Are you ready to get your garden prepped for a successful growing season?
Check out our Spring Checklist!
General Gardening Information
Below are general gardening topics to help you get started growing a food garden. Resources from CSU’s Planttalk website are brief articles to introduce you to the subject material and focused on the beginner. CSU Fact Sheets are more detailed and often include recommendations from CSU Extension specialists and agents. CMG GardenNotes are very detailed chapter-style resources written to train Colorado Master Gardeners. CO-Horts and Colorado Mountain Gardener blog postings are also included as more casual resources.
Colorado’s Climate
- SEASONAL CHECKLIST – Fall Checklist
- WEBINAR: Intro to Vegetable Gardening in Colorado (1:15:42)
- Buying and Hardening Transplants – Planttalk #1802
- Transplanting into the Garden – Planttalk #1818
- Spring Frosts & Snows– Planttalk #2013
- Last Spring Frosts – Planttalk #2018
- Frost and Freeze– Planttalk #2048
- Vegetable Garden Hints – CMG GardenNotes #719
- Frost Protection and Extending the Growing Season – CMG GardenNotes #722
- Check out the Colorado Produce calendar, a great resource for when produce is available/should be ripe in your garden.
When should you plant in your area? Use these Climate Summaries to find out your average frost dates and monthly average temperatures on a local level.
- #741, Climate Summary: Boulder and Longmont
- #742, Climate Summary: Castle Rock, Littleton and Parker
- #743, Climate Summary: Colorado Springs
- #744, Climate Summary: Dillon
- #745, Climate Summary: Eagle and Glenwood Springs
- #746, Climate Summary: Fort Collins, Greeley and Estes Park
- #757, Climate Summary: Gilpin
- #747, Climate Summary: Gunnison
- #748, Climate Summary: Northeast Colorado
- #749, Climate Summary: Northwest Colorado
- #750, Climate Summary: Southwest Colorado
- #751, Climate Summary: Pueblo
- #752, Climate Summary: Salida and Buena Vista
- #753, Climate Summary: Norwood and Telluride
- #754, Climate Summary: San Luis Valley
- #755, Climate Summary: Canon City
- #756, Climate Summary and Planting Dates: Tri River Area
Environmental Hurdles
- VIDEO: Managing WIND in Your Vegetable Garden (10:23)
- VIDEO: Managing SUN & HEAT in Your Vegetable Garden (6:15)
- VIDEO: Managing HAIL in Your Vegetable Garden (7:28)
Site Planning & Prep
- VIDEO: Soils for the Vegetable Garden (12:58)
- VIDEO: Mulching for the Vegetable Garden (5:16)
- VIDEO: Climate in the Vegetable Garden (7:12)
- VIDEO: Fertilizing the Vegetable Garden (3:03)
- VIDEO: Watering the Vegetable Garden (3:14)
- VIDEO: Site Considerations for Vegetable Garden (7:33)
- VIDEO: Extending the Season: Floating Row Covers (2:56)
- VIDEO: Step-by-Step: Build a Raised-Bed Hoop Cover (17:36)
- VIDEO: Block-Style Planting (11:15)
- VIDEO: Setting Up Drip Irrigation (18:02)
- VIDEO: Garden Tools (15:07)
- VIDEO: How to Read a Seed Catalog (6:01)
- WEBINAR: What to Plant Now in Colorado (1 hour)
- CSU Extension Grow & Give Garden Plans
- Planning a Vegetable Garden – Planttalk #1811
- Vegetable Site Tips – Planttalk #1819
- Early Vegetable Planting & Soil Preparation – Planttalk #1843
- When to Mulch Vegetables – Planttalk #1850
- Choosing a Soil Amendment – Fact Sheet #7.235
- Vegetable Garden: Soil Management and Fertilization – CMG GardenNotes #711
- Mulches for the Vegetable Garden – CMG GardenNotes #715
- Vegetable Planting Guide – CMG GardenNotes #720
Need a Soil Test? Check out the CSU Soil Testing Lab
Seed Starting and Seed Saving
- VIDEO: How to Read a Seed Catalog (6:01)
- VIDEO: Starting Seeds: Getting Started (15:25)
- VIDEO: Starting Seeds: Planting Inside & Outside, Scheduling (15:00)
- VIDEO: Starting Seeds: Transplanting & Saving Seed (14:46)
- VIDEO: Saving Seeds Part 1 (4:42)
- VIDEO: Saving Seeds Part 2 (3:56)
- VIDEO: Saving Seeds Part 3 (2:52)
- VIDEO: Saving Seeds Part 4 (7:20)
- Starting Plants Indoors – Planttalk #1034
- Soil Temperatures, Frosts and Planting Dates – Planttalk #1626
- Seeding Vegetables – Planttalk #1814
- Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors – Planttalk #1840
- Seed Starting Woes (Abiotic afflictions in the spring garden) – Planttalk #1853
- Seed Tape for the Easy Vegetable Garden – Planttalk #1854
- Seed Storage – Planttalk #2020
- Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds – Fact Sheet #7.221
- Growing Plants from Seed – Fact Sheet #7.409
- En Espanol – Cultivo de Plantas desde Semillas – Fact Sheet #7.409
- Saving Seed – Fact Sheet #7.602
- Sample Vegetable Garden Seed Catalogs – CMG GardenNotes #712
- Sample Planting Guide for Raised-Bed Garden – CMG GardenNotes #721
Water, Mulch & Fertilizer
- VIDEO: How to Set-up Drip Irrigation (18:02)
- VIDEO: Mulches for the Vegetable Garden (10:59)
- Watering Vegetables – Planttalk #1824
- When to Mulch Vegetables – Planttalk #1850
- Drip Irrigation for Home Gardeners – Fact sheet #4.702
- Operating and Maintaining a Home Irrigation System – Fact sheet #7.239
- Vegetable Gardening – Nitrogen Recommendations – Fact Sheet # 7.247
- Fertilizing the Vegetable Garden – Fact sheet #7.611
- How to Check Your Irrigation System – Irrigation Audit Form
- Vegetable Garden: Soil Management and Fertilization – CMG GardenNotes #711
- Irrigating the Vegetable Garden – CMG GardenNotes #714
- Mulches for the Vegetable Garden – CMG GardenNotes #715
- Water Conservation in the Vegetable Garden – CMG GardenNotes #716
Need a Soil Test? Check out the CSU Soil Testing Lab
Insects, Pests, Diseases and Weeds
- VIDEO: Protect Your Garden from Animals – Rabbits, Mice and Voles (15:06)
- VIDEO: Protect Your Garden from Animals – Squirrels (10:46)
- VIDEO: Protect Your Garden from Animals – Deer (11:15)
- VIDEO: Protect Your Garden from Animals – Raccoons (8:48)
- VIDEO: Protect Your Garden from Animals – Birds (5:47)
- MANY MORE Grow & Give Resources: Insects, Pests, Diseases and Weeds
Frost Protection & Season Extension
- VIDEO: Extending the Season: Floating Row Covers (2:56)
- VIDEO: Step-by-Step: Build a Raised-Bed Hoop Cover (17:36)
- INFORMATION SHEET: Season Extension by Type
- Spring frosts & snows– Planttalk #2013
- Last Spring Frosts – Planttalk #2018
- Frost and Freeze– Planttalk #2048
- Frost Protection and Extending the Growing Season – CMG GardenNotes #722
- Tips to Help Plants Survive a Cold Snap – CoHorts Blog (9/4/20)
- Low-Tunnels – CoHorts Blog (4/12/18)
Harvesting Produce
- WEBINAR: Harvesting Vegetables (50:33)
- Vegetable Harvest Stories – Planttalk #1822
- When to Harvest Vegetables – Planttalk #1842
- Vegetable Harvest Time – Planttalk #1847
- What To Do with Excess Fresh Produce? – Planttalk #1851
- Storage of Home Grown Vegetables – Fact Sheet #7.601
Container Gardening
- VIDEO: Herb Gardening (9:09)
- VIDEO: Growing Tomatoes in Buckets (7:25) See information sheet below
- INFORMATION SHEET: How to Grow Tomatoes in Buckets
- Container Vegetable Varieties – Planttalk #1838
- Vegetable Gardening in Containers – CMG GardenNotes #724
Raised Bed Gardening
- VIDEO: Growing with Raised Beds (14:15)
- Raised Bed gardening – Planttalk #1845
- Raised Bed vs. Rows – Planttalk #1812
- Raised Vegetable Bed – Planttalk #1839
- Treated Lumber in Gardening – Planttalk #2030
- Block Style Layout in Raised Bed Vegetable Gardens – CMG GardenNotes #713
- Sample Planting Guide for Raised-Bed Garden – CMG GardenNotes #721
Mountain Gardening
- VIDEO: Vegetable Gardening in the Mountains (49:35)
- Colorado Mountain Gardening Basics – Fact Sheet #7.244
- Vegetable Gardening in the Mountains – Fact Sheet #7.248
Growing at Higher Elevations? Check out the Colorado Mountain Gardener Blog
Greenhouse Growing
- Hobby Greenhouse: Benches, Shading, Supplies – Planttalk #1309
- Hobby Greenhouse: Construction & Foundation – Planttalk #1310
- Hobby Greenhouse: Coverings – Planttalk #1311
- Hobby Greenhouse: Heating & Cooling – Planttalk #1312
- Hobby Greenhouse: Types – Planttalk #1313
- Greenhouse Whitefly – Planttalk #1448
- Hobby Greenhouse Gardening – CMG GardenNotes #723
- Greenhouse Plans – Links to Blueprints for Purchase
