High-altitude harvest
Colorado’s unpredictable climate poses significant challenges for gardeners. To help navigate these obstacles, we asked Roni Pasi, director of regenerative agriculture, a regenerative farm in Gunnison, for some expert guidance. To ensure a strong start for your garden, Pasi recommends transplanting seedlings or small plants—whether you’ve grown them indoors or purchased them from a local garden shop—from their pots into the garden soil. This approach ensures that you won’t begin with empty garden beds. Once the threat of the last frost has passed, Pasi suggests planting cool-weather crops such as broccoli, cabbage, kale, peas, radishes, beets, carrots, lettuce, and spinach. Be prepared to tend to your sprouts, as you aren’t the only one eager to enjoy the harvest. “If you’re growing vegetables, wildlife will visit often,” Pasi says. “Instead of fighting nature, think of how you can work with it.” She suggests installing a nesting box to deter owls and planting perennial flowers to encourage pollinators throughout the growing season. While it may be tempting to plant those poppies the first sunny day when temps climb above 60 degrees, patient gardeners who work with nature’s seasons and species will be rewarded with flourishing gardens that never weathered the wrath of Colorado’s signature latespring snowstorms.
