What Eats Pepper in Colorado, and When
Colorado State University Extension documents seven pests that actually feed on peppers here, and they show up on a schedule tied to the state’s short…
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.
What Eats Spinach in Colorado, and When
Five of the ten pests Colorado State University Extension tracks for vegetable gardens actually bother spinach: flea beetles, cutworms and seedcorn…
What Eats Onion in Colorado, and When
Colorado State University Extension documents ten insect pests that turn up in home vegetable gardens statewide, but only a handful of them have any real…
What Eats Corn in Colorado, and When
Corn earworm is the pest most directly linked to corn in Colorado, but it doesn’t act alone.
What Eats Pumpkin in Colorado, and When
Colorado State University Extension documents seven pests that actually target pumpkin here, out of a longer list that covers the state’s vegetable crops…
What Eats Potato in Colorado, and When
In Colorado, potato foliage and tubers draw attention from several distinct feeders across the growing season, not one single culprit.
What Eats Parsnip in Colorado, and When
Parsnip in a Colorado garden faces a short, specific pest list, and most of the trouble arrives at two points: right after seeding, when the crop is most…
When to Pick Tomatoes in Colorado, and Ripening the Rest
The short answer: pick tomatoes as soon as they show any blush of color, and don’t wait for full red on the vine.
When to Harvest Garlic in Colorado, and How to Cure It
Garlic in Colorado comes out of the ground by the look of its leaves, not by a date on the calendar.
When to Pick Apples in Colorado, and How Long They Keep
Pick apples in Colorado when the seeds inside have turned brown and the fruit twists free from the branch without tearing, not by a date on the calendar.