Notes:
Successful Gardening in the Santa Fe Area,
Saturday, March 30. 1-2pm
Vista Grande Library in Eldorado by Ken
Bower, Ed.D.
Gardening
Conditions in the Santa Fe Area
§ Santa
Fe is a semi-arid, steppe w/cold winters
§ We are
now in Zone 6, from 5 (getting warmer)
§ Last
frost date is May 15
§ The
soils are very alkaline (pH greater than 7)
§ av.
9-12 in. of precipitation
§ Use of
water catchment & retainment is recommended
§ Grow
plants that are suitable to this environment (xeric)
§ Raised
beds vs. in-ground planting
Preparing for your vegetable garden for the
upcoming year? Factors to consider:
1. Placement
of the garden (water & light)
2. Soils & compost
3. Coverings
or not (for both heat & cold)
4. What
do you like to eat?
5. How big is your garden? How many partitions do
you have?
6. What veggies do well in Eldorado?
7. All veggies are seasonal. When to plant each
type.
Order vegetable seeds you if haven’t already!
Put seeds in pots inside – April 21 Plants in ground - May 12
Selection of Plants
Recognizing
micro-environmental zones
• walls
• high
and low places
• windy
zones
• water
availability from a controlled source
• use of
existing native plants
Suitable Plants for the Santa Fe Area
Cacti: cholla, prickly pear, rainbow, claret
cups (both Echinocereus triglochidiatus
and Echinocereus coccineus),
succulents (ground covers), ice plants, veronica, thymes, yuccas
Perennials: salvias,
catmint, jupiter’s beard, Russian sage, blanket
flower, Agastache, penstemon, maximillian
& native sunflowers, chamisa, lavender,
yarrow
Trees, Bushes & Grasses: pines,
junipers, various fruit trees and berry bushes, lilacs, spirea, various grasses
Little
Garden Pests
1. flea
beetles (eat mustards) –spray with (2 cups isopropyl alcohol, 5 cups water, 1
tablespoon liquid soap)
2. aphids
(ant cows) - wash off with soapy water often
3. white
fly- spray with soapy water
4. leaf
miners- spray with neem oil
5. squash
bugs (especially zucchini) – herbs that repel them (nasturtium, petunia,
catnip), pick off
6. various
caterpillars & tomato hornworms (use of UV flashlight) - pick off
Big
Garden Pests
1. pocket
gophers- various gopher traps
2. rabbits-
screen off garden with chicken wire
3. squirrels-
Havahart trap with pieces of apple
4. mice- Havahart trap, snap trap (peanut butter or shrimp),
electric (battery) trap
5. pack
rats- Havahart trap with apple
7. dogs-
keep them away from your plants
Plant
Diseases: Most specific to the variety of plant.
Try to buy genetically resistant plants
Wilt diseases (verticillium & fusarium), fire
blight (fruit trees), powdery mildew and other molds, viruses,
gummosis (fungus)
Learn More About Gardening in the Santa Fe
Area
• Go to
area plant nurseries
• Join a gardening group
• Become a Master Gardener
• Talk with neighbors
• Attend plant lectures