Are mosquitoes bugging you?
Mosquitoes are a problem this year. “Mosquito Man” Bob Hancock at Metro State University of Denver stated recently “We are not only breeding crazy numbers of mosquitoes here in Colorado with our rainy year, but we are keeping the ones that we’re breeding alive because it’s not getting as hot as it usually does.” Mosquitoes can be vectors for various diseases including West Nile Disease. Be proactive!
As Colorado gardeners, we’ve come to expect snow in October. But on September 9, 2020 we saw a temperature swing of more than 60 degrees, going from record-breaking heat to one of the earliest recorded snow falls in the state.
This translates into a lot of flower, fruit, and vegetable crops cut short, and a lot of unanticipated work protecting vulnerable plants, harvesting, and preserving. There are measures you can take now to be prepared to protect your gardens from cold weather and snow when they arrive, suddenly or not. The following tools, techniques, and ‘props’ can make the difference between life and untimely death of your plants during inclement weather.
There is so much to look at when you visit Harlequin’s Gardens, it isn’t easy to take it all in!
Today we’re highlighting Special Products that may have escaped your notice, but which will greatly assist your gardening efforts.
It all starts with the Soil, and we have some very special products to benefit your Soil Life and Your Plant Life!
All of these are sold pre-packaged, and we bag many of them ourselves in refundable, reusable plastic bags. Our Compost Tea is sold in refundable, reusable 1-gallon jugs, or you can bring your own.[Read More]
Skylar Ghrair creates original, hand-made works. Artful wooden ornaments are sure to add a natural touch to your holiday decorations, and her wildlife paintings on wood slabs will delight you. Skylar’s studio is in Broomfield, Colorado.
Jen Grant creates these cheerful and artful flags with her original designs. Display your affection for wildflowers, bees, birds, bicycles, etc. by garlanding a doorway, deck, porch, window or wall. She makes her original block-printed designs on cotton fabric in Lafayette, CO.
Botanical Interests goes to great lengths to provide all the information you need, and more (like an illustration of what the seedling looks like when it emerges), on both the outside and the inside of the packet, plus stunning, botanically accurate illustrations by highly skilled local artists adorning the front of each packet! We have carefully selected varieties from their catalog that will thrive in Colorado’s short season, early heat, cool nights, etc.
Enjoy them in your own garden and share them with a friend.
We know Mother Nature teases Coloradans with delightful warm weather days in between snow and cold spells, and while they give us hope for the warm spring days ahead, this is a pattern that will continue through March, and into April.
If you’re eager to get your garden started here are tools that you can gather now, which will help your plants succeed during the turbulent early spring transition period. [Read More]
Unexpected cold snaps can still occur even after the last average frost date (around May 9). Just as we need to add another layer of clothing during cold snaps, our warm-season veggie starts also need additional insulation as the spring season and soil slowly begin to warm up. This layering can come in several forms, each with their own advantages and applications: low-tech overturned plant pots, row cover anchored over wire or plastic pipe frame (as illustrated in the “Hardening-Off” portion of this article), and Solar Caps.
Because of their versatility and re-usability, Solar Caps have been one of our favorite garden tools for over a decade. [Read More]
Harlequin’s blend of certified organic fertilizer, humate, rock minerals, dry molasses, land: sourced coral calcium and mycorrhizae. Great for veggie gardens and all plants. Increases root mass, top growth, soil life, and productivity naturally. This is not just a fertilizer. The combination of ingredients and mycorrhizae act synergistically to support fertility.
We are making compost tea with a biodynamic compost, a mineral concentrate, kelp extract, molasses, etc., and it is being made in a Vortex brewer. Compost tea increases the soil life (beneficial micro-organisms), which can bring more nutrients and water to the plants and make them stronger and better able to cope with stress. It can be used full-strength as a mild organic fertilizer, or it can be diluted in water up to 3 times as a soil inoculant. It can also be used to inoculate compost piles to make materials break down faster. We have observed some very good results and received positive reports from customers who have tried it. Bring your own jugs, or use ours for a $1 deposit (refundable upon return).
These are the composts we carry during the season, although we don’t always have them all in stock at the same time:[Read More]
Fine Woodchip Mulch: Mats tight to prevent blowing by the wind, and lets less light get to weed seeds, has more nutritive potential than cedar or redwood, decomposes rapidly against the ground.
We carry a range of Age Old Fertilizers products in both liquid and dry (granular) forms with good history of success in Colorado gardens.[Read More]
A locally made organic fertilizer: 7-2-2. It is an alfalfa-based product with a high organic matter content, very high humic acid value, low pH for Colorado alkaline soils, and is non-burning. It also contains blood meal, cottonseed meal and bone meal. Excellent for vegetable gardens and lawns. Slow releasing over a long time. Feeds soil microbes.
The Soil Food Web is an important component for healthy plants. This concentrate has not only outstanding Mycorrhizae but also carriers of Biochar, kelp and worm castings. Improve water and nutrienet uptake, root growth and plant growth while reducing transplant shock and drought stress.
A natural source of phosphorus which is responsible for root development, fruiting and flower production in plants.
encourages water movement through soil and soilless media. High fertilizer use can compromise plant growth over time due to concentrated mineral salt deposits. This product is a unique rinse formula designed to remove fertilizer buildup which may relieve nutrient lockout. Derived from saponin, an extract of the Yucca schidigera plant. Can be used for both hydroponic and soil applications
A non-toxic, weed-and-feed with 9% nitrogen. It inhibits seed germination, but is harmless to plants with root systems, people, worms, and microorganisms. The effect can last up to 6 months and is especially useful in lawns.
“Applied in September / October, and again in late February / March it will prevent the majority of existing weed seeds from germinating. By doing this every year, you can virtually eliminate your weed problem.”
Kelly Grummons: Timberline Gardens, July 2010
Organic Healthy Grow Plant Food for Acid-Loving Plants: Derived from composted chicken manure from an egg farm, feather meal, and sulfate of potash (non-synthetic mined mineral-Sul-Po-Mag)
Organic Healthy Grow Plant Food for Tomatoes: Derived from composted chicken manure from an egg farm, feather meal, & sulfate of potash (non-synthetic mined mineral – Sul-Po-Mag)
Mined south of Boulder, then fired. A superior clay buster, loosens and aerates clay soils, holds water & air, and supports microorganisms. Excellent for Roses and Fruit Trees. Used at Texas A&M and recommended by Joan Franson, Rosarian.
New Jersey Greensand: An organic source of 3% Potassium that holds moisture, has a high cation exchange capacity, and contains many trace minerals. It is a slow release product.
Texas Greensand: Texas’s finest source of organic greensand, contains 3% Potassium. This slow release product holds moisture, has a high cation exchange capacity, and contains many trace minerals.
this is a mined carbon concentrate that multiplies microorganisms and has the effect of making nutrients in the soil available. We have been using this for years in our potting mixes and gardens.
This is a water-absorbing gel that absorbs 200-400 times its density in water. It is used as a soil amendment to increase the water-holding capacity of soils, reducing watering frequency by 20-40% in the ground and 50-75% in containers and hanging baskets. It greatly aids establishing of young plants, and improves soil structure, staying effective for 8 years. It has been used to help trees in drought and to reduce the water requirements of lawns. I have used this product for 12 years in producing plants from seed and found it very useful, needing very little in the soil. It is a synthetic polyacrylamide polymer that has been determined nonhazardous by OSHA, but has not passed organic standards by OMRI.
This seaweed product holds moisture, improves soil structure, provides a wide range of naturally chelated (available) minerals, adds organic matter, helps plants in stress, supports soil life and adds vitamins and plant hormones. It has been reported to help prevent fungus diseases. For roses half a cup is recommended two times a year (with the Rose Feed). Also recommended for vegetables, perennials and shrubs.
100% Guaranteed to work to repel deer and rabbits with once a month application. If they are really hungry, or if it rains more than 1″ per week, spray more often. It does not have a strong odor after it dries, is environmentally safe and also stimulates growth. NOW there is a formulation for moles and voles.
Mineral-rich fertilizer containing trace minerals in a form that is readily available to plants at any soil pH. Feeds plants and soil life.
Myke has two different blends of mycorrhizae to help when transplanting. One for vegetable gardens in the green bag and one for tress and shrubs in the blue box. Both stimulate root development and phosphorous uptake while reducing watering needs.
We like these fertilizers derived from the mineral rich North Atlantic Ocean and carry several of their different dry and liquid fertilizers. [Read More]
Rock dust fertilizer containing over 30 trace minerals. Great for clay, rock gardens, natives, cacti, and vegetables. Especially good for penstemons & wildflowers. Best for soil prep or side-dress every 2 years.
a 100% organic product made in Platteville from dehydrated poultry manure and beetle-kill wood wastes. Excellent for shrubs and trees and is recommended for raspberries and other small fruits. Economical and is effective for fertilizing lawns. Listed by OMRI for organic use. Ideal for lawns, trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, vegetables and roses. Covers 2,000 sq. ft. for turf. 5-3-2.
a natural source of phosphorus and calcium, immediately available over a long time. Does not reduce mycorrhizae like petroleum-derived phosphorus.
This is a rock dust product containing over 30 trace minerals. When there is not a proper balance of trace minerals, deficiencies will cause problems with plant growth. In heavy clay soils, movement of these minerals is difficult. Therefore it is good to add Planters II when doing your soil prep. It can also be broadcast around established plants every two years. Very beneficial for vegetables, native plants, cacti and succulents and for supporting a healthy soil life.
Worm castings are soil or compost that had passed through an earthworm. What comes out contains 5x more nitrogen, 2x more calcium, 7x more phosphorus and potassium and many minerals and beneficial microorganisms all in water-soluble and plant-available forms. Worm “manure” will not burn and is safe for all plants, including houseplants. Worm castings support growth, root development, and disease resistance.
A 2-2-2 organic fertilizer formulated in New Mexico for alkaline, nutrient-poor Western soils like ours in Colorado. It is made from alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, kelp meal, rock dust, greensand and soft rock phosphate. It feeds the plants and the beneficial microbes that feed the plants. Far more effective than its 2-2-2 formula implies, especially when used in conjunction with humate. Vegan: no animal ingredients.
