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Spring is here, and soon it will be time to plant our gardens, both flower and vegetable. Though it is too soon to plant many vegetables, there are several that need cooler temperatures to thrive. Now is the time to plant some cool-season vegetables to extend your garden's productivity. This is also a fine way to get more mileage out of smaller gardens with limited planting space. With some advance planning, you can actually get three seperate planting seasons and harvests out of your vegetable gardens.
It may be old news to some of you veteran gardeners out there, but beginning gardeners may not be aware that you can plant some vegetables in early spring and late summer, for early summer or fall harvest, respectively. For those of us who live in the eastern portion of the United States, especially, now is the prime time to do this, to make the most of our investments in time, space and money for our gardens.
Vegetables are commonly divided into two groups, warm-season, and cool-season. Cool-season vegetables are defined as being those that prefer temperatures between 60-65F. These plants are usually intolerant of extended periods where the mean temperature is more than 70-75F. Prolonged exposure to significantly warmer temperatures will cause these plants to bolt, (go to seed prematurely). This will make them bitter and virtually inedible. Basically, once a plant has bolted, there is nothing you can do to to reverse the situation, the plant is essentially ruined.
There are a variety of vegetables that can be planted for cool season growth. Included in this group are broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, parsnips, celery, lettuce, carrots, brussel sprouts, radishes, turnips, beets, and cabbage. If you will notice, this group includes a couple of the dark green and leafy varieities, which are highly recommmended for a nutritionally sound diet.
Using the late planting season as an example, these vegetables, if planted in early September, and grown from transplants, should be ready for harvest in late October and/or early November. Vegetables planted in early spring should be ready by early June at the latest, leaving plenty of time to grow plants who prefer warmth, in their place.
Conversely, once warm weather vegetables have been harvested, plants that are transplanted at around the end of September should begin to be ready for harvesting around the middle or end of November, depnding upon the specific variety and growing conditions.
Also, an interesting thing to note, is that while frost kills or damages many plants and vegetables, the flavor of some cool-season vegetables is actually improved by a light frost. It seems to bring out a fuller and stronger flavor These vegetables would be kale, celery, parsnips, and brussel sprouts. If you fear an extended or early frost season in your area, you may want to consider planting some of these varieties. All of the above are extremely useful, and will most certainly make for very nice additons to any plans of produce growing.
Brussel sprouts, in particular, can also be pulled from the ground before temperatures drop too low. They can be hung upside down in a cool, dark place, and the harvest period can last for some time if stored in this fashion.
There is nothing comparable to the satisfaction of serving self-grown vegetables to your family. The taste from freshly grown produce isn't too shabby either, and provides yet another compelling reason to grow as much at home as is possible each year. Not only does it give one a sense of pride and accomplishment, it saves money, and is the healthiest way to eat. You are assured of optimal freshness, and you know exactly what has or has not been used on them.
Let's face it,we all know that the produce sold in grocery stores and local supermarkets is treated with any number of pesticides, and/or fertilizers. Some of these have been found to cause allergic reactions, and have been linked to other kinds of illnesses or maladies in certain individuals. Even if you do choose to use something on your vegetable plantings, at least when they are home-grown, you know exactly what that *something* is.
You definitely will want to get optimum production from your own home-grown garden. Even with a relatively small planting srea, much can be done to improve the length of the season. Thus the amount of vegetables produced will also be greatly increased, for the benefit of yourself and your family.
So, if you want to extend the life of your garden this growing season, take advantage of the cooler seasons at the beginning and end, and head out to your local nursery today and stock up on some cool-season vegetable transplants. In a couple of months time, you should be able to enjoy a nice harvest of fresh and healthy eating for you and your family!
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