Furrow & Trowel started as a way to dive into high-altitude horticulture. I like to say this digital venture is rooted in a love of place, an obsession with small-scale organic gardening, and a will to learn about physical and cultural geography of this place I call home. At 5,371 feet above sea level, the small city of Englewood, just south of downtown Denver, sits between the Rockies to the west and the Great Plains to the east. With plenty of sunshine and close proximity to the great outdoors and the Mile High City, Englewood seemed like a great place to get small-space gardening.
I came to Colorado with years of gardening under my belt from Alabama, Washington, central Texas, Oregon, and New York, but I was in for a surprise when I applied my green thumb skills to the Intermountain West. Turns out, my past gardening experiences in mostly temperate regions did not translate directly to the challenging (to me) climate of a high altitude, semi-arid landscape.
After a frustrating growing season with minimal results, I committed to embracing the place rather than expecting the place to embrace me (think water-wise gardening techniques, anti-hail netting, and cold frames). Since taking that personal pledge, I’ve successfully grown fruit and vegetables and landscaped our property with native and regionally adapted annuals and perennials that thrive during our dry and intensely sunny growing season.
Whether you’re a total newbie to the Front Range or a born and bred Coloradan new to gardening and landscaping, I hope you’ll join me on a Furrow & Trowel garden journey as we learn to live in relation with whatever place you and I call home.