Sunday, March 4, 2018

Cold season crops for your edible garden

Greens are a yummy cold season crop
Sunday, March 4, 2018

Edibles are routinely called warm and cold season crops.  This simply means some like it cold and some like it warm to germinate, grow, and thrive.  You need to grow the right vegetables for the season and use season extender strategies to get the most from your garden.

 Crops fall into 2 categories-cold season crops and warm season crops.  Cold season crops are those that prefer when temperatures are cool.  When warm temperatures hit (80’s), the warm weather signals there time in the garden is done.  Cold crops “bolt” when it gets hot, which is simply sending up a flower stalk to make seeds and continue the cycle of life.

As you can guess, cold season crops are grown in the spring, fall and even winter.  The really cold (and freeze) hardy ones can survive and provide in the winter garden.  Warm season crops are put out after all danger of frost is passed and the soil has warmed.

Now is a great time to start seeds for cold season crops indoors or outdoors.  It is optimal if starting seeds outdoors to provide some type of cover to help warm the temperature of the soil and give the seeds a jump start.  Otherwise, they take longer to sprout.  Planting under cover also protects them from hungry birds.

I use mini greenhouses I purchased on Amazon that I can put my pots under.  I can remove when the weather gets more predictable.  It also gives me the flexibility to move the pots later on to cooler spots to extend the production of cool weather loving veggies.  

over-plant my pots outdoors.  I thin the extra plants by carefully removing them and placing them either in another pot or in the garden bed.  I just can't stand to just pluck out a living thing and toss in the composter.

Big box stores and some nurseries are getting bedding plants in now.  They will have plants out that may not be able to survive outdoors without some protection.  Read the label on the plant or look up on-line to see how many weeks before the last frost the variety can be planted without cover safely.

A great seed catalog to get is Territorial Seed Company's Territorial Seed Co  They provide great planting and care information about for all veggies so you know the optimal time to plant and transplant.  I also like this web page that gives germination rates for edibles at different soil temperatures  Ideal soil temperatures for starting your seeds  Johnny's Seeds let's you put in your frost free date and it will give that date each crop can be planted  Seed planting scheduler

To look up your frost date, Freeze-Frost Dates

Cold crops
Arugula, Corn salad, Sorrel Growing fabulous lettuce and greens
Broccoli and Cauliflower,  Broccoli and cauliflower growing tips
Brussels Sprouts, same family as broccoli and cauliflower  
Cultivated Dandelions,  Grow Cultivated Dandelions
Fennel
Mustard and Mustard Greens 
Turnips,  All about turnips

Most Mediterranean herbs are perennials and can be planted spring, summer or fall.  You can plant oregano, thyme, lavender, sorrel, winter savory, chives, tarragon and sage once and have them year after year.  This is how I started edible gardening.  They are care free and super easy.  Plus, spices are expensive in the store so you get a huge return on investment.  Start a kitchen herb garden!

Herbs for Spring Planting
Cilantro  
Dill
Lemon balm
Marjoram
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Sage 
Savory
Tarragon
Thyme

Herbs that are frost sensitive are cumin, lemon balm, rosemary, stevia, turmeric, bay laurel and basil.  Wait until frost and freeze risk is over before planting outdoors.

Don't be afraid to interplant your veggies with your flowers.  Flowers not only look great, but they also attract pollinators, increasing your yields, and insects that take care of the dreaded veggie eating insects.  It is a win-win all the way around.

I tuck onions between my day lilies and plant marigolds all around the perimeter of my flower and veggie patch.  Day lilies are edible and marigolds are a great pest deterrent.

For fall gardening, you actually start your seeds in July.  These will be the same type of veggies you planted for your spring garden.  You may have to start them indoors as some seeds will not germinate in the hot temps of summer.  You can extend the fall harvest by covering your veggies with crop fabric when chilly temperatures arrive in late October.  

For winter gardening, you need to look for varieties specially bred for winter.  These will have descriptors like winter hardy, freeze hardy, bred for winter.  There is not much growth that happens from October through January so you have to get your winter crops to full size by the end of October.  Look at the seed packet (or seed catalog) for the days to harvest and add 2 weeks.  Back up from October 31st and this will give you the date for starting your seeds. 

Like fall crops, winter crops benefit from extra protection to extend growth and harvesting.  Using a fabric cloth will help raise the effective temperature around the plants and protect them from hard freezes.  As you get into the mid 20’s and below, a portable green house will keep your plants nice and toasty.  Be careful on sunny days as the temp inside a greenhouse can skyrocket if not cracked open.

The most adapted crops to your garden will be those that are grown near you.  Choosing a seed company you trust is even more important than where they were grown.  Just look in the descriptor for key words that describe your growing conditions.  You can save seeds from your best producers of any heirloom or open pollinated varieties to have crops that are perfectly adapted to your garden.

Don't overlook the option of saving your own seed from your best producers or your neighbors.  Your neighbors and the farmers at your farmers markets have much experience in the varieties that grow well in your area.  Check local harvest.org for a listing of farmers markets, many are year round now.

You can scatter sow seeds now of cold hardy crops now like lettuce, spinach and kale and they will be primed for the longer days.  It is surprising to see the little greens popping their heads out in February.  The force of life is amazing.

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