Southern Colorado new to this!

[IssMai]

Hey all! Tinkered with potted tomatoes and peppers and anything else that can tolerate the dry dry dryness here (with daily watering). This year I decided to go a big step further and we're in the process of building some large raised beds which I plan to try a number of different vegetables in. I'm also, for the first time ever, starting everything from seed (except my strawberries that just won't germinate...ordered bare root). I've got a big variety going and my seedlings are coming along nicely. Excited to get those beds built and see them growing in the great outdoors!! My husband has plans to put a sort of a makeshift greenhouse over the raised beds to help with moisture retention, but if anyone living in an arid climate has advice on managing significant vegetable gardening I would sure appreciate it! We have a relatively short growing season (according to the reading I've done) but our summer days are intensely warm, sunny, and often windy with occasional thunderstorms (and even hail) thrown in. We've had a historically dry winter so not sure how that bodes for rain in the coming months. I anticipate watering restrictions will be in place...

Nice to meet everyone...I'm sure I'll be in need of advice!

 

[zigs]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Chuck]

Well, I live in South Central Texas and my climate is super hot and dry. Days and days of 100+ summer temps and rain either comes in floods or not at all. I have found that by adding a LOT of organic matter into the soil holds water. Then I heavily mulch everything. The mulching helps a lot with evaporation and it lowers the soil temperatures considerably. I don't have much wind in the spring and summer but if you cage your plants and wrap the cage in Nsulate wind becomes a non-issue.

 

[Mike Allen]

Hey all! Tinkered with potted tomatoes and peppers and anything else that can tolerate the dry dry dryness here (with daily watering). This year I decided to go a big step further and we're in the process of building some large raised beds which I plan to try a number of different vegetables in. I'm also, for the first time ever, starting everything from seed (except my strawberries that just won't germinate...ordered bare root). I've got a big variety going and my seedlings are coming along nicely. Excited to get those beds built and see them growing in the great outdoors!! My husband has plans to put a sort of a makeshift greenhouse over the raised beds to help with moisture retention, but if anyone living in an arid climate has advice on managing significant vegetable gardening I would sure appreciate it! We have a relatively short growing season (according to the reading I've done) but our summer days are intensely warm, sunny, and often windy with occasional thunderstorms (and even hail) thrown in. We've had a historically dry winter so not sure how that bodes for rain in the coming months. I anticipate watering restrictions will be in place...

Nice to meet everyone...I'm sure I'll be in need of advice!

Welcome to the forum IssMai. I find it most interesting chatting, corresponding etc with fellow gardeners and plant lovers from around the world.
If I might make a suggestion to perhaps help with the dryness in your planting areas. Perhaps you may have already tried this. Use polythene instead of glass. Glass will naturally attract the sun with it's benefits, but in shall we say intensively hot dry locations, it can magnify and intensify the problem. Usually calls for shades to lessen the UV rays from the sun.
Polythene is a good substitute, and also polycarbonate. The latter usually has a double-sided application.
Polythene will afford wind protection etc. Yes it will steam up, but that's good, as the steamy effect will cool and provide moisture to the plants.
Polythene choches are also good. In your raised beds, and the open plot. A good watering followed by the lay down of black polythene on the soil surface is a great help. Hope this helps. Please enjoy your membership of the forum.

 

[alp]

Welcome to the forum! Happy gardening!

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Welcome @IssMai ....you certainly sound busy!!!
I'm attempting strawberries for the first time this year....not sure why as I'm not really that keen of them!

 

[Becky]

Hello and welcome aboard!

 

[alp]

@IssMai Try something that you really like. It will make a lot of difference!

 

[Sheal]

Welcome IssMai.

 

[Gemma]

Welcome!

 

[IssMai]

Well, I live in South Central Texas and my climate is super hot and dry. Days and days of 100+ summer temps and rain either comes in floods or not at all. I have found that by adding a LOT of organic matter into the soil holds water. Then I heavily mulch everything. The mulching helps a lot with evaporation and it lowers the soil temperatures considerably. I don't have much wind in the spring and summer but if you cage your plants and wrap the cage in Nsulate wind becomes a non-issue.

I had to look up Nsulate (never heard of it!) but it does look super useful for a lot of different problems...for example the typical late spring snow storm that seems to hit at least once every year. Great suggestion to use it for wind...we had a day last year when it got so bad semi trucks were getting blown over on the highway and they had to suspend school bus service because one of those got blown over as well. it's not usually *that* bad but it does get breezy in the afternoons. I think mulching for moisture retention sounds like a good idea as well. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[IssMai]

Welcome to the forum IssMai. I find it most interesting chatting, corresponding etc with fellow gardeners and plant lovers from around the world.
If I might make a suggestion to perhaps help with the dryness in your planting areas. Perhaps you may have already tried this. Use polythene instead of glass. Glass will naturally attract the sun with it's benefits, but in shall we say intensively hot dry locations, it can magnify and intensify the problem. Usually calls for shades to lessen the UV rays from the sun.
Polythene is a good substitute, and also polycarbonate. The latter usually has a double-sided application.
Polythene will afford wind protection etc. Yes it will steam up, but that's good, as the steamy effect will cool and provide moisture to the plants.
Polythene choches are also good. In your raised beds, and the open plot. A good watering followed by the lay down of black polythene on the soil surface is a great help. Hope this helps. Please enjoy your membership of the forum.

I hadn't heard of polythene (learning so much from this forum already!) but I'll definitely look into it. I also spotted some cucumber trellises online that can be set to help shade lettuces from the most intense afternoon sun. Has anyone tried these? My husband thinks he can build them from stuff he already has, rather than me purchasing them.

 

[IssMai]

Welcome @IssMai ....you certainly sound busy!!!
I'm attempting strawberries for the first time this year....not sure why as I'm not really that keen of them!

My kids adore them. We go through about 10 pounds a week if they're in season and look decent. I swear my 5 year old would starve to death without them. Hoping if I can get some of my own going it might save me a little money eventually. Not this year I'm sure, but hopeful in the future...

 

[JamieB]

All my favorite berries grow best in acidic soil, strawberries and blueberries. If you’ve got pines, chances are you can grow them. Just add the fallen pine needles into your compost, or use them as a mulch. I’m trying to grow strawberries in a container, added a lot of peat moss to my soil.