Spring Vegetable Gardening

Spring Planting by Wayne Bowman, Master Gardener.

“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.” ~ Mark Twain

Aside from the effects of Brother Clement’s weather, it’s never too early to plan this year’s garden. In our part of the country, we’re somewhere around six to eight weeks from the average date of the last frost. Note, I said AVERAGE! Last frost dates jump around like a cat on a hot stove. Last frosts have occured as early as mid February or as late as April, both extremely rare, but they do happen. Best guess is to expect a frost 50% of the time after a published average date, so be careful planting tender crops such as tomatoes, beans, etc. Be prepared to cover some crops with frost cloth, etc., even if you use the following planting guide:

https://dallas-tx.tamu.edu/files/2010/06/Vegetable-Planting-Guide.pdf

The same chart I just referenced also makes note of the optimum soil tempreature for planting. If you wish, you could buy a soil thermometer, but (secret hint!) a probe type meat thermometer works well, too.

I’ve made a few quick trips through the Big Box and Ranch stores, and they’ve replenished their displays with seed marked for this coming season. Seed potatoes and onions are awaiting your purchase, too. They’ll be going into the ground shortly. Don’t try to use those potatoes sprouting in your pantry, though. Most have been treated with a chemical that retards growth.

Seeds left over from last year? Are you wondering if they’re still useable? It is easy enough to see if they’re still viable. Place a number of seeds between two pieces of damp toweling. Check every few days to see if anything is sprouting while keeping the toweling damp. A week to ten days later count the sprouting seeds and use this as a guide as to the percentage of good seed you have. Of course, most seed is rather cheap.

Ordering seeds? Time is short, although on-line ordering speeds shipment greatly. One caution should be to make sure the seed you are ordering is for something that will grow well in our climate. While our season is plenty long, some won’t do well in the heat of summer. If you are wondering, ask your local Master Gardener Vegetable Specialist. If they don’t know about a specific variety, they’ll know where to find the information.

Remember that garden plan I told you to make last fall? Now’s the time to drag it out and see what and where you wish to plant. Check your tools and sharpen your blades. In a few weeks, you’ll be wanting to test the motors on your mower, tiller and anything mechanical you might use, to see that they’re in top operating condition. New air filters and spark plugs do wonders sometimes. The busy season is just around the corner.

“Indoors or out, no one relaxes in March, that month of wind and taxes, the wind will presently disappear, the taxes last us all the year.” ~Ogden Nash

March Vegetable Gardening by Byron Chitwood, Master Gardener.

If you planted tomatoes, peppers and potatoes before the 14^th of March, chances are that the vegetables suffered some frost damage. I visited with a large nursery in Frisco yesterday and they said that people got in a hurry to plant these sorts of things because of the mild weather we were having. I did have some tomato plants planted but they were in large pots and I have been putting in our warm garage overnight. However, my potatoes were up and suffered some frost damage. I don’t think it will be fatal for them. Just remember that the average date of our last killing frost is March 20. That means we can always have one or more after March 20 so with frost sensitive vegetables, it is better to wait until after April 1 to transplant them to your garden plot.

After March 20, it is ok to plant all kinds of beans and peas, corn, cucumbers, egg plants, mustard greens, squash, tomatoes and watermelon. After April 1, okra, field peas, and pepper plants can be planted. Check the local weather station for the possibility of frost and be prepared to cover these plants in case of temperatures predicted in the los thirties. Some of the vegetables that are planted from seeds might not germinate properly if the soil is too cold when they are planted. If they have not all germinated and sprouted within two weeks, replant w here needed. Sometimes, green beans will sprout in cold soil but the infant plants will not have good leaves. Replant these too since they will not develop into productive plants.

If you have a very large garden plot and plan to plant green beans, rather than plant them all at once, stagger planting dates every five to ten days. That way, you will have a lengthened harvest period. You might get tired of eating green beans every day but I’ll bet that your neighbors won’t.

If you plant a lot of your vegetables from seed, they will need ample water to germinate and grow an ample root system. Keep the soil moist until after the seeds have germinated and developed a good root system. If it is a dry spring, water the plants at the first sign of wilting. Rainwater is the best for your garden but if there is not enough frequent rains, tap water is the second best.

There are certainly more vegetables than are mentioned in this article. The stores that supply seeds and transplants are beginning to carry a large variety than what you probably grew up with. Some of these are Bok Choy, Chinese cabbage, and different varieties of squash and green beans. The seed packets usually give all the planting instructions that are needed.

I have said many times that gardening is one of the best therapies that there is. If you are not now a vegetable gardener, start with a small plot and add to it through the years. You will reach a point where the intrusive weeds will outpace your ability to keep the garden properly weeded. Keep the size of the garden plot that you are most comfortable with. If tended properly, it will provide many hours of satisfying therapy plus furnish plenty of fresh vegetables.