How to Plan a Successful Fall Garden in Denver
We’re full on into summer gardening here in Denver. Our warm season plants are growing and we’re harvesting all of our cole crops, leafy greens, carrots, radishes, strawberries! And we’re thinking about....fall?
Yep. Now is the time to start thinking about your fall garden because if you want to start plants indoors, you’ll need to start them in early to mid July.
So here are 4 things to think about when planning your fall garden.
In this blog, you’ll learn:
Understanding Plant Life Cycles
Managing Sun Exposure
Timing Your Planting
Considering Days to Maturity
1. Understanding Plant Life Cycles:
It’s important to factor plant life cycles into the plans for your garden. Warm season crops are taking up the majority of space right now - but these will be out of the garden as soon as we get a killing frost (usually around mid October when temps go below 32°). So seeds and new seedlings can be tucked into small areas of the garden as long as they are getting enough sun.
READ NEXT: Understanding Seed Packets
2. Managing Sun Exposure:
And speaking of sun, giving cool season plants just the right amount of sun in the summer is so important!
Most of the plants in the fall garden prefer cooler temperatures - but hello July, August, and even September are the hottest months here in Denver.
Planting your fall garden in the afternoon shade of other plants will give them enough morning sun to sustain them while keeping that hot blaze off them in the afternoon.
3. Timing Your Planting:
When to get plants in the ground is also super important.
Some seeds like spinach actually need cooler soil temperatures to germinate so it would be a waste of seed to put them in the garden any time before mid to late August (depending on your soil temps).
BUT it’s also important to get them in soon enough that they have time to establish in the garden before a frost hits.
Plants that are slow growing like broccoli and cabbage need to get into the garden 6-8 weeks before our first average frost while root crops like carrot and radish or quick to harvest foods like leafy greens need much less time.
4. Considering Days to Maturity:
While this information is always important to look at when planning a garden, it’s especially important in the fall season. Choosing varieties with shorter life cycles means that you’ll be harvesting from your garden right around first frost. And remember for transplants, the days to maturity typically starts from when you put the plant into the garden.
Last year I didn’t get nearly enough out of my own fall garden so I’ll be planting it big time this year. Especially lettuce which I miss more than anything in the winter months.
And as I will continue to say over and over again - it’s super important to replenish nutrients in your soil before planting. Work compost into the area before putting in any seeds or transplants.
Planning a fall garden in Denver requires careful consideration of plant life cycles, sun exposure, timing, and maturity dates. By following these tips, you can enjoy a productive and rewarding fall harvest. Happy gardening, Denver!
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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.
