Get an Early Jump on Spring Gardening
gardening·@walkerland·
0.000 HBDGet an Early Jump on Spring Gardening
With a bit of ingenuity, even those of us living in cooler climates can get a heard start on the gardening season. Here are a few methods we employ to get food in the ground as quickly as possible.  # Start Plants Inside Starting your own seeds can save you a fortune. It usually costs only a few dollars for a package of 25-50 seeds whereas buying starts from the nursery can cost a few dollars per plant. It also gives you a wider selection of varieties to choose from. [Heirloom Seeds Part 5: Seed Starting](https://steemit.com/gardening/@walkerland/heirloom-seeds-part-5-seed-starting)  # Cold Frames Cold frames are simple frames that go over your growing beds creating mini greenhouses. You can use plastic or old window panes to construct them. In this photo we have used logs built into the shape of a house. We will staple plastic to this frame in early spring to warm the soil and protect the plants. Some people use milk jugs with the bottoms cut off or old tires to build mini green houses. You can also use grow tunnels and other materials to create warm zones.  I didn't have a photo of our cold frame with plastic but you get the idea. (we switch from plastic to bug netting in the summer) # Warm the Soil I know that plastics are undesirable to a lot of people but they really can make a big difference when starting your garden. We use clear plastic on top of the beds to thaw the soil in the spring so we can get the cold tolerant seeds planted early. Dark plastic, although effective at suppressing weeds, does not work as well when it comes to warming the soil. We also remove heavy mulch from some of the beds such as strawberries & garlic (that we overwinter) so that the soil can begin to warm.  The green shoots behind the plastic rows are hard neck garlic. We plant the garlic on the autumn and lay thick straw on top for winter. # Choose Early Maturing "Short Season" Varieties You'll find a lot of varieties of vegetables that are classed as "early maturing". These plants often mature several weeks earlier than typical. Seed packets typically list the amount of time the plant needs to mature. Compare varieties to see which ones will produce the fastest for you. # Plant Cold Tolerant Plants ASAP Some seeds can be planted as soon as the ground can be worked. This includes cold tolerant plants such as: beets, carrots, turnip, kale, lettuce, broccoli, peas, onion & spinach. These plants are extremely cold tolerant and can be directly sown in early spring. I might be wearing a hat, coat and mittens while planting but they don't mind at all!  This is mid April here in New Brunswick Canada, Zone 4. If you are curious ...on the left we were creating Hugelkultur style raised beds. Basically lots of decaying sticks and twigs followed by compost. # If you liked reading this you Might Also like my series on seeds [Heirloom Seeds Part 1: The Importance of Seed Saving & How to Select The Best Seeds](https://steemit.com/gardening/@walkerland/herirloom-seeds-part-1-the-importance-of-seed-saving-and-how-to-select-the-best-seeds) [Heirloom Seeds Part 2: SEEDING FEAR | Documentary Short](https://steemit.com/gardening/@walkerland/heirloom-seeds-part-2-seeding-fear-or-documentary-short) [Heirloom Seeds Part 3: Determining and Using Plant Hardiness Zones](https://steemit.com/gardening/@walkerland/heirloom-seeds-part-3-determining-and-using-plant-hardiness-zones) [Heirloom Seeds Part 4: When To Start Your Seeds](https://steemit.com/gardening/@walkerland/heirloom-seeds-part-4-when-to-start-your-seeds) [Heirloom Seeds Part 5: Seed Starting](https://steemit.com/gardening/@walkerland/heirloom-seeds-part-5-seed-starting) [Heirloom Seeds Part 6: Sprouting Seeds, Grains & Beans](https://steemit.com/gardening/@walkerland/heirloom-seeds-part-6-sprouting-seeds-grains-and-beans) [Heirloom Seeds Part 7 - Seed Stratification](https://steemit.com/gardening/@walkerland/heirloom-seeds-part-7-seed-stratification) [Heirloom Seeds Part 8 - Seed Saving Exchanges & Groups](https://steemit.com/gardening/@walkerland/heirloom-seeds-part-8-seed-saving-exchanges-and-groups) --- <center>[@walkerland ] Building a greener, more beautiful world one seed at a time. Homesteading | Gardening | Frugal Living | Preserving Food| From Scratch Cooking| You can also find me at: [walkerland.ca](http://www.walkerland.ca) Photo copyright: @walkerland </center>
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