Growing with the Season

Gardening and harvesting can be therapeutic and rewarding. Gardeners often enjoy the satisfaction of growing the fruits and vegetables they eat. However growing anything successfully in Wyoming can be challenging. Aside from fierce wind and the dry climate, the short growing season can be a major limiting factor. In order to plan a garden and pick appropriate plants for the space, it is important to know approximately how many consecutive frost free days to expect.

The National Climatic Data Center has spring and all freeze hazard table information readily available online. Freeze hazard tables usually have three temperatures: one below freezing, freezing, and one above. Freeze hazard tables also have percentages to indicate the likelihood of the temperature occurring on an indicated date. For example, there is a 50 percent chance that the temperature in Saratoga will drop below 36 degrees before June 17. With the spring and fall frost dates and respective probabilities, you can also determine the approximate growing season length at a 90, 50, or 10 percent level.

Even if you error on the side of caution, unexpected cold nights can still occur, so growing season extenders may be something to consider. The growing season can be extended with simple solutions like hot caps or walls of water for your tomatoes, or even row covers for the whole garden. These options generally provide a buffer between the temperature and what the plants experience. Cold frames can also help keep plants warmer at night and allow a grower to plant in the ground earlier in the season. Cold frames are often used to start seedlings and get them accustomed to environmental conditions, something seedlings started inside do not experience.

High tunnels and greenhouses are becoming more popular solutions for Wyoming gardeners as well. Traditionally, high tunnels are temporary structures and greenhouses are permanent. Greenhouses are also typically more complex because of the required heating, cooling, and venting. Instead of fighting the length of the growing season, a gardener can also plant varieties that require fewer days to maturity or start the seeds inside.

Some vegetables, like corn, that have a reputation of being harder to grow to maturity in Wyoming, are available in dwarf varieties that produce smaller ears, but also require a shorter growing season. More traditional choices for Wyoming gardens are beans, beets, broccoli, kale, spinach, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, potatoes, onions, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. A gardener may also want to consider perennial garden plants like most berries, asparagus, and rhubarb.

Many salad vegetables like lettuce, spinach, and kale may frost during a cold snap, but will keep growing when the weather warms again. These are great vegetables to consider for early spring gardens or for keeping fresh greens on your table late into the fall.

To learn more about growing in Wyoming contact the UW Extension office in Carbon County at (307) 328-2646 or [email protected].