Gardening Basics PLANNING Gardens are very versatile. As long as your spot gets sun most of the day, you can grow vegetables there. If you only have a small space, you can plant in a pot or other container; if it has wheels, you can move it to follow the sun. If you can t dig into the ground, you can plant in a raised bed. If you are lucky to have a big, sunny space for planting, you may only need to add good soil on top of what you already have. Organic garden soil, either in bags or truck loads, will give your plants a good start. PREPARING Be sure to water the soil well AFTER you ve loaded it into your beds, but before you plant anything. Loosen the soil with a garden fork and make sure the moisture reaches deep into the planting medium. You ll want it moist enough that a handful will stick together lightly, but not so moist that you have mud. Soil that is too dry or too wet won t allow seeds to grow. Read the instructions on the seed packet. It will give you valuable information about when to plant the seeds; how close and how deep to plant the seeds; how long it will take until you see the seeds pop up; and when you can expect to pick your crop. Usually mid-may and early October are the frost dates to be aware of in Colorado. Note: Most seeds can be started indoors with good light and then transplanted outside when temperatures warm up. Some seeds should only be planted directly outside. Some plants need a head start before they go into the garden, so factor that into your planning. Starting seeds inside in early March will give your tomato, pepper and eggplant plants a good start before they can go outside in June. PLANTING Cool weather crop seeds can go in the ground in mid- to Late April. These include most lettuce varieties, peas, spinach, kale, collards, and radishes. By late June when the days are getting hotter, these crops fade away or bolt and aren t good to eat any more. Onions and potatoes can go in the ground the middle of April, as soon as the ground can be worked. Mulch them with straw for a few weeks, in case of a surprise freeze. When night time temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees, usually Late May, you can plant Swiss chard, zucchini, pumpkins, beets, carrots, and parsnips outside. Plant basil seeds outside now, either in a pot or around the edges of your raised beds. It s also time to plant seeds or seedlings for green beans, cucumbers, and yellow squash.
Note: Herbs are easy to grow, expensive to buy and they discourage bad bugs. June begins the planting season for seedlings, either your own starts or those from the garden shop. Transplant early started tomato and pepper plants to the garden. Make sure the soil is moist when the seeds go in, not flooded. Keep it moist until the seeds sprout. If the ground dries out before the seeds can sprout, they won t grow. Containers need watering more often than an in-ground garden. You can cover the seeds, even in the ground, with a clear plastic wrap to keep the moisture in. Lift the wrap and check them every day or so to make sure the soil is still damp. Once they sprout, and have 4 leaves each, take off the wrap and let them grow tall and strong. Write the name of the vegetable on a plastic knife or spoon and stick it in the soil by the seeds. You d be surprised how quickly you can forget what you planted where! Keep weeds under control; don t let them crowd the vegetables. Use newspapers (maybe 3-4 sheets thick) or grass clippings between the rows to help keep the weeds down and the moisture in. Water regularly, at least twice a week, after the seeds have sprouted if it doesn t rain. Don t let the ground dry out. If possible, water the ground, not the plants themselves. Water needs to get to the roots, not the leaves. Let the rain take care of the leaves! When it gets hot outside, it is better to water early in the morning or in the evening. Mid-day water evaporates too quickly. Harvest greens (lettuce, spinach, chard, etc.) regularly by picking only 2 or 3 of the largest leaves on each plant. Gently break or cut them off and the smaller leaves will keep growing for you to pick the next week. When it gets too hot in June, these greens will bolt (get tall and produce flowers) and become too bitter to eat. You can let a bolted plant continue to grow to produce seeds for next year s crop, or just pull it out and replant a second crop in late July or early August. Plants that don t do well in hot weather can be planted again, when the days begin to shorten. Try planting a second crop of spinach, lettuce, and kale. Harvest any green beans regularly and the plants will keep producing. Pick the beans when they are small and tender, before the pod swells with beans. At the end of the season, leave a few pods with seeds on the bush to dry and save for planting next year. Collect these seeds, beans, or peas to plant next year. Once they have dried out, carefully transfer them to small paper envelopes. You can make simple seed envelopes by folding paper, newsprint or magazine pages and staple or tape them shut. Label the envelope with the seed name and save for planting next spring. If you have any questions or would like more information about gardening at home or in a community garden, please contact me. My email is donna@careandshare.org or phone 719.434.4671. I ll be glad to chat with you about the joys and benefits of gardening.
1. Planning a. Location i. Sun ii. Accessibility iii. Water b. Size i. Container ii. Raised bed iii. In-ground 2. Lasagna style a. Cardboard b. Manure c. Mulch (straw, bark, grass) 3. Square Foot Gardening a. By Mel Bartholomew 4. Preparing a. What vegetables i. Varieties ii. Planting dates iii. Seeds or seedlings b. Planting diagram i. Small to tall ii. Companion plants c. Soil d. Nurturing babies 5. Planting a. Protecting b. Watering c. Mulching d. Weeding 6. Harvesting a. Early (baby) greens b. Regularly, continuous 7. Wintering a. Hot manure b. Straw, leaf, bark mulch 8. Composting a. Green i. Grass clippings ii. Vegetable waste iii. Fresh leaves iv. Garden trimmings v. Chicken or rabbit manure b. Brown i. Dried cow manure ii. Dry leaves iii. Straw iv. Wood shavings
Print out 10 of: garden bed locations class info outline Worm castings Potting soil Gloves Stakes Sledge hammer Trowels Shovels Forks Seed packets: basil, chard, squash, carrots Seedlings Tomatoes Basil seedlings Pepper seedlings Eggplant seedlings 1. Who has gardened at all? 2. Where did you garden? 3. What specifically do you want to learn? 4. Questions are required! 5. Hands on is the best way to learn gardening. Class #1 Tour and discussion (planning, designing) of gardens 30-45 mins Collect tools (in greenhouse and shed) 10 mins Prep long raised bed and others (in teams) 30 mins Stake and plant tomatoes from UCCS 30 mins Plant basil around tomatoes 15 mins Questions Take home: Handouts Potting soil Worm castings Tomato plant
Planting Calendar Check the calendar for full moon dates to start your plants. Average last killing frost: May 15 Average first killing frost: October 10 Average growing season: 148 days Farmers Almanac says to plant flowers and vegetables that bear crops above ground during the 2 weeks leading up to the full moon. Flowering bulbs and vegetables that bear crops below ground should be planted during the 2 weeks after the full moon. Late February or early March Start any tomato and pepper seeds inside in a very sunny window or under a grow light. They need a good headstart before they can go outside in June. April Plant outside before the full moon: lettuce, peas, spinach, kale, collards Plant outside after the full moon: carrots, turnips, radish May Plant outside before the full moon: Swiss chard, squash, zucchini, pumpkins Plant outside after the full moon: beets, carrots, parsnips June Transplant early started tomato and pepper plants to the garden Plant basil seeds outside Plant outside before the full moon: beans, cucumbers, yellow squash, Late July or early August Plants that don t do well in hot weather can be planted again, when the days begin to shorten: spinach, lettuce, kale, collards
Planting Instructions Read the instructions on the seed packet. It will give you valuable information about when to plant the seeds; how close and how deep to plant the seeds; how long it will take until you see the seeds pop up; and when you can expect to pick your crop. Tomatoes and peppers take a long time to get started. You will need to plant them inside and they will need at least 6 hours of sunlight on a sunny windowsill or sun room or a good grow light system. If they don t get enough light, they will get very long and skinny. Good light means good growth and you might need to transplant them to bigger pots in April if their root system outgrows the little pot. You can find instructions to make your own newspaper planting pots online. (Let me know if you need assistance making these.) Find the sunniest spot in the yard. Your garden can be anywhere as long as the space gets 6-8 hours of sunlight every day. It can be a container garden with good potting soil or an in-the-ground bed, as long as you have prepared the space with good, rich soil. A container can be portable to move with the sun. Plant only a few seeds from each packet, unless you have a large garden space! If they don t germinate, you can plant a few more and try again. But if they ALL grow, you might crowd your garden or over run the yard. Write the name of the vegetable on a plastic knife or spoon and stick it in the soil by the seeds. You d be surprised how quickly you can forget what you planted where! Make sure the soil is moist when the seeds go in, not flooded. Keep it moist until the seeds sprout. If the ground dries out before the seeds can sprout, they won t grow. Containers will need watering more often than a garden in the ground. You can cover the seeds with a clear plastic wrap to keep the moisture in. Lift the wrap and check them every day or so to make sure the soil is still damp. Once they sprout, and have 4 leaves each, take off the wrap and let the sun and warmth encourage them to grow tall and strong. Keep weeds under control; don t let them crowd out the vegetables. Use newspapers (maybe 3-4 sheets thick) between the rows to help keep the weeds down and the moisture in. Water regularly, at least twice a week, if it doesn t rain. Don t let the ground dry out. If possible, water the ground, not the plants themselves. Water needs to get to the roots, not the leaves. Let the rain take care of the leaves! When it gets hot outside, it is better to water early in the morning or in the evening. Mid-day water evaporates too quickly and can burn the leaves. Harvest greens (lettuce, spinach, chard, etc.) regularly by picking only 2 or 3 of the largest leaves on each plant. Gently break or cut them off and the smaller leaves will keep growing for you to pick the next week. When it gets too hot in June, these greens will bolt (get tall and produce flowers) and become too bitter to eat. You can let a bolted plant continue to grow to produce seeds for next year s crop. Harvest any green beans regularly and the plants will keep producing. Pick the beans when they are small and tender, before the pod swells with beans. At the end of the season, leave a few pods with seeds on the bush to dry and save for planting next year. Collect these seeds, beans, or peas to plant next year. Once they have dried out, carefully transfer them to small paper envelopes. You can make simple seed envelopes by folding paper, newsprint or magazine pages and staple or tape them shut. Label the envelope with the seed name and save for planting next spring. If you have any questions or would like more information about gardening at home or in a community garden, please contact me. My email is donna@careandshare.org or phone 719.434.4671. I ll be glad to chat with you about the joys and benefits of gardening.
Simple Composting An old metal trash can is the perfect small space to make compost. You can buy all sorts of compost bins, but a slightly modified metal trash can is one of the best homemade compositors. Find a convenient, sunny spot to set the can; near the kitchen, if you will be using kitchen scraps. To make one for your back yard, punch several holes in the bottom of a 20- or 30-gallon trash can (black or dark color works best) with a hammer and a large nail. Flip the can over and set it on a few bricks so air can circulate underneath it. Next, fill the can with about three inches of garden soil, followed by three inches of kitchen scraps, three inches of shredded newspaper, and finally three inches of leaves or grass clippings. Keep the lid on the can, and continue building more layers until the can is full. Within about three months, the compost will be cooked to perfection, all without turning or watering. If you compost a lot of kitchen scraps, keep a covered bucket under the kitchen sink, or in the freezer, preferably one that holds up to a week's worth of scraps. Other than meats, bones and fatty stuff, kitchen scraps are perfect for the compost pile because they contain an extremely diverse mix of materials, and as they break down, they infuse the finished compost with major as well as minor nutrients. For example, green leafy scraps are loaded with nitrogen, banana peels are packed with potassium, and eggshells are a great source of calcium. Coffee and coffee filters as well as used tea bags are great for the compost pile, and they help maintain the important ratio between carbon- and nitrogen-based materials. To keep odors away, toss in equal amounts of carbon-based material, or brown stuff, each time you add the kitchen scraps. Carbon-based materials include items like shredded leaves or newspapers. Keeping a bucket of them close to the compost bin lets you add some whenever you add the kitchen scraps. The website below has many other gardening ideas besides composting. http://www.hgtv.com/design/outdoor-design/landscaping-and-hardscaping/composting-the-easyway