April Showers, May Freezes

Tis the season for flowing water! DUG’s construction team is busy with water turn-ons at nearly 100 community gardens across the metro area. We are sometimes asked why water turn-ons don’t occur earlier. It’s a fair question, as peas, radishes, spinach, and other favorite veggies like an early start. Last night’s snow flurries were a chilly reminder of why we wait until early-to-mid-May to get the water flowing.

In Colorado, the average date for the last freeze is May 5th, and in recent years, the last dip below 32 degrees fell between May 10th and May 14th. Though we see some sunny, picnic-perfect weather in March and April, we wait until after Mother’s Day to reduce to the risk of damage to irrigation systems. Freeze breaks are costly and time consuming to repair, and cause delays in water turn-ons and other building and improvement projects. A small staff means that we need to concentrate our efforts where it counts, and avoid unnecessary repairs where we are able.

Community gardeners who wish to start planting earlier are encouraged to bring water from home to the garden site if they are able. If you have questions, please email us at dirt@dug.org. Happy gardening!