Looking Forward: Planning Your 2023 Vegetable Garden for a Hotter, Drier Denver

By Molly Gaines, CSU Extension-Denver Master Gardener since 2019

I grow vegetables primarily for the vibrant, incredible flavor they almost always guarantee. So, you can imagine my disappointment when I picked my first homegrown cucumber of the 2022 season, and it tasted awful — bitter beyond redemption. 

My sad 2022 cucumbers. This one is a bit misshapen, too. Photo by Molly Gaines

When assessing what went wrong, I first blamed our hot summer. But after some self-reflection, I realized that as an experienced gardener, I should’ve been more thoughtful about what I planted and how I tended to it. As a climate pattern of hotter summer days with less moisture continues in Denver, we all need to plan for climate-resilient gardens. 

The CO Climate Trend

Colorado’s climate is trending hotter and drier. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, over the past decade Colorado’s annual temperature has warmed 1.1 degrees and annual precipitation has decreased by 0.22 inches. 

In September, a record was set in Denver for the most 90-degree days ever recorded. So far in 2022, Denver has experienced 66 days of 90-degree temperatures — the 3rd most in history and the 8th consecutive year above the average. 

These trends mean gardeners must plan more wisely and stay attuned to the weather, adjusting our plants’ growing conditions and nurturing them appropriately.

My Cuke Mistakes

I hastily purchased my cucumber seedlings (mistake #1) in late June after two rounds of plants withered. I planted the two new seedlings in an elevated bed with lots of other herbs and flowers. Knowing I’d packed a lot into my small garden bed, I frequently fertilized the seedlings, even as temps climbed (mistake #2). By August, I was struggling to keep them adequately watered. Cucumbers require a ton of water, especially in elevated beds, so they were occasionally stressed during the 90+ degree days (mistake #3).

While we could write a whole series of blog posts about climate-resilient gardening, we’ll use my bitter cucumber story as a top-level example of how to better plan and care for our gardens in Denver’s hotter, drier climate. 

Plan Wisely

I didn’t carefully choose the cucumbers I planted, instead grabbing what was available at my local nursery. 

If you’re growing seedlings at home or sowing directly, it’s easier to choose the best option as seed companies provide extensive background on each variety. For example, ‘Little Leaf’ cucumber would have been perfect for my elevated bed – smaller in size and producing “ fruit under stress and without pollinators, guaranteeing high yields.”

Peppers love the heat and are well-suited for our climate. Photo by Molly Gaines

Shopping for seedlings from one of the major area plant sales, such as the Denver Master Gardeners annual spring sale, is another great way to find the right plants. Varieties grown and sold are carefully selected for our region, and sale staff are equipped to answer questions.

If you experience success with a particular plant, save those seeds for next year. For guidance on seed saving, check out this excellent resource from Colorado State University.

Planting fall crops in August is challenging when temperatures still hover above 90 degrees. Consider fall vegetables that mature quickly. Radishes and greens are good candidates. 

These radishes, with approximately 25 days to maturity, are ideal for fall planting. Photo by Molly Gaines

Don’t Over Fertilize 

Excessive heat slows production. If your plants aren’t producing as they should, don’t assume they need fertilizer. This is what I did to my cucumber plants. I continued to apply fertilizer during the summer heat, which led to lots of green and hundreds of blooms, but minimal fruit. For a guide to applying fertilizer to your vegetables, check out this guide from the University of Minnesota Extension. 

Water Consistently

The direct sun and constant heat can make plants stressed. Don’t add to their stress with hit-or-miss watering. Help make your garden climate resilient with reliable, consistent drip irrigation. If you’re not able to irrigate your plants in this way, hand water in the mornings. Give your plants a deep, thorough soak at the roots. Here is a good resource for watering in the persistent heat.

Colorado gardeners are used to a challenging climate. Proper planning will allow for the most successful, climate-resilient vegetable garden possible. 

For an excellent resource about climate resilient gardening, click here. 

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Watch for future ‘Looking Forward’ posts where we’ll spotlight Master Gardeners who are applying what they’ve learned to expand, rethink, or improve gardens. 

Looking Forward: A Lower Maintenance Garden with Native Plants, Fruit Trees, and Shrubs

By Felicia Brower, CSU Extension-Denver Master Gardener since 2020

Now that the 2022 summer season is winding down, it’s a great time to review what worked in the garden and what didn’t and to start planning for next year. (Keeping a garden journal throughout the season saves time and makes this much easier!)

Start by asking yourself the following questions:

• What grew well this season?
• What didn’t grow as well as you would have liked? Any idea why?
• Did you struggle with pests or disease?
• What do you want to plant next year?

After you have the answers to those questions, you can begin to make a plan to fix any problems that popped up or to repeat your successes next season.

As far as what grew well in my garden this year goes, I planted more localized seeds this year because seeds bred for our specific climate tend to have fewer days to maturity and produce more drought-tolerant plants than ones grown from other seeds I’ve used. They fare better in my garden and will be a staple every year moving forward.

Photo credit: Felicia Brower

That being said, my garden got off to a rough start this year thanks to pest problems, extreme heat, and watering issues. Many of the seedlings I started inside were immediately eaten after being transplanted outdoors, and it seemed like no amount of diatomaceous earth could help. I wasn’t watering enough to combat the weeks of 100° sunny weather, and the growth of a lot of my vegetables suffered because of it. I was recently able to get things under control (better late in the season than never!) and my vegetables and flowers have finally started growing the way that I had hoped they would. I’ll be spending the winter learning more about Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and effective watering techniques to make the most of water during a drought.

As I look at what I’d like to change in my garden next summer, one big one is that despite loving it, I want to spend less time doing maintenance in it. I spent much more time weeding and trying to problem solve than I would have liked, and a few adjustments could make a very big difference.

The biggest change is going to be adding more native herbaceous perennials and fruit shrubs and trees in the yard. My hope is that by making the investment to fill out those open spaces, the weeds I spent so much time pulling will be unable to take over, and I’ll end up with beautiful, lower-maintenance native flowers, shrubs, and trees.

Here are a few of the plants on my list for next year:

FLOWERS

I usually plant vegetables and annual flowers, but after seeing the perennials that I planted last year pop up this year without having to start anything inside, I’m making a big shift to focus on native flowers and herbs that come back without any effort from me.

Blanket flower. Photo credit: Canva

Having perennials show up in the spring will add much-needed greenery to the yard after a cold winter, and I look forward to the pops of color they’ll provide throughout the summer and into fall. I can’t get enough of the vibrant red and yellow petals of blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) and plan on adding some big patches of it to my garden next year. I’ll also be looking into adding more penstemon (Penstemen spp.) to the landscape. With more than 60 native penstemons to choose from, these easy-growers range in size from a few inches to a foot or two tall with long flowering spikes.

Chocolate flower. Photo credit: Canva

Chocolate flower’s (Berlandiera lyrata) yellow daisy-like flowers have a wonderful scent and typically flower from June until frost. Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) produces tall bursts of yellow blooms later in the summer, from August until November and is known for being easy to grow and care for.

SHRUBS

Shrubs, specifically ones that produce fruit, are going to take a lot of space in my yard next year. Drought-tolerant gooseberries and currants grow especially well in our area, and their berries can be eaten fresh or used to make delicious jams and pies.

Gooseberries. Photo credit: Canva

I have a raspberry patch that I plan on expanding to different areas of the yard. These prolific growers will take up a lot of space and provide delicious snacks while I’m out harvesting and fresh berries for some new recipes I want to try. Serviceberry is cold-hardy and drought-resistant, making it a no brainer for someone looking for a low-maintenance addition to the garden. The fruit also happens to be high in vitamins and is comparable to blueberries but with a slight apple flavor.

Serviceberry. Photo credit: Canva

TREES

Trees are a big investment and a lot of planning needs to go into which trees will be planted and where. For fruit trees, I’d like to plant plums, since they’re considered very dependable for this area, and a peach tree. Peaches can be a higher risk tree because late frosts can damage blooms and prevent peaches from developing, but I think it’d be fun to have a self-fruiting dwarf variety that can still provide shade and habitat for animals even when it’s not fruiting.

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After planting all of the fruiting trees and shrubs, I’ll have an abundance of produce in my yard for years to come that I’ll be able to preserve and share with neighbors and members of my community through programs like Grow & Give. It’ll take a few years, but after everything’s established, I’ll only need to worry about planting my vegetables annually, which I also plan to scale back on…eventually. For now, my focus is on finding the plants that I want to get in the ground this fall and next spring, filling out the landscape, and learning as much as I can about how to help everything in my garden thrive.

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Watch for future ‘Looking Forward‘ posts where we’ll spotlight Master Gardeners who are applying what they’ve learned to expand, rethink, or improve their gardens.