Warm Season Vegetables
 As their name indicates, this group of vegetables prefers warm weather to develop properly. How warm? For most of the plants listed below--it's safe to plant when the nights consistently stay at 50 degrees. For some in Colorado Springs, that may be as early as mid-May. At higher elevations, that might mean June 1!
You can fool plants and get a jump on the season by using plant protectors (such as Wall O Waters) that will help warm the soil and air around your plants. It's especially important to acclimate (harden off) these plants prior to planting. Remember, they've lived in the nice warm protected greenhouse for the first 6-8 weeks of their lives. You'll need to get them used to the real world realities of their new home!
Tips for Success: Our growing season is relatively short. To give you the best chance for a healthy harvest, we offer short-season vegetable varieties. For more information about when to plant, see Phelan Gardens vegetable planting guideline.
Rich loose soil is also a must for successful vegetable gardens. Amend each year with bagged compost OR make your own. See our guide for starting your own compost pile.
Give the vegetables below a spot that receives sun for at least 8 hours, consistent water, fertilizer and warm soil, and you will be on your way to fresh vegetables from your own backyard.
Artichoke
 Imperial Star is a globe artichoke that has been bred to produce artichokes during the first season. It's hardy to zone 7 so treat it as an annual in Colorado. Give it a sunny spot with room to grow (plants can get 3-4 feet high and wide) Bears nearly spineless buds 3"-4" in size.
Varieties:
Imperial Star--95 days to harvest
Bean
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We offer both bush and pole types. Bush beans typically produce quicker than pole beans but for shorter periods of time. You'll need to plant a new crop every 2 weeks for bush types to produce throughout the season. Pole beans will take longer to produce but once they begin, will continue all season. Whichever you choose, try to water at the base of the plants, leaving the leaves dry. This helps prevent the spread of disease.
Varieties:
Blue Lake Bush -compact plant at 12"-22"tall, heavy yields, 6" beans (56 days)
Blue Lake Pole--5'-6' vines, sweet fiberless 6" beans (60 days)
Goldmine Yellow Bush Wax--15"-20" tall, 6" sweet yellow beans, (55 days)
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Corn
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The biggest trick to growing corn is that you need to grow enough plants for proper wind pollination. To achieve this, plant in 'blocks' with a minimum of 4 rows of a single variety of corn. In a typical home gardening setting, cross pollination will occur if you plant two different kinds of corn in the same yard. Apply a fertilizer (with numbers close to 9-5-3) at time of planting, when you have 10" plants, and again when tassels form.
Varieties:
Incredible: 9" ears of yellow sweet corn (85 days)
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Cucumber
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Cucumbers like it ESPECIALLY warm. Do not plant until at least a WEEK AFTER final frost. Provide ample water but make sure your soil is well drained. Drought will cause deformed fruit. It is very important to acclimate your cucumber starts to Colorado wind prior to planting. While your plants are young, you might even want to place a plant protector around them (Wall O Water) for additional protection and warmth. Cucumbers are like peas in that you need to harvest the fruit to get them to keep producing. If you are short on space, try a bush type which will be a more compact vine (actual fruit can be pickle size or regular slicers).
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Lemon Cucumber---a pint sized prize!
Tastes like a regular slicer, this spiny cucumber is ready when it's about the size of a lemon (thus the name)
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Vining Type Varieties:
English: 10"-12" burpless, non-bitter slicer (65 days)
Dasher: 8" early producing, slicer (58 days)
Lemon: 3"-4" round, prolific! (65 days)
Dasher
Photo Courtesy Seminis via BHC
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Bush Type Varieties
Bush Pickle: 4" fruit on compact 3'-4' vines (45 days)
Bush Pickle
Photo Courtesy Novartis Seed Via BHC
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Eggplant
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Because of our short growing season, eggplant is hard to grow via seed. So, we offer plant starts for your garden. Warm temps and well-drained soil will help you grow this crop. You can remove bitterness from Italian type eggplant by soaking it in salt water prior to cooking. (Rosa Bianca is not bitter).
Varieties:
Black Beauty: large Italian type, up to 12 per plant (80 days)
Ichiban: Asian type, dark purple 9" eggplants (61 days)
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Peppers
Do you prefer sweet or hot? Bells or bananas? We've got a lot of choices for you. One thing they've all got in common is that peppers MUST have warm temperatures to produce. So, don't be in a rush to get these in the ground--follow our 50 degree night rule above or use plant protectors to warm the soil. You can keep these protectors on while the plants are young. Fertilize at planting time and again mid-seaon. Keep soil consistently moist. If you are a beginner, the smaller fruited peppers are reliable producers in our short season (ex. banana etc.).
| Chili Varieties:
Anaheim (mildly hot, 76 days)
Poblano (mild when green, hotter
when ripens to red, 65 days)
Serrano (very hot, 85 days)
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Anaheim
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Poblano
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Jalapeno Variety:
Early Hot (hot, 75 days)
mild when green, hotter when red
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Jalapeno Early Hot
Photo Courtesy Genesis via BHC
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Golden Wonder
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Sweet Non-Bell Varieties
Golden Wonder
3" sweet type that begins green and matures to yellow and then orange. 85 days.
Banana Supreme
Think banana peppers such as for sandwiches. Heavy yields. 65 days.
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Cute Stuff Red
Photo Courtesy Ball Horticultural Company
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Bell Pepper Varieties
Cute Stuff Red ...NEW!!!
A high-yielding, sweet mini-bell. Can be grown green to red. 56 days.
Big Early
An elongated early sweet bell pepper. Good for stuffing. 8" fruit. 70 days.
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Big Early
Photo Courtesy Ball Horticultural Company
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Cayenne Long Thin
Photo Courtesy Seeds By Design Via BHC
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HOT Pepper Varieties:
Cayenne Long Thin: very hot green/red, thin walled peppers. 70 days.
Habanero Hottie: HOT! HOT! HOT!. 95 days
Kung Pao: A spicy staple in Asian cooking. Heavy yielding. 85 days
Habanero Hottie
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Pumpkin
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Pumpkins need warm and loose soil and consistent moisture. Fertilize when vines begin to run and again at blossom set. Give each plant ample space as vines can grow quite large (a minimum of 3 feet--4-5 ft is better). We offer miniature, standard, and giant pumpkin varieties.
Varieties:
Autumn Gold: a 7-10lb rounded, bright orange pumpkin that ripens early (approx. 90 days). An All America Selections winner.
Cinderella: an heirloom type. Bright orange, deeply ridged with a 'flattened' appearance
Goosebumps: a 8-12lb orange pumpkin with 'warts' that develop on the skin
Spooktacular: 3-4 lbs, early to ripen. Good pie pumpkin that is approx. 6" wide. 85 days.
Jack-Be-Little: Big vine, little pumpkin. Multiple mini-pumpkins that are fun for decorating. Flattened with ribbing (very much like a mini-Cinderella with lighter skin
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Jack-Be-Little
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Autumn Gold
Photo Courtesy Novartis via BHC
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Squash--Summer Squash
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If you are new to gardening, try planting summer squash--you'll have so much you'll be giving them away! Give them lots of space (about 3 square feet per plant). Fertilize at blossom set and provide consistent moisture during the growing season. Pick fruit when it is young and tender.
Varieties:
Early Summer Crookneck
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Zucchini types:
Black Beauty
Gold Zebra
Gold Zebra
Photo Courtesy Seeds By Design Via BHC
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Squash--Winter Squash
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Winter squash takes longer to develop than summer squash but is great for storing for later use. These types are typically harvested when the rind is so hard you can't cut it with your fingernail.
Varieties:
Early Butternut
Spaghetti
Taybelle (acorn)
Taybelle
Photo Courtesy Seminis Via BHC
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Tomatillos
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These are very easy to grow here. Provide loose soil and a sunny spot and you are well on your way. Treat them as you would tomatoes (they are related). Provide consistent moisture and stake them. Firm fruit about the size of a cherry tomato will be ready when the papery husks that surround them turn brown and break open.
Variety:
Verde
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Tomatoes--Hybrid Types
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We offer both compact determinate vines (great space savers for those of you who like to plant in containers) and traditional indeterminate vines. You'll need a support for these larger types. If you are a beginner, cherry tomatoes are the easiest to grow here.
Tomatoes are arguably the most popular vegetable garden plant. In addition to bearing fruit, they also produce tons of questions each season. View answers to some of the most common tomato questions.
We still employ growing techniques, developed by Don Phelan, to bring you the biggest, baddest tomato starts around.
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Varieties:
Large sized fruit:
Better Boy
Big Beef
Medium sized fruit:
Celebrity
Champion
Early Girl
Health Kick NEW!!!
50% more lycopene!!!
Lemon Boy
Patio Picnic
Super Fantastic
Roma Viva Italia
Small Sized and Cherry Types:
Juliet
Sweet 100
Sweet 100
Juliet
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Better Boy
Photo Courtesy Seminis Via BHC
Celebrity
Photo Courtesy Seminis via BHC
Health Kick
Photo Courtesy Seminis
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Big Beef
Photo Courtesy Seminis Via BHC
Early Girl
Photo Courtesy Ball Horticultural Company
Patio
Photo Courtesy Seminis
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Lemon Boy
Photo Courtesy Seminis via BHC
Super Fantastic
Photo Courtesy Ball Horticultural Company
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Tomatoes--Heirloom Types
Heirloom tomatoes are seeing renewed popularity. They are open-pollinated and will remain true to type should you want to save seeds. Although heirlooms are not always as disease resistant as modern hybrids, some people swear by the unique taste each provides. There is such a wide range of colors and shapes of heirlooms that they are a fun garden veggie to explore.
Yellow Pear
Photo Courtesy Genesis via BHC
Mortgage Lifter
Photo Courtesy Ball Horticultural Company
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Varieties:
Black Cherry
Brandywine
Mortgage Lifter
Red Oxheart
Siberian
Yellow Pear
Brandywine
Photo Courtesy Seeds By Design Via BHC
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