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Certain vegetables prefer the cooler temperatures. Peas, planted in early March, will produce an abundant yield. Plant when the ground is dry. If the soil is too wet, peas seeds will rot before germinating.
Onions need to be in the ground as soon as the soil is dry and can be worked. Plant at the same as peas.
Potatoes love cold weather. Plant the seed potatoes in early March for a good harvest. Potatoes need dry soil so the seed potatoes do not rot. After they sprout, the plants need plenty of water. - Transplants are needed for growing in the northwest. Do not start tomatoes from seed unless starting inside. Early varieties do well and produce a generous amount of tomatoes for a fall harvest. Hot weather varieties that need a long growing season do not produce well in the northwest. Tomatoes should be in the ground in mid May.
- Beans have a short growing season and need warm soil to germinate. Bean seeds can be sown the second week of May. Planting any sooner will not speed up germination. The seeds will wait until the soil is warm.
- Plant salad vegetables, including radishes, leaf lettuce, bunch onions and early varieties of carrots, in April. Salad vegetables often have a maturity time of 30 to 45 days. They also prefer cooler temperatures. Lettuce goes to seed quickly when exposed to extreme summer heat.
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Broccoli has a short maturity time and should be planted the first week of April. To maintain a steady supply of this vegetable, harvest the main stalk for freezing and harvest the shoots throughout the rest of the growing season for eating.
Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage are in the same family as broccoli and should be planted in April as well. The plants are spaced 12" to 18" apart for proper development.
