Gardener Resources

Broccoli bolting? Exasperated with asparagus? 

Let-tuce share our favorite growing resources with you!

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Monthly updates on our collective impact, community events, and seasonal gardening advice.

Gardening Advice from the Experts

Tips and Tricks from Colorado State University Extension, guides for your garden all year long.

SPRING

SUMMER

FALL

WINTER

Our partnership with CSU Extension Grow & Give 

Spring

Whether you're looking for Garden Planning ideas, How to Start from Seeds, or What to Grow for Donation this season, you'll find it here🌱 

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*NEW!* Edible Landscaping 101

Maximize Small Spaces by Blending Ornamental Design with Delicious, Homegrown Food
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*NEW!* How to Start a Vegetable Garden

Beginner-friendly tips on planning, planting, soil, watering, and layout
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*NEW!* Specialty Crops for Donation

A Guide to Growing Unique Greens, Fruits, and Herbs
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Choosing the Best Garden Layout

Maximize yields with smart planning
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Planning the Garden Layout

Lay out your garden for success
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Planning Your 2025 Vegetable Garden

Crop Selection, Seed Starting, and Maintenance
Tomatoes

The Top 5 most requested veggies to grow for donation

And how to grow them!
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Eight easy plants to grow for donation

(Hint: they're not tomatoes!)
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Spring Planting Guide

What to plant in early spring
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All you need to start from seed

The gear you'll need to get growing!
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Seed Starting 101

What to plant and when, whether you're starting indoors or out
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Expert advice: Root Crops

Late start? 6 root crops for early summer
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Easy Herbs for the Home Garden

Add herbs to increase your impact!
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Growing UP

Try a vertical garden to boost your harvest this year
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Small space vegetable gardens 101

No yard? No problem!

Summer

We're in the thick of it now! Expert advice on keeping your garden hydrated and shaded, addressing pests and other problems, and of course getting those TOMATOES to grow🍅 

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*NEW!* Expert advice: Harvesting 101

Must-know harvesting tips for the vegetable garden
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*HOT!* Mastering Tomato Gardening

Essential Tips for Planting, Support, Fertilization, and Harvesting
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*NEW!* Midsummer Planting

The best cool and warm season crops to plant in the heat
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Tomato Problems 101

Diagnose and solve your tomato challenges for a bountiful harvest
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Quick Guide: Succession Planting

Time your garden harvest for an extended season
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What to plant in July

A second chance for cool season crops
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Shade for the Summer Garden

Beat the heat with expert advice on creating shade for your summer garden
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Watering 101

Watering, succession planting, planning the Fall garden
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Mulch Madness

Choosing the best mulch to elevate your garden game
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Trouble in the Summer Garden

Solving common summertime garden problems
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Top 6 Vegetable Garden Weeds

Worst weeds and how to stop them
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Organic Pest Control

Keep your garden healthy while minimizing chemicals

Fall

Temperatures are dropping - top tips on harvesting for donation, protecting your garden from frost, one last shot at fall planting, and more🌽

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Harvesting for Donation

Golden rules for harvesting your summer bounty
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Fall Planting

The best berries to plant now
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*Popular!* Composting 101

Getting started with composting
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Choosing a Compost System

Digging Deeper On Compost for a Thriving Garden
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Extending the Season

How to keep your garden growing as the weather cools
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Putting the Garden to Bed

Expert clean up and compost tips to get your garden rested this fall season!
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Seed Saving 101

Expert Tips for Harvesting and Storing Your Favorite Garden Seeds

Winter

Cozy up with your Seed Catalogs, learn about Plant Hardiness Zones, Essential Gardening Tools, and more! Or move your garden indoors with Hydroponics🥬 

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Hydroponics 101

Keep gardening all year long with hydroponics!
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Expert Advice: Essential Gardening Tools

Must-have tools for the home garden.
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*NEW!* The Science of Gardening Success

Use science to boost your yields and grow with confidence
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So many seeds!

Go beyond the garden center with seed catalogs
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Tool Care 101

Prep your gardening gear
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Soil Made Simple

Great gardens start with great soil
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Gardening Facts vs Myths

A closer look at the latest gardening trends
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Diversity in the Garden

Beneficial insects and companion planting

Gardening for the Community

Home gardeners supporting their communities

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10 Must-Have Gifts for the Giving Gardener

Looking for the perfect gift for the gardener in your life? Our staff and Giving G.N.O.M.E.s have the answer!
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What is Fresh Food Connect?
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Where can I drop off food donations near me?
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Planning a Giving Garden

Planning to share? Here's how to decide what to plant
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G.N.O.M.E. chat: Colleen C.

"I love donating through Fresh Food Connect because I know my food donations are supporting my local nonprofits and feeding my neighbors."
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What type of produce should I grow and donate?
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G.N.O.M.E. chat: Heather & Terrance, Denver, Col.

"Donating our produce is a natural solution to eliminating food waste and helping to combat food insecurity."
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Top 5 Reasons to Donate Garden Produce
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VIDEO: Setting up a Community Garden Sharing Program

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G.N.O.M.E. chat: Jamie M, Philadelphia, Penn.

"The first fresh fruit of spring is my absolute favorite and I want everyone to be able to experience that."
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Sowing Justice: connecting food systems and food justice

5 books for 2024 + 1 extra for the gardeners
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Community Spotlight: Denver

An update on our impact in Denver, CO
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Community Spotlight: San Diego

Learn about our new San Diego Fresh Food Access Collaborative!
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Board Announcement

Announcing Board Leadership Transition and New Members
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Fresh Food Connect Operator Spotlight: Healthy Day Partners
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Gift Ideas for the Gardener With Everything
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Partner Spotlight: New Roots CO

Fostering food resilience in the Eagle River Valley of Colorado
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Community Gardens: Grow With Neighbors

A Season of Sharing

Follow Fresh Food Connect Gardener McKenna in her first season Gardening for Hunger Relief

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G.N.O.M.E. chat: McKenna R.

"I am fortunate enough to have the time and resources to be able to grow a little more than I need for my family."
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McKenna's Plant List

See what McKenna's Growing to Give
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Meet McKenna (June)

"I am eager to donate produce this way to ensure the community can access healthy, fresh, locally grown food, no matter what their income."
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McKenna's story (July)

"For one family, even a small amount can make a big impact."
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McKenna's story (August)

"It was fun getting to talk with folks about how they might use these unique carrots"
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McKenna's story (September)

Individual donations of homegrown produce together make a difference
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McKenna's story (October)

"We are not aiming to get our produce into a supermarket, but into the hands of a community member"

Printable Donation Tags

Thank you for Sharing Your Bounty! Produce tags help our hunger relief programs and clients know what you're donating, and provide freshness information. Simply print, fill out, and attach to your donation!

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*NEW* Giving Garden Sign

Gardeners are loving our new "Giving Garden" sign💚
Our 8x11" outdoor-friendly metal sign recognizes the impact gardeners like you are making in your own communities.

COMMUNITY GARDENS
Perfect for hanging at your garden's entry gate, or near your garden's dedicated giving plot. Available free to community gardens donating through the Fresh Food Connect app.

Interested in started a giving program at your garden? Our Community Garden Giving Kit has all the info you need to get started.

INDIVIDUAL GARDENERS
Thank you for supporting your community!

We're sending signs to gardeners who make 5 or more produce donations through the app this season! Once you've made at least 5, send us a note and we'll rush your sign out to you!

Haven't started harvesting yet? The sign is also available as a "thank you" gift when you sign up to make a monthly recurring gift of $20 or more to Fresh Food Connect. 

Giving Garden Sign

Subscribe for Gardening Tips and Impact Updates

Stay up to date on the collective impact that individual gardeners are having on hunger relief, as well as expert gardening advice🌱 

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Take the Pledge --- Get the Guide

From what to grow, to your best tomato harvest yet, it's yours when you Pledge to Share a portion of your harvest for Hunger Relief 

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