When to Plant Vegetable Seeds Outside?
When planting vegetable seeds outside, called direct sowing, it is important to plant at the appropriate times. If planted too early, seeds can die or rot. If planted too late the plants do not have time to grow and produce mature, ripe vegetables. The backs of seed packets all give estimated times of how long the seeds need to develop. Use this as a guide when planting seeds outdoors. Does this Spark an idea?
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Cool Weather
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Check the U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone map to see what the frost dates are for your area. For most zones, you can plant vegetables that thrive in the cooler weather outside in late February to early March. These vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, onions, sprouts, cabbage, carrots and peas. Prepare the soil as early in the spring as you can. Turn it and add in a fertilizer that is appropriate for your soil type and lack of nutrients. Covering the newly planted seeds with a 2- to 3-inch layer of hay helps to protect them from the elements if cold nights are still a possibility.
Warm Weather
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Wait until after all danger of frost is past and then plant the remainder of your vegetable seeds outside. The soil must be completely warmed up before planting beans, cucumbers, squash, corn and other warm-weather vegetables.
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Fall Crops
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Plan an additional harvest of cool-weather vegetables by planting a fall crop. As you harvest vegetables in the garden and remove spent plants, turn the soil once again and add another round of seeds of broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach and peas. Planting a fall crop allows you to get more out of the garden, especially if you only have a small space in which to plant. When planting seeds outside for a fall crop, count backwards from the first frost date for your area to the number of days required for growing the vegetables.
Early Spring Crops
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Plan to harvest some vegetables very early in the spring before you prepare the soil for that first spring planting. Plant garlic and onion seeds in well-fertilized soil after removing all other vegetables from the garden. This should be sometime in November, depending on your zone. Water the seeds well, then cover them with a 5- to 8-inch thick layer of hay or straw. The straw will protect the seeds until they begin growing towards the end of winter, giving you a very early spring harvest.
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- Photo Credit Close-up of the seeds of a half cut yellow pepper image by citylights from Fotolia.com
