Getting a jump on the gardening season in a colder climate is not easy to do without a greenhouse. However, by selecting and planting the correct crops such as hardy greens, brassica and root crops you can do fairly well. Personally I like Dino Kale, Spring Mix, Arugula, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Potatoes (especially Yukon Gold), Carrots and Beets. If you would like to, this is a great time to plant flowers from seed also. Before planting we’ve amended and tilled our beds in advance just after the snows have melted off, which is generally late March or April the Southerly exposed areas. Watering is done sparsely, as we are waiting for the environment to do the majority of germinating. Germinating is going to take longer than you think, mainly due to the soil temperature being so low. Be patient.

So far the only difficulty we’ve had is when the warmer spring days give way to a night or two of hard freezes a month after the planting. All of the greens go to seed real quick. We weren’t the only ones who got effected by this as a local organic farmer had told me the same thing during conversation at the farmers market. Watching for this to happen will allow you to get a second planting in before it’s too late for the succession. If you have some crops that have grown really quickly in the earlier season, let them go to seed and collect it. You’ve got some really viable seed for next spring.

I have been collecting windows and sliding doors for a couple years and plan on building a small green house or even a few smaller cold frames to grow Broccoli, Cabbage, and Cauliflower starts in. I’ll let you know how it turns out! If you have any comments or suggestions, please share in the comments section below.

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