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It's Cherry time
Mature, rarely pruned cherry tree SW DenverYields of cherries look reasonable considering the 28 degree F lows we had on May 11 and 12. (See May 12 post on fruit bud damage). Damage at these...
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Frost advisory tonight
October 7 is the average date of the first fall freeze in Denver so it should be no surprise that a freeze advisory is issued for tonight, October 2. The earliest fall freeze was September 8 in 1962...
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Season continues for some gardeners
'Azoychka' yellow tomato Oct 13, 2014If you were lucky you escaped Oct 12 scattered frosts or covered tender plants and will be rewarded with an extended growing season. We've been in a pattern of...
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2014 Gardening Year in Review
Frost apparent on tomato leaves.The best thing about 2014 was probably the extended growing season with the acknowledgment that many vegetable gardeners had to cope with hail along the way. Even though...
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Fruit tree pruning time
Now that the worst cold winter blasts are hopefully over, dormant season fruit tree pruning should be completed in March prior to bud break. The pruned peach tree in the left foreground looks sparse...
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Fruit tree freeze deaths
Subzero temperatures the second week in November did more damage than just preventing normal leaf drop (see Jan 16 "2014 Gardening Year in Review" post). As normal times for Front Range fruit trees to...
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Warm Season Vegetable Transplanting and Plant Sale Recommendation
This past week we saw a week of rain ending with snow that dropped 3.3 inches of precipitation in my Denver garden. The wet week ended May 10th with an overnight low of 31 degrees F.Two years in a row!...
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Cool, Wet Weather Persists
Freeze damage on tender grape leavesThe limp grape leaves in the photo show one effect of cool, rainy spring weather. Clearing skies on May 10 as a storm system moved out after a week of rain allowed...
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Still Useful to Plant in Wall O' Waters
Denver is receiving more sun and temperatures have warmed this week. That doesn't mean that it is ideal weather for planting tomatoes and other warm season vegetable transplants. Nighttime temperatures...
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Heat At Last
New grape growthThe average May 2015 temperature in Denver was 4.1 degrees below normal at 53 degrees F. The cool month slowed or delayed growth of some plants and postponed planting of warm season...
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Greens crop replacement
Buckwheat seedlings following harvest of spring lettuce cropThe onset of ninety degree F weather along the Front Range means those cool season greens that have lasted so long this year due to a cool...
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Cover crops for a green winter vegetable garden
Winter rye/Austrian winter peaFall planted cover crops make me feel good for two reasons. First I know that after they grow over the winter and I turn them under in the spring, I will have improved my...
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Turning Under the Winter Ryegrass Cover Crop
As I was strolling the grounds of Denver Botanic Gardens this week enjoying the spring bulb bloom, I saw gardeners turning under a plot of winter ryegrass. This reminded me that cover crops aren't only...
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Prospects for Fruit this Year in Denver
The 2015-2016 winter in Denver was unusually mild for fruit tree flower bud survival with only two days of zero degrees F (December 17 and 28) and no temperatures below zero (National Weather Service...
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Varieties Adapted to Front Range Colorado
Amy's Apricot tomatoCherry tomatoes are convenient for many people and golden cherry tomatoes have been of interest. Sun Gold is one that seems to do well in Denver and has become popular.This year I...
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Good year for fruit on the Front Range
It is often said that spring freezes are the biggest danger to fruit growing. This year many areas of the Front Range were spared freezes at flowering resulting in generally good fruit set.Another...
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Pumpkins for many purposes
Pumpkins grow in a south-facing bed with strawberries(Photo credit Carl Wilson)Pumpkins, Cucurbita pepo, are easy to grow if you have room. A 10 to 15 foot vine spread is typical although there are a...
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New Vegetables for 2017
'Patio Choice Yellow' tomatoGot small spaces? 'Patio Choice Yellow' F1 tomato may be right for you.An All-America Selections winner, this tomato is a compact, determinate plant growing only 15 to 18...
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Fruit tree bloom could be early?
Apricot 'Sungold' Mar 11, 2017This week's forecast calls for weather not just in the sixties, but reaching into the seventies and possibly even eighty degrees F by the coming weekend. If the warm...
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Spring freezes and fruit trees
Peach bloom April 1, 2017A recent look showed peaches in full bloom in Denver during a week in which night temperatures are expected to drop to the mid to low twenties F.Spring freezes during bloom are...
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Choosing tomato varieties
The Front Range has varied topography, elevations, location in relation to nearby mountains and microclimates. Every season is different as temperature and rainfall vary through the growing season. A...
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Determining tomato varieites
The pun in the title is meant to call attention to the growth habit of tomatoes as gardeners pick varieties for planting this month.Determinate tomato growth ends in a flower while indeterminate types...
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Is setting up Wall O' Water's still worth it?
Newly set up Wall O' WatersI've written before about the Wall O' Water product for season extension in Colorado's high and dry continental climate. This is the one with tubes in the side of the plastic...
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Time to mulch warm season veggies
Tomatoes newly mulchedwith grass clippingsWith the arrival of summer this week but more importantly now thoroughly warm soils, mulching of warm season vegetables is in order for saving water.Mulching...
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Winter Musings
Winter cover crop B.R. (before rabbits)Cover crop A.R.(after rabbits)As I look at my winter cover crop planting clipped low by rabbit(s), I’m waxing philosophical about gardening and working with...
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