What vegetables thrive in spring planting?
Written by
Paul Reynolds
Reviewed by
Prof. Samuel Fitzgerald, Ph.D.The spring planting season is perfect for leafy greens, such as spinach and kale. They deal well with light frosts and mature quickly. I have helped clients harvest baby spinach in 28 days by planting it 2 weeks before the last frost. Cool soil encourages germination, and our longer growing season does not provide good crops for growing greens if we wait too long to plant. We don't want to risk the crop ending up producing bitter leaves!
Leafy Greens
- Spinach: Plant ½ inch deep, rows 12 inches apart
- Kale: Start indoors 6 weeks pre-frost
- Avoid nitrogen-heavy fertilizers (promotes pests)
Root Vegetables
- Carrots: Thin seedlings to 2-inch spacing
- Beets: Soak seeds 24 hours before sowing
- Test soil for rocks, they cause forked roots
Brassicas
- Broccoli: Transplant after 4 true leaves form
- Cauliflower: Blanch heads with leaf tents
- Use row covers to block cabbage moths
Soil preparation is critical for root crops. A client had forked carrots because she couldn't be bothered to remove the rocks in her soil. Tilling beds at least 12" deep and adding compost is beneficial. Also, test the pH as most veggies prefer 6.0-7.0. Radishes won't grow in acidic soil lower than 5.5 pH. Customers need to know that soil in bad condition can be further aggravated by an early amendment of lime.
Leafy Green Protection
- Spray neem oil weekly for aphids
- Install floating row covers
- Interplant with garlic to deter beetles
Brassica Defense
- Handpick cabbage worms at dawn
- Apply Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) spray
- Use yellow sticky traps for flea beetles
Succession planting allows for longer harvests. I recommend using radish seeds and seeding every 10 days. I coach my clients to write down the planting dates in a journal so they don't miss any. In the spring, peas planted in soil at 40℉ (4℃) will have a jump on other later planted peas. Cold-hardy crops are forgiving of early mistakes.
Read the full article: Spring Garden Preparation: 10 Expert Tasks for Success
