Now that the gardening year is in full swing in most of the continent, many people are thinking of planting some vegetables. It is important that you take your average last frost date into consideration when you are planting. Cool season vegetables are the ones that can be planted early, and will take a light frost if necessary, as well as grow well on cool days. The do however, suffer when the heat of summer hits, so get these vegetables started early.
Typical crops for early season are peas and potatoes as well as onions. These are all directly sown into the ground, although onion sets are available. Germination will take anything from two to three weeks depending on the soil temperature and the daytime temperatures. It is important to keep the ground moist when the seeds are germinating. Fast growing peas can be harvested at different times, depending on the variety. The tender skins on some varieties make great snow peas, whilst others will need shelling. Add the raw peas to salads or lightly steam the shelled peas, and sprinkle with chopped mint or parsley for a great side dish.
Among the cool season vegetables that have become really popular in recent years, are the salad greens. At one time this was a generic green, tasteless lettuce, but now there are seeds available for mesclum mixes and other spicy salad mixes. If you are using a mixed packet or greens, then they will be mixed with similar germinating varieties. Spread the seeds onto a prepared seed bed, and cover with fine soil. Water lightly so as not to dislodge the soil and expose the seeds. Most mixes take three or four weeks to produce a leaf that is good for picking. The tender, small leaves are sweet and make great additions to salads. If you leave the leaves for another week or two you will have full sized leaves that make a great salad by themselves. To maximize your enjoyment from these mixes, sow a few new seeds every week or two and you will soon get a good supply of new and mature leaves to enjoy with your evening meals. For maximum convenience, sow the seeds in circles or in a square area, rather than in a traditional row format. This makes harvesting a bunch of leaves quick and easy!
If you prefer to mix your own salad greens, then there is still a wide variety to choose from. Retailers such as Cook’s, Renee’s Seeds and Johnnie’s, plus many more, all have good selections. Pick those flavors that complement your tastes, plus a few basic lettuce selections to round out the mix. Early in the gardening year, use cold weather lettuce and substitute warm weather or long day length selections for later in the year.
Mix some mustard greens or arugula to your basic lettuce mix and sow several different lettuce colors. Red tipped Oak, and the bright green of Bibb lettuces can be mixed together to create a terrific salad that is both colorful and nutritious. Ideally these salad mixes should be enjoyed with just a little olive oil and wine vinegar, rather than a heavy overpowering dressing. Oil and vinegar or French dressings tend to be rather better for your waistline too!
It is not too late to sow some of these cool season vegetables and there is still time to enjoy a few homegrown additions to your dinner table or luncheon sandwich.
