Si Pak Tani

I spend a lot of time in the garden, working. My colleagues are mostly middle-aged women and our bodies start to show wear and tear part way through the season. This season has barely started and I'm already feeling aches and pains, so I'm going to make more of an effort to take care of my body. I thought I'd share some of the techniques I've used in previous years as well as some new ideas to help my body, and hopefully yours too, withstand the pains that come along with the joy of gardening. Knee protection A lot of people use foam mats for kneeling on the ground. They are effective but I find them awkward to keep track of as I move around the garden. I prefer knee pads. I put them on once and then I don't have to think about them again, they just follow me. I like the very simple, inexpensive foam knee pads with one simple velcro strap. Tool belt After observing professional horticulturists in places like the Denver Botanic Gardens, I started experimenting with

Sedums! I wish I could write a jingle about them since they are some of my favorite container plants. It would start with (remember to sing this!) star flowered, succulent, eccentric and chubby. Ok, I admit I am not a poet or songwriter. What I do know is how relatively simple and interesting these plants are to grow. Sedums are used by gardeners as waterwise, poor soil, low maintenance outdoor plants. Unfortunately, some sedums are not suitable for mountain gardens. At altitude, when planting outside, we are limited to planting sedum plants that are in zones 2-4. In reality, most sedums fall into zones 4-9. This limits our ability to purchase the large variety we see in the plant stores.  The solution to this dilemma is to plant higher zone sedums in containers. Then we may enjoy these plants all summer on our decks then bring them in for the winter.   Quick Tips on Container Sedums Sedums that are brought indoors over the winter months are best placed in a south facing window with br

Summer of 2017 will mark the third season of the Junior Master Gardner program. In collaboration with Routt County Master Gardeners and the Yampa River Botanic Park, four Junior Master Gardening workshops will be offered for 3 rd through 5 th graders. The Junior Master Gardener program was developed by Texas A&M Agri Life Extension Service. It is modeled after the successful Master Gardener program and offers horticultural and environmental science education through fun and creative activities. The program is committed to helping young people become good gardeners and good citizens so they can make a positive contribution to their community, school and family . Participation in all Junior Master Gardener sessions (8 total) with a community service component, qualifies a student to become a certified Junior Master Gardener. The Routt County program offers 4 workshops each summer.  In 2016, ten junior gardeners enjoyed learning about gardening in Routt County. Four workshops were

These pesky flies are considered "nuisance" pests in our homes in winter. In large numbers however, the larvae can cause significant root damage. They could have entered your home with outdoor plants that have been brought inside for the winter. These flies will never be 100% eradicated but some control is possible. First, hold back on the watering. Fungus gnats love wet soil! Let the top one to two inches of the potting medium dry out between waterings. That will decrease the survival of the eggs and hatched larvae. And your pots will not become a fun place to lay eggs. Second, it is always a good idea to pick up the dead leaves and blossoms of the plants on top of the soil. No more hiding places! Third, you have several options for more aggressive control. These insects are attracted to those yellow "sticky traps" which may slow down the egg laying females. They are available at garden centers, nurseries, and Amazon.com. You can make your own traps with yellow co