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It’s May Day! Learn about planning a garden and upcoming events!

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Orchard Happenings and Updates
🌱☀️May🌧️🐝
Hi all! 
I am so thankful for the moisture these past couple days, clouds and all. Our orchard is happy to get as much rain as it can. I know this June and July are going to be hot and dry, and we will be talking about water conservation all throughout the year in this newsletter and our weekly workshops.

In this newsletter, we are requesting volunteer support for a few programs and projects. Also included below is information and some tips and tricks for planning a vegetable garden!

Stay informed about drought in our area by following the links below!

If you’re interested in coming out for a Garden Workshops or Volunteering, you can sign up through the volunteer portal HERE.
 

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Volunteer Help Needed!

We’re excited to make it easier to get involved and jump into a variety of fun volunteer roles and events! 

GardenAbility Program: Support learning & gardening alongside our IDD participants. Tue–Thurs, 9:30am–12:30pm (high need).

General Garden Volunteers: Help with planting, maintenance, and harvest—various times throughout the week.

Movie Night Crew: Assist with setup, activities, and cleanup. Second Friday, 6:00pm–10:00pm.

Face Painter: Join our events team for movie nights (second Friday) and other community events.

If you’ve already completed a 2026 waiver/portal signup, click the button below to sign up. If you haven’t volunteered/completed a wiaver with us this year, please use this link to register first.

Complete Interest Form Here

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Volunteer Login

Strawberry Spinach Salad
 

A fresh recipe and great way to incorporate Spinach into your diet this spring!

(photo by Beth Moncel and BudgetBytes)

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Contest Registration

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Movie Night Registration

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Volunteer Portal/Signup

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Garden Planning 
As you plan your garden this season, consider the mature size of each plant to ensure optimal spacing, airflow, and access to sunlight and water. Proper spacing is especially important for crops like tomatoes, where good airflow can help prevent disease and promote healthy growth.

My favorite planting guide which includes information for the mature size of many common vegetables can be found here: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/720.pdf. Make sure that you aren’t crowding your vegetable garden, airflow is important for preventing disease and a less-crowded plant will be easier to monitor for pests. Catching pest issues early in the season makes management 100x easier!

Consider Making a Grid Garden Plan or use one of the guides linked below.

I am a fan of using a modified block layout, like what is described in this article: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/713.pdf. I also like to bend the rules a little—planting root vegetables like carrots and radishes along the perimeter of raised beds to squeeze in extra productivity. While it isn’t time to plant tomatoes and squash, we are coming to the point where raddish, broccoli, and lettuces and other frost resistant vegetables can be planted!

Sample Planting Guide (detailed plan, has all the information one needs to get started): https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/721.pdf

Companion Planting
Some plants do very well when planted alongside one another.
 
Some plants thrive when grown alongside one another, creating a more productive and resilient garden. At Jovial Concepts, we incorporate companion planting in each garden bed we care for, using plant pairings that optimize space, enhance growth, and naturally deter pests.

🌱 Tomatoes + Basil & Marigolds – The shade from tall, heat-loving tomatoes can help prevent certain crops from bolting, while basil and marigolds reduce thrips pressure.

🥕 Carrots + Onions – Onions help mask the scent of carrots and deter predatory insects, while carrots attract pollinators.


🌽 The Three Sisters Method – A classic example of companion planting, where corn provides a structure for beans to climb, while squash grows at the base to deter pests and retain moisture.

For more information on this topic, I would highly encourage gardeners to check out this page from West Virginia University. It has a great list of companion (and not-companion) plants : https://extension.wvu.edu/lawn-gardening-pests/gardening/garden-management/companion-planting

For any new gardeners feeling overwhelmed by all of the information, I would like to share this article which is a great one-stop-shop of information for beginners: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/home-vegetable-gardening-a-quick-reference-guide.

As always, I just can’t help but include a few additional resources on this topic.

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Swarming Bees?

Earlier this year, we found bees swarming in Rabbit Brush at the orchard. It was quite a sight and sound. We called the Bee Swarm hotline and a local beekeeper was able to come out and swiftly take them away. If you find a swarm your can always call: 1.844.SPY.BEES (1.844.779.2337).

https://coloradobeekeepers.org/resources/swarm-hotline/

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