I am so thankful for a day like today—Friday! The moisture is so appreciated—unless you live in San Luis or Ft. Garland because they got between 8 and 18 inches of snow—YIKES. If the weather forecasters are on their game we should get more moisture next week.  

I know that all of you did NOT pay attention to me and hold off on your watering. Maybe I should have said, please don’t start watering 2-3 times a week! IF your lawn is dry, water once, and water deeply.  And then take a break.

Even though it is still early, watch the weather report this week and if it really looks like more moisture, it would be a great time to get some fertilizer put down. The really great thing is that your soil should be wet from this storm and that is the best time to apply fertilizer. If we don’t get moisture, you will need to water after fertilizing. Again, deeply.

This is also true for your houseplants. Water them, fertilize and then water again.

I am thinking that the bad thing about all this moisture is that Kochia weeds are going to germinate like crazy—it’s already happening. If you have some bare ground in your flowerbeds now would probably be a good time to put down Corn Gluten. CG is actually a high nitrogen fertilizer and if it is applied at the right time will cause little seedlings to grow themselves to death! Also prevents root development.

Another name for Corn Gluten is Preen. For vegetable gardens only, in my opinion, use the one that is rated 100 percent gluten. The other one is rated for vegetables and flowers but is Trifluralin. In one of my organic books, I don’t find any huge warnings against Trifluralin, but probably need to research a little more. It is a longer lasting product than CG. My book does say that CG needs to be applied for 2-3 years for best results which makes sense, as many seeds can stay dormant in the ground for at least that long.

If you are one of the folks that have asked for a start of my hops vine, this weekend—like TODAY, would be perfect for me to dig. The hops have just started popping and the weather is cool, so let me know. I don’t give my starts away but you can give a decent donation to the SLV Cancer Relief Fund or to the Jaiden Rogers Family for ongoing medical bills. By decent I only mean $10 or more, not $2. These vines are worth that! (You can also call me at 719-580-7838 if you can’t make it this weekend).

Here’s a cute story: 25 or more years ago Larry and I took Megan and Melissa to the Alamosa Dairy Queen. Megan was old enough to read, so she studied the sign that said “Free refills with our compliments.” We were eating our burgers and fries and drinking our pops—a rare treat—when Megan asked “what should we tell them? Should we tell them their hair looks nice or they have a nice smile or what?” Took us a second to get it, but we have smiled over that one for 25 years! Get it? I am glad this DQ is no longer in business—because I have no willpower against their Blizzards and no doubt would have one every day. It’s a treat when my daughter is in Monte Vista and brings me one of the baby ones back to town.

Next Saturday, April 1, at Society Hall, is the 6th Annual Cancer Relief Fund Concert. It is the major fundraiser for the SLVCRF. One hundred percent of the money raised goes to cancer patients in our San Luis Valley. Not many organizations can boast 100 percent! No management paychecks. All volunteer.  And helping our friends and neighbors. If you plan on attending this event, I would suggest you buy your tickets ASAP as this one always sells out—ALWAYS. I can’t imagine that many tickets would be available past this weekend. P.S. I have 17 left at the Green Spot—come on by or give me a call. Do it NOW!

If you are not one for concerts, yet want to make a donation, please send it to the SLVCRF at P. O. Box 1297 in Alamosa, 81101. I do have envelopes at the Green Spot. Do it for someone fighting the battle or to honor someone who didn’t win the fight. Do it because you are a great person. Thank you!