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.