Mmmmm. Hot, hot, hot! Photo from schopie1 on Flickr.

And it’s finally Cinco de Mayo.

Between sips of margaritas, start scheming about planting some tasty jalapeños for a spicy, summer addition to salads and sauces.

Here are a few tips from Steve Aegerter, Colorado Master Gardener from Colorado State University.

Make sure nighttime temps consistently stay above 50 degrees before planting.

Use well-amended soil that contains plenty of organic matter, supplemented with a balanced fertilizer.

Plant in an area that receives lots of sun, spacing them about 18 inches apart with rows three feet apart.

Support with small tomato cages or a similar device to keep plants from splitting or falling over due to a heavy
crop.

For more tips and a list of possible peppers to plant, check out Steve Aegerter’s page or Cosmic Chile.

Need an afternoon wake-you-up? Photo compliments of Flickr user, puuikibeach.

Mmmm … FREE coffee.

Yup, that’s right. Today, Tuesday, May 3, it’s free coffee tasting day at the Whole Foods on Pearl Street.

Swing by today between and 3 and 6 p.m. for a free sample of Allegro’s Organic Bolivia Café Takesi coffee, a light roast described as having “concord grape and chocolate notes with luscious full body.”

Delish!

For more info, check out the Allegro Coffee Facebook page.

Look at how much fun this little kid is having. Photo from falcon1961 on Flickr.

Here are the deets:

Where: Platt Middle School

When: Through April 29, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Why: The bikes you donate will help support programs like the Youth Earn-a-Bike and the Kids Holiday Bike Give-Away.

For more information, check out Community Cycles‘ website.

Turn these little greenies ... (Photo from Flickr on Graibeard's photostream)

Here are a couple of key tips from Emily Oaksford of Grown in the City.

Roots:  It is very beneficial to re-pot tomato starts at least once before transplanting them into their final outdoor location.

The first transplant: Once the start has two sets of leaves and the plant is 3-4 inches tall, re-plant the start just under the lowest set of leaves.

More transplants: You can transplant your tomato again (and again) once it reaches 8-10 inches in height, before you plant your tomato outside.

The final transplant: The transplanting of your tomato into it’s outdoor growing location should be done using a similar method of burying the stem above the current soil level.

Read the rest of Oaksford’s suggestions at DIY: Transplanting tomatoes (again and again).

Into these yummy, ripe tomatoes! Photo by Marty Caivano.

Northern leopard frogs have been spotted in four different locations.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Jones.

Here’s a bit from Laura Snider:

The speckled green frogs have already been discovered on open space land owned by the city, especially in the southern grasslands, but this is the first time that the springy amphibians have been documented on county lands.

Read more about these cute little hoppers at the Daily Camera: Now-rare northern leopard frogs found on Boulder County open space.

“What’s ‘landfill’ mean?” person #1 asked person #2 as they walked past a set of three labeled disposal containers. She was holding something she needed to throw away.

“I don’t know,” person #2 replied. “Just throw it in recycling.”

Did you just gasp as loudly as I did?

Let’s start here, with a definition of landfill. According to dictionary.com, a landfill is a “low area of land that is built up from deposits of solid refuse in layers covered by soil.” According to me, Courtney Holden, a landfill is a stinky expanse of garbage that goes on and on and on.

And it’s important that we all know the difference because throwing garbage into the recycling bin can actually do a lot of damage. Don’t believe me? Take a tour through the Boulder County Recycling Center (don’t worry, you don’t have to leave your chair) by checking out this video: Single Stream Recycling at the Boulder County Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

Check out Moraine Park in RMNP this weekend. Photo by Peggy Moody.

Head up to Rocky Mountain National Park … FOR FREE!

The park entrance ranger will wave you on while waiving your $20 entrance fee through April 24.

Tomorrow–on Earth Day–there will be an open house at the park’s greenhouse, which features plants native to the area. Leave your car at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center on Highway 36 just west of Estes Park where park employees will direct you to the nearby greenhouse.

One of those organizations is the Oceanic Preservation Society. You might have heard of their recent movie “The Cove.”  It won an Academy Award.

Another group, Educate!, is working to revamp the educational system in Uganda.

The list goes on and on.

As we learn about the world, we are better able to help it.

Earth Day–April 22–is a great time to start.

Here’s a list of a few local events to help you get your green on.

April 22

The Boulder Valley School District will have its third annual Bike-to-School Day. Students can register at bvsd.org/saferoutes to participate. They will receive a free school lunch and coupons at local stores, as well as a chance to win prizes, such as bikes and tune-ups, helmets, bike lights, jerseys, bells and more. Go here for more info.

Alfalfa’s will re-open if you’re out and about in need of groceries. Check out the Daily Camera story: Alfalfa’s Market comes back to life in downtown Boulder.

May 1

We typically run on the Earth. Try running for it with the 9th Annual Earth Day 5k hosted by the Center for ReSource Conservation. The race starts at CU’s Research Park. Cost: $25/adults before April 30; $30/adults after. Register at Active.com.

Two helicopters spent the daylight hours Thursday dropping giant nets filled with straw mulch onto the land scorched last fall by the devastating Fourmile Fire.

The two choppers picked up loads of weed-free straw, each weighing thousands of pounds, from a staging area in the Sugar Loaf community and dropped them on the rugged landscape around Emerson Gulch, where the fire began. After being dropped from nets, the straw was flung apart by the turbulence of the rotors before falling lazily to the ground. Read more: “Helicopters begin $2 million mulch drop in Fourmile Fire burn area“