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New Year's resolutions for gardeners

Rob Proctor and friends give some simple resolutions for gardeners to consider.

DENVER — I make my new year's resolutions early--in fall--right after the first freeze. I look back on what I did right, what I did wrong and what I learned. My garden friends and I have compiled these simple resolutions to consider.

Grow more from seed. Sunflowers are very easy to grow from seed planted outdoors in spring. They're lovely, drought tolerant and the seeds are beloved by birds, especially finches. Sunflower seeds are attractive to many species of birds if you feed in the winter.

Birds also need clean water year-round for drinking and bathing. Dirty feathers won't keep them warm. You can buy a heated birdbath or add a heater to an existing birdbath. Or you can make an effort to add hot water to your birdbath when possible. Give it a good scrub every so often. 

Grow more from cuttings. I especially concentrate on cuttings of coleus and geraniums. I take the cuttings in fall and grow the new plants under lights and on sunny windowsills.

Best results with tomatoes come from growing the right varieties. I always grow indeterminate varieties. Unlike the determinate varieties that set fruit and ripen all at once, the indeterminate kinds keep producing continuously all the way up to the first frost. In a long fall like we just had, late-picked tomatoes will ripen inside for months. 

Absolutely don't plant tomatoes too early. Wait until night temperatures are above 50 degrees and the soil has warmed. Skip the nonsense about putting aspirin, sardines, Tums or Epsom salts in the planting holes. 

Consider reducing turf areas in your garden and replace them with drought tolerant perennials. You'll save water and enjoy beautiful flower far more than lawn.  

More Proctor's Garden:

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