Page 39 - AreaNewsletters "Sept 2020" issue

• Blow-Outs
• Blow-Outs
• Winterizations
• Winterizations
QUALITY SPRINKLER
Email > normjoslyn@hotmail.com 720-350-3208
Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating. CSU Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned.
A cold frame with holiday lights for extra warmth.
Here in Douglas County, late summer through early autumn is an ideal window of time to sow many seeds and get transplants in the ground just in time for a late-season, homegrown harvest before the cold of winter arrives—depending on your area, typically sometime in October. A bonus of the cooler weather in the fall garden is pest control. Plants like kale, swiss chard, and other leafy greens will bene t from having fewer pests and the chillier temperatures can enhance their avor.
Peas can be harvested for their tendrils, shoots, and delicious pods and enjoy the cooler weather of Fall. Root crops like carrots, beets, and turnips can be harvested much later into colder weather and if the ground is not frozen. While some root vegetables are developing underground, tender leaves and the tops of these root vegetables can be eaten. Growing these cool season crops can extend your growing season for several weeks.
The cooler temperatures of late summer and early autumn can provide ideal growing conditions for c crops like peas, spinach, kale, chard, lettuce, radishes, turnips, and beets to make a second showing in your garden. Many can be sown now and a harvest can be enjoyed in a few weeks with some continuing to produce until the weather turns too cold. Just check the seed packet for “days to maturity,” nd your area’s typical rst frost date, and work backwards to nd a planting
time. For planting in August or September, a crop time of 30-60 days will give a harvest before freezing. Quick-harvest plants like radishes, spinach, and lettuce can be planted and harvested in a relatively short amount of time, some as quickly as 25 days. With some determination and season extending supplies like frost blankets, cold frames, and grow tunnels to protect plants from hard frosts, you can extend your growing season even further into colder months.
Find more information about all facets of vegetable gardening at GrowAndGiveColorado.org.
Brought to you by Colorado State University Master GardenersSM. Contact the help desk: dcmgardenr@ gmail.com and visit extension.colostate.edu.
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Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters • September 2020
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