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 nature. It was planted in late September and is well established with the warm fall and winter to date. While much of the top growth is lost, I know there is substantial root growth that also will provide organic matter for soil improvement.  It will grow out again early before I turn it under in spring so I’m not too worried about gaining benefits from this winter ry ..read more

Tomatoes newly mulched with grass clippings With 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 is frowned on earlier because it delays heating of soils to temperatures suitable for warm season vegetable development. Later mulching is especially important for peppers but also tomatoes, eggplant, etc. Grass clippings from lawns not treated with herbicides and not having a lot of weed seed work well. A one to two inch layer is sufficient. It's better to apply two thin layers a we ..read more

Newly set up Wall O' Waters I'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 cone that you fill with water to absorb the sun's heat and keep the plant growing within them warm. What about setting them up now in late May when the growing season is supposedly on and the danger of a spring freeze low? My answer is it is still a good idea for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and warm season vegetables. Why? Now they can be used not so much to extend the season and pro ..read more

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 produce vegetative growth and flowers until frost. Of course there are some inbetweens. They are  known as semideterminate types but even that doesn't fully capture growth habits as some are sprawling and some short, upright plants. Determinate 'Fantastico' F1 hybrid grape tomato. All-America Selections. What's the big deal about growth habit other than considering it in allocat ..read more

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 tomato variety that performs well one year may not the next. For example last season (2016) many people complained that they had few ripe tomatoes by late summer. Summer heat was likely to blame for poor pollination and fruit set. Denver had 44 days from June through August with temperatures over 85 degrees F, temperatures where blossom drop is likely. Greeley had 68 days. Fortunately we had a ..read more

Peach bloom April 1, 2017 A 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 the biggest concern for home fruit growers. While a dry March had few cold nights, April is shaping up to have much more variable weather. This includes rain/snow storms followed by cold nights due to radiational cooling after storms pass and skies clear. USDA Hardiness Zone 6 or better yet Zone 7 (Colorado's West Slope) are better areas to grow peaches than Zone 5 Denver. While th ..read more

Apricot 'Sungold' Mar 11, 2017 This 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 weather we've been having causes early bloom of fruit trees, blossoms could be caught by freezes. Apricots are notorious for early bloom. Pictured is Prunus armeniaca 'Sungold' at Denver Botanic Gardens that was in full bloom this past weekend. Apricots may only bear fruit one year out of five (?) here on average because blossoms get caught by freezes in late March and April. The good thing ..read more

'Patio Choice Yellow' tomato Got 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 inches tall. It's the perfect size for container growing on a balcony or other small space. Vines can bear 100 fruit and begin bearing in only 65 days from sowing seed.  The 1 inch bright yellow fruit are mildly sweet with a touch of acid. 'Antares' F1 bulb fennel Why not try something new in your garden this year? 'Antares' F1 fennel not only produces an edible bul ..read more

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 few bush type varieties (see Wee-B-Little below). Plant from transplants as soon as the weather is warm because they require 90 to 120 days to harvest. In the photo a home entry walkway is bordered with a bed used to grow strawberries in early summer and pumpkins for fall. A few tulips come through in spring to add some color to this garden. Talk about making good use of garden space ..read more

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 reason for heavy fruiting is that stored energy is high because many trees bore little fruit in 2015. A warm fall in 2014 didn't allow many trees to prepare for cold weather. Sudden subzero temperatures in early November 2014 following the warm fall caused freeze injury to a variety of plant tissues some affecting flower buds. That and usual spring freezes resulted in generally light crops in 201 ..read more