Mountain Horticulture and High Altitude Gardening
Maintaining a garden in our Clear Creek communities presents its own unique challenges. Our growing season is shorter than many other areas in Colorado, wildlife is abundant and elk, deer, and moose are known to wander to wander through our garden and vegetable beds. Many plants simply can’t survive the high elevation conditions. As your local office of CSU Extension we have numerous resources to answer your questions so you get the most out of your high altitude garden!
Extension Thursdays
Clear Creek CSU Extension’s Extension Thursdays series features a variety of activities and presentations, some of which include horticulture topics. Find them on our calendar.
Ask a Master Gardener
Have a gardening question? Ask a Master Gardener! Take a picture and detail your question in an email to christine.crouse@colostate.edu. It will be answered by as soon as possible by a Master Gardener or Christine, our local CSU Extension agent.
Clear Creek Master Gardeners
Interested in becoming a Colorado Master Gardener? Master Gardeners are a valuable resource to their Clear Creek community, answering gardening questions and maintaining our demonstration gardens.
The deadline for new Clear Creek County CMG Applications is Friday November 22, 2019 at noon.
CMG classes begin January 2020.
Visit the Colorado Master Gardeners site for details about applying and being a CMG and includes the online application link. There is also information and a link for RENEWING CMGs.
The Clear Creek County CSU Extension Colorado Master Gardener (CMG) program includes a local volunteer commitment of 50 hours the first year. Cost for the CMG program is $170 plus course materials. Partial CMG scholarships are available for those who qualify. The Colorado Gardener Certificate (CGC) option is available for those not able to make the volunteer commitment; cost for the CGC training is $530 plus course materials. The cost for course materials is approximately $100; there are various formats from which to choose.
Document Downloads
Please send the Colorado Master Gardener application and send it back to christine.crouse@colostate.edu
Native Plant Demo Garden
Clear Creek CSU Extension and the Clear Creek Master Gardeners maintain a demo garden at the Georgetown Heritage Center. Expansion plans are in progress. Visit our mountain garden demonstration garden to learn about plants that grow in our community.
Native Plant Demo Garden Brochure
Low-Water Native Plants for Colorado Gardens in Mountain Elevations 7,500’+
Download a list of nurseries and seed companies in Colorado that source Colorado Native Plants
Tour Ken Nelson’s 2019 private high altitude garden located at 8,519′ in Clear Creek County
Noxious Weeds of Clear Creek County
Please download the PDF presentation and brochure for resources about noxious weeds that are found in Clear Creek County.
Seed Exchange
Clear Creek County Seed Exchange program brochure
Helpful Horticulture Resources
- Our neighbors in Gilpin county share many of the same horticulture concerns as a mountain community as we do in Clear Creek County. Their CSU Extension office has comprehensive Mountain Horticulture and Natural Resources references on their website which we think you will also find helpful.
- Colorado Mountain Gardener blog
- Colorado Master Gardener website
- CSU Horticulture blog
- PlantTalk
- Small Acreage Management
View upcoming Clear Creek CSU Extension happenings.
