What Eats Carrot in Colorado, and When
In Colorado, five kinds of pests show up on carrot foliage and seedlings across a typical growing season: cutworms and seedcorn maggots right at seeding…
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 Beet in Colorado, and When
Colorado State University Extension documents ten pest species active in home gardens across the state, and five of them feed on beet: cutworms and…
What Eats Asparagus in Colorado, and When
Colorado State University Extension documents ten garden pests common enough across the state to warrant identification sheets, but only five of them…
What Eats Garlic in Colorado, and When
Garlic damage in Colorado usually traces to one of five feeders: cutworms and seedcorn maggots working underground at planting, then flea beetles…
Does Insulation Keep a Home in Colorado Cool?
Yes, insulation cuts summer heat in Colorado, but how much it matters depends on where in the state you are.
Does a Wall in Colorado Need a Vapor Barrier?
Yes. Every county in Colorado sits in Climate Zone 4B, 5B, 6B, or 7, and none of those fall inside the exception the 2021 International Residential Code…
Heating With Pellets in Colorado: What a Winter Takes
Denver’s reference station logs about 5,862 heating degree days a year, a total that puts pellet heating in Colorado closer to real furnace-level work…
Potato psyllid in Colorado: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Adult potato psyllids don’t follow a fixed date on a Colorado calendar. They ride warm air currents north each year, and how early they show up on Front…
Cutworms in Colorado: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Cutworms show up in Colorado gardens in spring, as soil warms enough for overwintering larvae to start feeding at night on young transplants.
Seedcorn maggot in Colorado: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Seedcorn maggot shows up in Colorado gardens in early spring, right when cool, wet soil slows germination and gives the larvae time to attack seeds…