Colorado Mountain Gardener: Homegrown Arugula in January!
By Lindsay Graves, Eagle County CSU Extension Grasp GardenerHomegrown arugula in January? At 6,700′? Yep! With some low tech season extension strategies, the hardiest salad greens will overwinter in a whole lot of Colorado, so that you presumably can have the benefit of tasty treats in winter and early spring harvests sooner than many gardeners might even plant!Whenever you become accustomed to the model and heft of homegrown leaves, you’ll not want to return to retailer bought.Let’s take into consideration the challenges:SpaceColdLightBetween Nov 15 and Feb 1, days are too transient for lots improvement, so the crops are in primarily a prepared state. When rising fall greens, we now have two decisions: develop them to shut full dimension and preserve for fall + early winter harvest, or develop them to a small dimension and overwinter and resume improvement throughout the spring for late winter + early spring harvest. WaterWhile formidable, the challenges could also be overcome. Let’s check out the choices.PlanningIncorporate a patch of chilly season greens in your planting plan. They will adjust to the first planting of greens, peas, or garlic. You’ll want to plant in mid July for fall harvest and early Sept for spring harvest (in my yard at 6,700′).Begins vs SeedsUsing begins is an efficient idea! Planting a 4-6 week outdated plant vs a seed saves you time and space. It might be laborious to produce seedlings in summer season, so start your private. Seeds will work too though in case you don’t want to develop begins.Season ExtensionRow covers current a further even temperature and allow crops to start out out rising earlier throughout the morning and later into the evening, to permit them to dimension up quickly. Add a row cowl after day time highs drop beneath 85. Add plastic over the row cowl when heavy snow threatens (so it will not rip the row cowl). Plastic must be vented every day until the highs are beneath 60.Instructed VarietiesThe Fall Greens Gardener’s 12 months-round ChecklistJan-FebMar-JuneJuly-SeptHarvest one factor to createhouse for greensApply a rich compost (like worm castings)Sow greens (in flooring or in starting kits). Make ultimate sowings by Sept 15.Cowl (row cowl after day highs beneath 85, plastic after day highs are beneath 60)Oct-MarMy cabbage in OctoberMy lettuce in October
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By Lindsay Graves, Eagle County CSU Extension Grasp GardenerHomegrown arugula in January? At 6,700′? Yep! With some low tech season extension strategies, the hardiest salad greens will overwinter in a wholelot of Colorado, so that you presumably can have the benefit of tasty treats in winter and early spring harvests…