Garden :: A Season for Everything Under the Sun

Each winter, seed and plant catalogs begin heading towards gardeners’ mailboxes. While they wait for spring, gardeners dream about lush gardens full of produce, decide on crops to plant and design garden layouts. Somewhere in between dreaming and deciding, gardeners take into account their climate zone and their plants’ needs.

Step One: Check the Farmer’s Almanac

The first step to a bountiful garden is planting in the proper season. Vegetables can be sorted into two distinct categories: cool season and warm season. It is important to consult your county extension office for proper planting times for your region or zone. Many gardeners follow the Farmer’s Almanac to better acquaint themselves with proper planting seasons.

Cool Season Vegetables:

Cool season veggies should be planted in either early spring for a spring-summer harvest or in late summer for a fall harvest. In mild climates, these plants can grow all winter. They tolerate some frost. These plants typically grow best when temperatures average 15 degrees cooler than those needed by warm season plants. Interestingly, most cool season crops need to reach maturity before the warm weather sets in; if they do not, they can become bitter in taste or simply fail to produce edible parts. Typical cool season veggies include greens, cabbage, broccoli, peas, brussels sprouts, carrots, radishes, onions and lettuce. Potatoes can also be planted in the earliest days of spring provided they are well covered.

Warm Season Vegetables:

Warm season veggies favor a planting during late spring after the danger of frost. Tomatoes are especially susceptible to temperatures below 55degrees. These plants can be harvested throughout the warm season and depending on your climate zone may produce through early fall. It is important to note, warm season veggies require not only high temperatures, but also warm soil to thrive. Typical warm season veggies include tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, pumpkins, melons, beans, corn, okra and herbs. Warm season veggies are oftentimes staged in planting to get the most out of the growing season.

If you’ve been dreaming of a bountiful garden all winter long, but are not sure where to begin consider planting some of these higher yielding producers: tomatoes, eggplant, sweet peppers, greens, onions, lettuce, summer squash, beans, peas and cucumbers. Not only will these prolifically produce, they also have a high value per pound saving quite a bit in the grocery budget should your family enjoy these veggies.