Hows the growing of vegetables near the front range? (Denver: to buy, university)

[cjthyr]

I was wondering if growing vegetables in the front range (lower coal creek area) is different or more difficult than that of lower elevations. I am close to moving out there from Minnesota and like that area of the foothills but wanted to see if anyone has some info from experience, friends or family. I am comfortable here with my growing skills but need a little help to see what I'm in for out there. We usually keep it simple, tomatoes, onions, peppers, herbs and potatoes. Thanks for your time.

[Latania]

Time to think Spring!!! I hear ya! I'm looking for info / help too. Been thinking about big lawn changes-

This year it looks like the year to do our own food production. I've convinced my spouse to "go Green" by switching over our high maintenance lawn to a no mowing grass lawn and adding garden space - the bigger the better. I tried the No Mow (a low growing) Grass last year on a little spot and loved it so I'm going with that. The food thing I'm new to and have no idea what, how to get things going. What are good fruit trees for the area?

I'm new to gardening so tips are welcome!

We eat a lot of food here so any / all info is helpful. Thanks!

Thinking Spring!

[sterlinggirl]

Originally Posted by cjthyr

I was wondering if growing vegetables in the front range (lower coal creek area) is different or more difficult than that of lower elevations. I am close to moving out there from Minnesota and like that area of the foothills but wanted to see if anyone has some info from experience, friends or family. I am comfortable here with my growing skills but need a little help to see what I'm in for out there. We usually keep it simple, tomatoes, onions, peppers, herbs and potatoes. Thanks for your time.

If you want good dirt, you'll need to bring it with you....or spend the better part of a decade trying to make it.

The soil here tends to be very thin (many places only have a couple inches of it), and instead of black loam, you'll find a mix of sand and clay with very little organic matter. One day it will be a sticky mess, and the next day it looks like a desert lake bed.

With that being said, you can grow a decent garden here. It just isn't as easy as it is in Minnesota.

[lalahartma]

It is also a short growing season. But it definately can be done: especially if you start them indoors.

[cjthyr]

Thank for the info. it all helps, as I get involved there with it I willl share my learnings good and bad.

[cjthyr]

One tip for latania, if you like basil and grow it within the same area of other veggies it helps keep the insects away, you can also use marigolds for the same reason and it adds a bit of color to all the green. Not sure if insects are an issue out there but here they can cause a lot of trouble. I'm not an expert but this is what I have learned.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Latania

Time to think Spring!!! I hear ya! I'm looking for info / help too. Been thinking about big lawn changes-

This year it looks like the year to do our own food production. I've convinced my spouse to "go Green" by switching over our high maintenance lawn to a no mowing grass lawn and adding garden space - the bigger the better. I tried the No Mow (a low growing) Grass last year on a little spot and loved it so I'm going with that. The food thing I'm new to and have no idea what, how to get things going. What are good fruit trees for the area?

I'm new to gardening so tips are welcome!

We eat a lot of food here so any / all info is helpful. Thanks!

Thinking Spring!

What type of grass are you going with? I have a very small lawn that takes no more than 15 min. to mow, but I'm on a corner and it's a constant fight all summer to keep up with all the burn spots where dogs pee on the grass. The grass is only between the street and sidewalk, then xeriscaped from the sidewalk to the house. I thought about xeriscaping the lawn on the side street (leaving the only grass in front of the house) but it's pretty expensive to buy that many plants for xeriscaping.

[lalahartma]

CSU has loads of great info: Colorado Gardening: Challenge to Newcomers Colorado State University Extension

[xeric]

The average growing season in Fort Collins is only 120 days so you have to keep that in mind when growing frost - sensitive vegetables (I think Denver may be more like 140 days). That being said, you can usually get a good crop of tomatoes (they seem to like the strong summer sun), and peppers/chiles (as long as you are okay with harvesting them in their unripe green stage).

[kryptos]

Originally Posted by cjthyr

We usually keep it simple, tomatoes, onions, peppers, herbs and potatoes.

We had tomatoes, various peppers, eggplant and herbs last year in our first year of veggie gardening. We had a little trouble with the tomatoes (I think we had late blight- not sure though) but everything else went rather smoothly. The thing to watch out for is that the nighttime temperatures might not be high enough even in May to put your plants out. You might have to protect the plants with some sort of a covering. Also, like xeric pointed out, the growing season can be rather short. We got varieties of veggies which started flowering faster than others. Good luck and keep us posted!