Boulder's Center for ReSource Conservation sells new tasty xeriscape garden

The popular and water-wise Gardens in a Box offered each spring by Boulder's Center for ReSource Conservation are now on sale -- and this time there's an edible option with herbs and vegetables.

The center is calling the new box the "Personal Farmers Market," which will have 32 plants that will bloom from spring to fall and cost $110. The chosen plants are included for their low water needs, making it a xeriscaped garden.

Over half of the Front Range's residential water is used outdoors to irrigate lawns during the summer. Xeriscaping helps cut down on this water use by landscaping with low-water plants, according to the Center for ReSource Conservation.

The organization recommends arranging the plants -- which include tarragon, tomatoes, peppers, sweet basil, kale and oregano in a 90-square-foot area.

The new box joins two other non-edible options called the "Sunset Garden" for $100 -- a variety of perennials -- and the "Heavenly Hell," designed for the patch of dirt between the sidewalk and the street, for $65. The plants in all three gardens prefer full sun and are adapted for Colorado's arid climate.

Last year, all 170 garden kits sold out before Boulder's pick-up date, which is May 8 this year. The center is offering 61 Farmers Market kits, which come on a flat with all of the plants in 4-inch pots, said Kate Gardner, water manager for the center.

A planting guide is included with the kit, which also details how to care for the plants during the winter. Free mulch will be available at the pick-up site, along with the option to buy compost, a drip kit and a drip clock.

"The plants will fill in during the spring and then grow through summer," said Gardner. "They will look a lot more filled in the next spring."