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Will it Rain?
Summer rains usually start in the end of June. Here on the last day of June, we've gone from HOT and WINDY (very unusual) to cloudy with sprinkles and an afternoon cool-down (very welcome!). But there have been no monsoon-y type cloudbursts. The clouds are trying hard, but the forecast over the next several days is for a measly 20-30% chance of showers. A 40% chance of rain will get my attention!
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In the meantime, keep watering your new plantings! Things are growing slowly, because of the hot days and cool nights. And the wind! It's hard to keep plants watered when the wind sucks the moisture out of the ground every day.
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So we'll see about a robust monsoon season. The long-term forecasts from NOAA are rarely accurate, I find, but if you want to see them, check this page.
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The Book!
Share The Book with everyone you know in the Intermountain West! Let's plaster the Rocky Mountains with good gardening information. Forward this newsletter to your gardening friends and help them grow a Sensational Garden, too!
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On Fridays, Casey Flynn has The Book with her at the Talpa Community Market. She sells beautiful bouquets and healthy plants, many of them native. Another new venue for The Book is now KOKO, where I've done business for almost 10 years! It has changed hands, and I'm making that transition with Laine, the new owner. We'll be selling Renee's Garden Seeds during the holidays, like always, even though there was a lapse this year as the move was being made. The Book is always available at Gutiz, Moxie, Earthgoods, Petree's, Dixon Market, Cid's, and Taos Herb. And you can contact me for a signed copy and get the 'farm tour'!
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Grab 'n' Go The Book at KOKO!
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Auntie Nannie's Seed Exchange
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The seed exchange has taken up residence at the Taos Land Trust! I met with Sarah and Kristina this week to make the switch. That means a carload of seeds changed hands. Watch for an event in early October. Next year, we'll have more locations for seed exchange stations and will ask the community to be more involved in their care. Save your seeds this year, and stay tuned for details.
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Seeds, seeds, seeds - now at the Taos Land Trust
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July Garden Tasks
"The focus in the garden this month is the 4 Ws - weeding, watering, watching for pests and diseases, and waiting for harvest."
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That's the opening line of the July chapter of The Book. Plants will really start to put on growth now. Tomatoes, beans, peppers, and summer squash will be ready harvest mid-month.
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Weeds I'm pulling in the vegetable beds this year are pigweed, bindweed, white mallow, and wild sunnies. Other plants that you can pull and eat are purslane and quelites. Great year for them, too!
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Do some succession plantings for fall harvest of greens (lettuce, kale, spinach), peas, green beans, and root crops. One year I planted lettuce mix in early September and had my last harvest on November 11. The only thing that stopped it was a heavy snow that crushed the plants!
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Check the Library Garden During the Summer!
On the west side of the library, right outside the children's library door, there's a drought-tolerant garden, built by my friend Dan Jones in conjunction with the Friends of the Public Library. There's a bulletin board off to the side with information about the plants and a flyer with my book cover on it and a list of the places it's available!
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If you check the garden every couple of weeks, something new will be in bloom, and you'll see what you can plant in your own yard. It's an excellent example of drought-tolerant plants for Taos. Go check it out!
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Please forward this email in its entirety. All rights reserved.
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If you received this newsletter from a gardening friend who loves you, you can subscribe here to get your own copy!
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