Curious about this process and wondering what everyone is using. Do you still get a good amount of water even though we don't always have rain? How are you using it to water your garden? Notice a difference on your summer water bill? Anything I'm might miss or need to think about? Thanks!

We are now closer to the start of spring than winter. Congratulations for making it this far and the weather is reminding us of what is coming!

This week, we’d love to hear about the one thing are really good at in the garden. Maybe it is a plant you know all the tricks to. Maybe it’s how to secure a sustainable watering method in spite of the droughts. Whatever it is, please share some of those secrets!

My roommate and I are planning to start a vegetable garden this year. What are the best local places to buy heirloom seeds for produce? Also interested in purchasing plants that are already started since we're in a basement apartment and won't be able to start plants inside.

Hey All!! I'm doing my own starters from seeds indoors for the first time! Very excited but kinda nervous but we'll see how it goes! Anyways, I have a broad general question. I'm starting my tomatoes/peppers/eggplants soon (in Colorado/Denver). Being that those plants need to be potted up eventually, why not start them in the large 4" seed trays? Is this just to save space? Save water? Or is success somewhat low so I'll want to sow more than I'm going to anticipate needing? Just kind of curious why not start larger rather than potting up 2 or 3 times. Thanks for help and advice! Any advice really is welcome!

I live in JeffCo and in the past I have bought seedling starters from home gardeners growing out of their backyard greenhouse. I am planning on growing vegetable starters this spring & will be posting up on my front lawn like a farm stand. Do I need any special type of sales license to do so? Would it be any different for flowers? I have tried doing my own research through the Dept. of Agriculture & CSU extension but keep getting stuck.

Categories of perennials include: 1. Cacti + succulents 2. Colorado natives 3. Almost natives 4. Garden classics.

CSU Extension hort expert John Murgel shares his top 20 picks for drought tolerant perennial flowers.

"If you think lush gardens and low water plants aren’t the same thing, think again! But finding the right plant is another story. To help, I’ve put together this list of my top 20 low-maintenance, hardy flowering perennials." – John M.

Explore the list: https://engagement.source.colostate.edu/top-20-drought-tolerant-perennial-flowers-colorado/

Did one of your favorites not make the cut? Let us know in the comments. Maybe we can convince him to make it into a top 30 list! 😉

https://preview.redd.it/rmnu9hkrkyfe1.jpg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=873688c8fc7ac194e3d52e951dd24fb0169342b1

Has anyone ever tried this variety in Denver? How did it go?

Im doing winter sowing (native flowers mostly) for the first time this year. I have some translucent storage bins (Rubbermaid/Sterilite style) that I’d like to use but they have opaque lids.

Has anyone used anything other than the regular lid? I was thinking of just turning the bin over upside down on top of a regular seed starting tray and weighting it down with some bricks, but I could also use bubble wrap duct taped over the bin opening or some other kind of “lid”.

(Don’t have much access to milk jugs as we and all our neighbors get milk delivered in glass bottles)

Hey everyone! I don’t know about you all, but I can’t stop thinking about spring. 🪴🌱🌾🍅🥬🫛🥒🌶️🫑

I applied for a spot in a nearby DUG spot and looks like I’m in- I’m so elated. I haven’t had a tour or any orientation yet, so I’m here asking for any advice or personal experiences you can share. I’ve been happily gardening on my second floor balcony and have maxed out my space and available sun, which is westerly and partial.

So! What should I expect or beware of? I haven’t anxiety that everything will dry up and die without my hourly attention or that people or critters will steal my crops lol. I’m sure conditions vary wildly. My hope is to do my tomatoes, peppers, okra and maybe some corn and filler full companions there.

Thanks in advance.

can anyone help ID whats goin on with my philo? its been so good but randomly started yellowing over a few days

I'm trying to be more thoughtful about my plantings. Buying/starting more natives, how to support local pollinators, etc. One thing I noticed after reading up on garden design is that our Colorado natives really tend to be fine textured or medium textured, unless we're talking about agave and yucca. I'm guessing that it's because our sun and wind tend to desiccate broadleaf plants, our native plants have adapted to have finer leaves.

Can anyone recommend a way to bring coarse texture into the xeric garden? It's full sun, low water, zone 5b. I'm not crazy about plants with thorns or spikes either, I prefer a broader leaf. Or perhaps such a thing does not exist out here, and I should just get a few small boulders to fill the role of coarse texture?

I’m interested in adding some perennials, bushes, and biennials to my gardens but I’m not sure where to start. I’d like to add rhubarb, strawberries, berry bushes, and asparagus to start. I’m new to town and am not sure where to source them and when to plant them (guessing last fall would’ve been great).

And, any tips on how to grow them with the annual vegetables? Any recommended alternatives? I’ve seen lots of rhubarb in perennial beds over garden beds. Any reason/recommendation for that other than that they take up space and don’t need to be in the garden beds? Can I reasonably grow strawberries here? I saw a lot of the you-picks have stopped having strawberries. Is that a sign it’s too hot/dry here now?

My berries struggled last year. I planted raspberries on my hellstrip for gleaners in the future and half of the canes died from dogs urinating on the tiny cane starts. I’m hoping the half that lived take over that whole space eventually. Happy to take tips for helping them take over.

My blueberries roasted in the sun and completely died. Maybe they’re not good for the spot I put them in and need more partial sun? Any blueberry bushes that do well here?

I know, this is a lot. Sorry! This group of plants seems to be all together in my mind.

We are nearly halfway through the winter and this series as well. Lots to look forward to as we prep for spring and the garden work that is coming.

This week, it’d be great to share about someone in the community who has been instrumental in helping you get to where you are on your gardening journey. This could be an expert at your favorite gardening store; a teacher from a seminar who you learned a ton from; or maybe a relative who has helped out more than most. However you interpreted this, feel free to share who and what they have done for you. Happy reflecting!

Need to defend against rabbits, birds and other seed eaters and seedling eaters.

I intend to wait to May- but I want to be ready.

Hello, where are people getting their seedless straw for mulching gardens?

Image courtesy of waterwiseyards.org

CSU Extension horticulture expert John Murgel explains how to avoid injuring/damaging your trees while converting to xeriscape landscaping with tips for each stage of your conversion:

1. Before you remove your lawn
2. While you're removing your lawn
3. After you've converted to xeriscaping

https://engagement.source.colostate.edu/want-to-remove-your-lawn-heres-how-not-to-kill-your-trees/

This one goes out to u/DanoPinyon and u/SarahLiora! Thanks for pushing the topic, hoping this will be helpful for a lot of folks. Let me know if you have any additional feedback and I can pass it along to John.

The one thought I just had writing this message is this could likely apply to some mature shrubs, are the considerations the same?

anyone able to tell me whats going on on with my hypoestes (polka dot) its been growing so well but now losing all of its top leaves but the bottom looks so good.

The best thing I have done for myself this day is to use ChatGPT to set up a Colorado specific timeline with the specific seeds I have. So basically I said based off of my area's last predicted frost date, gardening zone, and the list of seeds I have when should I start them indoors, move them outside, do they need cold stratification, a heat mat for germination etc. INCREDIBLE! I was able to list my seeds and ask about based on my seeds what should be companion planted. Just wanted to share because it just was so helpful! I input all of the suggested dates for starting seedlings and transplanting into my calendar so I don't feel behind or overwhelmed. Man- can't wait to start!

Hi all! I'm new to the area and new to gardening! I'm planning to do some fruits and veggies come spring. I'll be making a raised bed. What grows well here, particularly for a novice?

Any and all advice is more than welcome!!

I’ve got a south facing side yard that’s about 10x30. Don’t really use it that much and am thinking about doing a greenhouse there.

Does anyone have experience with an installer?

I was inspired by another potato-related post on the sub, so I thought… let’s keep the theme going. As the title says, how are you planning to grow your potatoes this year? Last season, I was pretty disappointed with my potato crop. Admittedly, it was also my first time trying to use the potato grow bags, and not growing the plants directly in the ground (I’m limited on space). So, all of this to be said, what advice and tips do you have for growing potatoes here in Denver? What’s your potato plans?

Last year was my first attempt at gardening, and it overall went well, many thanks to Garden in a Box. I also learned some of the quirks of my yard’s sun exposure.

I planted a rock garden last May, in a strip that gets full day sun. The plants there thrived. Being a newbie, I didn’t really plan ahead. Around mid-Sept, that spot lost nearly all direct light because of the sun dipping below a south-facing fence. I’m hoping those full-sun plants are ok with not having full exposure all year.

The other 2 big spots are even harder. Both get great direct light from April to June, but then all dappled shade July to August, when the sun rises high to be blocked by two overhanging trees (of heaven…). Then blasted again when the sun comes back down. My new columbine did great in the direct light April to June, and in the dappled shade until August. But September was brutal on them.

I’m sure there are some rules or tricks for planning and dealing with garden plots whose light changes throughout the summer (and/or throughout the year). Thank you for any tips or experience!

Do you buy locally or order online? Who is reliable and has a good variety?

We interviewed and selected a company in October 2024 and paid $850 for a wonderful lanscape design - however it was double our stated budget; we've tried working with them on raising our budget to get some sort of compromise but they are not even responding to us now. We've started over with contacting other companies; one was a complete no-show for our appointment. We're getting worried that reputable companie's schedules are getting filled up for 2025. Can anyone recommend a reliable landscape company that can work with our extablished plan (we'd be open to any changes thet recommend) for a budget of $25-30,000? We are west of Denver in Jefferson County. Thank you!

Hope everyone and their garden is faring well in the freeze!

This week, we’d love to hear about you and your garden. Take this in any direction you’d like. But essentially tell us about your garden. Maybe it’s wild, maybe it’s small but growing. It can be however you see it. And does that mean anything about you personally? Is it the one part of your life that is in control? Maybe you are working on “letting go” and your garden is the wild side you enjoy. Happy thinking!

Chimayo is a town in New Mexico between Taos and Santa Fe in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (i.e. same range as southern Colorado). It's known for an eponymous "landrace" of chiles also named Chimayo, which have a complex flavor described as sweet and smoky.

I planted several varieties of chiles at the beginning of January, including both hydroponic and in seed starters, and was pretty amazed by how rapidly the Chimayo chiles sprouted and grew compared to other varieties. This is my hydroponic setup, with Chimayo in the middle and two different varieties of hatch on either side which have either barely sprouted or are much smaller: https://imgur.com/4H801BH

I would perhaps speculate they can tolerate cold a little better, as the room they're in isn't super warm. They seem happy at our elevation as well, possibly because they're from the mountains.

(Note: I'm using a heat mat on the in-soil sprouts, which helps a lot, but all of the other varieties are sprouting slowly in comparison to the Chimayos)