Spring-like weather has abounded lately. The days are sunny and longer. Wind — well, wind is always big in the springtime. We’ve had days on the mesa when I wondered if my house would hold up. Other days look bright and sunny, but stepping out into the wind sends you back for another layer. Still, the snow is melting steadily, the rivers are high, the creeks overflowing. It’s been a number of years since the pond in front of our house has been full. It’s a good thing.

Local farmers are gearing up, heading into the busy, frantic, anxious time we call the growing season. In lower elevations hardy plants are being seeded outside. New plants are started in greenhouses and hoop houses. Here in Telluride we’ve harnessed the power of the youth to help start seeds for the community garden. During the Telluride Institute sponsored Earth Day activities last Tuesday and Wednesday the fourth through sixth graders planted everything from arugula to zinnias — and many items in-between. The younger kids (kindergarten through third grade) planted flower boxes and hanging baskets to beautiful the sunny hallway that crosses between the old and new parts of the elementary school. It’s a great time to get your hands dirty and your thoughts full of blooms.

If you haven’t already, this is your last chance for spring garden planning. It really is too early to put much of anything in the ground at our elevation. But there is time to make plans. Some bulbs are up and blooming — so think about what you like and make notes to order and plant bulbs this fall. Seed catalogs abound. If you need any, let me know, though we do most of our ordering online these days. Whether you just want some nice annual flowers around your doorstep or have grander visions of a personal palate of perennial plants, ‘tis the season.

As the snow melts off grass, the debris of last year can choke new growth. If you like the tidy look, go ahead and rake the old grass off and use it for mulch in other plantings. It’s also time to clean up all the items left behind under last year’s many snowstorms. There’s more than just dog poop there.

Speaking of cleaning up, remember and plan for this year’s local Spring Clean Up. It will be coming up May 15-17. This is a great service brought to you by the towns and San Miguel County. You can bring in all those items emerging from the snow to an area by Public Works, including scrap metal, reusable goods (there’s a “free box” area for these — come shop), appliances and refrigerators, electronics — like those old clunker computer monitors, yard refuse, even tires and batteries and regular recycling like cardboard and aluminum. The Hazardous Waste day for things like old paint and chemicals is on Saturday. Call Chris Smith at the County for more information about that, 728-0447. Look for more details in the Planet over the next few days and weeks and feel free to call Lita Bilotti with the Town of Telluride at 728-2177 for specifics.
Clean your space and save your stuff for our local Spring Clean Up!