Tomato Pests in Colorado: Which Ones Actually Show Up Here
A rundown of the tomato pests that actually turn up in Colorado gardens, how to tell them apart, and what works against each one.
Gardening in Colorado
Everything we have worked out for Colorado: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Denver, the last spring freeze runs May 1 to May 11 and the first fall freeze runs September 30 to October 12, USDA zones 3b-7b, 3,401 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 30.4 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Colorado: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Tomato Varieties That Ripen in Time in Colorado
A season-by-season look at 14 tomato varieties measured against Denver’s frost window, showing which ripen with room to spare and which cut it close.
Tomato Planting Dates in Colorado: Counting Back From Your Frost Window
Colorado’s last spring frost falls in a range, not a date, so this explains how to count backward from it using days to maturity for your tomatoes.
Growing Tomatoes in Colorado: Planting Dates, Varieties and Local Pests
Colorado’s short growing season and variable elevation shape when to start tomato seeds, which varieties to choose, and how to manage local pests.