Page 14 April 8, 2021 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor
The basics of vegetable gardening By Jon Weiss Colorado State University Extension Master Gardener in Larimer County If you’re contemplating growing a vegetable garden this year, ask a few questions before you plant to help you decide what vegetables to grow: what are your (family’s) favorite vegetables; how much space do you have for your garden; what vegetables do you like but are hard to find in local stores/farmers’ markets? Do you want to grow an interesting vegetable to show your children how it grows? The Front Range has a relatively short growing season that may impact your selections. It’s important to take into consideration a variety’s maturity. Maturity may be expressed (on seed packet or plant tag) as early, mid-season, late, and may be a number (i.e., 60 days; sometimes expressed as “days to harvest”). You’ve probably heard that it’s safe to plant your flowers and vegetables around Mother’s Day. This is sometimes too soon for vegetables that like warmer weather, like tomatoes and peppers. Waiting until Memorial Day or even the beginning of June allows soils to warm up and for nighttime temperatures to regulate. The last spring frost date varies from year to year, though it’s commonly stated as May 15, and it’s not unusual to see snow in May. Unless you can cover plants and protect them from late spring frosts, delaying planting is a good rule of thumb. The best part is your plants will catch up and still produce at the time same as those planted earlier. Your vegetable garden is started from seeds or “starts” (transplants). Vegetables that you can directly plant in the garden include carrots, beets, radishes, cucumbers, squash, sweet corn, snap beans and peas. Many vegetables are best grown by using transplants or starts either grown at home or bought at a garden center. Examples include tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and cabbage. Some vegetables like lettuce and spinach can be sown directly into the soil or planted via starts. Vegetables are roughly divided into cool season and warm season varieties. Cool-season vegetables prefer cool growing temperatures (60°F to 80°F) and can lose quality in hot weather. There are two sub-groups of cool-season vegetables. The hardy group such as broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, onions, lettuce, peas, radish, spinach and turnips grow with daytime temperatures as low as 40°F and
• InsideOut
may survive a frosty nip. These crops may be planted as early as 2-4 weeks before the date of the average last spring frost. The semi-hardy group such as beets, carrots, cauliflower, parsley, parsnips, potatoes and Swiss chard will grow with a minimum daytime temperature of 40°F to 50°F but are less tolerant of frosty nights. These crops may be planted as early as 0-2 weeks before the date of the average last spring frost. Warm-season vegetables are also divided into two groups, though all prefer summer-like weather with temperatures between 70°F and 95°F. They are intolerant of frost and may be sensitive to cool spring winds. A week of daytime temperatures below 55°F may stunt the crop. The tender group like beans, celery, corn, cucumbers, New Zealand spinach and summer squash grow with a daytime temperature above 55°F. These crops may be planted (from seed) around the date of the average last spring frost. The very tender group like cantaloupe, eggplant, pepper, winter squash, tomato and watermelon need daytime temperatures above 60°F. These vegetables are typically planted two-plus weeks after the average last spring frost date. Keep the plant tags, seed packets, or write down the names of the varieties you plant, and use this information to help plan your garden next year. Keep notes of any insect or disease issues you see during the growing season. All of this will help you be a better gardener going forward. And if you run into any issues, the Larimer County Master Gardeners are here to help. Email us at larimermg@gmail.com or call us on Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., April 13 to Oct. 19 at 970-498-6000.
