From soil type to plant hardiness, there are a lot of things that go into cultivating a successful garden. With help from the community, and a trip to one of our seed libraries, you can learn to build a thriving garden in no time!
Community Gardens
Community gardens are a large designated open space for gardening. People from all over the community can buy a plot in these gardens and enjoy the feeling of growing things outside in the earth, even if they don’t have a backyard. Community gardens are great for bringing people together and can be found almost anywhere! Find a community garden near you., opens a new window
Nurseries
A plant nursery is a greenhouse-like store that propagates and sells young plants, seeds and gardening equipment. You can buy plants and seeds at your local hardware store. However, the staff at nurseries are usually very knowledgeable about gardening and can help pick plants that are right for your garden. Local nurseries “harden” (the process of acclimating your seedlings to living outside in the Colorado weather) your plants to the outdoors for you, so you can put them right in the ground or the container.
Find a nursery near you:
County Fair Garden Center, opens a new window (closest to May and Smoky Hill libraries)
County Fair Garden center is a Colorado family-owned nursery that specializes in plants that will survive in the Colorado climate. They also offer a variety of gardening supplies like trowels and soil.
Tagawa Gardens, opens a new window (closest to Smoky Hill library)
Tagawa gardens is a family-owned nursery that has been around for forty years! They sell plants, trees, shrubs, vegetables, and bulbs; along with garden supplies.
Nick’s Garden Center, opens a new window (closest to May and Smoky Hill libraries)
Nick’s not only specializes in outdoor plants, they also have a wide variety of indoor plants too! Their website features a plant finder tool that can help you find the plant you need for your garden/home.
Lippitt’s Hardware Store, opens a new window (closest to Kelver library)
Lippitt’s is a family-owned hardware store. They do not have any plants; however they do have a selection of seeds and gardening tools!
Gardening Clubs
A gardening club is a group of people who share an interest in gardening. They come together at set times and talk about gardening. Many gardening clubs do community events to better the community. This is a good way to learn more about gardening with people who are passionate about the same topic.
Check out a few pre-established, local gardening clubs:
Dig and Dream, opens a new window (closest to Smoky Hill Library)
Membership Fee: Annual $26
Dig and dream is a group of people who believe that gardening is about making the world a better place. They meet monthly at the Smoky Hill Library. Learn how you can join them., opens a new window
Queens of Spades and other Garden Clubs in Colorado, opens a new window
Membership Fee: Varies
Queens of spades is a group of gardeners that meet on the first Friday of the month September-June. See what it takes to become a member of this and other garden clubs., opens a new window
Gardening Classes
Gardening classes are great ways to learn about gardening from someone who knows what they are doing. Many classes are about specific topics which can range from starting seeds to earthworm colonies.
Here are some organizations that offer gardening classes:
Denver Urban Gardens (DUG), opens a new window (closest to May library)
Registration Fee: Optional $30
DUG was established over 35 years ago to help feed the growing Denver population. They offer classes geared towards adults and children with a variety of skill levels. They also partner with many community gardens in the Denver area and have online training as well as in person.
County Fair Garden Center, opens a new window (closest to May and Smoky Hill libraries)
Registration Fee: $5
County Fair Garden Center is family owned and offers a variety of classes including the management of Japanese beetles, and how to plant and care for vegetable gardens.
Denver Terrarium Classes, opens a new window (closest to Smoky Hill library)
Registration Fee: $39-$89
These classes are run by a team of dedicated plant-parents. They offer instruction on making terrariums, plant identification, bonsai, and wreath making
Tagawa Gardens, opens a new window (closest to Smoky Hill library)
Registration Fee: Free
Tagawa Gardens offers classes about a range of gardening topics. This includes bug preparation for your gardens, how to garden in small spaces, and informational classes about fruit plants and fruit trees.
Online Classes and Resources
If there aren’t any gardening classes near you, online gardening classes are a great alternative! There are virtual classes and blogs that can tell you all the information you want to know about planting seeds, caring for plants and being a successful gardener.
Nick’s Garden Center, opens a new window
Nick’s is not only a successful nursery, they also have a blog with different gardening tips and tricks. The topics range from the best Perennials for Denver, opens a new window to Nick’s Green Chile recipe, opens a new window. The best part about this blog is that it’s Colorado based! This means that all the outdoor gardening tips are geared towards Colorado planting.
Denver Botanic Gardens, opens a new window
The Denver Botanic Gardens offers several classes on Colorado horticulture. The Rocky Mountain Gardening Short Course, opens a new window is a great online class for anyone who wants to know more about Colorado native plants and how to grow them.
Jodi Torpey is a successful Colorado master gardener. This article has some tips and tricks for how to make your Colorado garden as successful as possible.
Urban Farm Colorado, opens a new window
This article answers all your questions about starting seeds in Colorado. The article goes over terminology, equipment, how to plant your seeds, and how to harden off the seedlings.
Growing Gardens, opens a new window
Growing Gardens has a Colorado based blog. This blog includes topics like growing lavender, opens a new window, activities for kids, and recipes, opens a new window for your garden veggies.
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