Container Makeover, Denver

[AKmark]

Salsa Charley, that is brutal

[ricman]

Oh man!!!! I hate that....mother nature can be brutal at times. Glad to see you have backups ....Best of luck to you.

Rick

[Jardinero_CO]

I'm in Longmont and that hail storm just missed us the other day. I'm considering draping a shade cloth over my plants for protection this afternoon in case today's storm brings more hail.

[Ricky Shaw]

I see this forecast today again! I've been fashioning some shields and will have enough to cover most of what's planted. I have more to plant next week.

Bring it on Weather Dude!

[Jardinero_CO]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

I see this forecast today again! I've been fashioning some shields and will have enough to cover most of what's planted. I have more to plant next week.

Bring it on Weather Dude!

Haha, that ought to help!

[guruofgardens]

Good choice for the 'maters! Hail can be so brutal. I know we usually have hail in June, but in May? We've also had a heavy hail storm the middle of July. THAT was frustrating.

[AKmark]

Ricky's force fields. You don't stop short do you?

[Barb_FL]

I love your set up. I can't really tell the extent of the hail damage.

While your plants are still small, can you just drape something over the tops of the cages. I don't get hail so not sure if you know when it is coming. I have used this for years now and it is really sturdy; I just use plastic clamps to hold it in place.

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/p...15/shade-cloth

====
Can you describe what you use for your cages? They look good.

I elevate all my root pouches also. Yours look so much neater though.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I have a good friend that gardens in Longmont, I know about as much about your area as I do my own.
Elevation changes everything.
I used the IR brooder lights in my garage on the colder nights.
But since I insulated the devil out of it even when it gets below freezing the temps stay in the 50's with no extra heat most of the time.

Worth

I grew up just outside of Longmont! Went to Longmont Jr. High,Niwot Elementary and High School.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I grew up just outside of Longmont! Went to Longmont Jr. High,Niwot Elementary and High School.

I t5hink I remember you sayint thart some time ago or it may have been someone else.
The reason he is there is they are from around those parts but his grandfather passed away about 3 years ago.
I talked him into buying his grandfathers little house.
The guy is about 40 now and his grandfather stormed the beaches of Normandy.

He says everything about me cooking gardening hand loading and the way I am reminds him of his grandfather.
I'm always getting the Colorado garden report form him.
Worth

[Ricky Shaw]

Hiya Barb,
I'm going to look into that shade material because the thought of adding stanchions to string material has occurred to me. Attaching them firmly seems easier with those attachable plastic grommets.

And...The cages are Texas Tomato Cages and that's the bottom section of a 24 inch diameter. When you add the top they are 6ft and 2ft extensions are available to make them 8ft.

[Ricky Shaw]

Replacements are hardening off now, probably plant these Wednesday.
L to R trays, Big Beef, Brandy Boy, Moskvich/Malachite Box, assorted bell peppers.

[Marcus1]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

I see this forecast today again! I've been fashioning some shields and will have enough to cover most of what's planted. I have more to plant next week.

Bring it on Weather Dude!

Be careful challenging the Weather Dude here in CO.
and good luck with the plants.
Marcus

[Ricky Shaw]

Hi Marcus, thank you for the encouragement. Hoping you have a great season too, and we're definitely going to try to get up to your market this year.

I've pulled 5 of the hail damaged plants and have one more on watch, eleven is what I've got left from the first round. The potato leafs took it the hardest, the Elgin Pink in the first pic made it through best. A little tattered, but showing a lot of new top growth and suckers forming at every branch.

A small bloc of Cosmonaut Volkov, Crnkovic Yugoslavian, and Paul Robeson, in the second pic fared better. Some nicks and breaks, but nearly all top growth was undamaged.

[Ricky Shaw]

Perfect weather this week for hardening off, sun and clouds, not too hot. Today is overcast and cool then summer starts. Warm to hot, mostly dry, punctuated by cloudbursts and large hail.