Each week, this newsletter will contain three sections:
How things are going
I will share an update on my garden as a point of reference for how my weekly tasks are adding up and looking.
What to do this week
Here I will present the 3 - 5 things I am planning or doing this week.
Resources
A deeper dive into information and perspectives that are inspiring or informing my gardening.
If you are coming to this newsletter mid-season, please take a look at the posts from the past few weeks to get a sense of context for where we are at this week!
Week 16: 4/14/2024 - 4/20/2024
Reminder: Bring your seedlings to swap, share, barter, sell, giveaway, and meet your fellow neighborhood gardeners. May 4th, 10am - 12pm, Curtis Park, at the corner of 31st and Curtis, we’ll be at the picnic tables!
How things are going:
Well, I was going to do some soil preparation work this week, but I missed my window with the weather. That’s totally ok. Soil prep just needs to happen before I plant my summer crops in early May, so there are still a few weeks.
My beds are covered to keep the cold off my plants. I don’t think I needed to do this, because it won’t be that far below freezing, but since I have the covers, I figured I might as well use them. Some of my kale in an exposed bed are buried, but I’m not worried about them. Kale are very cold hardy.
I’ve done some potting up this week, transplanting my tomato seedlings into larger containers for a final few weeks of growth. I’ve really buried them deep, removing lower leaves, in order to encourage more root development.
I let multiple seedlings develop in the smaller cells, and I am pulling them apart and potting up as many as I have room for, increasing my count.
It’s not a great weekend for preparing soil, so instead, to prepare for doing this in the coming weeks, I suggest you take a look at this great explanation of the no-dig gardening approach. I really think this is a great way to prepare your garden soil for the season. I have been doing it for years, and it has been very successful.
Despite the cool to cold week, I have spent this week going over my garden plans for the summer, and I am writing down any steps I need to be taking now to get ready to start the season. This includes:
Checking my gardening tools, making sure they are all working and set up in a way to make daily/weekly work as easy as possible. For example, is my hose nozzle operating well (my backyard one is not, need to replace that).
I am looking at my gardening maps to see if I need to start any more seedlings to fill up my beds when I plant. I noticed I need some more herbs, so I’ve started those this week.
Do I have the seeds I need? At this point I do.
I am checking my trellis pieces to make sure they are ready to be built again. They’re looking pretty good. But I think I may need some smaller cages to support the peppers I am growing this year.
Do I have enough containers in the backyard to plant out all my excess seedlings? I don’t, I need to get some more of those.
Are there any modifications I need to make to any of my spaces? I need to drill some holes in the bottom of a container that doesn’t drain.
Doing this kind of inventory now, and over the next two weeks will have you ready to plant your garden come early to mid May. This year, our last frost date is forecasted to be May 4th. Any planting in May is risky on the front range, but I will put out my tomatoes and peppers then, because I have my plastic covers to protect them. In a sense, you might as well plan to plant out May 4th, because whether you plant that early, or later in May, you will likely still need to have a precaution in place for cold snaps, snow, and hail. Another thing to plan for in the coming weeks.
What to do this week:
Here’s what to do:
Now is the time to do final preparations, gathering compost, fertilizer, tools, seeds, weather protection structures, pots, labels, shovels, rakes, gloves. May is almost here, and the earlier you plant, the more you will get out of your garden this year.
Take a look at some resources on how to prepare your soil for the season. Taking this step really goes a long way to producing healthy and high yielding plants.
Next week:
Amending garden bed soil
Resources:
A few resources to really help you prepare for the gardening season if you are just getting started.
Resource 1
How to build a raised bed: https://www.almanac.com/content/how-build-raised-garden-bed
Resource 2
Tools you’ll need to start gardening: https://www.almanac.com/gardening-tools-guide
Resource 3
General tips to consider as you plan for the season: https://dug.org/tips-for-successful-gardening-in-colorado/