KUSA — The key to growing vegetables well is compost. Dig it into the beds and topdress the beds with it. Compost enriches the soil, conserves water and helps suppress weeds.
One thing you'll notice about my vegetable garden is how many flowers there are. They attract bees that pollinate some crops, especially cucumbers. And although most people yank parsley when it starts to bloom, I leave it because bees--especially native ones--love it.
Hot weather crops are starting to yield well. Keep beans picked to keep them producing. The same goes for peppers. Cut the peppers off rather than yank, which can damage the plants.
'Big Bertha' is a great bell pepper that never fails to live up to its name. Squash and cucumbers come away easily from the plants as you twist them. Squash and zucchini are best trained in cages, saving space and making them easier to pick.
Although Colorado isn't ideal tomato country (they prefer humid, hot climates) they'll perform well if they don't get planted too early. Wait until the soil is warm in late May or early June. Be patient. August and September are the months when tomatoes bear the heaviest.
Avoid using a high nitrogen fertilizer. You'll get lots of vines at the expense of fruit. Use a fertilizer formulated just for tomatoes.
Never follow the bad advice that suggests that you stop watering tomatoes to force them to ripen. That's dead wrong. You'll end up with dead plants and dry, small, tasteless tomatoes.
It's never too late to start a vegetable garden. Choose a sunny spot. Work in a lot of compost. By the end of August you can plant your first crops of lettuce and spinach.
