Gardening in Falcon challenging, but worthwhile

Okay, so spring hasn’t quite sprung, but mailboxes all over the Falcon area are blooming with seed catalogs. Many people moved to Falcon for the extra space, and now they’re trying to figure out what to do with it.Because of Falcon’s location on the high, windy plains, growing anything but prairie grass and wildflowers can be a challenge. However, before anyone gives up and puts the whole yard in rock, consider some advice from an expert.Laura Wehrwein, a resident of Paintbrush Hills, has been a Colorado State University extension office master gardener since October 2003. Her advice for this area’s most frustrating garden problems will help one blossom into a successful gardener.Short growing seasonColorado Springs has an average of 150 frost-free days per year. Wehrwein said chop about a week off both ends of the time frame for the Falcon area. Because of the high altitude, Falcon’s growing season extends from about mid or late May to early October. Gardeners can extend the growing season by starting some plants indoors, such as tomatoes and peppers. Start small plants in biodegradable pots, then when all danger of frost has passed, score the sides and break out the bottom before transplanting. Plant tomatoes outside in “walls of water” and use crop covers over rows. Both can be purchased from most seed or gardening catalogs. They’re also good for protection against insects, birds and hail.Container gardening is also an excellent way to extend the growing season. Plant smaller varieties of vegetables in large plastic or terra cotta pots placed on wheeled trays. The containers can be wheeled into a garage or enclosed on a patio at night when there is danger of frost. Plants in containers dry out faster, so they need to be watered at least once a day and twice on hot days.WindFalcon gets lots of wind, particularly in the spring. Wehrwein recommends placing bales of hay at the north end of the garden. One layer high is good, two is better. The bales provide a sturdy windbreak.Don’t forget that small trees, particularly pine trees, are vulnerable to the wind. Bundles of shingles are available from the forest service or make your own and drive them into the ground on the north, west, and south sides of tiny saplings. Don’t forget to water your trees at least once a month in a dry winter, too, especially those that have been transplanted within the last three years.Drip systems are good for watering here, since there is less evaporation from the wind. Mulch the ground around trees and bushes to hold in the water.Pocket gophersThey’re cute little critters, but pocket gophers wreak havoc on Falcon gardens. The best and most humane protection, though still not perfect, Wehrwein said, is to isolate your garden from them. Dig a trench two feet deep around your garden and bury small-hole chicken wire vertically in it. The chicken wire should rise one foot above the ground. Pocket gophers won’t usually dig deeper than two feet. For larger plants that are spread farther apart, one can purchase a gopher basket, also made of chicken wire and shaped to protect one’s plant’s roots.Poor soil qualityAugment the soil with manure. Wehrwein recommends using manure that has been aged at least one year to give the harmful bacterium time to die.More advice from Laura WehrweinAbove all Wehrwein advises using native plants. “They know how to live here and they support the local wildlife,” she said. “A lot of times people come from back east and want to grow what they had there. With enough work, you can, but it will be a foot shorter.”When shopping catalogs for plants for this area, look for those that are rated for zone five or lesser and ones that indicate low water need.When transplanting trees, dig a hole at least three times the root ball diameter of the tree and about as deep as the root ball. Cut the burlap off; don’t count on it disintegrating, it takes much too long in our dry soil. Don’t water right against the trunk; instead, water beyond where the roots are. This encourages the roots to stretch and grow outward, making the tree stronger.Remember not all bugs are bad. Plant shrubs that encourage lots of birds, and the birds will take care of the bugs.Following are plants that Laura Wehrwein recommends for the Falcon area:Ground covers

• Sedum
• Ice plants
• Blue star creeper
• Thymus
• Vinca
• Soapwort
• Rock cress
• Snow-in-summer
• Rock roses
• Hens and chicks

Ornamental grasses

• Karl Foerster feather red grass
• Festuca
• Prairie dropseed
• Agastache
• Salvia
• Artemisia
• Russian Sage
• Gaillardia

Shrubs

• Forsythia
• Cotoneaster
• Junipers
• Sandcherry pawnee buttes
• Serviceberry
• Potentilla
• Lilacs
• Shrub roses
• Rosa ragosa

Tree Expert Levi Heidrich Gives TipsLevi Heidrich, a managing partner of the family-owned and operated Colorado Tree Farm Nursery, located at Templeton Gap and Woodmen roads, said Colorado Tree Farm specializes in trees that do well in this area. Their trees are two-to-five inch diameter caliper, so they’re not so badly affected by wind.”The best time to plant a tree is 50 years ago,” Heidrich said. But since that’s passed, any time the ground isn’t frozen is fine.” She recommends planting in a wide, saucer-shaped hole; for instance, a 36-inch root ball should have a 60-inch wide hole. The top of the ball should be two inches above grade. She said the most common mistakes people make are planting too deep and overwatering.To avoid overwatering, check the soil six to eight inches deep at the outer edge of the root ball. If the soil sticks together and makes a ball, don’t water; if it crumbles, water the tree slowly to give the water time to soak into the ground.Heidrich also advises to buy only from a reputable, licensed nursery. Trees sold by individuals have not been inspected and may die, or, worse yet, could spread disease or insects to other trees. Before purchasing, consider the soil in the particular spot where the tree will be planted and pick a tree accordingly. Soil quality and type can vary greatly within a few feet. All new trees should be staked to protect against the wind and sprayed for insects for the first two to three years until they’re well established and healthy.Finally, Heidrich advises ask questions if you’re not sure what to buy or how to take care of it. For more information, go to www.coloradotreefarmnursery.com.Neighborhood gardeners tell what works for themCynthia Trafton recommends plants that are sturdy, but with flexible stems, such as lilies, daisies and sunflowers – her favorite. “You can plant them early, they’re pretty, and they attract lots of birds in the fall,” Trafton said.Jerry and Karin Anderson have good luck with elderberry bushes, autumn clematis, Boston ivy, columbines and gaillardia. They recommend buying plants, not seeds, so they have a head start, and giving the plants some protection, such as an overturned bucket, when you first put them out. They also have been successful with vegetables, such as cucumbers, squash and cabbages. The Andersons have harvested fruit from a Red Haven peach tree and a Stanley plum tree; both are planted near the south side of the house where they get extra warmth from the stucco. They recommend protecting the garter snakes; they keep both the grasshopper and pocket gopher population down. The Andersons stack firewood at the north end of their garden to act as a windbreak, and they augment their soil every year with llama manure and compost.Sam and Louise Gaylord till their garden four times a year. They spread commercial fertilizer over the area and till once around the end of February, then right before planting. At the end of the growing season, they till everything except the fuzzy-leaved plants under. Then they till for the last time about a month later. This keeps the soil loose and puts nutrients the plants have taken out back in. They recommend buying plants that have already grown tall and buying onions as sets. Sam Gaylord plants rows about a foot wide with enough space in between to drive a garden tractor or rototiller to control the weeds. The wide rows shade the ground so it doesn’t dry out too quickly. The Gaylords use soaker hose along their rows. They’ve had good luck with cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, onions, and acorn squash. Louise Gaylord keeps an herb garden that she transplants inside for the winter. They advise picking all tomatoes at the time of the first-frost warnings, ripening them between layers of newspapers.