Is it time to plant outside? SPRING VEGGIES

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By Barb Delisio

OSU Ext. master gardener volunteer

Usually the first of April is when we can begin to plant our early spring veggies outside. This year will be a little later. Here are some hints on when to put those tiny seeds in the ground so they’ll grow.

The cold, wet ground is the perfect place for those little seeds to rot, not grow. Some gardeners plant their peas on St. Patrick’s Day. I hope they did not follow that custom this year. The rule of thumb, and research, is that the soil should be at least 40 degrees. A soil thermometer is a gardener’s best friend when it is time to plant cold- season vegetables such as peas, kale, radishes, beets, carrots, cabbage, spinach and other cold-season vegetables.

Use the thermometer on three-consecutive mornings. Push it 1-2 inches into the soil for planting seeds, 4-6 inches for transplants. If you don’t have a soil thermometer, you can chart night temperatures. Usually, if the temperature doesn’t goes below freezing (32 degrees) for seven to 10 nights it’s safe to plant your cold-season vegetable seeds/plants into the soil. The soil cannot be waterlogged. Pick up a handful of soil and squeeze it in your fist. It should be dry and crumbly, not clumping together, dripping water.

Hopefully you have tilled your garden in the fall; if not, till it now, but only if it’s dry. Since you already had your soil tested, you know what nutrients need to be added before seeds are planted. If you didn’t, a general all-purpose granular, vegetable fertilizer can be spread over the entire garden.

Grouping your early maturing crops in one section of the garden helps plan space for later crops that require more space. Companion cropping maximizes growing space. An example would be to plant lettuce and cabbage alternately in the same row. The lettuce matures first and is harvested before it interferes with the growth of the cabbage. Radishes can be seeded between rows of cabbage and/or broccoli. One way to insure a continuous supply of these early crops is to replant every seven to 10 days. Using a string to mark rows helps identify new seedlings from weeds as they emerge. Rows of seeds should be about 8 inches apart. It is important to keep the new garden weed-free so new seedlings are not competing with weeds for nourishment and water. Once seedlings are 2-3 inches high, you can mulch to keep the ground an even temperature and conserve moisture. Early spring vegetable seeds can take from seven to 21 days to germinate, depending on the warmth of the soil and outside temperature.

If you have grown your plants from seed indoors, the plants must be hardened off before putting them into garden soil. A cold frame, not in direct sunlight, can be used, or you can place plants outside during the day, increasing direct sunlight every few days, but bringing the plants in at night. It takes about seven days to harden off plants to plant outside. Most plants should be planted 12-18 inches apart in rows. Usually 24 inches between rows is needed to give plants adequate air flow and sunlight.