Global climate disruption is here. Last summer it made its presence known in Jaroso, CO. Jaroso is in south-central Colorado, two or five miles from the New Mexico border depending on which direction to go to the border. This little village of less than 100 people is on prairie land nestled among mountains on three sides: the mid-range Rockies to the north, the Sangre de Cristos to the east, and the San Juan mountains to the west. All, of course, are features of the great Rockies range which runs from the southern tip of South America up into Canada and Alaska. Also to the west by less than ten miles is the upper Rio Grande.

Last summer was the first time in the lives of the old-timers that temperatures stayed above 90 for more than a day or two. In my five full summers here, summer temps rarely got over 85. Being at 7800 ft. above sea level contributes to the coolness. But, last season everyone’s gardens or alfalfa fields were challenged. Water is regulated by the state for agricultural use, which is a good thing, although I live among mostly conscientious people. Several live off-grid, and water conservation is necessary and has been practiced by the Indigenous People (Ute and Pueblo People) forever.

Even with the increased heat and drought, my garden did pretty well, which is important since it feeds a number of people including myself. I’m no master gardener and don’t do much research. My primary method is to listen: to the plants, the soil, and all the beings,   obvious ones like birds, worms, variety of insects, fungi and microbes and the less obvious ones like elementals and devas (the spirits of the soil, water, plants, and back yard as a whole). Harmony is the goal, not produced by me (how preposterous!) but not interfered with. That means that a fair measure of wildness is let be and fostered. Two “wild things” are:

• a) A section that is watered but mostly left to be wild. Most native species of bees in most habitats around the world are not hive-dwellers. They use old stalks or canes for preparing a proper nest with pre-gathered pollen (food) in which they lay usually one egg which then pupates and eats it way out from the cane/stalk next season. That is if the woodpeckers or nuthatches don’t fine the larvae first. Beetles use the stalks in the same way. A few holly hocks babies were put in the first season (five years ago) from my neighbor’s yard, which now have self spread to take up at least 8ft of the 30ft X 5 or 6ft area. Native sunflowers accompany the holly hocks, as so other flowerings native plants whose seeds were waiting in the soil. Cosmos seeds have blown into there also.
• Some indigenous plants that the locals consider a bane are friends in my garden and “managed”. One is bind weed. It is a nitrogen fixer and can grow in the most poor soils or mostly sand. It knows how to thrive here; and that’s important because plants communicate (as does every thing within Earth’s wholeness). So, the bind weed’s pioneering presence encourages other indigenous flowering plants to come up from seeds long stored in the sandy “soil”. Bind weed also composts quickly in the veggie beds when trimmed or uprooted, giving all its nutrients into the ground for other plants. A balance was struck. The bind weed is let grow in general and managed around the vegetables. This plant is also a go-to for an indigenous small white butterfly. It feeds off the nectar in the early and then season-long pretty white or white-pink flowers.

Starting plants indoors is a must here if one wants organic and heirloom vegetables. I brought heirloom tomato seeds from the varieties I grew in Massachusetts here with me. They did really well the first season, then seeds were harvested each season after that. Last season the tomatoes struggled with the climate changes. Even with that struggle, six jars were put up for the winter, lots eaten, and lots given away. But, I questioned the viability of the seeds for this year for most of the varieties. So, for this season, I ordered new ones from Annie’s Heirloom Seeds. Seeds were set in early March. The photo to the left is how the tomatoes are doing.  They will be re-potted in mid-April, then in the ground in late May. Right now, about 70 plants of six varieties are happily growing indoors. They go outside for sunshine when the wind is not blowing, then back in again. (good exercise for me!)

The indoor set up was created to be feasible for my handicaps (MS), the limited room available in my small four-room house, and for it flexibility. Two light-weight steel wire racks with adjustable shelves, now set permanently, are adorned with clamp light fixtures with Ultra Bright, daylight spectrum (high lumens) floodlight bulbs. These provide excellent replacement for the twelve hours of sunlight needed for vegetable plants, are LED thus low wattage and energy efficient. I found that “grow lights” were not only much move expensive (marketing ploy) but also did not have enough lumens. Daylight spectrum of light and lumens is the key. I use 2200 lumens bulbs. All the equipment easily stores in the neighbor’s shed after plants are in the ground.

Each year includes experimenting with different vegetables, planting arrangements inclusive of companion planting, wildness accounted for along beds, plus watering. This will be my sixth season here; and at this point flat soaker hoses have worked very well for plant needs where I have used them. Hence, they are being laid in the whole garden, as we speak. Mulch of leaf and last season’s plant stems has been pulled back to lay it out and test the water flow. Good flow for the whole length of over 100 ft, yeah! We’ll re-mulch it tomorrow. Young veggie plants or seeds for direct seeding will be set near the hose line. Cold weather seeds will be set now before raking the mulch back in place.

Soaker hoses will offer me the physical advantage of already being in place. Turn it on and come back in hour or appropriate length of time. Then, simply, shut one paddle of the hose splitter and open another. Leave and come back later. For someone who requires a walker plus a hip flexion device to walk outside, I am hopeful that the plants will be well served and me, too.

Most vegetable plants prefer ground watering, not overhead/sprinkler watering, though my tomato plants have never, in 40 years of gardening, gotten blight from sprinkler watering. Here due to the dryness of the air (semi-desert ecological zone) and the ever-present wind, achieving ground saturation with sprinklers requires a) too much water to be used with b) too much potential loss to evaporation. Soaker hoses delete both. They use much less water than sprinklers or hand watering plus the water never leaves the ground, thus toward the roots and microbes, worms, etc. feeding the roots. I’ll report back on the soaker hose effectiveness later in the season. Plants, like tomatoes, might need additonal hand watering or filling of the small ditches with water in each of the beds. That will be obvious when necessary.

The second experiment this year is working with climate change. Cold weather crops are going into the ground in late April which is at least a month early. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, chard, kale, lettuces, and some Japanese greens are among the intended lot. Most are started already (indoors), a few will be direct seeded. I figure that there is only potential gain with this experiment. Seeds are cheap! The baby plant in the photo is Brussels sprout.

Post, Happy Spring! #2, will be about soil fertility and planning the beds.