It isn’t easy being a vegetable in Colorado.
With our short, 150-day season, intense sun and alkaline soils, big promises of delicious flavor and huge yields burn out, leaving you with vegetables you want to love, but don’t.
Before you throw in the trowel, avoid gastronomic disappointment by checking out our tips for picking the best vegetables for your edible plot. With these top crops, you’ll be planting foods that live up to their reputation for good taste.
“There’s a balance between what a farmer can grow and what a gardener can grow and do better in the backyard, because of the attention they pay to soil and fertilizer,” says Richard Pecoraro, co-owner of Abbondanza Farm in Longmont.
A seed-to-seed farm, Abbondanza preserves seed to plant each year, focusing on those that are superior performers on the Colorado Front Range.
“If you look at the Rocky Mountain West, it doesn’t have deep soil in most areas. You need vigorous carrots,” to grow here, he said, such as the Chantenay types Red Core or Royal. “Nantes are also very good; those are the cigar shaped one. But stay away from Imperator types — those long, lean carrots — unless your bed is double-dug. Carrots need good soil with good depth, and lower fertility.”
Squash is a staple here, with hard- rind winter squashes delighting us in the off season and delicate-skinned summer varieties filling saute pans and salads.
“I love zucchini and I always want it. In fact, I want a couple of types in the garden,” said Pecoraro. Novice gardeners will find cocozelle, the Italian zucchini, easy to grow, while Costata Romanesco brings big heirloom flavor to the table.
Though Cucurbita moschata are squashes suited to Southern gardens, butternut is a famous northern moschata that grows beautifully in short growing seasons like ours, he said. Look for Waltham or huge Tahitian. For smaller appetites, plant Black Kibocha, Delicata, or Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato, Pepo-types that love our heat.
Pecoraro, who also provides seed to Seeds of Change, a company devoted to preserving open-pollinated varieties, lists Jade as their number one green bean, a bush-type that produces a bounty of delicious beans long into the season. But if you’re looking for a splash of color along with outstanding flavor, plant purple-pod Royal Burgundy and yellow Indy Gold.
In kitchen gardens, be sure to include herbs. “You have to have fresh herbs; having them changes the meal into something memorable,” said Tammi Hartung, co-owner of Desert Canyon Farm in Cañon City, which grows seedlings for garden centers throughout Colorado and northern New Mexico. “Once you get used to fresh herbs it’s hard to convince yourself to use dry ones from the store, because the flavor isn’t as good.”
Hartung lists rosemary as a garden must-have, but because it’s tender, it won’t survive our winters. Look for Madeleine Hill hardy rosemary, which will overwinter in protected locations. Then add thyme and sage, main herbs for every kitchen.
“You can just go berserk with thymes,” she said. “Mother-of- Thyme is important for kitchen gardens, but there’s silver variegated thyme that’s tart with a light citrusy tang or Doon Valley creeping thyme with lemony flavor. Other thymes are fragrant, but the flavor isn’t strongly there.”
Sage is a traditional herb for poultry at Thanksgiving and you can use it with couscous, rice or quinoa dishes. Try purple or variegated sage in hot, dry spots in full sun. The flowers are edible. Hartung, author of “Growing 101 Herbs that Heal” (Storey press, $24.95), presses them into cream cheese to smear on a bagel.
When planting, leave room for the most popular herb. “Basil is on most people’s lists. We know the Genovese Italian sweets, they’re the typical pesto basil people can’t get enough of. But there’s also cinnamon basil, which is wonderful in salsa or chopped over fresh peaches.”
In Colorado, plant basil in light, dappled shade to protect it from the sun.
Growing over 200 varieties of vegetable starts, Hartung matches the right plant to different growing areas.
“Heirlooms have flavor superior to hybrids, but you need to know their climate requirements. Mountain gardeners should try Yankee Bell or Romanian Fry pepper, or Siberian tomatoes that grow in short seasons.”
On the plains, Sheep’s Nose pepper is delicious dried, she said, then ground in the blender for paprika. Tequila Sunrise is a sweet pepper with just a touch of spice, or light up the garden by adding Ring O Fire cayenne peppers, a favorite at Abbondanza Farm.
Classic cucumber Marketmore 76 is a reliable slicer for salads, both experts said, producing long, cylindrical fruit that’s sweet and refreshing. If you want to mix it up, try True Lemon, a variety with a yellow lemon shape that doesn’t cause belching.
Melons can test the most experienced gardeners, but if you’re determined to try, pop in Hale’s Best, an orange fleshed cantaloupe or Eden’s Gem, a delicious green muskmelon developed in Rocky Ford. Early to mid-season melons, which develop before we have the threat of frost, are good choices for novice gardeners.
By growing a few tried-and-true vegetables, your garden is sure of success. But part of the fun is to push the limits, so try new varieties.
“Don’t follow a lot of rules,” says Hartung, “gardening is an art. There are so many varieties of herbs or vegetables out there that people say won’t grow here, but you never know — go for it. Start with things you most enjoy eating or cooking.”
Read Carol O’Meara on her blog
More information
• Abbondanza locally adapted vegetable varieties, Abbo Regional Seeds, .
• Open Farm Days at Desert Canyon Farm, every Saturday and Sunday, April 24 through May 30, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featuring workshops, picnic areas and a farm stand, .
