Collards grow to a height of three feet and are well known as a Southerner’s delight. They grow best in cool weather and fertile soil, and require abundant moisture. You can transplant collards into your early-spring Garden to produce a midsummer crop, or you can plant them in midsummer and harvest them from fall to…
Immature chile peppers are green chiles, and, when left on the plant, they ripen and become red chiles. The spicy, hot taste of a chile depends on how much capsaicin is produced. The variety of chile plant influences this, but so does air temperature and Gardening practices like fertilizing and watering. Capsaicin is concentrated…
Leafy vegetables are easy to grow. They contain more vitamins and minerals and less calories than any other vegetables. Most grow well under cool conditions and can be eaten at any stage of maturity, which makes them ideal for regions with a short growing season. Salad greens and cooked greens are leafy vegetables. Not all…
Leafy vegetables don’t have extensive root systems. Therefore, Gardeners must be concerned with the condition of the top six inches of soil. For best results, add one and one-half inches of compost or well-rotted manure to the soil, and work it in well to a depth of six inches. Vegetables require high nitrogen levels, so…
Cool-season vegetables are uniquely adapted to Colorado’s climate because they are able to withstand light to moderate frosts, adding a month or more of Gardening time at the beginning and end of our growing season. At higher elevations, they’re the only vegetables that grow successfully. Among the cool season vegetables there are five that live…
Beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, okra, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin and squash are warm-season vegetables. Many of these Crops grow under cool conditions, but won’t produce fruit when night temperatures are in the 50 degree Fahrenheit range. They need warm temperatures to grow and mature. Once the fruit begins to form, it needs up to two…
Hard freezes may come early in the Front Range, killing all but the hardiest plants in the vegetable garden. Although peas, cabbage, kale, parsnips and a few others may survive, planning to dispose of killed plants is a good idea. The carryover of many vegetable diseases and insects can be avoided by doing a thorough…
High temperatures cause problems with vegetable gardens. Plants transpire faster than normal in intense heat. If roots are not well established and healthy, leaves can scorch despite adequate moisture. Low humidity compounds problems and may promote spider mite problems. Heat and low humidity also affect blossom and pollen viability; bean blossoms abort and corn pollen…
In vegetable gardens with poor soil, water management is difficult in hot weather. Blossom end rot is common on tomatoes and squash shrivel on the vine. Blossom end rot is a black sunken spot on the bottom (blossom end) of tomato and pepper fruits and is caused by irregular moisture. The fruit is safe to…
Many vegetable crops are susceptible to powdery mildew. Plants affected with this fungal disease usually appear coated with talcum powder or flour. Some plants such as tomatoes, peppers and onions may only have yellow colored leaf patches. As the disease progresses, leaves, buds and stems are distorted. Leaves drop prematurely and flower buds fail to…
Many new vegetable gardeners feel uncertain on when to harvest certain vegetables. The choice of picking time is important because it affects quality, nutritional value and flavor. Most fruiting and many leafy vegetables are not grown until full maturity. Picking time is generally a balance between allowing more time to produce larger yield versus…
Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) causes tomato plants to appear dusty or dirty. Leaves become distorted and stems often have sunken, bronze cankers. Plants may be stunted and fruits and leaves develop yellow rings. The disease is transmitted by western flower thrips, very tiny tubular-shaped insects. Virus-infected plants should be removed and destroyed. See CSU…
