I'm new to planting on the front range of Colorado and last year I only had a 10% success rate with my garden. I started a bunch of plants (like tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, corn, green beans, and snow peas) indoors using grow lights and heating mats. I acclimated them outside for a few weeks before planting them in the ground, but a few weeks later, I ended up with only one tomato plant and two butter cucumber plants still alive. Given my experience, should I consider just direct sowing everything this year instead of worrying about indoor planting and the weathering process?
4 Answers
Growing in Colorado can be tricky! You really need to be patient with your heat-loving plants. Since you've experienced frost, it’s best to hold off on planting until it's genuinely summer. These plants are quick growers and will catch up!
As a front-range gardener, I suggest starting your tomatoes and peppers indoors. For the rest, direct sowing works best. Lettuce can be planted a bit ahead of time, but sometimes it’s not worth the trouble. Aim to sow peas around St. Patrick's Day for good results! Feel free to ask me more about gardening in our area!
You’ve got a lot to think about! First off, what's your gardening zone? Also, it’s key to know when you finally put them in the ground since not all of them should go out at the same time. Corn and peas, for example, prefer to be direct sown rather than transplanted. Make sure you check your soil composition and nutrients since that could impact your plants too!
Sounds good! Just keep in mind that plant timing plays a big role, so maybe adjust based on local conditions.
I'm in Zone 5b. I started everything from seed on March 29th, and I transplanted on Memorial Day. The soil was neutral from my last test.
I hear you! I live in northern Colorado too, and I've given up on starting from seed to avoid late frosts. The rule of thumb is to plant after Mother's Day, but even then I've had issues. I wait until Memorial Day and just buy starter plants for my raised beds now.
I've heard that about Mother's Day too, but some gardeners said they direct sowed cold-weather plants in April and saved the warmer ones for later.
When do you usually start your tomatoes and peppers indoors? I was thinking of starting them now and transplanting from late April to May.