Summer is quickly approaching, which means Colorado gardeners can expect a growing checklist of tasks to complete.
⢠Water like you mean it (but not too much, Drama Mama): June is when your plants start getting thirsty â like they live in the Atacama Desert. Resist going full monsoon mode. El Paso County soil is dry, but roots still hate soggy socks. Deep, infrequent watering is the goal. Yes, even your tomatoes prefer spa days, not swimming lessons.
⢠Stake your tomatoes before they crawl like a baby: Theyâre cute now, sure. But by the end of June, theyâll be flopping around like rebellious teenagers. Get your cages and stakes in before they start leaning on the basil like a bad influence.
⢠Mulch like a ninja: Surprise your plants with a blanket (2 or 3 inches) of mulch. It keeps weeds down and water in, and gives the garden that âI totally have my life togetherâ look.
⢠Weed warfare â round two: Those dandelions? Theyâre back, and they brought their little friends. Time to do battle again, preferably with dramatic background music. Pull early, pull often and pretend youâre in an epic gardening movie directed by Quentin Tarantino.
⢠Watch for hail like you just bought a new car and the garage door wonât open: June storms can get spicy. Keep row covers or buckets nearby. Nothing says âColorado gardeningâ like sprinting outside in your pajamas to save a pepper plant.
⢠Harvest spinach before it goes hog wild: The heat will turn your leafy greens bitter faster than a bad Google review. If itâs trying to flower, itâs basically yelling, âIâM DONE!â Time to harvest and make a salad â just add bacon.
⢠Plant warm-season crops like you believe in miracles: Corn, squash, beans â go forth and plant! Just keep an eye out for frost like youâre checking lottery numbers (because in Colorado, it just might freeze tonight).
⢠Deadhead flowers like a butcher trimming fat: Snip off spent blooms to keep flowers coming. Itâs oddly satisfying. Your petunias will thank you by not giving up halfway through summer.
⢠Lawn love: Mow high and mow often â aim for 2.5 to 3 inches. Shaving is for Fort Carsonâs recruit haircuts, not turf.
⢠Squirrel surveillance: Install netting or use natural deterrents to keep furry bandits from raiding your strawberry stash. They didnât plant anything, yet they feel entitled. Classic.
⢠Bees are friends, not foes: If your yardâs buzzing, congratulations â youâre officially running an all-natural pollinator five-star restaurant. Keep flowering plants diverse and pesticide-free. Bzzz is beautiful.
⢠Talk to your plants (theyâre better listeners anyway): Theyâve endured snow in May and will probably have blazing sun in June. Give them a pep talk. You might look crazy, but so do the weeds. Sing to them, hum a tune. It works! âLike a Rolling Stone!â
Submit gardening questions to [email protected] or call 719-520-7684. The in-person help desk is open 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Visit elpaso.extension.colostate.edu and register for upcoming classes at epcextension.eventbrite.com.
