By Vicki Spencer, Master Gardener
Photos Courtesy of Renee’s Garden
In like a lion, out like a lamb” is a proverb long associated with the month of March. I learned this proverb, and many others, from the same person who introduced me to gardening: my mother. My understanding was that if we had mild weather at the beginning of the month, then the reverse of the proverb would be true. March would go out with a fury. This is not the most desirable scenario for gardeners, but it’s highly possible when you live in Colorado.
With the variability in springtime weather, how can we know when to plant our gardens? Scientists think about this question year-round. They experiment with creating new hybrids that will extend the growing season and be less vulnerable to variable weather. This is one of the reasons we are offered so many delightful new varieties of vegetables and flowers each year.
Colorado’s climate presents the gardener with many pros and cons. For example, when I tried to explain to my friends who live elsewhere that Coloradans boast 300 days of sunshine, they could hardly believe it. “Isn’t all that sunshine a vegetable gardener’s dream?” they asked. Not necessarily. In the heat of summer, we might find leaves wilting or turning brown as our plants yearn for shade or rainfall from late afternoon thunderheads.
But in the spring, the sunshine is a blessing. The earth tends to warm quickly and vegetable gardeners become anxious to begin planting. A word of caution here. Since nighttime temperatures can vary significantly and March is one of our snowiest months, it’s best to stick to cool season vegetables and locations that allow for a quick cover-up when snow is in the forecast.
Harlequin Mix Rainbow Carrots
While you are waiting to plant the rest of the garden, you might consider experimenting with some of the unique vegetable varieties that were introduced in recent years such as multicolored vegetables with their vibrant hues. I’ve been hooked on them ever since my son brought purple carrots home from the farmers market and made me a beautiful garden salad.
You can grow your own multicolored vegetables with two new seed varieties from Renee’s Garden. Harlequin Mix Rainbow carrots are Dutch Nantes carrots that come in purple, yellow, white and traditional orange. The difference in taste is subtle, but the colors are stunning. The same can be said of the gourmet Five Color Rainbow beets, which are deep purple, orange-yellow, candy striped and cerise and white. Both carrots and beets grow best in well-worked soil with consistent moisture. You can plant them early in the spring when the danger of frost is over and reseed again to extend your crop. If your seed beds dry out quickly, you should consider using a removable cover that will keep moisture in during germination while protecting fragile plants from early spring snow.
Rothild Organic Carrots
Other new varieties can be found online or you can ask the experts at your local garden center for ideas. You might find just what you need to successfully grow a garden in that pesky shady spot that never seems to retain moisture very well.
If the crocuses poking through early March snow have you thinking more about flowers than vegetables, you can use this time to consider new flower varieties. While most of your planting will have to wait until May or June, you can plan now and time your catalog orders so the plants or seeds arrive on schedule.
Some newer flower varieties I want to try are Coral Baby Penstemon (Penstemon barbatus) and Denver Gold columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha). Coral Baby Penstemon boasts coral-pink flowers that bloom from May through July. It would make a beautiful addition to dry borders or rock gardens and is a favorite of bees and butterflies. It grows 16 to 60 inches high and about a foot wide, and prefers sun and moderate to dry soil.
Coloradans love columbines and the new Denver Gold Columbine will not disappoint. It has huge yellow flowers over 3 inches long. Although columbines may self-seed, you can remove wilted flowers in late June to encourage a longer blossoming period. The Denver Gold grows about 28 to 32 inches high in zones 3 through 8 and is versatile because it can thrive in sun, partial sun or shade.
Although I was only able to mention a few new vegetable and plant varieties that are out this year, you can find many more on the Internet or at your garden center. As your garden becomes more established, you will find that it’s fun to experiment.