Gardening 101: How can I extend the Denver growing season?

I am originally from upstate NY. Denver's growing season seems quite long to me. I learned at an early age to protect fall plants from the elements. There are also ways to extend the vegetable growing season at the beginning. Here are some helpful tips to extend the Denver growing season.

Starting seeds early can be very beneficial. The more mature a vegetable plant is at planting time, the sooner it will be able to be harvested. Since some plants will produce again after the first picking, this gives an additional harvest before the first frost in the fall.

Give vegetable plants spring protection from the elements. Do not plant too soon. Warm weather vegetables stay healthier if planted when all danger of frost is gone. Later planting may not seem to extend the growing season, but remember, a dead plant produces nothing.

Cool season vegetables like lettuce and peas may not produce all year in the hot Denver sun. To extend the growing season of these plants, keep them well shaded and plant twice. It may even be possible to get a third harvest in if you monitor plants well.

Grow varieties that tolerate heat well. All vegetables are not created equal and all varieties of vegetables do not grow well in Denver. Extend the growing season by purchasing only the varieties that do well in the area you live in.

Do not give up on your vegetable garden too soon in the fall. Be sure that as your enthusiasm for gardening wanes, your garden care doesn't wane along with it. Extend the Denver growing season by continuing to water, weed and fertilize on a regular basis into the fall.

Frost protection in both spring and fall will extend the Denver vegetable growing season. Watch for nights that are clear, cool and dry. This is when the frost danger is high. Cover new plants with plastic buckets, like the one pictured overnight. Larger plants may need the larger coverage of a tarp or blanket.

Denver often experiences “Indian Summer”. Don't pack up the rake and shovel at the first sign of cold weather. Hot days may return and that cold snap may even add a unique flavor to veggies, as long as you protect them from frost. For instance, the best apples experience a cold snap prior to picking.

Just because your Denver vegetables have experienced a freeze, don't assume they are dead. They may look a bit bedraggled but make a miraculous recovery to extend the growing season. After a frost, wait a couple weeks before removing any plants that look the worse for wear.