Deb Babcock
Deb Babcock, 51, has been writing the weekly gardening column for the newspaper as a volunteer master gardener since May 2000. Master gardeners are volunteers who have completed a course of study through the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension office and provide research-based advice and assistance to local home gardeners. Prior to moving to Steamboat Springs, Deb was a market researcher in Ann Arbor, Mich., and now spends her time gardening, hiking, skiing and creating pottery at her studio, Blue Sky Pottery, in the Pine Grove Center.
Recent Stories
Deb Babcock: You can count on geraniums
One indoor plant Steamboat Springs gardeners can count on is the geranium. No matter how much abuse we heap on this plant, it seems to thrive and flower all year round. That’s partly because it’s so sunny here in Steamboat. Geraniums love sunlight.
Deb Babcock: Force bulbs to grow indoors
Flowers can provide winter color and fragrance
Many of the local garden centers are promoting bulbs this month to plant for color next spring. As you consider whether to pick up some bulbs for the garden, consider purchasing a few to bring fragrance and color inside your home during the drab winter.
Deb Babcock: Protect trees from winter sunscald
Before the weather turns wintry, take steps to protect your trees from sunscald and other common problems that occur during our fierce winters.
Deb Babcock: When to prune shrubs
Ordinarily, a shrub shouldn't need pruning if you've selected the right-size plant for a particular site. But sometimes it's necessary to prune for the health of the plant, to control its size, promote new growth with better flowers, or correct damage caused by weather, disease, animals and other harmful agents.
Deb Babcock: Lawn care for the fall
Quite often by the time the kids go begging for treats in downtown Steamboat Springs on Halloween, we've experienced some snowfall and certainly much cooler weather. So before winter kicks in and you lose the opportunity to give your lawn a head start on next spring's growth, take time to care for your lawn this fall.
Deb Babcock: Dividing perennials in the fall
Now is a good time to propagate many of the perennials in your garden if they've become overgrown, if you just want to have more of a particular plant or if they seem to have lost some of their heartiness.
Deb Babcock: Mushrooms in your lawn?
Some Steamboat area residents are complaining about mushrooms popping up in their lawns this fall. As Bill Sauter said to me the other day, "It's not that I don't like them, but they're slippery when I go to mow the lawn and step on one."
Deb Babcock: The lowly potato
Potatoes have roots going back 7,000 years to the mountains of the Andes in South America. Farmers back then admired the ruggedness, nutritional value, and storage attributes of this tuber.
Deb Babcock: Protect your plants this winter
The hardiness of our garden plants depends on nature and nurture. Part of its hardiness is genetically controlled and part of it is a "learned" response to our much harsher environment.
Deb Babcock: Keeping color in your garden
The intense mountain sun seems to fade the color in our gardens as summer moves toward fall. With just a little planning, however, local gardeners can enjoy vibrant late summer/autumn color right up through the first frost.
