The Corridor Volume 2 Issue 2 - March 2016

COMMUNITY NEWS, VIEWS, AND MORE
Milicent
McFarland
The Trowel
PRE-SPRING
GARDENING
by Milicent McFarland
It is a warm 55 ° and the
garden is calling to me.
I cannot resist. Every year I plan on doing less and
buying more at the farmer’s market or enrolling in a
CSA—and every year the soil beckons.
Gardening is not for the weak of heart here in the arid
Southwest where rainfall totals less than 12 inches a
year, drying winds are the norm in several seasons and
shockingly cold temps (18°) can happen in mid-May,
after warmth has spurred leafing out.
And then there are the critters: packrat, gophers, mice,
rabbits---all ready to make a meal or at least suck
the moisture out of the plants you have so carefully
cultivated.
So why continue? Because of successes like this
morning when I was able to harvest greens from the
raised bed I have kept covered for the last several
months with two layers of floating row cover. Seeds
were planted originally last fall in mid-September. I
hand watered the bed periodically and also sprinkled
gopher repellant pellets monthly and watered them
in to discourage depredation. I have trapped gophers
successfully, on occasion, but the repellant pellets seem
to be keeping the critters at bay and they are cleaner to
deal with.
So where to plant what? —That requires pondering
the previous year’s plantings in order to rotate crops.
The goal is to discourage overwintering soil borne
diseases or bugs that like to prey on members of the
same Family (e.g. Nightshade, which includes tomatoes,
potatoes, peppers and eggplants.).
GARDENING TIPS & TRICKS
New Mexico State Forestry
Conservation Seedling Program
Photo: NMForestry
Ordering for Spring 2016 ends on April 15, 2016.
Distribution of orders will be March 7, 2016
through April 22, 2016.
For more than forty years, the Division has offered
low-cost seedlings to landowners to plant for
reforestation, erosion control, windbreaks, or
Christmas tree plantations. The Forestry Division
offers over sixty different species for sale over the
course of the fall and spring sales.
These seedlings are sold in small containers, large
containers, and bare root. To participate in the
program you must own at least one acre of land in
New Mexico and the seedlings purchased through
the program must be used for conservation
purposes.
Seedlings may be picked up in Santa Fe, at one
of the distribution points across the state (spring
only) or shipped via UPS at no extra charge.
http://goo.gl/mFbBBT
Seed Exchanges:
Photo: Michelle Bevell, Taos Seed Exchange
And I am stymied. All I want to do right now is to get
some early cool weather crops started: Swiss chard,
spinach, kale, and lettuces. But I have to keep the entire
future garden in mind—so I need to tentatively at least
pencil in proposed planting areas.
In order to do that, I need to review the “rules” of
rotating which include focus on not just plant families,
but alternating heavy feeding plants, like cabbage, with
lighter feeders, like lettuce. Also include nitrogen-fixing
plants, like beans and peas.
That requires more thought as three of my favorite
crops have been Nightshades—tomatoes, peppers and
potatoes—that can be prone to fungal diseases, which
can last in the soil for up to four years. All three are
subject to bugs. And tomatoes and peppers are heavy
feeders.
And so I decide to plant early spring peas, which will
be harvested and out of the garden by the time I want
to plant zucchini and other squash, or pumpkin, in this
same bed. Check on the seed package or with a local
nursery for the best planting times for your area.
I have discovered through much trial and error that it
pays to wait until the end of May to plant any cukes or
squash, to avoid the squash bug and cucumber beetle
both difficult insects to eradicate.
So, I end the day having gotten one bed planted,
watered and covered. Tomorrow…the future potato
bed?
Further Reading
Rotating Vegetable Crops for Garden
Success
https://goo.gl/zvktPj
The Key To Keeping A Rich Vegetable
Patch
http://goo.gl/vBmKYP
Annual Santa Fe Seed Exchange - Tuesday, March 15 from
3 pm – 6 pm at Frenchy’s Barn at Frenchy’s Field (intersection
of Agua Fria and Osage) If you are looking for seeds
and ideas for your vegetable garden, come to the Santa
Fe Seed Exchange. The City Parks Division and Home
Grown New Mexico are hosting this event for all community
gardens, school gardens and home gardeners. It’s
free and you’ll get great seeds!
www.homegrownnewmexico.org/
3rd Annual Taos Seed Exchange - March 19 10am at the
Juan I. Gonzales Ag Center 202 Chamisa Road in Taos.
This will be the 3rd Annual, the big one, with demonstrations,
and lots of gardeners and extension agents to
speak with. It is co-sponsored by the Taos Seed Exchange
and the Taos County Cooperative Extension Service of
NMSU. http://sweetlyseeds.com/taos-seed-exchange/
New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity employer. All programs are
available to everyone regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap, or
national origin. New Mexico State University, Taos County and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture cooperating. If you are a person with a disability who is need of an
auxiliary aid or service to participate in any Taos county Extension events, please
call Tony at 758-3982 at least two weeks prior to the event.
6 | The Corridor - January/February 2016 www.thecorridornm.