Colorado · Field & vine
Typically early July to mid-September, with peak mid-July through mid-August.
Hatched chalk = early and late shoulders; solid = peak.
The Western Slope around Palisade is the fruit country; the Front Range and high plains run cooler and later.
From early July — first pickings, lighter supply, best prices come later.
mid-July through mid-August — full stalls, full flavor. This is the stretch to plan around.
Through mid-September — quantity for preserving, and the stalls start dealing.
about 11 weeks end to end, shoulders included.
A staple of u-pick vegetable farms — wear long sleeves against prickly stems and cut rather than twist. The picking window tracks the band above: early trips get clean fields, peak (mid-July through mid-August) is the sure bet, late season is for quantity.
Farm-to-farm variation is real — up to two weeks either side of the typical window. Plan the trip, then call the farm before you drive.
Zucchini peak moves across the map. After this window, it lands next in:
In Colorado, the zucchini season typically runs early July to mid-September, with peak availability mid-July through mid-August. Exact weeks shift a little with each year's weather.
Aim for peak: mid-July through mid-August. An early trip around early July gets first choice of clean fields; a late one is for stock-the-freezer quantity. Any single farm can run up to two weeks either side of the chart — call before you drive.
about 11 weeks end to end — early July to mid-September. The early and late shoulders are real but lighter; the solid stretch of chalk on the band is the sure bet.