It's still snowing...ready for solar greenhouses and cold frames?

It looks like the photos of April 22...and it's still coming down. More forecast thru the weekend.
Are we ready to adapt our garden boxes with cold frames....or better yet, a solar or cold greenhouse?
I already grieve with all of you that have lost whatever you may have planted.   Wonder if the French Tarragon can take another bout of snow? Will let you know just how hardy it's proving to be.

Ready to build those Garden Boxes!!

There are lots of plans available and I won’t inundate you with any of them. I am a firm believer and follower in recycling. If you have items readily available to make do – then use that – if not and have to buy the materials, then it’s a different matter. My only suggestion (well – it’s a little more than a suggestion) is the depth of your box.
But – before we go much further in actually building them, let’s review where you are going to put them.
Ideally – you will place it/them- in an area that get’s at least 6 hrs. of direct sun; South or East facing.
No Trees that will interfere or block the amount of sun it will receive. Trees on the west side of your garden are ideal out here in Utah – since they will block some of that really hot sun in late summer- you just don’t really want to place your garden where they might block sun in the morning.
I know that you don’t always have control of where you can place your garden- but remember – you can spread your boxes out to get the best location possible. You don’t have to group them all together if your site doesn’t allow that.
If you are designing a large garden area with more than a couple of boxes, consider devoting at least one to a leaf crop (lettuces, spinach etc) and a couple for herbs. I managed to get in 8 boxes in a relatively small area.

It’s bleak, slushing snow/rain, very bleak and BLAH!!

Is slushing a word? Maybe not – but it’s what’s happening out there. Despairing of this. The temperature dropped a full 20 degrees in the last 3 hours.
Went to the tulip festival yesterday knowing the week's outlook looked grim. Sorry to say a LOT of the tulips that were up were spent and a lot still in their bud stages; which is good because the weather (wind) the next few days will certainly do the ones up in. Think I took a few good photos – even with the grey bleak sky. Before I left – I went into the garden shop and saw this plaque:

Rain – what Gardeners get sent so they can get caught up on housework.
Enough with the housework I say. How about some nice warm consistent weather??
So - what to do on a week like this?  besides wish for something else? 
Diagram out your vegetable garden. Seed for transplants you can't buy indoors and get them ready. If you haven't started garden boxes yet - figure out where you will put them.....lot's of things can still be done.

Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival - April 16 to May 1

The Tulip Festival is an awe-inspiring sight that is redesigned each year to create a new display. 250,000 tulips are planted each year (How would you like that task?) In addition to the spectacular tulips, on Fridays and Saturdays the Tulip Festival includes music, vendors, food, and even storytelling for children. Garden tours and demonstrations run every day.

hint: click on the title and it will take you to to their website for more info.

It's Snowing - It's Winter again!!!!

No need for words....The photos say it all.

Garden stool/patio end table

I found this great stool/end table at a garage sale and am using it as my 'gardening stool'. I spaced the garden boxes with this in mind and find it the perfect stool in height, weight. It's sturdy and doubles as an end table on the deck when i don't need it in the garden.
The reason I'm even bringing it up right now - is that I've been asked about it a few times...and I saw a big display of them at the Smith's Marketplace (1550 E 3500 N, Lehi, UT 84043) today. They were available in green and tan (didn't see any in white)- perfect colors for outdoors.
They were inside the store - not in the garden area.

April 21- Hail, Thunder and Lightening

Oh my... April is fun for a gardener!!!! A few days ago we had such lovely weather and BAMM!! Thunder; Hail the size of marbles; Wind and cold again…frustrating to no end. Glad I was able to get some planters and tomato starters into the garage before they were damaged.

Garden Boxes vs Direct in the ground

In an earlier post - I recommended garden boxes unless there was a compelling reason to not. I gardened for over 30 yrs directly in ground (flood irrigation was my source of water) and started boxes last year here in Utah.
How easy...absolutely NO reasons against it.
1. You control your 'soil' completely. Once you fill your box/s..the soil doesn't disappear into the ground. You control the composition ...you don't have to fight sand/clay/rocks/weeds/major roots from nearby trees etc.
2. NO more back bending work or kneeling. If you plan/design it correctly- make it a height where you can sit on a low stool to work. I don't recommend lower than 15 inches regardless. You need depth for the roots to travel where ever they want. All the books recommending 6" are doing a major disservice for gardeners here in Utah. Take those recommendations with a grain of salt. It may work elsewhere - you have crap for 'soil'. Where are the roots going to go if not into that crap....and then what have you gained?
3. Weeds and grasses don't end up invading your bed.
4. You can group your plants according to what their requirements may be. Those requiring more water than others can be grouped together. Herbs can go in their own locations.
5. Boxes can be made different sizes to go where the climatic conditions would be the most ideal for a grouping.
6. Will drain well...no water-logged roots.
7. You won't walk on the 'soil' compacting it severly.

I can probably find more reasons to have garden boxes vs directly planting in ground...but you get the gist. What I can't come up with is a reason to NOT go with boxes.

If you have been persuaded to go this route...the 1st step is to go figure out where and how big you want this to be. There is nothing written in stone. The only 'rule' is don't build anything with less depth than 15" here in Utah County. I probably wouldn't go less than that no matter where I build the next ones - anywhere in the country. It has been so easy to sit and be on the same level. Go check out what my garden looked like last year - only a month old.- (under the tab - Garden 2009)

70 degree day for April 18

What a gorgeous day it was yesterday. Lucky to have been able to spend most of it outside. Major watering...seems that everything dried out super fast over the last few days. Tulips are coming up, and have a lot of the small grape hyacinths (Muscari). Tempting to plant...think I'll wait until the week is over....forecast again of low (freezing) temps by Friday and possible snow. When it forecasts that - I get at least a layer out in the back where the garden is. April is such a fickle and frustrating month. Really tiresome to haul planters in and out.

I already have a garden…cont.

Having discussed that you need to amend your garden – vegetable or any other with compost – let’s discuss how much. At this point I know quite a few of you – that will simple say – Oh it’s got enough, it’s alright as it is. Hmmm. For those that think this….there is no such answer that your soil is rich enough in organic material. If your vegetable gardening is not in contained areas, but in ground – it’s an endless task to keep incorporating organic material into your soil as it magically disappears. If you were smart enough to originally start with container gardening (which is what gardening boxes are – on a larger scale)…you still need to add every time you are ready to plant. You have depleted all the nutrients from the last plantings, and have lost volume to settling and when you cleaned it up. Top those boxes off to within a half of an inch….work it all in. It’s good for your soul to play in the dirt. Keeps you outside, it’s been a long winter.
If you’re still raising vegetables directly in ground – all I can say is, get as much compost as you can haul or get your hands on and get it tilled in…it disappears as you may have already figured out.
What else do I have to do you ask?? Do you know if your now amended soil has any nutrients at all in it? You went and brought in compost. Great – it’s now going to be able to hold on to water, you’ve also lowered the pH level to a range that your plants can live off of…but how well will they do? Not well at all if they don’t have the primary (macro) nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. They are the most frequently required and also, they are needed in the greatest total quantity by plants. This is also easy to acquire as an amendment to your garden. In searching for the best prices and value – I found that here in Utah – you don’t even have to become a member of a farmer’s association. IFA – Intermountain Farmer’s Association has retail stores all over. They have a great premium garden fertilizer 16-16-8. How much you need to apply - well...you need to review the instructions for that depending on the size of the area . You need to work this in well - to the top 3-6 inches and water it in well. Do not directly plant transplants after this application as you may burn delicate roots. You can however directly seed as it takes at least a few days for any germination and by then the ingredients of the fertilizer have broken down.

J&J's Annual Tomato Frenzy Sale is on

I introduced this great nursery to some friends that are renovating their vegetable gardens this year and asked for some assistance. Thought we'd beat the rush - last year it was hard to find a parking space, room to maneuver etc. going on a Saturday. The sale is on...just be careful about planting what you acquire...the weather is still too fickle to plant warm weather crops.
hint: click on the title of this post and it's linked to J&J's web site.

I already have a garden

OK - you have an existing garden and you love everything about it . What do you need to do before you begin planting?
Amend the soil. Have I mentioned that vegetable gardening is all about the "SOIL". Utah Valley and all these new subdivisions being built up - does not have 'soil' . More than likely all around you is nothing but sand. You need to add lots of organic matter that will retain water, make the soil 'friable' (easily broken up; crumbly). There are lots of options here - but we'll deal only what is the easiest, quickest and cheapest way to do this. COMPOST.
Unless you have been making compost all year long and have it handy - we are incredibly lucky here in Utah County, that it is readily available and inexpensive.
Although there are several sites available throughout the SLC and the Utah County area- I went for the nearest one.
The north county sewer district : Compost can be purchased for $20 per cubic yard at the sewer district, 6400 N. 5050 West in Utah County, west of Pleasant Grove Exit 275 on I-15. Compost is not bagged and purchasers must have a truck. For information, call 756-5231.
For information on other sources in Utah County - please go to the "Compost" tab of this blog.

What do I do first??

Here we are in mid April and all the calls I've gotten have been directed to - what can I plant?
My first question is and will be.... Is your soil ready?? Are you actually ready to plant?

Vegetable gardening (which is what I'll be concentrating on ) is totally about your "soil". You may not be able to control the weather, or the orientation of your garden or a lot of other factors affecting your plants. BUT - you have total control on what your soil composition will be.

In the next few posts, I will try to break down the first steps you need to consider in starting a "new" garden. An existing garden still comes down to soil composition - but if you are happy in the location, depth etc....then you still need to get it ready for planting.