5 Effective Techniques to Extend Your Growing Season in Colorado
Gardening enthusiasts in Colorado know there's more to it than just summer harvests. As a backyard garden expert in Denver, I understand the unique challenges and opportunities we face, and I’m here to walk you through the solutions.
With the right techniques, you can start nurturing seeds as early as March and continue harvesting well into the colder months. Let's dive into 5 Season Extension Methods tailored for Denver's climate, ensuring your garden thrives beyond the typical growing period.
In this blog, you’ll learn:
Before You Begin: Key Considerations
Cold Frames: Your Mini-Greenhouses
Floating Row Covers: More Than Frost Protection
Low Tunnels: Your Garden's Best Friend
High Tunnels: For the Serious Gardener
Greenhouses: Year-Round Gardening Luxury
Before You Begin: Key Considerations
Select Suitable Crops: Choose plants that thrive in varying seasons in Colorado. Make sure you’re trying to grow the right kind of crops for the season
Soil Conditions: Remember, no amount of cover can help if your soil is frozen or in the shade.
Strategic Planning: Map out your planting strategy for optimal results.
Preparing Your Garden: Wake up your garden before covering it – trust me, I learned this the hard way!
1. Cold Frames: Your Mini-Greenhouses
Cold frames, essentially mini-greenhouses, are fantastic for capturing solar heat. They create a cozy microclimate for your Denver garden, helping seeds sprout and mature plants stay protected.
You can either purchase ready-made cold frames or build your own. We have a limited stock of 3'x3' cold frames complete with automatic hinges, perfect for Denver's weather!
(Contact us for info)
2. Floating Row Covers: More Than Frost Protection
These lightweight, breathable covers, also known as frost cloth or frost blankets, offer a simple yet effective way to shield your plants. Unlike plastic covers, which can damage plant tissue, floating row covers allow sunlight and water to reach your plants while protecting them from frost and pests. They're easy to use with rocks or clips and can be layered under tunnels for extra insulation.
HOT TIP:
The key is that floating row covers ARE NOT plastic. Anywhere plastic touches a plant can damage plant tissue and cause more serious freeze damage than if you had left the plants uncovered.
3. Low Tunnels: Your Garden's Best Friend
Particularly useful in Denver's varied climate, low tunnels provide a robust shield against the elements.
Constructed from materials like EMT, rebar, or PVC, these structures are typically around 2 feet tall.
By adding greenhouse plastic, you amplify warmth, but remember to vent on sunny days to avoid overheating.
Hot Tip:
A major benefit of having permanent low tunnels in the garden is that you can use them for shade or hail cloth after frost has passed.
4. High Tunnels: For the Serious Gardener
More common in commercial settings due to their size, high tunnels are walk-through structures often made with a metal frame and greenhouse plastic.
They're excellent for large-scale Denver gardens but watch out for pests – once they're in, they're challenging to remove.
For those interested, Bootstrap Farmer offers some excellent high tunnel kits.
5. Greenhouses: Year-Round Gardening
Permanent structures like greenhouses are great if you’re wanting to have an enclosed outdoor space for your plants.
They’re made of mostly transparent material like glass or plastic to harness the sunlight creating a warm, insulated space. But don’t expect to be growing banana and lemon trees in Colorado if you don’t have a heater, ventilation, and grow lights.
They’re great for providing a year round space to grow and can add such a beautiful element to your landscape.
There are also some really cool greenhouses out there like geodesic domes, greenhouses using geothermal technology, or sunken greenhouses.
Gardening in Denver offers a world of possibilities with season extension techniques. Don't be shy to try out new methods, push some boundaries, and enjoy nature's bounty in your own backyard.
Your garden will shout out to the world about your green thumb and how nothing can stop you from growing your own fresh produce. So, let's get ready for an amazing season!
Have questions or want to share your gardening success stories?
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**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I earn a small profit if you click on the link to make a purchase. Other links are not sponsored, because I also like supporting small, local businesses.**
Meet the Gardener
I’m Elisa Mack - a mom and Denverite who went from being a green-ish thumb to a kitchen garden fanatic simply by dedicating myself to the study of all things Colorado gardening.
Landscapers don’t design. And nurseries don’t make house calls.
We take a more full-service approach, from designing your dream garden to keeping it beautiful year-round.
And as your coach, I’ll help eliminate the guesswork through every season, no matter your level of knowledge.
