How To Successfully Grow Herbs Indoors!
So you like fresh herbs… but you realize it’s winter and you live in Colorado, so there’s no hoping that your outdoor herb garden will suddenly sprout fresh foliage to feed your culinary needs… Fret not! You too, can eat like a Mediterranean noble even in our hibernal habitat. Join us on an herbal expedition […]
Grow Your Best-Ever Tomato Crop!
We think nothing tastes like summer more than fresh plump tomatoes! Especially ones you’ve grown yourself. Make this year your healthiest, most abundant tomato yield ever with these helpful tips. Feed!– Use a fertilizer that is built to support the fruiting nature of tomatoes. While nitrogen gives you strong healthy plants in other parts of […]
10 Bountiful Crops to Share!
Growing your own food is a fun, rewarding experience that can directly impact your community as well as your own table. With these plants pumping out generous harvests, you will realize that there is more than enough to go around. Here are ten of the most bountiful crops to plant:
Early Spring Planting
Spring is in the air! You can’t help wanting to join the birds outside and start planting your garden. It is possible to start planting well before the last frost date, even in Colorado! There are a number of vegetables, herbs, and flowers that you can plant outside…some of which even prefer the cooler temps […]
Sowing Hot Peppers!
This week we’re cutting the cold with hot pepper seed sowing! It may seem early but hot peppers grow a bit slower, so now is the time to get them going. We’ll cover all the nitty gritty, from soil needs, to light requirements and beyond. So get out your gloves and get ready to plant […]
The Herbal Tea Garden
Looking as vibrant in the cup as they do in the garden, these plants are perfect for steeping. Use them fresh in the summer or dry them for the winter season. Herbal teas, also called tisanes, are a way to infuse your life with beauty and health! Whether you have a garden bed or a […]
Fresh Mint! Recipes for a Summer Harvest
Mint grows so easily in the garden that you inevitably find yourself harvesting this delicious herb all summer long! What to do with all that fresh mint? Here are a handful of our favorite recipes.
Grow Your Own Potatoes!
Growing your own potatoes may seem daunting but it takes less space and energy than you think. Enjoy a rainbow of potatoes that you won’t find at the grocery store and as we all know, homegrown produce can’t be beat for taste! When to plant:You can begin to plant your potatoes when the ground becomes […]
10 Amazing Aloe Facts!
Our favorite spiky green gem of a houseplant has a history spanning myriad cultures who used the plant’s moist middle to treat many physical complaints. Ancient civilizations, among them the Greeks, Chinese, Egyptians, American Indians, and Meso-Americans, used aloe vera to treat everything from baldness and insomnia, to burns, wounds, and fever. Here are ten […]
Starting Seeds Indoors
There are many reasons to start seeds indoors, not least of which is a way to cure spring fever! As well as being an economical way to garden, you will get to witness the miracle of seed germination and it is a great teaching tool for kids. Getting Started The first thing you will need […]
A Taste of Summer Blooms
From bouquet to plate: Welcome to the delicious world of edible flowers! Many annuals, flowering herbs, and perennials produce blooms that are are safe, flavorful additions to salads, desserts, drinks, and more. Add flowers to rice spring rolls, sprinkle petals on your breakfast yogurt parfait or lunch salad, freeze blooms in ice cubes to brighten up […]
Growing Tomatoes in a Container
Your chance to have fresh tomatoes from your own plants doesn’t have to depend on your yard space! Many of us do not have gardens or raised beds available to us but with some containers and a sunny spot, we can grow veggies all summer long. Tomato Types “Determinate” tomatoes condense their harvest into a […]
November and December Garden Checklist for Northern Colorado
Download this article as a PDF Northern Colorado’s winter weather is rarely predictable. From warm sunshine, to frequent snow storms and freezes, the temperatures and the weather conditions in our area present unusual gardening challenges. In order to stay ahead of these challenges, flexibility is the key. Use the following tips to help guide your […]
September and October Garden Checklist for Northern Colorado
Download this article as a PDF We’ve wiped the sweat from our brow and now stand in a, hopefully, cooler sunshine! Yeah! Autumn has arrived. GENERAL GARDEN CARE There’s no need to fertilize any longer. It would be like having a cup of coffee just before you turned in for the night. Late season fertilizing […]
July and August Garden Checklist for Northern Colorado
Download this article as a PDF As you know, gardening can be a year-round challenge in the wild, wild west (aka the “Front Range”) so be prepared to give your plants a little extra TLC when the weather has been hot and dry for long spells. Many plants will burst with color and growth this […]
May and June Garden Checklist for Northern Colorado
Download this article as a PDF May is the month that our garden senses really start to warm up. We can hardly wait for the moment to view our garden fully planted! Of course, Mother’s Day weekend and the average last date of frost for Northern Colorado fall closely together around May 15. As we […]
March and April Garden Checklist for Northern Colorado
Download this article as a PDF Get ready for spring! The months of March and April bring much needed moisture, longer days and warmer overall temperatures to Northern Colorado. Like most gardeners, you may be itching to get outside and plant this time of year, but keep in mind that the average last date of […]
January and February Garden Checklist for Northern Colorado
Download this article as a PDF Temperatures typically dip to their lowest during the months of January and February across the front range. Average low temperatures for Northern Colorado range from 15-19F with high temperatures ranging from 43-47F. Additionally, our area is known for its ‘semi-arid’ climate. Combine low temperatures and dry conditions, and you […]
Spicy Lemon Balm Kabobs
Download this recipe as a PDF 1 clove garlic 1 large onion, sliced into chunks 1 leg of lamb, about 3 lb. boned and cut into 1 inch cubes 2 good handfuls of lemon balm leaves MARINADE 2 fl oz wine vinegar 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp. ground coriander 1 tbsp mango chutney 1 […]
Grilled Chicken with Herbs
Fresh Rosemary, Thyme and sag blend with garlic, olive oil, vinegar and salt for a herb marinade Download this recipe as a PDF Ingredients: 2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley ¼ cup Olive Oil ½ cup balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced salt and pepper to taste 2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1 […]
Vegetable Varieties and Tips
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Common Problems When Growing a Vegetable Garden
Having insects in your plants can be frustrating. Many times you will have to create a better environment for the plant to be able to save it and get rid of the insect. Some examples are: Aphids Fungus gnats Mealybug Scale Spider Mite Thrips Whitefly Blossom End Rot Cabbage lopper Cutworms Powdery Mildew Flea Beetles […]
Tips on How to Grow Vegetables in Colorado
Planting Sun: Be sure garden receives at least 6 hours of sun every daySoil Preparation: Amend well with soil pep, organic material, compost, or peat mossFertilizers: Add superphosphate 0-18-0 or bone meal 0-10-0.Crop Rotation: Prevents disease, three year cycles are best, especially for tomatoes and cornRow Orientation: Run rows east to west with tallest crops on north rowsRoot Stimulator: Helps roots […]
Starting Seeds
There is great satisfaction when you start your garden from seed. Watching your plants grow from seedling to harvest-ready is wonderful but it can be a very frustrating period if things don’t go as planned. We have a few tips if you want to start your garden from seed so your garden turns out just […]
Rabbit Resistant Plants for Northern Colorado
Please note that all animals will eat anything and everything if they are hungry!Rabbits occasionally find the following plants less tasty: Annuals African daisy Ageratum Amethyst flower Brachycome California Poppy Cleome Dahlia Four O’clocks Gaillardia Gazania Geranium Lantana Marigold Mexican Sunflower Morning Glory Salvia Sedum Snapdragons Sunflower Verbena Vinca Wax Begonia Zinnia Bulbs Allium Crocus […]
Gardening Podcasts to Inspire, Indoors and Out!
If you’re like us, you’ve constantly got gardening on the brain. You commute while thinking about gardening, exercise while thinking about gardening, clean the house while thinking about gardening, and even GARDEN while thinking about gardening! With thousands of topics covered in podcasts (free pre-recorded audio shows) it’s no wonder that there are many excellent […]
5 Delicious Ideas for Zucchini
We know the story, it’s as old as time, of having too much zucchini! Maybe you were planning on losing a few plants to hail or rabbits and squirrels but all survived and thrived. And now you are leaving them on porches in the night, sending your child to their first day of school with […]
The Vanilla Bean Orchid
Everyone knows the scent and taste of vanilla… at the very least we smell it in perfumes and enjoy it in ice cream! But did you know that all vanilla comes from the fruit of an orchid? Of the tens of thousands of orchids known to the world, Vanilla planifolia is the only orchid to […]
Grow Your Own Lettuce at Home!
There’s nothing quite like the taste of freshly picked lettuce and with recent scares in the food industry, the thought of growing your own lettuce at home becomes even more appealing. Salad lovers, rejoice! Lettuce is easy to grow indoors all year long! As with most plants, selecting the best location for your lettuce garden […]
Growing Hop Vines in the Garden
“Hops” is a popular word these days, especially here in Colorado. As well as being at the forefront of the craft beer industry, Humulus lupulus also makes an excellent vine for the garden trellis or pergola. Historically, hop flowers were used as a sedative and in elixirs. It wasn’t until the ninth century that hops […]
Tomato Basil Soup
Kiss your can goodbye… this homemade tomato basil soup recipe is so creamy and heartwarming you won’t even need a grilled cheese! INGREDIENTS 4 cups onion, diced 2 cups carrots, peeled and diced 8 large tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped 2 cups lightly packed basil 8 cups canned diced tomatoes ½ tsp white pepper 8 […]
Lavender Devils Food Chocolate Cake
Sweet and Savory, the delicate scent of lavender enlivens food dishes with its fresh enticing flavor. Many people have experienced lavender only in the classic herbs de Province mixture, but there are many more uses for this versatile herb. Although some chefs prefer to use angustifolia, the lower camphor and resin content of ‘Provence’ makes […]
The Language of Flowers
According to the Society of American Florists, an estimated 196 million roses were produced for the 2015 Valentine’s Day holiday. With over 75% of these being red, it is obvious that most everyone knows that red roses signify romance and love. However, roses are not the only flowers that have a meaning associated with them. […]