As we feel the spring energy return to the earth and to our bodies, many of us are excited to get into the garden and start planting! As the season advances, we’ll be sharing a bit of what we’re growing in our own gardens in the hope you might follow along and learn something to help you in your own growing adventures.
Today, we’re kicking off our “Wins for Your Weekend” series by talking about seeds, starting with introducing a few terms I use regularly when talking about garden planning.
Direct sown means we are putting seeds directly into the soil and letting them sprout up where we planted them. Many root vegetables like beets, carrots, and radishes are grown best this way because their tap root is what you will be harvesting in a few short weeks, and those roots need room to grow quickly. When started indoors and transplanted outside, there is a risk of harming the tap root and therefore hurting your potential harvest.
Succession planting is a concept I use in my home garden for quicker growing foods such as greens and roots. Succession planting means you spread out the seeds you want to grow over a couple weeks which in turn spreads out your harvest window. This helps have continual things to eat instead of one massive harvest that is hard to use up all at once.
Here are some things you can direct sow right now, in April, to enjoy a fresh harvest in the weeks ahead leading up to the classic summer garden:
Roots: carrots, turnips, beets, rutabaga
Greens: kale, lettuce
Herbs: chamomile, calendula
When is it safe to plant warm-season veggies? The best way to know when we are done with the freezing temperatures is to look up ‘average Last frost date’ for your zip code. For example, South Bend’s average last frost date is April 15th, and it’s important to remember this is an estimate and not a guarantee. It is best to check the ten day forecast before planting anything that may be killed by a late frost, and also remember these heat-lovers need a soil temperature of at least 60 degrees in order to thrive. Warm season veggies include things like tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, and basil.
In the meantime, if you started seeds indoors, remember to transition them outdoors before planting in the ground through a process called “hardening off”. Your seedlings need to acclimate to growing outdoors with stronger sunlight, fluctuating temperatures, and wind. To acclimate your plants, start by bringing them outdoors for 1-2 hours/day when temps are over 60 degrees, and gradually increase the amount of time they spend outdoors. I like to acclimate mine gradually over one to two weeks before I leave them outside for good.
For those who don’t have in-ground garden space, not to worry! I’ve grown many fresh vegetables in my Greenstalk planter which allows me to increase my growing space using vertical growing. Here is what I have in my Greenstalk planter this month, and a friendly reminder you can enjoy 10% off when you use code Botany10 at checkout!
Carrots
Kale
Lettuce
Turnips
Beets
Chamomile
Calendula
A friendly reminder, we have so many exceptional garden seeds in the Shop, and you can still stock up on some goodies to grow this year, if you haven’t already. There’s still time to plant your cool-season veggies directly outdoors!
We hope you’re able to enjoy time in your own outdoors in the warmer days ahead. We’ll be back in a few weeks to share more wins for your weekends.
Happy Gardening -
Lindsey | Nursery Operations Manager