Timing is Everything

This time of year, where I live, we are in the middle of the season of preparation for planting, and early spring gardening. January was the time to send our soil samples to our local extenstion agency for analysis (to learn what needs to be adjusted and added) to plan our garden, and to order seeds. Winter is the time for making the recommended adjustments and additions to the soil, so that we know it will be fertile and loamy and properly prepped for the tiny baby seeds we can't wait to pop into it.

As the above illustration shows, knowing the proper timing of things is important. Many people think only in terms of a summer garden, with plants such as tomatoes, cucumber, and squash. Those plants are only put into the ground after all danger of frost has passed. But did you know that there are some plants that can be planted well before the last frost date? Besides sweet peas, cool weather crops include onions, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnip, cilantro, dill, collards, kale, chard, bok choi, cabbage, and many more. These plants thrive in the cooler weather and will actually not do as well in the hot weather of summer. There are also plants that are perennial such as asparagus, strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry, that are planted now (while they're dormant), from transplanted bare-root plants. 

If we put seeds in the ground too soon, early spring frosts may kill them. If we wait too late (especially in my climate that gets very hot, very fast), the fruits and vegetables we plant may not ripen in time for a good spring harvest. What does it take to know and understand this timing? For one, it takes educating one's self. Each of us, if we are interested in gardening, needs to learn about the average date when the last frost occurs where we live. This average date will determine when we plant things that would be killed by such a frost. 

 If we go get a bit more sophisticated, we can get a soil temperature gauge and measure the temperature of our soil. The germination of seeds is dependent upon the temperature of the soil. Each plant has a different germination temperature. We can time our planting to correspond with the best soil temperature. Many serious gardeners also get a jump start on their spring garden by planting the seeds for their summer crops indoors (often with grow lights and special plant heating pads), so that the plants are actually seedlings several inches tall by the time it's warm enough to plant them outside. If we are industrious, we can also raise the soil temperature and protect tender seedlings from frost damage by covering our garden rows with plastic (called row covers). Row covers capture warmth from the sun and holds it in (raising soil temperature) and also protect young plants from the cold night air. I hope this post will encourage you to plan your garden and to think in terms of a bit longer growing season!

 To extend our growing season, we just need to know what seeds to plant when, and also can expand this timing by starting some seeds indoors under grow lights, under row covers or using other "season extenders," so that they'll be larger by the time of the last frost date.

 

English peas (and sugar snap peas and snow peas also), can be planted in the garden as soon as the ground "can be worked." (This means they can be planted as soon as the soil is no longer freezing temperature.) White potatoes can be planted any time the soil temperature is above 45 degrees F (7.2 degrees C). Other "cold tolerant" plants include collard greens, kale, turnips, rutabaga, chard, cabbage, beets, carrots, bok choi, and arugula. Spinach and lettuce can be planted after the soil is a little warmer.

 Don't take my word for it! To learn more, first learn your planting zone by clicking HERE. Then, do a google search for a "planting calendar," but naming your particular planting zone. I live in planting zone 8b. My planting calendar (pictured above) will look very different from someone who is in a colder planting zone (such as 4A) or a warmer planting zone (such as 9B). But in the meantime, no matter what your planting zone, it's virtually never too soon to prepare your soil, plan your garden (what you want to plant, where and when) and order or acquire your seeds!

Being aware of the importance of planning ahead is also a really good way to approach other tasks in life.  Think about where you want to end up (Veggies in June? Well adjusted children successfully launched? Term paper six weeks from now?), and then back up the steps and the timing that will help you get where you want to be, at the time when you want to be there.  

Rootbound!

Gardening gives time for quiet contemplation as one engages with the Earth and God's creation.

The other day, as I was transplanting seedlings from peat pots into the ground, I noticed that even though (in theory) the roots of the seedlings were supposed to be able to push through the peat pots, in most cases they had not.  Instead, as the tiny roots reached the wall of the pot, they turned and went a different direction, back inside the pot.

A healthy plant with room to grow will stretch its roots downwards and outwards into the rich soil, supporting the leaves and growth above. When a plant repeatedly encounters the wall of a pot as its roots try to grow, the normal course of growth is interrupted. Its roots turn inward, doubling back upon themselves.  When the roots of the plant are tangled and curled back upon themselves inside a pot, eventually there it's not enough soil to nourish the plant. Eventually, the crowded roots become a tangled mass that is so dense it can't even absorb water. Because the plant is limited by the confines of the pot, it will have to be watered constantly. Due to lack of nourishment, the plant will always be stressed, and its growth will be stunted. In short, the plant will never reach its full potential.


When the gardener moves a seedling from a small pot to a bigger one or from a seed tray into the garden, the gardener will gently spread the roots so that the young transplant can grow in a healthy way.

In my own life, I find this to be true, as well. When I've been sitting in a comfortable spot in life, I don't always enjoy being pushed out of my comfortable space. Sometimes, however, being pushed out of my comfortable space is what's needed for growth. Sometimes, it may even be necessary for the gardener in my life to untangle my roots in order to allow them to spread out. I'll try to remember this next time I'm uncomfortable with disruption in my life.

Life Doesn't Wait

Ecclesiastes chapter 3 is the famous Biblical passage which declares, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: ... a time to plant, and a time to uproot ...."  My garden is a reminder this week that (1) timing is important, and (2)  the proper time for planting is not a matter depending on convenience for me.  Ecclesiastes is right, after all.  There is, indeed, a time to plant. It's spring. For most of us, the time is now.

By June, we can expect some days over 100 degrees F here. I've learned that trick where I live is to get an early start on spring gardening, so that plants have time to produce a crop before the summer heat sets in and they are unable to cope with the heat. (For instance, tomatoes no longer produce flowers or fruit after the temperature reaches 95°.) I had set a goal to have my seedlings in sprouting pots very early, so that they could be set out at the earliest date after there was no danger of frost anymore.

In terms of gardening timing, once again I've been a failure. I didn't make the cut! Even though I started numerous veggie seeds indoors on March 1st, that wasn't soon enough!  It is already late, in terms of having nicely filled out seedlings ready to put out into my garden by the time of the last frost.  The little plants I put out this week look like tiny sprigs instead of baby bushes!

Broccoli Seedlings 3/28/17

 

Procrastination is easy.  I've been so busy this spring on other things! So many excuses!   It's cold outside in the mornings, I'm out of the habit, I'm busy, etc., Yet, excuses have no meaning in terms of real life effects. . It doesn't matter how busy I am. With regard to my garden and the need to work in it, time was still moving forward, no matter what my other plans were.

 Photos from last year are indictments of my tardiness! Some things simply are time sensitive. If we miss an opportunity, the opportunity is indeed gone. By this time last year, I had lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli, kale, all well underway for spring dining.  

Fortunately, the consequences for me are relatively inconsequential since I'm still able to purchase food in the grocery store or produce market. No one will starve on account of my failure.

Failure: 

The purpose of this post is not really to talk about the timing of garden plantings, but really to talk more about failure and how I cope with it. We all fall short of our own expectations from time to time.

One of my first inquiries is to ask, "Who did I fail?" If I failed someone else, I may need to do something to undue harm or to prevent harm to them. I may need to apologize.  In the garden situation, I'm spared this step because the only person I've failed is myself. My expectation was that I would have been keenly aware of the timing of planting my seedlings to get a great start on my Spring garden. I set a goal to watch my calendar and be very proactive this spring. I failed at that. 

I don't like failure. Does anybody? What do we do about it, when we fail at our personal goals?  Well, one thing is that in order to learn from any failure, we must first acknowledge that it  happened.  Another step is to analyze what went wrong and fix things so they don't happen again.  A third, obvious but sometimes more difficult step, is to pick ourselves up and move on. 

In terms of learning from failure, it is important to understand what went wrong.  Keeping a diary of what works and what doesn't work in my garden is a great idea. Based on my records, I know that this time last year I had little lettuces,  spinach, chard, broccoli, kale, and Chinese cabbage, all well along toward providing Spring harvest. Setting goals, documenting our progress,  and providing ourselves with yardsticks to measure by is a good way to keep track of how we are doing. (Last year, I killed some plants by applying too much fertilizer.  Oops, won't do that again!)  Whether we fail or succeed, measurements and documentation help us learn from both our successes and our mistakes.  

Dates and Labels help with documentation and identification later

Another thing I know is that, while it is helpful to learn from mistakes, beating myself up mentally and dwelling on the past will not help me. The only option real option  is to move forward from where I am now.  I cannot really make up for lost time, I cannot undo the consequences. All I can do (besides making amends with those whom I've wronged) is to make the best decisions I am able to make from this point forward. 

I am pleased at the thought that my gardening this season is (so far at least) not yet a total failure. There is room for redemption!  I do have broccoli seedlings and tomato seedlings and artichoke seedlings and pepper seedlings ... They are not as far along as I would like, but it's better than nothing and hopefully not futile to plant them. Here's to moving forward. 

 

Broccoli Seedlings 3/28/17

Eggplant Seedlings 3/28/17