Mountain valleys and high-elevation sites vary sharply; treat this as a conservative high-elevation example.
Regional guide
Colorado Front Range and High Plains Garden
A soil-temperature-first guide for dry, variable spring conditions, fast cool-season windows, and tender crops that need reliably warm weather.
Colorado Front Range
97 frost-free days
Jun 10 last frost
spring release
Sep 15 first frost
fall limit
- Hardy cool-season vegetables can go in 2 to 4 weeks before the average last spring frost once the soil can be worked.
- Semi-hardy vegetables usually fit closer to the frost date and still depend on workable soil.
- Very tender crops generally wait at least two weeks after average last frost and consistent warm daytime weather.
- Catalog priority
- 8 priority crops 8 catalog examples
- Climate checks
- 3 climate signals 3 planning notes
- Timing basis
- Using Colorado Mountains dates Jun 10 to Sep 15
Early White Vienna Kohlrabi, Danvers 126 Carrot, Hollow Crown Parsnip, Sugar Snap Pea
Use soil temperature thresholds as the main go/no-go signal for direct seeding.
Calendar
Convert regional timing into dated sowing, transplant, and harvest jobs.
Frost dates
Keep hardiness zone context separate from local first and last frost dates.
All regions
Compare this guide with the broader regional atlas.
Colorado Containers
CSU Extension container vegetable guide for Front Range gardeners balancing container size, water, fertility, sun, and frost timing.
Climate signals
- Hardy cool-season vegetables can go in 2 to 4 weeks before the average last spring frost once the soil can be worked.
- Semi-hardy vegetables usually fit closer to the frost date and still depend on workable soil.
- Very tender crops generally wait at least two weeks after average last frost and consistent warm daytime weather.
Planning notes
- Prioritize cool-season roots and greens early, then shift beds to beans, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, and peppers.
- Use soil temperature thresholds as the main go/no-go signal for direct seeding.
- Plan mid-summer brassica and greens sowings for fall quality in warmer parts of the region.
Catalog crop examples
These catalog entries match crops covered by the regional timing source; variety-specific details remain tied to each seed entry's own source.
- Early White Vienna Kohlrabi Vegetable · Cool · 55 days
- Danvers 126 Carrot Vegetable · Shoulder · 70 days
- Hollow Crown Parsnip Vegetable · Cool · 120 days
- Sugar Snap Pea Vegetable · Cool · 62 days
- Bloomsdale Spinach Vegetable · Cool · 42 days
- Provider Bush Bean Vegetable · Warm · 50 days
- Marketmore 76 Cucumber Vegetable · Warm · 58 days
- Roma Tomato Vegetable · Warm · 76 days
Related regional guides
- Colorado Front Range Container Vegetable Garden CSU Extension container vegetable guide for Front Range gardeners balancing container size, water, fertility, sun, and frost timing.
- Colorado High-Elevation Mountain Vegetable Garden CSU Extension mountain vegetable guide for Colorado gardeners over 7,500 feet who need short-season, frost-aware, cool-season planning.
Dated sowing answers, where the data exists
Five regions on this site have a dated "what can I still sow today" page, built from the windows their state extension service publishes: Texas, North Florida, Central Maryland, New York City and York County, PA. Colorado Front Range is not one of them, and nothing on those pages applies here.
- Five regions have a dated first-frost answer; Colorado Front Range is not one of them yet The method behind the five covered regions: a published planting window, days to maturity, and the local first frost.
Source: CSU vegetable planting guide