As the summer winds down, gardeners around Colorado often face a sad day. It’s the time of year when they hang up the shovel, dust off the gloves one last time and prepare for a few gray and cold months away from the garden. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The annual end of summer doesn’t have to mean the end of gardening.
In Colorado, despite the arctic reputation the state has in some corners of the country, there are plenty of choices for gardeners who still have the itch even though the days are getting shorter and weather chillier. So, here are tips for gardeners looking to plant a few more plants before winter and the real end of gardening season rolls around.
Choose wisely
Planting time isn’t over when fall comes around, but it is different. That means the tomato plants you were so proud of this summer aren’t an option. Neither are peppers nor a handful of other popular choices for spring planting. If you want to plant now, you need to pick a hardy choice that can withstand the shorter days and cooler temps. That group includes lettuce, kale, peas and spinach. Some less-hardy options that have been known to succeed in the fall include beets, parsley and parsnips. There are other options, too, and your local garden center can help you choose one that will work in your particular garden.
Get the right set up
The short days and cool nights mean you might need to take some precautions before planting. Chief among those is choosing the right spot for your garden. With fewer hours of sunlight, what you get is precious, so pick the spot in the yard that will get the most sunlight. If you are worried about the cold ground, a raised garden bed can help, too. And if you are trying one of the less-hardy vegetables, it’s a good idea to make some plastic tunnels over the plants. You can do that by bending coat hangers in a U-shape and stretching sheeting over them.
Prepare for some failure
Look, it is certainly possible to plant some crops this late in the year. The real hardy stuff like peas will most likely power right through an early fall cold snap, especially if you took a few steps to protect the plant. And if you make sure they got plenty of water early in the day — never in the late afternoon when the evening freeze could hit when the plant is still damp — you should be fine. But, this is still Colorado. If we get one of those freak September blizzards and your precious planters are covered in a blanket of heavy snow? Well, the hardiness of those plants will be tested at least. And at most, they might be dead when the snow melts. So don’t go into fall gardening expecting success. It’s better to plant what you can, and be happy that whatever late-season crops you harvest make it through.