Food shoppers today have choices our ancestors could only dream of. Most fruits and vegetables are available year around instead of only a few months or weeks, as our ancestors experienced.

Why would we want to eat produce grown in Colorado? Produce is at the peak of nutritional value when it is ripe. Produce that travels across states or even across countries cannot be picked ripe, because it would not be edible by the time it arrives in your supermarket. Produce may gain color and soften as it travels to your local supermarket, but nutrition comes from the stem of the living plant, so the locally grown produce will have much higher nutritional value.

Let’s talk about tomatoes. According to USDA’s Agricultural Research Services, tomatoes are low in calories and are a good source of Vitamin C and A, Folacin, Thiamine, and the well know Lycopenes. Picked ripe, tomatoes can contain between 20-30% more of these vitamins and minerals than tomatoes picked before they ripen. (Information from UC-Davis Vegetable Research and Information Center.)

Tomatoes are the most popular garden vegetable. They do not take a large amount of space to grow in Colorado and can be very effectively grown in containers if you have limited space. Watering consistently is the key to plant growth and fruit development, and the benefits from the taste of a home grown tomato are worth the effort.

For more information regarding the requirements for growing healthy tomato plants, refer to Fact Sheet #7.846, “Plant Health Care: Growing Tomatoes.”

Cucumbers are low in calories and sodium, and are a wonderful source of minerals. Cucumbers are a warm weather plant and require 50 to 65 days for production. Once the plants are established, 1 to 1 ½” of water is required weekly. It is better to irrigate thoroughly every five to seven days than to sprinkle lightly every day.

For more information regarding the requirements for growing healthy cucumber plants, refer to Fact Sheet #7.609, “Cucumbers, Pumpkins, Squash and Melons.”

Strawberries and raspberries are excellent examples of fruits high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, and can be successfully grown in Colorado. Strawberry plants require at least eight hours of sun each day during the growing season. Strawberry plants generally produce for three years, and then need to be replaced. Raspberries can be successfully grown in Colorado at elevations up to 8,500 feet and can bear yearly fruit eight to ten years.

For more information regarding the requirements for growing healthy strawberry and raspberry plants, refer to Fact Sheet #7.000, “Strawberries for the Home Garden” and Fact Sheet #7.001, “Raspberries for the Home Garden.”

The authors have received training through Colorado State University Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program and is a Master Gardener volunteer for Larimer County.

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This page updated:  July 6, 2006