What's happening in the late March edible garden

Daffodils and hyacinth blooming, daylilies sprouting

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Spring in our garden came 2 weeks earlier this year with unseasonably warm temperatures.  Daffodils, hyacinths and Bradford pear trees are winding down their show.  Forsythias, redbuds and lilacs are in bloom.  Peonies are full of buds.  Dogwoods are just beginning to flower.  Spinach and snow peas are growing nicely from seed.   

When forsythias bloom, it is time to apply corn gluten for weed suppression in the garden and yard.  Corn gluten keeps seeds from sprouting and provides nitrogen.  It will also keep grass seed or garden seed from sprouting so use only where you don't want seeds to come up.

In the edible garden, onions, tarragon, garlic chives, mountain mint, asparagus, shallots, garlic and spearmint are all popping up in the garden bed and pots.  Overwintering arugula, carrots, celery, winter cress, strawberry plants, raspberry plants, blackberry bushes, sprouting broccoli, thyme and oregano are growing again.  Chickweed is flowering and growing vigorously.  The garden is giving greens for fresh picked salads.

I have been sowing cold season crop seeds outdoors for a while now.  I started in February with snow peas and spinach in pots in the portable greenhouse (they're about 6" now).  I could start using the pea shoots and spinach leaves for salads.  Peas and potatoes can be planted as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring.

In late February, it was quite warm.  I planted Oriental Giant Winter, Spiros and Galilee spinach and Dragon's Tail radish in pots.  Giant Winter does well in cool weather and gives very big leaves.  All have sprouted and are growing well.

Last week, I transplanted lettuce I bought at the big box store in pots outside.  I have Buttercrunch, green Romaine and Red Romaine growing.  Buying plants will speed up the harvest date.  Should be able to start using leaves in a couple of weeks.

I have started other lettuce indoors that are heat resistant like Lunix, Solar Flare, Bronze Beauty, Royal Oak Leaf, Red Sails, Yedikule and Butter King.  Also started other summer salad greens in my Aerogarden system: Chinese pink celery, Hilton cabbage, Barese Swiss Chard, Japanese Mountain Spinach (a Swiss Chard), Chijimisai Greens, Molten Fire Amaranth, Pink Beauty Amaranth, Big Leaf Tong Ho, Aurora mixed colors orach.  They are all ready to transplant into bigger pots and harden off.

I did a round of herbs, too, in the Aerogarden.  Planting rosemary, flat leaf parsley, curly parsley, dill, sweet basil, cardinal basil, blue spice basil, sage, salad burnet, and cilantro.  They are not yet big enough to transplant into bigger pots.

Last year, we got our mulching done early in March.  Early March is an ideal time to mulch.  It's before the self-seeders are sprouting and it adds warmth to soil.  It looks like we won't be mulching until April this year.  

I had a soil test done in the fall that shows my soil is getting on the high side for alkalinity (pH 7.8) and needed nitrogen and a minor amount of potash.  I will add sulfur to lower the pH into the range preferred by most edibles, 6-7, and add nitrogen and potash right before mulching.  I will put a thin layer of compost and then top it all with mulch.  It is best to either dig in your nitrogen fertilizer or cover it soon after you spread it.  If not, the nitrogen reacts with the oxygen in the air and doesn't stay in the soil.

For growing edibles, you can count on needing at least nitrogen addition unless you are doing nitrogen fixing cover crops.  I have tried a few different all natural nitrogen fertilizers.  Kelp adds a variety of minerals plus it has growth hormones in it so is a great choice for plants you want a lot of height for.  Many of the organic fertilizers use chicken manure as a main component.  We have chickens so I compost their bedding to use in the garden.  I use alfalfa meal which is a good source of nitrogen for planting and adding to my greens during the growing season.

If you are creating new beds, put down cardboard first before fertilizing and mulching.  This added layer will keep the grass and weeds smothered while attracting earthworms.  Earthworms love cardboard!  They not only loosen the soil, but also fertilize it.  A real win-win. 

If you don't have a lot of time this year, transplants are always a great option.  Cool season crop transplants are at the local nurseries and big box stores now.  They have broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onion sets, lettuce, strawberries, potato sets, boxed dormant fruit bushes and trees.  The rest of the cool season transplants will be coming in over the next couple of weeks.  It's time to buy what you want for your spring garden and transplant!  

Overwintering cabbage and broccoli

I'll be buying lettuce and spinach to supplement what overwintered and what I have already sown.  I won't need more than a couple 6 packs with everything I have already sown.  

The big box stores some herb transplants and more will be arriving.  The ones that can be planted now are thyme, sage, garlic, parsley, and celery.  I'd hold off on the rosemary and especially the basil.  If it gets even close to freezing, basil can be killed in the garden.  You can buy and keep them in a sunny window in the garage and they should be fine.

Tomatoes in the store, too.  I'd wait on those.  Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant all need warm days and warm soil to thrive.  A freeze can kill them.  I usually wait until May to plant these summer lovers.

Time for a pizza planting party!

How about a pizza garden?

Saturday, March 30, 2024

A proven way to get the young ones interested in eating their veggies is for them to grow them!  Have them grow the veggies for one of their favorite foods like pizza.  Engage them in choosing their favorite pizza ingredients and grow a garden with those in them. 

It is amazing how many children will swear they don’t like a vegetable until it is in their backyard!  Have them help you plant the seeds, monitor the seedlings, water, and harvest.  You will likely catch them picking green tomatoes to sample because they are so excited about eating what they have helped grow.

You can even throw a few other healthy ingredients in the pizza topping mix as everything tastes better when you grow it yourself, like spinach, sprouting broccoli and peas.

So, what are some ideas for pizza ingredients? 

*Tomatoes-any you can’t eat, you can easily freeze for winter pizzas

 Compact tomatoes for small spaces and pots

*Herbs-basil, oregano, chives, garlic for seasoning

  Start a kitchen herb garden!

*Onions-you can grow Egyptian walking onions in a pot year round and they are perennials to boot

  Egyptian walking onions

*Greens-spinach, kale, arugula, sprouting broccoli and peas for spring and fall pizza toppings (also easy to freeze for later)

  Growing fabulous lettuce and greens  How to grow broccoli and cauliflower  Time to plant peas!

*Green peppers, eggplant, zucchini for summer pizzas (maybe some hot peppers for the adults) 

Peppers are for every taste and garden   Eggplant-add this native from India to your garden 

Growing zucchini and summer squash 

All of these are easy to grow in a small space and the basic ingredients in an Italian garden.  If you want, you can also buy the herbs and veggies as plants.  If you don't have a small space in your flower beds for a garden, you can grow all in pots; just be sure to get dwarf tomato plants or use a whiskey barrel for the tomatoes.  

Grow a Sicilian/Italian kitchen garden in as little as 6' x 6'  Decorative container gardening for edibles

Surprising veggies that can be grown in pots   

For those that are real adventuresome, you can get mushroom kits to grow mushrooms indoors.

If you are just starting your garden adventure, try these tips.  Easy kitchen garden

You can tell them stories of where the heirloom they are planting came from.  Share the history of Victory Gardens in past war efforts.  How we can grow our own food just in yards across the U.S. if we wanted or needed to.

Little ones bring such wonder and joy in the garden.  They will check out every bee and butterfly, every worm and centipede.  And will want to taste everything they helped to plant and water!  It is a wonderful learning experience for the child to see where food comes actually from and helps the adult re-see the world through a child's eyes.

Everything you need to know to grow cabbage

 

Friday, March 29, 2024

Cabbage likely was domesticated in Europe before 1000 BC.  Cabbage came over to America with the first settlers.  Today there are 3 different types of cabbages-heading, conical, and loose.  They also come in shades of red, purple and green.  I do love the blue green color and crinkly leaves of savoy cabbage.  Even the ornamental cabbage you see in the fall are not only beautiful, but also edible.

Cabbage contains beta-carotene, vitamin C, and fiber.  Cabbage has been shown to reduce the risk of colorectal cancers.  Purple cabbage also has anthocyanins which have been proven in other vegetables to have anti-cancer properties.  Raw cabbage nutritional data.

Cabbage is a member of the brassica family.  They all enjoy cool weather and are biennials.  They are grown as an annual.  They produce a head the first year that is harvested and we eat.  If the head is not harvested, the plant will flower the second year.  Both the leaves and head of the plant is edible.  

Cabbage can be grown for spring, fall, or winter harvest.  They are sown a season prior to when you want to harvest them.  For spring, sow seeds in August or buy fast maturing types and start in early spring.  the mini cabbages mature in 45 days and there are many varieties to choose from, including transplants from big box stores and nurseries.  For fall and winter, sow seeds in June/July.   For fall/winter transplants, you will plant in the garden when the weather begins to cool.  You just pick the longer maturing date types for winter harvests.

A spring edible garden          A fall edible garden

Fall savoy cabbage

If you don't plant in August and still want cabbage in the spring, chose types with short maturity dates and plant very early in the spring.  You want the cabbage to produce a head before the heat of summer.  Cabbage is easy to start from seed indoors. Early April or when the crocus blooms is a good time to plant for spring harvests.   

Late storage types will keep up to 6 months if properly stored at around 32 degrees and high humidity.

Cabbages like a rich, organic soil with a pH of 6.5-6.8.  Place in a location that gets full sun to slight shade, 18-24" apart. or grow in pots.  Since cabbage is a 'leaf crop", nitrogen is important.  Take a soil test to see what you need to add or use a balanced fertilizer at planting and a liquid fertilizer when the head begins for form.  Maintain consistent moisture through the growing season during dry spells.

Potted mini cabbage in spring

Be sure to rotate plantings to minimize pests.  You do not want to plant any broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage in the same spot for at least 2 years as they share the same pests.  Ideal rotation is every 4 years.  Crop rotation made easy for small gardens  

The biggest pest for cabbage are slugs, cabbage worms and cabbage loopers.  If you see those pretty, pale yellow moths flitting around your garden, these are the cabbage moths.  You can avoid them by planting early enough in the spring that you are harvesting before temperatures are consistently in the 80's and wait to plant transplants after the weather has cooled down in the fall.  Otherwise, you can spray with bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), an organic spray that is only harmful to the caterpillars, at the first sign of leaf damage.  Bt needs to be reapplied after a rain or every 7 days to be effective.  It's easiest to just grow during the cool weather when cabbage worms and loopers are not active.

There are many types of cabbage, from super large storage types to mini cabbages that are great for pots, to the leafy types that are good for steaming or salads.  I am growing a Chinese cabbage, Hilton, that is great to use for wraps or salads.  It has a very mild flavor.  It is a staple in my garden year round.  

For preserving cabbage, you will need to blanch before freezing.  There is always sauerkraut as well that is pretty easy to make.  How to preserve cabbage.

Time to start beets, broccoli and cauliflower seeds indoors or outdoors

 

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Beets, broccoli and cauliflower are a cool season crops and great for spring gardens.  Beets are typically sown in place in the garden or pot, but can be started from seeds indoors and moved outdoors.

It is time to sow beet, broccoli and cauliflower seeds indoors or outdoors now in our Zone 7 garden.  All can be grown in the garden bed or in a pot.  If sowing seeds outdoors, they should be sown about 2 weeks before your last frost date.  Seed packets will provide instructions for the specific variety you are planting.   

Frost date look up

Indoor seed starting tips

Outdoor seed starting tips

Cold season crops are in big box stores now that you can transplant into a pot or garden bed, too.  Since they are already outdoors, they will be hardened and ready to plant.

Beets prefer a fertile, evenly moist soil, with a pH between 6-7.  Beet and chard seeds are multiform seeds which means that you can have two to five seedlings from each seed.  You will need to thin seedlings to the strongest plant.  Seeds should be sown 1/2" deep.  Seeds emerge in 5-17 days.  When placed outdoors, space 4" apart and add fertilizer.  If starting indoors, be careful to not damage the tap root when transplanting.  Beets are ready for harvest in 45-65 days, depending on variety.  Greens are great adds to salads as well.

Be sure to harvest beets as soon as they are the right size.  Summer temperatures can cause the root to become woody if left too long.  I have little pest problems with beets.  Pests that are attracted to beets are leaf miners, flea beetles and leaf hoppers.  Insecticidal soap is an effective spray for flea beetles if they become a problem.   For more on beets, All about beautiful beets

Broccoli and cauliflower have the same planting and care requirements.  Both prefer fertile, well drained soil with a pH between 6-7.  Plant seeds 1/4" deep.  Seedlings emerge in 5-17 days.  When planting in garden bed or pot, space 12" apart.  Set transplants out at the very end of March or beginning of April in our Zone 7 garden, 2 weeks before last frost date.  Keep evenly moist for best heads.

Days to harvest are 45-80 days, depending on variety.  Be sure to harvest as soon as heads are mature.  Will quickly begin to flower if left in the summer garden.  I consistently have cabbage worm or cabbage looper pests on my broccoli and cauliflower plants, beginning in late June.  Harvesting as soon as the heads are ready keeps the pests to a minimum.  The best organic spray I have found is Bt (bacillus thuringiensis).  Spray every 1-2 weeks as temperatures rise into the 80's.  Also, rotate crops to keep pest pressure down.

For more on growing broccoli and cauliflower,  How to grow broccoli and cauliflower

For all transplants, be sure to harden off to transition your seedlings from indoor conditions to the outdoors.  "Hardening off" seedlings

If you want to start seeds or plants outdoors sooner than the recommendation on your seed packet, you can use covers.  Extend the season with protection for plants     

For more on the spring edible gardening, Spring edible garden

Everything to know to grow spinach

 

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Spinach is touted as one of the super foods and there are good reasons why.  Spinach is rich in antioxidants, folic acid, betaine, protein, omega-3, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, minerals manganese, iron, calcium, potassium, copper, phosphorous, zinc, and selenium.  

Spinach nutritional facts

Spinach can be eaten raw, steamed, or sautéed.  A French favorite is creamed spinach.  Spinach contains oxalic acid which is eliminated when cooked.  Alternating between fresh and cooked is optimal.  It has been reported that spinach helps prevent osteoporosis, anemia, heart disease and cancers of the colon and prostate.  Natural News

Spinach was originally an Asian green and first cultivated in Persia (modern day Iran) in the 3rd century and brought to Europe via Spain by the Crusaders in the 11th century.  It was a favorite of Catherine de Medici from Florence, Italy.  She insisted every dish be served on a bed of greens.  Hence the term, “a’ la Florentine” for this style.

The smooth seeded spinach we grow today was known in the 1600’s.  Both the smooth and prickly seeded varieties were grown in the American colonies by the 1700’s.  The prickly seeded varieties are more prone to early bolting than the smooth seeded varieties.

Spinach loves well composted, moist soil and cool weather (below 70 degrees F).  Spinach will often over winter even in the northern states.  In southern states it is typically fall sown for spring harvests.

Seeds should be sown 1/2” deep, 3-6” apart.  Spinach is also happy to grow in pots.  Growing in pots also allow you to move the pot to a cooler area as temperatures rise, extending the harvest.

For spring harvests, plant in full sun to light shade in early spring (4-6 weeks before the last frost).  Seeds germinate in soil temperatures of 45-70 degrees F.  Spinach also transplants easily so can be started indoors or bought as transplants. 

Frost dates

Plant every 2 weeks or plant a variety with different maturity times (days to harvest) to have spinach into summer.  Fertilize when the seedlings emerge.  Spinach enjoys even moisture.  This is especially important as temperatures begin to rise in late spring.    The later seeds I sow, I look for heat resistant types like America, Teton, Bloomsdale Longstanding, Space Olympia or Type to keep the harvest going as long as possible.  Spinach is ready to harvest 35-50 days.

If you harvest the outer leaves, the inner leaves will continue to grow, allowing you multiple harvests from each plant.

Most spinach will start to bolt when the temperatures reach 80F.  If you want to save seeds, allow the seed to dry on the plant before saving.  Refrigerate in air tight containers or bags.  I use plastic freezer bags to save space in the frig.

There are substitutes for spinach you can plant that love the heat of summer like New Zealand Spinach or Red Malabar Spinach.  Red Malabar is a very pretty vining plant with maroon stems.  They are great to grow just for their looks alone.  Growing summer salads

What to get growing in your spring edible garden!

Garden bed ready for outdoor sowing
Saturday, March 23, 2024

If indoor seed starting is not your thing, but you still want to have the variety and cost effectiveness of seeds, you can direct sow your seeds directly into the garden.  Now is the time to get the cool season loving crops growing.  

Spring edible garden

If you are planting in mulch, be sure to open a hole in the mulch, plant the seed to the depth on the seed packet and cover with potting soil.  Mulch can form a hard crust that only the strongest seedling (like beans and squash) can break through.

I would prepare the beds first with fertilizer and mulch before starting seeds.  You can do a soil test yourself or send off for one if you want to create a fertilizer specific to your needs.   See this post for details The next step in garden production and your nutrition-soil minerals  If this is over the top for you, just use a good organic fertilizer at the recommended rate, an inch of compost, and cover with mulch.  You want to make sure your fertilizer is covered or you will lose a good portion of the nitrogen to the atmosphere.  I love gardening in mulch for many reasons that you can read about here:  Weed free, self fertilizing, till free garden beds

Here is what can be sown in our  Zone 7a garden this month.  There are so many early and late varieties available that you should consult the seed packet on the best outdoor sowing times (always listed as the weeks before your last frost date Frost date look up) as you may be able to sow the seeds even sooner outdoors than has been typical in the past.

You can plant either in a garden bed or pot.  Lately, I have really liked sowing seeds in a pot I leave on the deck so I can keep them moist and watch them more closely.  I also like to start cold season crops like lettuce and spinach super early in a pot under a portable greenhouse.  This gives a quick start to growing.  When the seedlings have sprouted and have at least a second set of leaves, I transplant into the garden bed or long term pot.  Outdoor seed starting tips

You can also practice succession planting which means planting a few seeds of the same crop every 2-3 weeks so that you get a continuous harvest, like lettuce and spinach.  Want continuous harvests? Succession planting!  Another option is to plant early, mid or late types of the same veggie all at the same time so you have them ready for harvest for a longer period of time.

Seeds you can sow right now outdoors

Arugula

Asparagus

Beets

Broccoli

Cabbage

Carrots

Chamomile

Chives

Collards

Cress

Fava beans

Fruit trees and bushes

Garlic

Grapes

Kale

Kohlrabi

Leek

Lettuce (sow every 2 weeks if you are a salad lover for continuous salads)

Mache (corn salad)

Mustard

Onion

Parsnips

Peas

Potatoes

Rhubarb

Shallots

Spinach (sow every 2 weeks through early May)

Turnips

It is officially spring garden season!

Veggie plants have arrived in stores!

Transplanted spinach and lettuce

Sunday, March 17, 2024

For those that don't have a lot of time, are just getting started in gardening or just want a jump on harvests, transplants have arrived at the big box stores!  I start seeds and buy transplants every year.  This time of year, I usually purchase spinach plants and lettuces.  

There were many herbs, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, and even tomato plants in the outdoor nursery racks Thursday in our area.  There should be many more edibles coming in the next couple of weeks.  The transplants you buy should already be hardened off and ready to plant in the garden.  

Check with local nurseries for a better variety.  They also can answer any questions you have and recommend the plants that are a good fit for your garden.

Inside the stores are racks of seeds, barefoot edibles and flowers, onion sets, shallot sets, and potato sets.  You can buy asparagus, all kinds of berry bushes and fruiting vines bare root.  Be sure to get any bare root plants into soil as soon as you can.  You can put them in a pot until your garden is ready for them.

I already had snow peas, spinach, Dragon's Tail radish, chard, and parsley up from sowing seeds.  I have several lettuces up too from seed.  I bought three 6 packs of lettuce-red romaine, green romaine and buttercrunch from the store.  I'll transplant them outdoors next week so I get lettuce at harvestable size a couple weeks sooner than my lettuce seedlings will give me.  

We have a hard freeze in the forecast for Monday so I'll wait until after the freeze to plant.  Lettuce can survive temps down to 28F or lower, but I will be separating plants that are in the same pod so I will be damaging their roots, making them weaker for a bit.

When I buy transplants, I look for ones that have more than one in each pocket of the 6 pack.  If you separate them gently, you can get more plants for the money.  Do separate them and plant them at the spacing recommended on the plant tag so they will grow to full size.

It's time to get planting! 

Quick Tip 15-sharpen tools, buy needed tools

 Saturday, March 16, 2024

Winter can be a downer time of year for those of us that love to garden, but it doesn't have to be!  There are many "gardener" things you can do during the cold months of the year.  I'm going to share an idea each week for the rest of the winter on gardening activities that help satisfy the itch and prepare us better for the upcoming spring season.  Here we go with Winter Quick Tip 14-sharpen tools, buy needed tools 

     

Last week you organized your gardening supplies and tools.  You now have all your tools together in an easy to find and see location.  This week take a close look at the tools you have and their condition.  Repair, clean, sharpen, remove rust, and protect the tools that need it.  Sharpening shears, cutters, and hoes can make tasks much easier when you need to use them.  Protect them with a food grade oil against future rust.  Any vegetable or plant oil falls into this category like jojoba oil or linseed oil.

Take a look at your tools to see if any need to be replaced.  Options to replace are to ask friends if they have any extras and do an exchange, around here Facebook Marketplace is used a lot, eBay is another option, and there are other sites for purchasing used tools.  Of course, the seed catalogs that we get have lots of tools that may address an unmet need for maintaining the garden.

With all the tools you need in good working order, you are ready to start gardening!

What to plant in the March edible garden

March garden bed, ready for planting

Sunday, March 10, 2024

March and April are prime time for cold season crops like greens, cabbage, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, beets, radishes and cauliflower.  In March, you can direct sow (plant seeds in an outdoor pot or your garden bed), start seeds indoors or transplant plants that you have bought locally or raised indoors.

Big box stores have had their seeds on display for over a month now.  In our area, plants begin arriving soon in stores or you can order transplants online.  The variety available in big box stores continues to expand as more and more of us are growing our own food.  If you are wanting something unique, try on line seed companies. Some of my favorites with a good selection of organic vegetables, garden fruits, and herbs-Abundant Life Seeds, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, High Mowing Seeds, Johnny's Selected Seeds, Renee's Garden, Seeds of Change, Territorial Seed Company, Seeds from Italy, Botanical Interest.  Many have plants as well as seeds.  

If you are not sure what to plant, here are some ideas on figuring that out.  How to know what to grow

Using indoor seed starting is a great way to accelerate your harvest by up to two months.  Seed packets tell you how far in advance of your last frost date to start your seeds indoors or when to plant outdoors for "direct sowing" in the garden.  Just look on the back. Here is a web page to look up your last frost date: Farmers Almanac frost dates

Cold season crops include your greens, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, radishes, turnips, beets, cauliflower, strawberries and peas.  For more on spring gardens, see  A spring edible garden   Starting these varieties in a portable greenhouse will give you a jump on harvest time.  I like starting seeds in my portable greenhouse and once they get to a good, sturdy size, thinning and transplanting out to the garden bed.  I have sowed many varieties last month and this month outdoors.  Spinach, snow peas, Dragon's Tail radish, parsley and cultivated dandelions have sprouted so far.  

March and April is also the time for warm season veggie and herbs to get their indoor start.  Summer veggies include beans, tomatoes, corn, melons, basil, eggplant, peppers, okra and squash.  Summer veggies go into the garden after chance of frost has passed and the soil has warmed.  In our area, it is the first of May for the soil to warm.  You don't really get an advantage in planting the summer veggies early because they don't grow until the ground warms up.  I just imagine them sitting in the dirt with their roots and stems shivering.  See this blog on summer veggies for more info.  A summer edible garden

Seeds to start in garden bed or transplant outdoors for our Zone 7a garden

Arugula
Asparagus

Beets

Broccoli

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Catnip

Celeriac

Celery

Chard

Chervil

Chives

Cilantro

Collards

Corn salad

Endive 

Escarole

Fennel

Fenu

Horseradish

Kale

Kohlrabi

Leek

Lettuce

Mache

Mint

Mizuna

Mustard

Onions

Pak choi

Parsley

Parsnips

Peas

Potatoes

Raddichio

Radishes

Rhubarb

Salsify

Scallions

Shallots

Sorrel

Spinach

Strawberries

Summer savory

Turnips

Start seeds indoors

Artichokes and cardoons

Basil
Bay

Bee balm

Cauliflower

Chamomile

Comfrey

Dill

Eggplant
Edamame

Fennel

Kohlrabi

Lavender

Lemon verbena

Lovage

Marjoram

Okra

Oregano

Peppers

Rosemary

Sage

Tarragon

Tomatoes

Thyme

Seedlings started in an Aerogarden hydroponic system

You can find more crops seed starting times in this blog  Indoor sowing/outdoor planting dates

Another trick is to do succession seed starting.  For continuous harvests of veggies like broccoli, spinach and lettuce, start new seedlings every 3 weeks and plant out every three weeks in the garden.  Keep the harvest going, do succession planting  For the early seedlings, use varieties that are described as cold hardy.  When you get to April, start seedlings that are heat tolerant.  Heat tolerant varieties will resist bolting and bitterness as summer temperatures rise.  Keep salads going all summer long

You can also start perennial flowers and veggies indoors as well.  For any plant, look at the seed packet for when to plant outdoors according to your frost date.  Then back up the time from there on when to start indoors.  Typical seed starting is 6-8 weeks prior to the plant out date.  For more on perennial fruits and veggie gardens, Perennial veggies in the Midwest garden

For tips on seed starting: 

Indoor seed starting tips

Ideal soil temperatures for starting your seeds

Make your own peat pots

How much to plant?

Trying to decide what to plant for this year's garden?  Here are some garden ideas:

Easy kitchen garden

A French vegetable garden you can grow in a small ...

Start a kitchen herb garden!

Pizza garden for the kids

Heirloom Sicilian kitchen garden

Mediterranean diet garden

Colonial Vegetable Garden

Veggies for small spaces

Fruit for small spaces

The First Victory Gardens

Don't be worried about the work of putting in an edible garden bed.  You can simply grow veggies in your existing mulched beds right along with your flowers in the ground or pots!  Weed free, self fertilizing, till free garden beds