Hasn’t the weather been great the past few days? And now is a great time to plant your root vegetables — beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, and even radishes. You can also plant peas, spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and collards.
Wait On These Veggies
I’d wait another 3 weeks (in the Richmond area…a bit later further north) before planting corn, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, squash, and melons. Before I plant them, I’d still go online and double-check the long-range forecast. I’ll never ever forget that frost we had just six years ago on May 10th!
Remember that root crops should never be started indoors. They do not transplant well and should be direct-sown in the garden. Follow the directions on the back of the package. They will tell you how far apart to space, etc.
Plant These Veggies Now
You could have started spinach, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc., indoors last month so now would be the time to transplant outside. If not, you still have time to direct-sow — just remember to still follow the directions on the seed packet for spacing.
Loosen the soil first about 10 inches down for root crops and about eight inches down for kale, spinach, broccoli, etc. Water well after planting and side-dress with a vegetable fertilizer. Do keep an ear tuned to the weather forecasts. Even early spring veggies should be protected from temperatures below freezing with row covers or something else (I’ve used sheets successfully in the past).
How to Check Foliage for Pests
Now you will want to start checking the foliage about once a week for certain early-springs pests. Cabbage worms are the worst so keep tabs on all your cabbage family members — cabbage, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. Also, keep a watch on the rest of the veggies for regular pests like aphids. Early detection is the best way to keep things under control.
The Most Important Thing
The most important thing you can do is enjoy that first bite you take of your home-grown veggies!