Thursday, May 31, 2012

Mountain Gardening Blog Opens for Jeffco/Gilpin Gardeners by Patti O'Neal

Jefferson and Gilpin County Master Gardeners have joined forces to bring great strategies to the gardeners facing the challenges of gardening in the high mountain areas. These CSU trained gardeners will be blogging at coloradomountaingardener.blogspot.com.

The issues that face those who garden at elevation are very specific and somewhat more challenging than gardening at 5280 feet, and therefore information we provide to those gardeners just does not translate for mountain gardeners. For example, low humidity, poor soil conditions, drying winds and this year, even wildfires threaten gardening success. Keys to success in gardening in the mountains include selecting appropriate plant material that has shown itself to withstand what nature can throw at it, and building your soils to help plants succeed.
    
Inaugural topics for the new blog will include vermicomposting outside in the mountains, winter dessication of pines, early spring bloomers and even a favorite plant.  Contributors plan to cover gardening with various wildlife, no water gardening and short season vegetable varieties for high country gardens, in addition to other topics that vex mountain gardeners.

In the meantime, for hints on gardening in the mountains, consult CSU Fact Sheet Colorado Mountain Gardening Basics,  at http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07244.html.