March 18, 2010

It is now time to start tender vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, etc.) inside and hardy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, peas, lettuce, etc.) outside.  Average last frost in the Albuquerque area is April 20th - May 10th.

We are preparing our farm for planting.  Key to that preparation is incorporating compost into the soil.  We compost all our vegetable kitchen waste and all our left over vegetable waste from the garden.  We also purchase commercial compost that is certified organic.  For information on how to do your own compost check the following link:

http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/H-110.pdf

You can purchase organic compost in small quantities from your local nursery or garden supply center or if you need bulk certified organic compost, try Soilutions Inc.   (Other than being a customer of Soilutions, we have no financial connection)

http://www.soilutions.net/Compost_Info.html  

Have your seedlings emerged and gradually seem to disappear?  The culprit could be birds or rabbits, but also check for cutworms.  They rest underground during the day and come out at night to devour tender seedlings.  How can you tell for sure?  Go out into your garden a few hours after dark with a flashlight.  They are various shades of brown so you have to look carefully.  It only takes a few cutworms to do serious damage to new seedlings.  They can be controlled by physically destroying them or spraying with an organically safe  spray.

The following links take you to  excellent NMSU documents on gardening in New Mexico.

Guide to gardening in New Mexico

http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/circ457.html

Hoop House - An inexpensive greenhouse

http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/CR-606.pdf

For more info on other gardening related NMSU publications -

http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/