The Vegetable Garden is planted and maintained in partnership with the Colorado State University (CSU) Extension -Arapahoe County Colorado Master Gardener Volunteer Program. All vegetable varieties featured in this garden are easily grown and widely available. The soil is amended with compost, watered by overhead spraying, and is typically planted the last week in May. Produce harvested from Hudson Gardens’ Vegetable Garden is donated to a local food bank. A variety of resources are available for learning more about vegetable gardening and preserving your harvest, including:

Meet the Vegetable Gardeners

Join us at Hudson Gardens’ Vegetable Garden to observe Colorado Master Gardener Volunteers doing what they do best! The gardeners will be available June through September to answer your gardening questions and give advice on all your “how-to” questions. There will also be opportunities to observe bed preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting, and more from the experts who plan and maintain Hudson Gardens’ Vegetable Garden each year.

Cool season vegetables

These vegetables prefer cool growing temperatures (60° F to 80° F) and lose quality in hot weather. They are often replanted mid-summer for fall harvest.

Hardy vegetables – Broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, onions, lettuce, peas, radish, spinach, turnips Hardy vegetables grow with daytime temperatures as low as 40° F and may survive a frosty nip.

Semi-hardy vegetables – Beets, carrots, cauliflower, parsley, parsnips, potatoes, and Swiss chard Semi-hardy vegetables grow with minimum daytime temperatures of 40° F to S0° F, but are less tolerant of a frosty night

Warm season vegetables- Warm season vegetables prefer summer-like weather with temperatures between 70° F and 95° F. They are intolerant of frost and may be sensitive to cool spring winds.

Tender vegetables – Beans, celery, corn, cucumbers, New Zealand spinach, and summer squash Tender vegetables grow with a daytime temperature above SS° F and are intolerant of frost.

Very tender vegetables – Lima beans, cantaloupe, eggplant, pepper, pumpkin, winter squash and pumpkin, tomato, and watermelon

Very tender vegetables are not only intolerant of frost, but also cool spring winds. They need daytime temperatures above 60° F, and prefer temperatures of 70°F to 95°F. A week of daytime temperatures below SS° F, may stunt the crop.