New gardener from Santa Fe NM

I am thinking that this is the correct sub-forum for Santa Fe NM.  Looking to start my first above ground SFG here in some self watering containers that I purchased at Sam's.  Looking for tips for tomatoes, peppers, cukes and broccolini plants.  

Am I in the right place?  My elevation is slightly less that 6800 feet.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Moved here from N. TX so totally different climate! and zone.

Welcome, CantersVary!  Are you a horse person perchance?  

You are definitely in the right place, this is a great group of folks that have been doing Square Foot Gardening for a variety of time frames.  

If I were you (and I was!), starts small and manageable. On your plant choices, I will have to defer to your regional folks!

Welcome! 

Hi Canters, Welcome to the Forum from Fresno, CA.

Yes, this is the correct subforum for your high-altitude desert area. It is not very active but there may be some threads that will really help you.
You are free to look at and comment in all threads in all subforums. I have attached a link to the NM Univ ag extension Vegetable Planting Guide. They even list suggested varieties that can reach maturity before the first average frost date.

SFG uses Mel's Mix as the growing medium. It works in Canada, Florida, Ohio, Colorado, NM, AZ CA, WA, The U.K, New Zealand, etc. What differs for the Regions is the climate, type of pests, and length of growing season. Composts are locally sourced. Read the label. Only compost, no add ingredients like coir, perlite, sand, wood fines, etc. Your municipal compost yard uses biosolids (human solids) in the compost so that is a decision you will have to make if you want to use it. Otherwise, bagged compost will have to be used. You may want to start a compost pile. Coarse vermiculite is ordered online from a handful of companies. We get all excited when there is a sale or free shipping advertised.
Compressed bales of peat moss can usually be locally sourced at Big Box stores and nurseries. Fluff before measuring.

https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_circulars/CR457B/

https://squarefootgardening.org/

Invaluable reading and at-hand resource: the 2nd or 3rd Edition of ALL NEW Square Foot Gardening by creator and founder Mel Batholomew. At your library, Amazon or eBay. Some bookstores carry the 3rd Edition.

Tap into your Santa Fe Master Gardeners.

I am excited to try SFG in my raised beds.  I do have lots of composted horse manure to add to the mix.  The bid deal here in SF is water, I catch what I can as the well water here is quite hard.  Looking forward to getting some seeds started inside, just have to remind myself to pace myself on seed starting as the last spring frost usually surprises everyone by being about 10 days after the average last frost.  This puts it in mid May and in TX I had tomato plants going out end of March.  I keep telling myself patience is a virtue!

Glad you have horses…they are fantastic creatures.  It has been many years since I had mine, but I loved her.

So you moved from TX to NM?  And you got cooler temps?  Here I cannot imagine that!  My niece lives in Houston.  Very hot!

When the time comes, be sure to harden off your indoor-planted seedlings by putting them outdoors for an hour or so a day, gradually working up over a period of a week or so to a full day.  They should be in a partly-shaded, not-too-windy spot.


After you transplant them into your SFG, watch the weather forecast like a hawk, and be prepared to cover with frost cloth or the like if the temps are expected to reach 40F or lower.  Remove the cover in the morning, assuming the temps aren't too cold.

Welcome from Montana!

Before you mix that wonderful composted horse manure into your Mel's mix, make a small sample and grow some beans in it. A lot of weed free certified horse hay and pellets have long term herbicides in them. So does beet pulp in a lot of senior feed. I know from some bad experiences. Killed half my garden once. My horse is old, 30 this spring I think, and I now just spread her manure over the pastures. It is a crying shame and irritates me no end.
https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=11017#:~:text=Put%20the%20pots%20in%20a,herbicide%20contamination%20in%20the%20compost.

I would not have thought of that!  I will do that, my old TB is 32 this year and gets a senior food and beet pulp!  Thank you for that advice!  I'll try and get a few seeds started in a bin next week in straight poop and see how they do!  I would not have thought of that!  4 horses make lots of poop, so most of it does go out in the pasture.  Just wish there was rain here to let it improve the soil.  Don't think I have seen a single worm out there when we have done any digging like for posts etc.