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The Chaffee County Extension office provides assistance and programs for citizens in five main areas: Agriculture, Horticulture, Family and Consumer Science, Natural Resources and 4-H Youth Programs.

Gardening & Horticulture   arrow

The average elevation in Chaffee County is about 7,500 feet; high intensity sunlight and generally low humidity, rapid and extreme weather fluctuations and diverse soil conditions all combine to challenge Colorado gardeners. We have the resources to help you be successful. Topics in this section include: Gardening Basics, Diseases, FlowersFruits & VegetablesGardenNotes (Master Gardener Publications),Trees and Shrubs and Yard.

Free summer 2025 classes and experiences:

  • Garden & Grow: hands-on learning and volunteer sessions led by our Master Gardener volunteers at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds Demonstration Garden, 10165 CR 120, Salida CO 81201
    • Wednesday, July 9, 3:00-4:30pm
    • Wednesday, July 16, 3:00-4:30pm
    • Wednesday, July 23, 3:00-4:30pm
  • Sunday, August 10, 1-3pm, Salida Regional Library Gardening Series: Storing the Harvest – free but must RSVP through the link with the Salida Regional Library!
  • Late August or September: Small Acreage Day with Upper Arkansas Conservation District – stay tuned for details!

Hear about upcoming horticulture classes led by Colorado Master Gardeners and CSU Extension staff on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chaffeecountyextension

Chaffee County Fairgrounds Demonstration Garden, 10165 CR 120, Salida

CSU Master Gardener volunteers plant and maintain this garden in partnership with the Chaffee County Fairgrounds team to showcase plants that do well in our short season, dry climate and as a space to host classes on gardening, seed saving, composting and more. 2025 plants include:

Perennial shrubs: Shrubby cinquefoil (potentilla fruticosa), currants (Ribes rubrum), serviceberries (Amelanchier), catmint (Nepeta mussinii), Russian sage (Salvia yangii)

Perennial flowers: Iris (Iris spp.), Maltese cross (Lychnis chalcedonica)

Annual vegetables: Bronze onions (Allium cepa), Carla Rosa potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)

Annual flowers: Cosmos (Cosmos spp.), marigold (Tagetes spp.), zinnia (Zinnia elegans)

Trees: Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens), cottonwood (Populus fremontii), Japanese crabapple (Malus floribunda)

Container garden with deer protection by Extension Office: Red, white and blue corn and Colorado River beans from Salida Seed Library, Sweetie cherry tomato, lavender, zucchini, and Emerald Gem melon.

Reseeded space by Extension office: Brady’s Western native mix (slender wheat grass, Snake River wheat grass, thickspike wheatgrass, blue grama, western wheat grass, Indian ricegrass), Asclepias tuberosa, Gaillardia, Fabulous fireworks flower mix from Botanical Interests

Programs

Colorado Master Gardener Program

CSU Extension volunteers trained in horticulture and work out of the local county extension office. Applications open August 1-31! Learn more

Native Plant Master

Want to learn more about the plants that grow in nature? Take a Native Plant Master class and get to know the native plants of Colorado. Learn more

Planttalk

Reliable, timely information on more than 500 horticultural topics, in English and Spanish. Learn more

Plant Select®

Plants chosen for their beauty, resilience, low maintenance and suitability to the Rocky Mountain region. Learn more


Publications

Recursos en Español

CSU Extension has many publications for the Colorado gardener. Topics in this section include:

Gardening Basics

Go to top of this page.

Garden Diseases

Go to top of this page.

Flowers

Go to top of this page.

Fruits and vegetables

Go to top of this page.

Native Plants

Trees & Shrubs

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Yard

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Websites

Resources

  • Online Resources for Gardening and Landscape
    Combines the following garden and landscape resources in one page: CSU Hort Blog, PlantTalkTM Colorado, Yard and Garden Fact Sheets, and Master Gardener GardenNotes.
  • Hort Agents and Specialists Blog
    Colorado gardening for everyone! Advice and Observations from your CSU Extension Horticulture Agents and Specialists
  • CSU Annual Flower Trial Garden
    The purpose of the trial program conducted at the Annual Flower Trial Garden is to evaluate the performance of different annual plant cultivars under our unique Rocky Mountain environmental conditions. Click here to see live webcams in the gardens.
  • Grow and Give Colorado Grow & Give was created to address food insecurity in Colorado by connecting backyard and community gardens to food donation sites across the state. Click here to access resources to help you both ‘Grow’ and ‘Give’ part of your garden’s bounty to those in need.
Chaffee County Extension
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