At first I sadly chuckled to myself when I read that this past winter was the mildest on record for Wyoming. I’m not arguing it. But back in early November, six weeks before the official start of winter, much of Wyoming experienced one of the most dramatic temperature drops in history for that time of year. All of Wyoming was enjoying a superlative Indian summer throughout October and the first two days of November with pleasant temperatures approaching seventy degrees. Then the bottom fell out.
Arbor Day this year falls on April 24. Arbor Day is considered a tree holiday, a time to celebrate trees in our environment and to plant them for future generations. The first recorded Arbor Day was recorded in a small Spanish village in 1805 where villagers celebrated tree plantings, feasts and dances for three days.
Locally owned garden centers like mine and others across the state are a bee hive of activity these days. We’ve been receiving shipments of trees and shrubs along with soil amendments, gardening tools, bug and weed control products. You name it, chances are we’ve received a shipment of it. It’s all in preparation for the gardening season to begin.
Last week, I took four days off and took my wife and my college age kids to Vegas. I’m quite certain my kids would have enjoyed the edgier side of Vegas if it weren’t for their fuddy duddy parents. We don’t gamble, but the last time I was in Vegas was about ten or so years ago and the slot machines in the casinos made a raucous sound
Home brewing of beer, wine and hard cider are a big deal these days. What most gardeners in Wyoming don’t realize is that you can grow most of what you need for brewing right in your backyard! Let’s start with grapes. Of course we can’t grow grapes from the south of France, but there are at least twenty or so grape varieties that will grow here and tolerate our cold dry conditions.
This time of year is like Christmas down at my shop. We’re busy getting all kinds of exciting garden supplies delivered, from shovels and hoes to vegetable seeds. I know these types of products are ho-hum to most of you, but not to avid gardeners who have been dreaming for months about getting outside and growing. So let’s chat about what you can grow now.