Things to consider when planting a garden
If you are looking to start a vegetable garden this season, or would like to revamp the one you already have established, there are multiple factors you may want to consider.
Obviously we need to think about our unique climate first. Colorado has an average annual precipitation of 15 inches, and 80% of that falls between April 1 and Sept. 30. Because of this semi-arid climate our soils lack adequate organic material resulting in fairly poor soil structure. This is because plants have always struggled to grow here without aid, and so they do not also die and decompose down into the soil. And of course, the overall length of the growing season is not very long. On average the last killing frost of spring can happen anytime from May 15 into July. And the average first killing frost of fall may occur in August, or not until October. So depending on the year you may have a 30 day growing season, or a 150 day growing season. But it is all possible if you focus on the right crops and are able to provide frost protection when necessary. So what are the right crops for Rio Blanco County?
In our area, Meeker is in zones 5a and 4b. Rangely is in zones 5a and 5b. This information will always be important when you are choosing any plant you are hoping will thrive under your care. But we also need to understand the difference between cool season and warm season crops when we plan out gardens.
A cool season crop is more frost hardy and will survive more readily in cooler weather. This means a cool season crop may be planted as early as the first of April. A few cool season vegetables you may consider are kale, lettuce, onions, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, peas, beets and carrots.
A warm season crop is frost tender and should only be planted when the dangers of a frost has passed. Some warm season vegetables you may add to your garden include: sweet potato, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, squash, cucumber, corn and beans.
Once you know what crops you are hoping to grow you can start to plot where you are going to put your garden. Some crops will need more sun and some will need less, however most will require at least six hours of sunlight every day. And morning sunlight is preferable if possible. If you are able to place your garden to the southeast of a building that is beneficial as the structure will provide some shelter from winds. And if you simply have no ground space for a garden, many vegetables will do well in containers on decks or patios as well.
Next, if you have the ground space for your garden, will you use rows or beds? Rows have the advantage of allowing space for a rototiller and furrow irrigation. But they also require more space, more water, more fertilizer, mulch, and weeding compared to a bed. But vegetables like asparagus, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, and squash which grow to be quite large do do well in rows.
A bed allows a gardener to produce more vegetables in less space because the water, fertilizer, mulch, and so on are applied to only the growing area, therefore less of these resources are needed also. A bed should not be more than four feet wide so the gardener can reach the middle from the edges. Beds can also be raised or lowered. Vegetables that do well in beds include beets, carrots, celery, lettuce, onions, spinach, and turnips to name a few.
The final factor we will consider in this week’s article is irrigation. How will you provide your garden with the supplemental water your vegetables need to grow plump and tasty? Furrow irrigation, drip irrigation, and flood irrigation have benefits and drawbacks. Furrow irrigation is used for a row garden and is done by creating small parallel water channels along the length of the row. But furrow irrigation involves using a lot of water. Drip irrigation will deliver water to each individual plant from a network of tubing. It uses less water but the materials to set up this network can be expensive and can easily become clogged. Flood irrigation is used when plants are planted in blocks with a dike around each block which is then flooded. And some soil types will also produce healthier plants if the plants are watered infrequently rather than on a daily schedule.
By ADRIENNE WIX | Special to the HT
