As soon as the final snows of winter have melted away, the avid gardeners among us (you know who you are!) are immediately rarin' to start digging away in their gardens. Here in Niagara however, frosts can set in throughout most of the spring season, so here are some veggies you can plant early that can handle the chilly weather!
There are quite a few vegetables and herbs than can actually survive and even thrive when planted early, even in this chilly Niagara spring season.
For these plants, getting an early start can give you better results and earlier harvests. This can help you prevent them from fruiting in the heat of summer, when they can sometimes be quick to bolt (or flower).
Keep in mind that while many of these cold crops do well when planted in late April or early May, when planting seedlings that have been started indoors or in our nursery, you may want to ‘harden’ them off first.
That essentially means growing them outdoors, and bringing in the garage or undercover at night or when the temperature really drops, for a few days before planting them into your garden.
The following vegetables and herbs can withstand cooler temperatures and can benefit from being planted earlier in the spring:
- Arugala
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Parsnips
- Spinach
- Beets
- Carrots
- Leeks Peas (flowers and pods may be damaged by frost, but young plants won't)
- Swiss Chard (mature plants)
- Broccoli
- Fennel
- Lettuce
- Radishes
- Turnips
- Brussels Sprouts
- Garlic (plant in fall for summer harvest)
- Parsley
- Rhubarb
