I live in the midwest and each year I manage to get just a little bit of spinach, lettuce and snap peas before the humidity and heat climb too high. I'd like to get a much earlier start this year and enjoy a longer harvest of those yummy spring crops, as well as kale and chard. If I direct sow, will those things sprout now? The average temperature is about 38 degrees overnight and it has been getting up to 60 during the day. Of course, weather is always unpredictable and today it won't get above 20 degrees, but then next week it's going to be really warm. Can I try planting now? Also, can beets and radish be direct sowed this early? Thanks.
Absolutely! Lettuce, spinach, radish, peas are cool weather germinators, grab all the time that you can! If you hit a cold night once the seedlings show up, simply cover with straw or grass clippings to protect.
I planted lettuce outside mid Feb in zone 6, a week or so before a spell of single digit nights and several inches of snow. But I would do it all over again - and if you are desperate and refuse to learn from your mistakes like me, you at least have the consolation that your radishes (conventional, not diakon), lettuce and spinich will tolerate some cold. My falltime beets and peas won't tolerate heavy frost. You could sow in flats... Good luck to you - Jen in Tulsa
You need first to know your zone. I'm in zone 3 in upper WI. I start lettuce indoors in April. Then as soon as frost is mainly over, Mid May, I transplant out. Spinach doesn't transplant well. As soon as frost is out of the ground, direct sow peas and spinach in garden. Kale and collards I also start indoors, but they can also be direct sown. Kale and collards can stand light frost, as can peas. Here in zone 3 the ground is still frozen. Call your ag extension service for latest average frost date in your area. Bluebird
in zone 5 i will plant my cool weather crops starting about mid march. by then i am having more days in the 40-50 temp and nights in the 30-40 temp. from that point on i take what weather nature gives me and live with what i get. some years better then others. peace be with you and may your garden grow cool crops.
Perfect time t0 start!!! Beets, lettuce, peas love that weather. Spinache is a bit more fussy but I gave it up in favor of swiss chard: northern lights variety. It out performed any spinache that I've ever grown. And it tasted way better!!!!! Ps the peas don't like cool damp soil. Cool ok, damp no.
I'm in zone 7. Put out peas and lettuce in mid. Feb. Then we got some real cold weather, done to 10 a couple nights. Checked my seedling and they are doing fine. Cold and some frost didn't seem to bother them. Have 4" caggage, exct. under lights almost ready to go out. It depends on where you are.
