Weekly Gardening Tips - April 25, 2009
By Anne Wuerslin, Master Gardener
Colorado State University Extension, Larimer County
- For those who would like to start a garden on a plot of lawn, begin now. Place layers of cardboard on the designated area, anchor with weights such as bricks or rocks, and wet down. This will kill the emerging turf within a few weeks. Then till in the soil, along with the cardboard, which serves as a nutrient source for the new bed.
- Get a jump on your summer bean season by planting fava beans in the spring. These broad beans like cool weather and are planted at the same time as peas. Dust with inoculant and plant seeds on their sides.
- Sowing small seeds in the open garden can be frustrating and leads to crowded plants. Space your seeds by making your own seed tapes. Take strips of newspaper one inch in width. Mix up a slurry paste of flour and water and using a small amount of flour paste, glue the seed (with appropriate spacing) to the paper and place an additional strip to cover. These paper Mache-like strips can be easily planted in furrows, and the paper will decompose as the seedlings emerge. This works well for lettuce, carrots, turnips and beets.
- Nasturtiums are one of the easiest annual flowers to start indoors from seeds. They come in dwarf, climbing and variegated forms. They are not fussy, tolerant of poor soil, work well in containers and the flowers are also edible.
For more information, contact your local Colorado State University Extension office.
