The Great Debate

Each spring I face the great debate - Do I dare plant anything outside yet? Is it going to be warm and sunny so my seeds will come up or will it rain for two weeks straight and rot them in the ground? I never know, so about this time of year, I start planting things, trusting that they'll grow regardless of the weather.

Last night as part of Family Home Evening, we planted a few peas and some onion plants. I'm having faith that they will do just fine. However, I didn't plant all of my peas or all of my onions. I usually just plant a few at first and see if they do alright. Then I plant some more. This works well for me because I'm not out my entire crop if I planted too early and they never come up - I'll still have more seeds left to plant again later. And my crops will mature at different times, increasing the number of weeks that I'll be able to harvest.

Keep in mind that the earlier in the season you plant, the crazier the weather can be. If you tend to stress about things like that, wait a few more weeks before you start playing around with plants outside. If you like the challenge and are willing to take a bit of a risk (and learn a lot in the process), you could start planting a few things.

With that said, if you are really itching to plant something, here are a few cool season veggies that you could try. Remember that if it is warm enough for the seeds to come up in your garden, the little plants will probably be fine. Most seeds won't germinate until the weather is warm enough to support the plants. Check your seed packets and take the temperature of your soil.

• Peas - I've planted as early as St. Patricks Day and have had them come up. Some years I've planted in mid-May and still didn't get any peas. You never know.
  
• Onions, shallots, garlic, leek, and chives - These plants are pretty tough! Some can even survive the winter. Chives are perennials - stop by and I'll share you some of mine!
  
• Broccoli - Gets bitter when the weather is hot. If planting out little plants, make sure they are used to being outside instead of the warm greenhouse.
  
• Cabbage - Make sure transplants are hardened off.
  
• Chinese cabbage/Pak Choi- easy to grow from seed and great in stir fry when picked small. I only like to eat the baby ones (less than 5 inches tall). In my garden I use the large heads as earwig traps - They'll be clear full of bugs in the early morning and I just pull out the plant and throw it in the trash. Or it I'm really feeling frustrated with the earwigs, I'll drop it in the chicken run. Treats for my lady birds. A small bit of revenge for me.
  
• Lettuce / Mesclun - Comes up easily from seed as soon as it is warm enough. You can pick and eat the leaves when they are only 2-3 inches.
  
• Spinach - Also comes well from seed in the garden.
  
• Beets - Root crop - doesn't transplant well so just plant in garden.
  
• Radishes - I use them to mark the rows of other things because radishes come up quickly. I don't like to eat them so I just let them get big and flower. The blossoms are pretty, usually purple or white, and attract bees to your garden. My boys like to throw the huge radishes around after the flowers die. Very fun.
  

I'm planning to plant a few beets, some spinach, and lettuce seeds today. I'll wait on everything else and see how these do. And by a few, I mean like 5 or 10 plants. It's still early, but I'm ready to be in my garden.