3 Months of Growth = 3″ tall
I wish I could say my first year gardening in Colorado was a success, but if I compare it to last year’s Oregon Garden, it is a dismal failure. I felt like we got it in late because we were still getting snow the last week of May. I tried to compensate for this colder weather by using row covers. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to have 30 mph sustained winds out here, and by morning, the row covers had disappeared. I am sure the wind has carried them off to Kansas along with the tumbleweeds.
Once I got it planted, I discovered we had rabbits living under our shed, and I have to say, the old saying F’ing like rabbits is true. We had an endless supply of baby rabbits coming out from under our shed all spring. They were cute, but I found the newly sprouted vegetables to be delicious. It took no time at all for them to decimate my newly planted garden. My daughter wanted to keep them in the house as pets, but I convinced her that they would be much happier living under our shed.
Therefore, I decided to construct a fence around the raised beds to keep the rabbits out. By the time I finished the construction, the rabbits had moved out from under the shed. I would like to say that it was because of my efforts, and I won the war; however, I think the fox that had attached my chickens earlier this spring had more to do with it.
I didn’t let the rabbits discourage me, and I replanted and installed a drip irrigation system in the garden to be sure everything would get enough water under the Colorado sun. Well, the sun went away, and in rolled the thunderstorms, accompanied by some large hail. You know, the kind that shreds tender leaves. Luckily, the damage was minor, and the plants continued to grow, but the thunderstorms continued. Instead of the hot afternoon sun helping my garden grow, we have had almost daily thunderstorms bringing cooler weather in the afternoon hours.
I had anticipated that being at 7200 feet above sea level, I would have to deal with colder nights than I was used to in Oregon. However, I did not anticipate snow at the end of May, 30 mph sustained winds, rabbits eating my garden, hail and thunderstorms stunting the plant’s growth, and now my neighbor who has lived here for years said, “Oh wait until the deer come through.” DEER?
Clearly, I need to start saving my spare change up for a greenhouse and squeezing my nickels until they sh*t penny to see if I can make it happen by next year.
