A procrastinator’s guide to planting or: Fodder for poking fun at a rookie gardener

    When the school year was wrapping up, it was obvious that the garden would just have to wait until the days weren’t as busy. Now a whole month of summer vacation has already passed, and some (or all) of those idealistic gardening goals remain unfulfilled. Great. That doesn’t necessarily mean all hope is lost for a 2019 garden, though. Whether planting food or flowers, there’s still time, and procrastinators, these gardening tips are for you.

Broadcast seeds for greens
    Planting guides for the northeast Colorado/southwest Nebraska area indicate that August is a good time to sow a second (or singular) round of leafy greens. There’s still plenty of time to plan out and prepare for a traditional planting of lettuce, spinach, kale, all that good stuff.
    However, all experienced procrastinators know that when the sudden urge to get something done strikes, it must be heeded immediately or risk being put off until tomorrow ad infinitum. So do it now; take a handful of seeds and scatter them across the soil and start watering.
    Seeds are cheap, so go ahead and be generous in the number planted. Yes, they will be too close together to grow into mature plants, but immature greens can be harvested and eaten as microgreens to thin out the space.
    Sprouts appear in a matter of days — perfect for those who crave a bit of instant gratification. When plants are a couple inches tall and true leaves have formed, they’re ready to be harvested and eaten as microgreens. It should take two or three weeks. Snip them with scissors just above the soil line, and enjoy them in salads, on sandwiches or with soups.
    Summer days may get too hot for the remaining greens to grow to maturity. On the other hand, weather can be unpredictable, and the plants may survive. Either way, getting microgreens to eat along the way means that the gardening efforts aren’t wasted. Plus, planting really doesn’t get much easier than broadcasting, and doing something is better than doing nothing, right?
    
Bulbs are the easy way to grow beautiful flowers
    While microgreens are good for instant gratification, bulbs can take some time and patience. Planting them, however, is also incredibly easy.
    Pros will point out that “timing is everything” when it comes to planting bulbs. That’s not great for procrastinators to hear, but wait. Between spring, summer and fall blooming bulbs, there are multiples times throughout the year when it’s appropriate to plant various flowers. If one chance is missed, another will be along shortly.
    Tender summer-blooming and fall-blooming bulbs should be planted in the spring after the danger of frost has passed. Unlike seeds, bulbs don’t last, so there’s no sense in keeping them out of the ground if the ideal planting window has passed. Go ahead and bury them.
    Hardy spring-blooming bulbs should be planted in the fall, when the soil has cooled but before the ground freezes.  Even if it’s put off to the last moment, a brief burst of gardening motivation at the end of this summer could mean effortless blooms next spring.
    
Go for radishes to feel like a super gardener
    The great thing about radishes is that they grow quickly. Seeing them go from seed to edible vegetables in less than a month does wonders for a lazy gardener’s confidence. They can be planted in succession through the spring and again after the hottest part of summer has passed.
    If it gets too hot, radishes will go to seed quickly, so the heat of summer isn’t the best time to grow them. But what’s the downside of planting some right now?
    As is the case with microgreens, the young tender leaves of radishes can be cut off and eaten. They’re not great raw, but they can be cooked like any other green. If planted radishes begin to sprout and it seems like the weather’s going to be too hot for them to make it, just cut off the greens and eat them. It’s not a total loss, and if the weather ends up being cool enough for them to reach maturity, the end result is homegrown radishes. It’s a win-win.

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