playing n the dirt

For me, September is about the most perfect month of the year, especially in the garden.  The weather is cooling down and most days I can work in the middle of the afternoon.  It is getting darker a little sooner.  This is good, because I feel guilty when I come inside and there is still work to do and it is light outside.

I can pretty much kick back and just pick what is ready to be picked and not worry about the weeds because in a month the frost will kill them anyway.  There will still be about a million fall leaves to deal with and the extra hot day or two and I will still have to plant the green house when all the peppers and tomatos are done.

But for now, welcome sweet September. 

This spring was the first season for me to try green house gardening.  As a whole it was a big success.  I started with peppers and tomatos, because just north of Denver, Colorado the growing season is not much more than three months.

I did learn a few lessons, actually I kind of got a little greedy and forgot lessons that I already knew.  My biggest mistake was not thinning my seedlings enough.  So while I have lots of plants they are closer than they should be.  Being so close normal air flow is hindered and it does make the spread of pests easier.  I am also trying to get used to the green house being more humid.  Usually the natural weather is kind of on the dry side.  I’m not sure, but I wonder if the humidity made the pest problem worse.

I will try and remember these lessons and I am already looking forward to planting in the green house this fall once all the tomatos and peppers are harvested.

If I had to pick the one thing I disliked most about gardening in Northeastern Colorado it would be the short growing season.  It’s not to uncommon to get snow as late as the end of May or as early as the first part of September. 

I have covered everything more than once with plastic, blankets and old sheets to try to keep from losing an entire crop of vegetables.  I used to dream about moving to a warmer climate when we retired just so I could garden more.

Last fall I took action.  Not by moving, but by buying a green house.  It went up last October.  I didn’t plant anything in it, but I did prepare the ground.  This spring I planted tomatos and peppers directly in the ground in the green house.  They have done wonderful.  In the heat of the summer I’m able to keep the sides up and windows open for air flow. 

I’ve got my seeds and plantings all figured out for this fall.  I’m looking forward to enjoying some of the colder weather vegetables like carrots, spinach and peas well into late fall and with any luck even winter.

So let it snow in September, because I’m covered, so to speak.