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In this week’s post, we have shared five tips to start your garden.

Successful gardening doesn’t have to be complicated or exotic. As with many endeavors, keeping the process simple and grounded in the basics pays off. This week we’re sharing five tips to start your garden off right.

1. Choose wisely. Know how many plants you can grow in the space you have. Avoid the temptation to over purchase.

2. Count the days. Make sure plants have time to grow to maturity. Seed packets tell the number of days until harvest. If you plant later than recommended, buy varieties with fewer days until harvest.

3. Nourish the soil and plants. Growing plants—especially vegetables—have big appetites and need nourishment from the soil. Apply several inches of compost and till or spade it into the soil prior to planting. Apply slow-release fertilizer during the growing season per label guidelines.

4. Plant in sunny areas. Veggies and herbs love sunshine. Shaded areas will be less productive.

5. Space plants by their needs. An over-crowded garden is less productive. Rely on seed packet info for proper spacing between seeds when planting. Leafy greens can grow more closely together, but tomatoes and other larger plants need space for air circulation and to keep them from being shaded by nearby plants.

Once you’ve got the garden planted later this month, we’ll share five more tips for keeping your plants thriving all season.

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Here are some useful tips to promote spring root growth.

If you’re spending more time at home and in your yard, you might be tempted to water the lawn often—but don’t. This is a critical time for your grass; spring is when it grows its feeder roots that capture water all season long. Resist the urge to spoil your lawn. Don’t let its roots get used to over-watering, or it can have negative effects for the rest of the season.

Over-watering can cause turf roots to remain shallow in the top inch or so of soil. Shallow roots dry out sooner, causing stress and brown spots that beg for water. However, if that top area of soil is allowed to dry out while the roots are in growth mode, the roots will grow deeper in search of moisture. By encouraging those water-seeking roots to grow deep, we help develop a healthier, more water-wise lawn. In the heat of July, the deep-rooted lawn will be less stressed and require less water.

Tips to promote spring root growth

• If there is a good spring rain every 7-10 days, don’t water.
• As the days get warmer and especially, if there is wind, increase watering to about every 5 to 7 days.
• If there is no precipitation, it is OK to water. Test soil moisture first by probing the lawn with a screwdriver. If it is hard to push the screwdriver into the soil, that indicates it’s time to water. Exception: Pay special attention to south-facing slopes which take a beating from the sun and can have winter kill. Check these areas frequently and water them when they become dry.

Cycle and soak. Watering all at once creates run-off—wasted water your lawn won’t get to use. Instead, break the watering time into three intervals so that the water runs for about 5 minutes and then take a break. This break gives the water time to soak into the soil.

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Spring is the great time to plant new trees in Colorado.

Regardless of which day you celebrate, spring is a great time to think about planting new trees. It gives them a long growing season to get settled into their new home.

Before you plant another flowering crabapple tree, consider trying something different. Many arborists recommended planting a diversity of trees in your yard, throughout a neighborhood and within the community.

Tree diversity not only adds interest and variety, it also helps make our urban forest less susceptible to widespread damage from pests. Whenever too many of the same type of tree are planted together, it’s a set-up for problems with diseases and insects such as Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Arborists recommend no more than 10% of trees be the same variety. If one variety succumbs to pests or disease, there will be others reaching maturity to provide shade and to clean the air.

Some other great benefits of planting trees:

• Planting a native tree supports native birds and other wildlife.
• During one year, a mature tree will absorb more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen in exchange.
• According to the US Forest Service, homes with street trees in Portland, Oregon sold for $7,130 more, on average, and 1.7 days more quickly.
• Trees and shrubs planted for windbreaks can cut fuel consumption by an average of 40%, according to the US Department of Energy.

Need help choosing the right trees? Despite the stay-at-home order, you can still get help through online classes offered by local botanic gardens, master gardener programs, and more. In many communities, spring tree and plant sales are still scheduled, but with modifications to accommodate public safety. And landscape professionals can offer consultations and design services virtually or without contact.

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Get the garden and yourself ready, if you’re thinking to plant vegetables during COVID-19 pandemic.

Lately we’ve heard about a resurgence of victory gardens, a WWII effort that some estimate produced as much as 40% of Americans’ food supply through home gardens. As people spend more time at home and in their outdoor spaces to slow the spread of COVID-19, there’s interest in growing food in backyards. If you’re excited to plant vegetables to feed your family or to support local food banks, now is the time to get your plan in place.

Hopefully you took advantage of the cold winter days to decide what you want to plant and to order seeds and supplies. But if you are just getting started, don’t worry. Many garden centers, nurseries, and farm supply stores are still operating as essential businesses. Go online or give them a call to see what they’ve got in stock. Order ahead and pick up your garden supplies curbside or have them shipped to you.

To maximize space, plan succession crops so that late-season crops take over a space after early-season plants have stopped producing. If all that sounds confusing, you can consult a garden or landscape professional to choose the best location and the right plants for a successful edible garden. Thanks to technology, you can have a virtual meeting to maintain safe distancing while collaborating on a plan. CSU Extension, Denver Botanic Gardens, and other community organizations are offering virtual classes and online resources to help you learn more about gardening in Colorado’s unique conditions.

Some seeds you can start inside now; others need to wait to be sown outdoors. When you see friends across the country planting their outdoor gardens now, remember that Colorado’s average last frost date is around Mother’s Day. Be patient and don’t plant too early.

However, when the soil is warm enough to till and has southern exposure, you can plant early season veggies. That includes green onions, spinach, lettuce, radishes, carrots and peas. Once planted, they will sit quietly in the soil until the temp is warm enough to germinate. Some plants will germinate at 40 to 45 degrees, while others need more warmth. Snow and frost shouldn’t bother these cool season crops and snow will provide needed moisture. Monitor the soil and if it dries out, apply water.

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This April month, take some time & learn to give your lawn some love.

April is Lawn Care Month, so take some time over the next few weeks to learn how to give your lawn some love. It will return the favor by providing you a place to reenergize during this challenging time.

This week, let’s talk about fertilizer. Properly applied fertilizer helps lawns thrive, allowing grass to be strong and capable of overpowering weeds that try and take up root. But there are a host of mistakes rookies make when applying fertilizer. Many apply at the wrong time of year. It is best to fertilize when grass is growing. Others make the mistake of not reading the label. It’s important to understand what you are using and how to use it.

While many people believe more of something is better than less, this is not the case with fertilizer. Too much fertilizer makes too much plant leaf and won’t allow the roots to grow well. Additionally, an excess of fertilizer can burn the lawn.

An experienced landscape professional can help you choose the right turf for the right area of your property. They can also make educated recommendations on when to fertilize, what product is best for your landscape, and how to properly apply it.

While the work of maintaining a healthy lawn can be time-consuming and takes extreme expertise to do well, the rewards to your family – and the environment – pay dividends. Green spaces are proven stress relievers. Get some sun and fresh air, right in your backyard.

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Here are some useful tips to deal with the spring snow.

The roller coaster of spring weather continues here in Colorado. It’s still March, traditionally Colorado’s snowiest month, and it looks like we can expect more snow before we reach April. If you are staying home per the governor’s order, one advantage is that you can keep an eye on your trees and shrubs to help them weather the storms.

Deep snowfalls, especially the ones during spring, tend to be heavier and wetter than powdery winter snows. The snow load can break tree limbs, smother and crush ornamental grasses and splay upright evergreens.

Some tips for helping trees weather the storm:

• Keep an eye on snow accumulating on trees—on both deciduous and evergreens. If branches are sagging under the weight, use something long such as a broom handle to gently shake snow off the branches as high as you can reach. Start at the lowest part of the tree rather than at the top. If you start dusting snow off the top, it will add even more weight onto the lower branches.
• If you have trees that are already leaning, or branches that are at a sharp “V” with one already growing more to the side than upright, avoid standing or putting property under them. These may be signs that a tree could fall over or a branch could break under snow load. Cottonwood trees, for example, are often susceptible to breakage.
• Branches of columnar, upright evergreens can spread apart under heavy snow. Gently shaking snow off these evergreens can help minimize damage.

After the storm:

• Inspect trees for broken branches or “hangers.” These are broken branches that seem to be hanging on by a thread. Schedule an expert to cut the branches properly; if the damaged branches pose a danger or hazard, they may be permitted to address the issue now. Check with your municipality for a list of licensed arborists in your area.
• For upright evergreens that have splayed, contact a garden center for material that can be wrapped around the branches to restore their upright shape. Many garden centers are currently offering curbside pickup if you call ahead.
• If ornamental grasses have been crushed, they won’t bounce back. When the weather is warm, cut grasses back. This needs to be done in the springtime anyway before new shoots emerge.

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We are dedicated to the health and safety of our Clients and Team while continuing to provide full service to our Clients. Our work is done outside your home with no physical or face-to-face contact with you.

CDC GUIDELINES. We implement CDC guidelines to keep both you and our Team safe:

• DAILY MONITORING. Team members are monitored to ensure no one has a high temperature.
• FOLLOW NATIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES.
  • IF YOU FEEL SICK, stay home. Do not go to work. Contact your medical provider.
  • IF YOUR CHILDREN ARE SICK, keep them at home. Do not send them to school.
  • IF SOMEONE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD HAS TESTED POSITIVE for the coronavirus, keep the entire household at home. Do not go to work. Contact your medical provider.

• PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE:
  • Wash your hands frequently or use alcohol wipes.
  • Avoid touching your face.
  • Sneeze or cough into a tissue, or inside of your elbow.
  • Disinfect frequently used items and surfaces like phones, steering wheels, etc.

• AVOID SOCIAL GATHERINGS in groups of more than 10 people.
  • Avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts – Use drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options.
  • Do not visit nursing homes, retirement, or long-term facilities unless to provide critical assistance. Respect that older people and those with health conditions are at risk.

• OPERATIONAL SAFETY PRACTICES. In addition to the CDC guidelines, here are some of the things we are doing to give you peace of mind and keep our Team safe and healthy:
  • Employees receive online CDC COVID-19 symptoms, protection, hygiene training.
    • Other operational and safety training will be done online, or outside with more than 6 feet social separation, not in close contact training rooms.
  • Keeping crews small to minimize chances of cross-crew contamination.
  • Staggering start times for crews to reduce exposure and keep crew members healthy.
  • Delivering materials to our warehouse minimizes visits to stores and vendors.
  • Providing quality service independently without interacting with you face-to-face.
  • Communication can be done via phone, email, or text to avoid face-to-face contact.
  • Estimating, scheduling, invoicing and communicating with you by online, email, phone or text.

For those wanting quotes, call us at 720-851-7550, or use our “Request a Quote” on the BestYard.com website. For many, we can measure your yard using a satellite view and provide a quote. If we feel that an appointment is necessary, we can discuss options on how to perform this.

Some office personal may work remotely from home. In the event, you reach our voicemail, leave a Voice Mail message, or send us a text or email. We will get back to you ASAP during normal M – F business hours.

We know these are uncertain times. We will keep you and your family at the top of our minds. We will continue to monitor the situation and communicate any new practices we may need to implement.

Thank you for your understanding.

This blooming season, introduce Pollinator-friendly plants for beautiful and healthy landscape.

While there may be bulbs blooming, resist the urge to plant—it’s still too early in Colorado—and use that time to plan your spring and summer landscape. Consider planting for pollinators. Create a habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, insects, and maybe even bats. They play an important function within our collective urban ecosystem and around our home veggie gardens.

Pollinator-friendly plants are easy to incorporate in your landscape. You may already have some of them. Think about the plants you have at home and plan to add more.

A variety of plants attracts and meets the needs of many kinds of pollinators throughout the growing season. Some, like hummingbirds, enjoy long, tubular flowers, while some butterflies prefer a wide flat flower that serves as a landing pad.

Annuals like dianthus, nasturtium, zinnia, and lantana are good at attracting pollinators. Got limited space for plantings? Do your part for pollinators by planting flowers in containers on porches and patios.

Choose an assortment of perennials with staggered blooms times to give pollinators food and shelter throughout the growing season. Consider Colorado Columbine, echinacea, gaillardia. penstemon and salvia.

For more suggestions, talk with a landscape professional or your local garden center pros to find out what will do well in your landscape while also benefiting a range of pollinators.

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Check out these helpful hints and get ready for Spring!

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Follow these landscape ROI facts, if you are planning to sell the home.

Your landscape offers health benefits, environmental benefits, and enhances your community when it is properly planned. It can also increase your property value. Some experts claim that landscaping can yield the highest return on investment (ROI) of any home upgrade if you are looking to sell.

A 2017 study at Colorado State University found that for every dollar invested in a residential landscape, the average return is $1.35, or 135%. A high-quality landscape can increase the value of a home as much as 10 percent.

More landscape ROI facts:

• Research has shown 7% higher rental rates for commercial offices having high-quality landscapes.
• Large street trees add a 3% to 15% value to a home and continue to appreciate in value over time.
• A mature tree can often have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000, according to the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers.

While trees, especially mature ones, often offer the best bang for your buck, features like outdoor living spaces and efficient landscape lighting also add value. So use these cold winter days to research ways you’d like to boost your curb appeal this year.

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