What are the growing conditions on the Colorado front range that are the same/different from the Wasatch front along the Salt Lake City I-15 corridor?
Wondering about applying or not some of what I’m reading on this thread…
I’m curious what your conditions are as well in UT.
The soil here is pretty heavy clay, and gets a bit sandier closer to the Foothills. The soil is high in minerals, but also is alkaline…7.0-8.0 and low on organic matter. Summer can be hot with several days in the 90’s and winter variable anywhere between -15F and 60F. Last frost is mid May and first frost in early October, but that can vary by a full 30 days or more…it snowed on Labor Day a year ago, and this past year it didn’t snow until late November. Pests are better than many humid climates. However, we have the usual suspects…fireblight, cider apple rust, powdery mildew, coddling moth, peach borer, and especially the dreaded Japanese Beatle depending on what part of town you are in.
I’m hesitant to say it, but outside of the variable weather, our climate, sunshine, and dry climate is very good for growing fruit.
I don’t actually know, but suspect there are more similarities than differences. A lot of the publications by Utah State seem to get used for regional guidance, and from a weather perspective, we aren’t too different. Maybe we get more hail 
Edit: This 200 page USU Commercial fruit grower document is a collaboration between USU, CSU, and U of Idaho. It does call out some things like ‘you don’t have to worry about pest xyz in Colorado’. That should give you some sense of how much overlap exists.
I actually live near USU, which is 85 miles north and on the other side of some mountains from the SLC corridor. Colder and more snow here - SLC gets about 50 more growing days than I do.
USU - Zone 5b/6a; last frost 5/14; first frost 9/25
SLC - Zone 7a/7b; last frost 4/22; first frost 10/26
Here’s Denver compared to SLC on Weather Spark…
Denver looks a lot windier than SLC…
In my area late freezes aren’t uncommon - apricots are successful maybe every 3 years, though I’ve only lost peaches and nectarines once in 12 years (in late May 2017 we had 23 F).
No Japanese beetles to speak of in Utah but it’s inevitable.
Other pest pressure is light compared to what I read about the east coast. Apples are the hardest to grow organically with fire blight and codling moth, but manageable if you accept some loss. Everything else is relatively easy. Thinning is my biggest annoyance.
I guess I have “silty clay loam”, but it works fine for fruit and vegetables. I’m in an old river bed so plenty of rocks. I don’t really fertilize my in-ground fruit trees, but maybe they get nutrients from the thick layer of decomposing wood chips I replace every few years.
I’ve planted tomatoes in the same spot for 12 years and have never had any disease pressure, which is nice.
Summers are hot and dry. You have to irrigate. Our overnight summer lows reduce our heating degree days. Cherries ripen in early July; peaches start in late August; honeycrisp apples early October.
Hi All,
I have a bare root drippin’ honey pear tree that, in my observation, arrived early. Previously, trees have always arrived in Mid-April. Ground has started to thaw this past week.
Do you all think it is OK to plant this early, provided the ground can be worked? I’m not sure how early folks plant here, on the front range.
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I’d say it depends on the level of dormancy; is the tree well asleep or is it starting to show signs of bud swell? If it’s asleep, put it in the ground. If it starting to wake up, I’d be hesitant.
Anybody starting to see any of their fruit trees waking up? Everything seems pretty dormant for me except for my Arctic Glo nectarine which is showing signs of bud swell, but that’s about on par from last few years. Even the Nanking Cherries, which are some of the first to bloom for me, look pretty good. I’m thinking the 70’s we’re about to get the next few days is going to start getting things going.
10 forecast looks really nice, I’m planning on putting a lot of my cold-weather starts link onions and lettuce out this weekend. Anyone else starting up their vegetable gardens?
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That is good thinking. I opened the box, and the buds are different than I’ve seen. They are long and spikey, and pliable. But, they don’t appear to be swelling or getting fat, per se. I’m assuming they are still dormant. I actually have two trees - one to be put in-ground, and the other I’ll put in a container.
My apple and one of my peaches is in silver bud stage. Seems like a great weekend to get some cool veggies out.
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Boulder CO. I have lots of fruit trees and grape vines for making wine.
Has anyone tried hardy kiwi on the FR? When I do google searches they seem to have mixed results.
My Harko nectarine and Red Haven, Ruby Prince, Rich May peaches have broken dormancy. Liberty and Golden Delicious also are just starting to show color.
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Just saw this thread, but if the tree is still dormant, it is great to put it in the ground outside now. I am up at 8300’ and should be getting some new trees next week which I intend to plant outside asap.
Welcome - Let us know how it goes, if you try! I would definitely be interested, though think I have heard it is challenging with our arid conditions.
Thanks - yeah, the outlook is pretty good. I’m just catching this now, but did put in the drippin’ honey today.
The pear next to it is in swollen bud stage. At least the 10-day forecast is looking pretty good.
The usda sent me this email. You all know I’m from Kansas but it’s close enough we are neighboring states.
Ya, they even moved the birds indoors at the zoo to avoid it I guess.
A few of my trees are starting to wake up, a few near bloom - I definitely don’t like the look of Wednesday night. I’m always glad I went with very late bloomers of most varieties when I started down this hobby.
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Yeah, the forecast is not as friendly as I’d like.
If you went all late bloomers, what bud stages are you (or others) in?
I have a pear in bud scales separating (mostly) through tight cluster.
Apple in green tip (mostly) through 1/2 inch green.
Peach coming into first pink
E Plums in tight through first swelling.
Frosts this upcoming week should have minimal impact with where everything is right now (unless it gets into the teens, which it easily could), it just makes me worry. 70 and 80 degree days leading into 20s or teens are just too common here…
My earliest pear (Kiffer) has a few a tight cluster.
My earliest cherry (Nanking) has a few flowers showing but most such as North Star, Juliet, and Carmine Jewel are 90% at green tip.
Just a few of my apples have their apical buds at green tip or tight cluster.
A few J. plums are green tip; my E. plums are all bud swell or less.
My earliest in-ground peach is at calyx green. I’ve got a Contender on the east side of a fence line that doesn’t even start to think about waking up until the second week in June, so it’s nice to know I’ve always got at least some peaches no matter what spring throws my way.
Maybe what I’m most excited about are my apricots, which should be some of the first to wake up. My Chinese is at red calyx and my Montrose is still at bud swell. Very cool to see apricots staying dormant so long.
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I think I need to build a fence around my contender, since it is so far ahead
I tried to find a hoyt montrose this last season without any luck. Odd how it is so hard to find one. Hope yours gets a chance to produce this year. Has your montrose produced for you before? If so, when does it usually bloom and harvest?
I have it trained in a fan form along my backyard shed. I want to say this will be it’s third year in ground for me so I’m hoping to get some fruit this year - if I remember correctly it had just a couple flowers last year but carried no fruit.
I got mine from Grow Organic but it looks like they don’t carry it anymore. I’m more than willing to provide you some scion or summer bud wood if you’re interested.
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You can get scion of it from bob Purvis and graft it?
Ok, thanks Scooter! Right now I don’t have anything to graft it to, but will likely take you up on that at some point in the future. Maybe I should try my hand at bench grafting!