Ge ing ready for spring

By Joanne O’Malia Colorado State University Extension Master Gardener in Larimer County

There are many things you can do now to help your garden be a success this summer. Planning your garden is an exciting concept. Questions that may get you started: What would you like to grow? What vegetables grew well last year, what didn’t? Do you have any ideas about rotating the placement of vegetables in your garden bed? What seeds do I need? Do I want to start seeds?

If you are starting a new garden, you may want to ponder how much garden you want to take on. Keep in mind your work and travel schedule and your extra-curricular activities. You might be surprised by how much you can grow in containers – and how beautiful it can be. If you want to scale up to feed your family, friends, and community, here are some tips. Aim for 100 square feet or less per person — that is roughly a 20 feet by 5 feet garden. Growing in 200 square feet will allow you to can or freeze food for year-round use (and maybe donate extras to a local food pantry). The Grow to Give website gives lots of great advice for gardeners, including a vegetable growing guide, available in both Spanish and English: https://growgive. extension.colostate.edu/.

Another idea for the dreary time of waiting for spring is pruning shrubs. Late winter — early spring is perfect for pruning shrubs. Prune out dead, damaged and diseased stems. The goal with shrub pruning is air circulation and light penetration. When you are pruning your shrubs be sure to watch out for overwinter insects in the form of chrysalises and cocoons. Also, if you notice any previously cut stems sealed off with mud, this could be a tiny nest for native bees. Take care to ensure our pollinator friends can have a great summer as well. When pruning shrubs, it is important to know what kind of shrubs you have and whether they blossom old growth or new growth. Old growth refers to blooming on last year’s stalks. These spring-flowering shrubs include forsythia (Forsythia spp.), Nanking cherry (Prunus tomentosa) and quince (Chaenomeles sp.) to name a few. For further complete instructions on how to prune your shrubs please refer to CMG garden notes #616 at cmg.extension.colostate.edu.

The Master Gardeners are always available to answer your gardening questions. Email them at larimerMG@gmail.com or call the Larimer County Extension Office at 7 -4 8-6 . They will also be at numerous events in the Berthoud and Loveland area in spring and summer.