Sage advice for growing gardens

[Garden Care]

SAGE ADVICE FOR GROWING GARDENS

More people adpot gardening as a hobby. But it is also a delicate artform and a SOIL SELECTION Heavy clay soil can prevent root systems from expanding, thus healthy pastime for the mind hindering the plant’s ability to and body. The growing season in replenish water loss. Soils with high Southwest Colorado can differ from pH can also negatively affect plant communities just 100 miles to the growth. By modifying the soil to north, south, east and west due to introduce more air and nutrients, elevation and location. gardeners can improve their plots. Along with these factors, other GROWING SEASON variables like extreme weather, poor The Farmer’s Almanac is an ideal soil conditions, intense sunlight and resource for planning and planting a low humidity make it difficult to grow garden plot. It includes a chart that plants. Green thumb gardeners helps gardeners determine when find that patience is the key to to start different types of seeds successful sprouts. indoors, when to transplant seedlings FREEZE PROTECTION and when to start seeds outdoors. On average, Durango has about See more at www.almanac.com/ 110 frost-free days per year, whereas, gardening/planting-calendar/CO. Mancos and Cortez receive closer to 150 frost-free days annually. This is a pretty healthy window for producing cool season vegetables like beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes and radishes. Some warm season vegetables thrive, including beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, peppers, squash and tomatoes, as long as temperatures do not drop below 60 degrees at night. More gardening tips:

Plants do well with six or more hours of sunlight. Protect the garden from animals, including cats, dogs deer, bears and rodents. Proper sanitization of gardening tools, planting a variety of crops and practicing crop rotation each year can keep disease at bay.