The Colorado Gardener's Companion: An Insider's Guide to Gardening in the Centennial State

by Jodi Torpey

Overview

The Colorado Gardener’s Companion is your guide to cultivating a successful garden in the Centennial State. Whether you are an experienced green thumb or an inquiring novice, whether you live in the mountains, on the Western Slope, along the Front Range, or on the eastern plains, this easy-to-understand guide will help you grow bountiful vegetables, abundant flowers, and lush lawns. You will learn:What’s in your Colorado soil and how to improve itHow to take advantage of the state’s semiarid climateTechniques to maximize the short growing seasonThe best high-performance plant varieties for your climate How to landscape to conserve waterWays to deal with the challenges of Colorado’s wild weatherLocal sources of hands-on assistance with gardening questionsIn short, how to succeed in your Rocky Mountain garden

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493010707
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	04/01/2015
Series:	Gardening Series
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	359,105
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jodi Torpey is a Denver-based garden writer, master gardener and editor-in-chief of WesternGardeners.com. She's the author of The Colorado Gardener’s Companion and Blue-Ribbon Vegetable Gardening. Jodi’s writing appears on home and garden websites and in magazines, newspapers, e-books and mobile apps. Her class called “Vegetable Gardening: Innovative Small Space Solutions” is featured in the Craftsy online workshop catalog. Jodi is a contributing editor for Fine Gardening Magazine’s vegetable growing website, VegetableGardener.com, and she's also a popular guest speaker at gardening events around the country. Since 2010 Jodi has organized the annual Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign in Denver, Colo., as a volunteer for the Garden Writers Association and as a charter member of the Produce for Pantries collaborative.

Table of Contents

Introduction vi

Firm Foundations

1 Scratching the Surface on Soils 2

2 Colorado's Growing Challenges 17

3 Water 39

Green Things

4 Vegetable Gardening 1-2-3 58

5 Annuals 84

6 Perennials 100

7 Trees and Shrubs 117

8 Lawn 135

9 Invasive Plants 151

Garden Solutions

10 Coping with Pests and Diseases 166

11 Learning from Special Places 181

Glossary 189

Appendix: Resources for the Colorado Gardener 191

Index 196

About the Author 199