With an unusual cold front looking like it's heading our way, it’s a good time to write about strategies for protecting your gardens to get us through a cold snap. For those of you that haven’t lived on the Front Range for long, this is reallllyy weird. Our typical first light freeze isn’t for another 6 weeks, or even longer. With temperatures rebounding afterwards, there is still a significant amount of time we can get out of the growing season. So, what can we do to get through this potential freeze, or a day or two of freezes later in the season that will be followed by some fair weather?

Aaaah yes, these are the days I love. We’ve had a couple of days recently when the temperatures have dipped into the 70s. Yesterday was a perfect day for leisurely enjoying the garden. Since I’m pregnant and very easily succumb to exhaustion, most of my time in the garden the last couple of months have consisted of quick daily checks and hand watering the planters and hugelkulture bed that we don’t have on drip yet. About every other day harvesting little buckets full of tomatoes and random things like cucumbers, peppers, and beans with my helpful 20 month old assistant. I don’t know what I’d do without this kid. He seriously is an amazing garden helper.

Our family is growing again! We are expecting our second little sprout in December and are thrilled to announce that it is a girl! So, I have been busy growing more than just a garden, and as some of you may know, it is hard work!

Plants from the greenhouse or grown indoors aren’t ready to be thrown into the deep end of being exposed to the outdoors elements from their sheltered newborn lives. Hardening off refers to the process of gradually acclimating the plants to the elements to prepare them to be grown outdoors, including full sun, temperature fluctuations, and wind. This is a really critical step.

Hi! Welcome! Some of you may already know me. I’m Nicole. I am a gardener in Loveland, Colorado. To say I love plants would be an understatement. My first passion is gardening, but a close second is my houseplants. Other hobbies include watercolor, reading and reasearching, making soap (I used to have a business on Etsy), cardmaking, yoga, and crochet, though I haven’t had as much time for these since my son was born. I am the founder of the Facebook groups Plant Exchange Northern Colorado and Gardening in Northern Colorado. If you’re here from one of the groups, welcome!