The vegetable cool-crop planting season is just around the corner. Technically the dates are either two or four weeks from the last frost date (middle of May or so). Hardy vegetables like peas, lettuce, spinach, arugula, onions and cole crops can be seeded or transplanted April 15 to May 15. Semi-hardy veggies like beets, potatoes, carrots and Swiss chard can be planted from May 1 to May 15. But there’s no need to worry about following those time lines if you warm the soil now and use tunnels or cloches over the seed bed or transplants to keep them from continuous frosty nights below 40 degrees.
I covered one of my raised beds today with black plastic and will keep it covered for 10 to 14 days. If we get a long warm spell then I’ll take the soil temperature and if it’s 40 to 45 degrees, I’ll be seeding lettuce before noon that day! Before putting down the plastic I started out by removing the heavy layer of chopped up leaves (read my mulch blogs from January about winter mulch). I simply moved the leaves next door to my garlic planted raised beds. They seemed happy to have the extra layer of protection and garlic doesn’t skip a beat with more mulch, those sturdy bulbs are pushing top growth already and they emerge right through anything.
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| Black Plastic to Warm Raised Beds |
After moving the mulch I made sure the ground was moist before covering with the plastic. With recent storms, the beds were fine, if they had been dry, watering first helps create some humidity and heat below the plastic. I’ll keep you posted on my soil warming temperatures and seed planting. Below is a seeding and transplanting chart I put together for vegetable classes I teach in the Denver area. Everything is all relative to weather conditions so make sure your plan includes covering new seedlings or transplants.
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CROP COOL SEASON | DAYS TO MATURITY | START SEEDS INDOORS | PLANT SEEDS IN THE GROUND | PLANT TRANSPLANTS OUTSIDE | FALL SEED |
Arugula | 30 | April 15-June 1 | Mid-Aug | ||
Asparagus | Perennial | Plant root crowns April 15 to May 15 | |||
Beets | 60-65 | May 1-May 15 | Mid-July | ||
Broccoli | 70 | March 1-Mar15 | April 1-May 15 | Mid-July | |
Brussels Sprouts | 80-95 | March 1-Mar15 | April 1-May 15 | Mid-July | |
Cabbage | 60-70 | March 1-Mar15 | April 1-May 15 | Mid-July | |
Carrots | 65-70 | May 1-May 15 | Mid-July | ||
Cauliflower | 50-55 | March 1-Mar15 | April 1-May 15 | Mid-July | |
Cilantro | 55-65 | March 1-Mar30 | May 1- May 15 | May 1 - May 15 | Mid-July |
Chard-Swiss | 50 | April 15-June 15 | Mid-July | ||
Celery | 85-110 | Fall planted best | Mid-July | ||
Chives Onion | Perennial | May 15-June 15 | |||
Chives Garlic | Perennial | May 15-June 15 | |||
Garlic | Use Planting Bulbs | Mid-Sept Mid-Oct | |||
Horseradish | Perennial | May 15-June 15 | |||
Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens | 50-55 | April15-May15 | Mid-August | ||
Kohlrabi | 55 | April 15-May15 | Mid- August | ||
Lettuce Leaf | 40-45 | April 15-May15 | Mid-Aug | ||
Lettuce Head | 70-80 | April 15-May15 | |||
Onion Bulb | 100 | April 15-May15 | |||
Onion Bunching | 60-80 | April 15-May15 | Mid-July | ||
Parsley | 75 | March 1-Mar30 | May 1-May 15 | May 1 – May 15 | Mid-July |
Parsnips | 85-120 | April 15-May15 | |||
Peas | 50-65 | April 15-May15 | Mid-July | ||
Potato Tubers | 80-120 | April15-May15 | |||
Radishes | 20-30 | April 15-May15 | Mid -Aug | ||
Rhubarb | Perennial | May 1 –June 15 | |||
Rutabaga | 90-95 | Early August | Early Aug | ||
Spinach | 30-50 | April 15-May15 | Mid-Aug | ||
Turnip | 40-75 | April 15-May15 | Mid-Aug |
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CROP WARM SEASON | DAYS TO MATURITY | START SEEDS INDOORS | PLANT SEEDS IN THE GROUND | PLANT TRANSPLANTS OUTSIDE | FALL SEED |
Basil | 60-85 | April 15-May 15 | June 1-July 15 | June 1 – July 15 | July 1 |
Beans, Bush | 45-50 | May20-July 1 | July 1 | ||
Beans, Pole | 60-65 | May 20-June 15 | |||
Corn, Sweet | 65-80 | May 20-June 15 | |||
Cucumber Slicing | 48-72 | May 20-June 15 | |||
Cucumber Pickling | 58-58 | May 20-July 1 | |||
Eggplant | 60-80 | March 15- April 10 | May 20-June 10 | ||
Cantaloupe | 85-120 | April 15-May1 | May 20-June 10 | May 20-June 10 | |
Okra | 55-65 | April 15-20 | June 1-June 20 | June 1-June 20 | |
New Zealand Spinach | 50-60 | May 20-June 20 | |||
Pepper | 70-80 | March 1- April 10 | May 20-June 10 | ||
Pumpkin | 95-110 | April 15-May 1 | May 20-June 5 | May 20-June 5 | |
Squash Summer | 55-65 | April 15-May 1 | May 20-June 10 | May 20-June 10 | |
Squash Winter | 55-105 | April 15-May 1 | May 20-June 10 | May 20-June 10 | |
Tomato | 60-85 | March 15- April 10 | May 20-June 10 | ||
Tomatillos | 75-100 | March 15- April 10 | May 20-June 10 | ||
Watermelon | 75-100 | April 5-15 | May 20-June 10 | ||
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