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  by Ellyn Myller The snow has gone from around the house, there’s been one decently warm weekend to putter  in the yard, and a bed suffering from snow compaction has been readied for seeds that won’t be planted until the first week in June.   Even then the frost covers will be ready to throw on if the temperatures look to dip below freezing.    Our growing season is short in the valley so how do we get things to grow that take more days or growing degree units in which to mature?   This can be accomplished by using season extension methods such as starting seeds indoors, green house growing, or lighted hoop houses over raised garden beds.   This year I am experimenting with starting seeds indoors.    It is recommended that you begin seeds inside 6-8 weeks before the last average frost, which is June 15 in Steamboat, right about end of April beginning of May.   I’m starting cabbage, butternut and acorn squash, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and tomatoes.   I’ve started some peas too, alth

by Pat Tormey “Many home gardeners have found that the process of division is more traumatic to them, the gardener, than it is to the perennial.” www.cce.cornell.edu/chemung Ah, if only we could put in our flowering plants and forget them. Unfortunately, most perennials, those ‘backbones’ of the garden, may require occasional division in order to thrive.   As your plants grow over the years with new stems and new roots, they become over-crowded.   The plant may look larger, but each stem is actually smaller and weaker.   If your perennial plants show any of the following, it may be time to rejuvenate them through division:   1.           The flower quantity or flower size is reduced. 2.           The stems and branches are tangled. 3.           The center of the plant dies leaving a doughnut of new growth around the perimeter. 4.           The plant loses vigor, flopping over or requiring staking when it never did before, or the leaves are paler or yellow. 5.           The plant has ou

By Jan Boone Picture courtesy of Colorado State Forest Service We all have watched with dread the fires that have ravaged both Northern and Southern California in the past months.   As someone with family members and friends impacted by several of these fires in my home state, I can’t help but think it’s time to re-examine the more serious aspects of safety in foothills living and our gardens, for the off chance our turn will be next. According to the Colorado Climate Center, as of January 2018, 99% of our state’s population is being impacted by some degree of drought.   The Foothills and surrounding Metro area is still classified as Moderate, but as we all know weather patterns can impact us very quickly. This includes the scary fact our snowpack is currently between 50-70% of average.   Yes, our typical snowiest months are March and April, so as I write, we are halfway through March and we’ve only received half our normal snowfall.    Follow their website at ( www.climate.colostate.e

by  Adele Carlson      Recently I was sitting here looking out at the snow falling with seed catalogs laid out all over my desk, thinking about planning this year’s garden.  What should I grow? When should I plant? What goes in the greenhouse and what goes outside?  What worked last year?  What didn’t?  Should I try something new this year?  Fortunately, my old garden journals will help me with these tough questions.      Over the years working in the gardens at The Home Ranch I realized that here in Routt County we really live in a unique area and our growing season doesn’t always fall in the guidelines of published planting guides; our best information comes from our own experiences.   Creating your own journal or planting guide will be of great value over your years of gardening in Routt County.      There are many different types of journals to choose from but I recommend starting with either a simple planning type calendar that lists the months and dates, but does not include the

by Ed Powers I live in the Evergreen/Conifer area at about 7600 ft.   I have lived on several areas of the Midwest and West and gardened in all of them. But I find this area to be the most challenging and fulfilling.   I have learned that you should buy plants that grow fast and bloom or fruit in a short period of time.   Also, do not put them out too early and make sure they are hardened off when planting them.   I have always had to do this but it is more critical at our elevation.   Also, it is not a good idea to plant before June 1 unless you are planting cool season crops, such as root crops or some types of lettuce, cabbages, or spinach. So, after 6 years of gardening here, reading and experimental planting this what I have come up with: ·          ·      I clean my 2 raised gardens in late fall or very early spring. ·         -  I bring in some tomato plants when the season is over with and grow them inside. ·      I plant beet, rutabaga, turnips and carrots in mid-March. ·