meter

Watering newly planted trees and shrubs can be a challenge.  It is not easy to determine if the root ball is wet or dry.  I am going to share with you my method for checking to see if the tree and/or shrub is moist or dry.

Spittlebugs in the Garden by Carol King

Photo Media Space

While weeding near my bee balm (Monarda), I saw several patches of a frothy white substance on the leaves.  Upon further study, I discovered that I have a small infestation of the spittlebug (Cercopidae: spp).  Aptly named, the white froth is what the immature spittlebug or nymphs surround themselves with as they feed on the plant tissue. 

How about a 2020 Victory Garden for Pollinators? by Vicky Spelman

Daniyal Ghanavati - Pexels

We’ve all read many articles about the decline of our pollinators.  With the same energy used in the original Victory Gardens, we can meet another threat to our food supply and help our pollinators. 

Your Landscape and Water by CSU

Colorado State University

Is your landscape ready to work for you to beautify your home and be able to withstand drought conditions?  The following documents the many ways landscaped outdoor areas contribute to the quality of life and property values in Colorado.

Colorado State University did a study of landscaping contributions to the environment, quality of life and property values in Colorado, which should be considered when planning for drought.

Interested in Growing Your Own Food This Year? by Rita Stafford

CSU - Planttalk Colorado

Establishing your own vegetable garden can be done very economically depending on your choice of materials and the size of your project. The benefits of growing your own food range from...

Carnation, The First Mother's Day Flower by Carol King

Photo Colorado State University

Carnations were the very first Mother’s Day flower given when Anna Jarvis, Mother’s Day founder, distributed her mother’s favorite flowers, white carnations in 1907, during the first Mother’s Day memorial service.

An Apple for our Higher Altitude by Ed Powers

Courtesy Wikipedia - Antonovka Apples

I recently discovered and ordered 2 small seedling trees which originated from Russia and Poland.  They could be great for our altitude in the Rockies.

This apple is called Antonovka. It consists of several varieties, but the Common Antonovka is usually grown in the U.S.  

Do your roses look awful? by Dave Ingram

Photo: Vicky Spelman

As we look at many gardens around the Denver metro area, we are realizing that this has been one of the harshest winters we've had in some time. Starting with the hard freeze last October, through the mid-winter dry spells, and including mid-April's temperature drop into the teens, our rose canes have taken a beating. Hybrid teas, shrubs, climbers - lots of dead and shriveled canes, many of them just since the last storm. This note is to let you know the damage is not just in your yard - we are seeing it all over.

Making Cool Season Veggies "COOL" by Wyatt Koeniger

Photo:  Wyatt Koeniger

If you’re like me, you struggle to know what is a cool season vegetable and when to plant it; it is also hard to know what's “COOL” in Colorado.  Surprisingly, there are many different cool crops to grow that can satisfy the most discerning palate.  Some reasons to try cool season veggies yourself are:

·      Late spring frost won’t hurt them

·      Some are perennials

·      Able to be grown at higher elevations

·      Extended growing season