2024 Denver Master Gardener Plant Sale – Saturday, May 18 & Sunday, May 19 2024 – An All-Weather Event You Can Count On!

By: Lori Williams – CSU Extension-Denver Master Gardener since 2016

The 2024 CSU Extension Denver Master Gardener Plant Sale features more than 150 of varieties of perpetual vegetable winners, including a huge selection of hybrid and heirloom tomatoes, delicious culinary herbs, and more than 25 chile pepper strains (sweet, hot, sweet-hot, hot and hot-hot)! For a full list of what will be offered, visit here. We offer gorgeous, healthy plants for your garden: many you’re likely familiar with and some fun new ones to get your garden possibilities growing! All veggies and herbs are $7 each. Annual flowers will also be available. Come early for best selection. Bring your own flat or totes if you can!

Renata Hahn, pictured here, is among the 50 volunteers who grew more than 150 plant varieties from seed (that’s 10,000+ plants!) for the plant sale!

With planting time just around the corner, many gardeners are looking forward to getting into the soil and chocking it full of robust bedding plants. Volunteers will be on hand to advise on varieties, planting practices and gardening in general – Ask US!! When you take your baby plants home from the sale, here are some important tips to first harden them off, as they will be fresh out of the greenhouse.

An exciting addition to the sale this year is a native plant selection. Five different species will be offered for $9 each, including: Large-Flowered Penstemon, Switchgrass, Mexican Hat, Butterfly Weed, and Evening Primrose. These are expected to go fast! With each plant purchased, native seeds will be given away (while supplies last). Salegoers can view a native garden planted last season, and the Front Range chapter of WildOnes.org will have a table.

Also during the sale, you’ll enjoy gardening demonstrations and an “Ask a Master Gardener” booth for your gardening questions. CSU Extension will have research-based resources for home gardeners, as well as education and nutrition information. New this year, Denver Master Gardeners will sell seeds for cool-season crops (like peas and spinach that can be direct sown).  A selection of native plants and perennials will also be offered!

Do you garden in containers or raised beds? Interested in interplanting veggies, flowers and herbs? Maybe you’ve been curious about block style garden layouts? Community gardens offer great gardening options, too. Our partners at DUG have all kinds of useful information here. Fresh vegetables and herbs will make you glad for the space and time you spend this season on growing fresh, flavor-rich, nutritious food for you and your loved ones.

Find all your faves & diverse new selections.

Denver Master Gardener volunteers are heroic in their commitment to get the healthiest, prettiest seedlings to YOU for your 2024 growing season – no matter the weather! A Colorado spring day can bring rain, sleet, snow, and sun – in no particular order. Regardless of temps, winds, or precip, our volunteers are excited to get these lovely bedding plants into your hands. We will be there, ready to help you! 

We look forward to seeing you May 18 & 19!

Maybe you’re also interested in becoming a Colorado Master Gardener? Come grow your experience and learn about the many gardening options, being a Master Gardener, and the amazing resources available to you through CSU Extension! 

Colorado Gardening Calendar for February 2024

By Margerie Hicks, CSU Extension – Denver Master Gardener since 2010

Blue fescue grass poking through snow at Denver Botanic Gardens. Photo: Margerie Hicks

February is one of the best months to enjoy the interesting patterns, textures, and shapes that dried grasses and perennials form in contrast to the snow. It is also a time to read or otherwise educate yourself about gardening trends and ideas. And finally, it is a time to complete the few but important tasks needed in February to prepare for the coming growing season.

Winter Interest

Autumn joy sedum keeps its color and form. Photo: Margerie Hicks

If you refrained in the fall from cutting down ornamental grasses, perennials with balls of seeds like echinacea, or plants that keep their color and form, you now have interesting winter patterns and shapes to enjoy. You have also helped provide shelter and food for wildlife, such as birds and insects.

If you don’t already have any sedum Angelina, make a note to plant some in the spring to enjoy next winter. It is a ground cover that is light green in the spring, yellow in the summer, and orange with green accents in the winter. It provides a wonderful splash of color in the winterscape.

Sedum Angelina adds multi-season beauty. Photos: David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Gardening Edification

• Expo: The annual Colorado Home and Garden Show runs from February 24^thto March 3^rd. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer gardening questions at the large CSU Extension display. Be sure to stop by and say hi.
• Books: You may have some gardening-related books waiting to read on a cold winter night, but in case you want suggestions check out our earlier post,  Winter Reading for Gardeners.
• Websites: CSU Extension’s website offers research-based fact sheets and videos on a wide range of gardening topics. Additionally, the internet is filled with gardening information and pictures. The most reliable sources have an “.edu” extension on the address, indicating an affiliation with university horticulture/agriculture research.
• Gardening classes:  Local garden shops and the Denver Botanic Gardens offer classes on many topics that may pique your interest. You can also find a wide array of webinars offered by CSU Extension here.
• Take our reader survey:  We’d love your feedback and ideas for future posts. Find the survey here. Survey closes February 18^th.

February Tasks

Deep watering tool. Photo: Margerie Hicks

There are a few tasks that should be done and many that could be done this month. A good overview can be found in this Late Winter Garden and Lawn Care fact sheet. Key tips include:

• Water:  All trees, shrubs, and perennials will benefit from regular winter watering, especially those that are less than two years old. Water once a month on days when the temperature is 40 degrees or warmer with no snow cover. Click here for a fall and winter watering fact sheet that will make your efforts most effective.
• Mulch:  Woody plants benefit from mulch to preserve soil moisture. Rock or gravel mulch is useful in retaining heat. Apply as needed.
• Prune:  This is a good time to prune broken and unwanted branches from trees and shrubs, especially fruit trees.

Enjoy your gardening leisure in February. May will be here soon enough.

Speaking of May don’t forget to mark your calendars for our amazing plant sale!

Colorado Master Gardener/CSU Denver Extension Online Plant Sale Now Through May 16

Choose from 10 types of tomatoes and 10 pepper varieties

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

COVID-19 restrictions mean Colorado Master Gardeners/CSU Denver are unable to host our traditional in-person plant sale this year, but we are happy to offer an online sale now through Sunday, May 16.

Ten types of tomatoes and 10 varieties of peppers are available for $5 per Denver–grown plant. All profits from the sale help support programming and outreach for the Colorado State University Denver Extension office. 

During my first year working at our traditional in-person plant sale, I was blown away by the variety of tomato and pepper plants offered. There were so many sizes, shapes and varieties! It is always a little overwhelming to choose, despite knowing a thing or two about what I like and how to make them grow!

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  Photo credit: Molly Gaines

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  Photo credit: Molly Gaines

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  Photo credit: Molly Gaines

An advantage of this year’s online sale is being able to read about the varieties and place an order in just a few minutes. I cannot wait to plant my favorite tomato variety, a Sun Gold cherry (oh, their color and sweetness!); an Heirloom Cherokee Purple; and a hybrid, Better Boy — a prolific variety with fresh tomato flavor. I can already taste those BLTs we will begin eating non-stop starting in August.

Where to Shop

Our online catalog contains clear descriptions of the tomatoes and peppers on sale. Personally, I am excited to try my hand at growing the Sauve Orange, a low heat, high yield, flavorful habanero pepper that will be a colorful addition to fresh salsas and summer salads.

How to Purchase

Before the purchase deadline of Sunday, May 16, visit our online plant sale store to place your order. Shop soon as popular varieties can sell out!

Be sure to order the desired quantity of plants by adding each plant to the cart individually (3 plants=3 add-to-cart clicks) or by adjusting the quantity in the shopping cart. Click here for further instructions.

You can pay using your credit card or by check. To pay by check enter “PAYBYCHECK” in the discount code box at checkout and we will collect your check when you pick up your plants.

Unfortunately, we will not have additional plants for sale during pick-up – so make your selections carefully.

After Ordering

After placing your order, you will promptly receive an email confirmation from the CSU Extension eStore. Five days later, you will receive a second email with a link to SignUpGenius. Here, you will be able to select the date/time to pick up your plants on either Saturday, May 22, or Sunday, May 23, between 10 a.m. and 3p.m. and received detailed pick-up instructions. Reservations are required for pick-up.

No-Contact Plant Pick-up

Plant pick-up will be in Denver’s City Park; you will receive further instructions on the park’s pick-up location by email.  Masks are required for pick-up. If you are paying by check, make it payable to Colorado State University Extension and be sure to bring your ID.

Arriving at your designated time during your 15-minute window is important for no-contact pick-up as plants will be available in a timed order.

Mitigating COVID-19 Risks

Plant sale staff will maintain social distance, wear masks, provide hand sanitizer, and minimize contact. Likewise, please wear your mask when you arrive.

Thank you in advance for making the plant pick-up experience safe for everyone.

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  Photo credit: Molly Gaines

Gardening Advice from a Master Gardener

When you plant your vegetables and as you move through the gardening season, know that Colorado Master Gardeners are here for you! The best way to reach us is through the Denver Master Gardener HELP line, 720.913.5278, or by emailing denvermg@colostate.edu. Also, be sure to visit the Denver extension website for a wealth of gardening information tailored to our growing conditions.

For more information regarding the plant sale, please contact  Merrill Kingsbury, at merrill.kingsbury@colostate.edu., or the office at 720-913-5270.