Lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer…

I love this time of year. Looking back over our shoulders at where we’ve been the last three to four months, how could we not be amazed by the shape and size of all that is growing in our gardens. Even the hailstorm that ripped the plants to shreds last month couldn’t destroy its beauty. The tomatoes, beans, and greens are going strong.

If you want to enjoy some amazing community gardens (and some pretty cute chicken coops as well) come out for the 2010 Albuquerque Coop and Garden Tour this Saturday and Sunday, July 31st and August 1st. Maps will be available at the website by Friday. If you come by The Source garden on Saturday, I’ll be there along with other gardeners to show you around. It’s free, it’s local, it’s educational, it’s inspiring and it’s one of the best ways to see all varieties of urban gardens and backyard farms, and put to rest forever the notion that you can’t garden. It’s not too late to get one in this year!

The next couple of weeks gardeners should really consider how to integrate a fall garden into their growing spaces. I am a firm believer in growing year around here in Albuquerque and most of mid and southern New Mexico as well. Why waste all those warm, sunny fall and winter days?

A good overall plan is important and must include the following:

What is the location and how much sunlight will be available to the bed mid-winter?

What is being grown in that space now so we can determine appropriate crops in rotation?

And don’t forget a key question: what do I like to eat?

You would be surprised how many people take up a garden project without careful consideration to what they actually like to eat! If you plant something you and your family have never tried, you may find it way too easy to forgo a trip outside on a cold day to check on turnips and parsnips.

I’m also urging the community garden to get something like this going on one of the properties as soon as possible.

Far less costly than a greenhouse and faster to put up, hoop houses are practical and economical whether used as season extenders or for starting seeds. Hopefully,  if our hoop house becomes a reality it will serve both purposes. (I’ll let you know here when the Hoop House workshop is scheduled.) Chery at The Source garden ate from her winter greens bed for over three months simply by adding a piece of plastic cover to the bed and holding it in place with rocks. Surely a bit more construction and stability will add months of greens and other tasty items to our menus.

I also encourage the saving of seeds from heirloom and non-hybrid varieties of all plants. With a hoop house, we become even more self-sufficient by growing our own seedlings for each season. Here’s a good check list for what you can still plant and harvest this fall compliments of  Urban Farmer Seeds.

For starting seeds, one of the simplest, cheapest way to start your own seedlings is with newspaper. Check it out. We’ll be making some this week and staring our fall garden seedlings.
How to Create Seed-Starting Pots From Newspapers — powered by eHow.com

Whew! If you already have that beautiful garden/growing area happening, come register with the 2012 Edible  Abq Gardens by 2012, an initiative that started here but is gaining popularity all over the country. It’s free, it’s simple and it will help us all connect more deeply with the urban gardening movement in our city.

And finally, here is the lunar planting guide for the coming month compliments of Farmers Almanac:

July 2010
24th-26th First Day Good For Planting Above Ground Crops. Last Two Days Are Good For Planting Beets, Carrots, Salsify, Irish Potatoes, And Other Root Crops.
27th-28th Good Days For Killing Weeds, Briars And Other Plant Pests, Poor For Planting.
29th-31st Good Days For Planting Beets, Carrots, Radishes, Salsify, Turnips, Peanuts, And Other Root Crops. Also Good For Planting Melons, Cucumbers, Pumpkins, And Other Vine Crops. Set Strawberry Plants.

August 2010
1st-2nd Barren Days, Do No Planting.
3rd-4th Root Crops That Can Be Planted Now Will Yield Well.
5th-6th Any Seeds Planted Now Will Tend To Rot.
7th-8th Most Favorable Days For Planting Beets, Onions, Turnips, And Other Root Crops. Plant Seedbeds And Flower Gardens.
9th-13th A Barren Time. Best For Killing Weeds, Briars, Poison Ivy, And Other Plant Pests. Clear Woodlots And Fence Rows.
14th-15th Good Days For Planting Above Ground Crops. Excellent For Sowing Grains, Winter Wheat, Oats, And Rye. Plant Flowers.
16th-17th Plant Peas, Beans, Tomatoes, Peppers, And Other Above Ground Crops In Southern Florida, California, And Texas. Extra Good For Leafy Vegetables. Plant Seedbeds.
18th-20th Cut Winter Wood, Do Clearing And Plowing, But No Planting.
21st-22nd A Good Time To Plant Above Ground Crops.
23rd-25th Barren Days.fine For Killing Plant Pests.
26th-27th Favorable Days For Planting Root Crops, Fine For Vine Crops.
28th-29th Barren Days.do No Planting.
30th-31st Root Crops That Can Be Planted Now Will Yield Well.

Hope to see you this weekend at the Garden Tour where you can meet folks like Melanie Rubin and visit her backyard farm!